CASE FOR SAME SEX MARRIAGE: From Sexual Liberty to Civilized Commitment (Hardcover)

by William N. Eskridge (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Issues involving gay rights have a tendency to separate those who normally fall on opposing sides and join those who are usually at odds. Both Clinton and Dole, for example, have supported a recent bill in the Senate to allow other states the right not to recognize same-sex marriages made in Hawaii. Eskridge, a Georgetown University professor, has produced a thoughtful book on this polarizing issue, taking the position that Americans should extend the right of legal marriage to same-sex couples because of the civilizing influence of the marriage bond.

From Publishers Weekly
It is difficult to see that this study, by a professor at Georgetown Law Center, will change many minds. Although Eskridge's prose is not turgid, it definitely is legalistic, so his appeal will be more to judges and lawyers than to the general public. His argument for same-sex marriages is that the focus of wedlock is on interpersonal commitment and that, in denying same-sex couples the right to contract permanent unions, the law is denying gays the same rights that straights enjoy. And he demonstrates that, in case after case, homophobia is at the root of that denial, even though various other rationalizations are advanced, including historical precedent, the probability that no children will be produced and, in one amusing instance (in Hawaii), that tourism will be discouraged. Some may find it surprising that one segment of the homosexual community strongly opposes marriage of any sort.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Free Press (May 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684824043
• ISBN-13: 978-0684824048
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,106,246 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Example of the Success of Logic Over Emotion, June 15, 1998

By A Customer

The book makes an excellent case. It not only asks why not? it also explains why. I feel like sending this book out to all of my friends as an amazing resource during one of the most important civil rights struggles of recent times. It is hard to characterize gay couples struggling to be married as promiscuous opponents of civilized society.

7 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is an outrage that must stop!!, April 16, 1999

By A Customer

As a gay man, I attempted to marry my man last year. I was met with ignorance, prejudice, and hatred! The issue was further complicated because of the fact that I was white and my love black! The local newspaper actually carried a banner headline reading "Local Man Marries Man!" This book illistrates that same sex marriage can and must work in America!