ABSTRACT
Sandra Day O'Connor has called the gay rights movement "the first important civil rights struggle of the twenty-first century." Recent court decisions to overturn sodomy laws and to recognize gay marriage have emboldened activists, but have also resulted in a tremendous backlash, not the least of which has been a call for a constitutional amendment defining marriage as only between members of the opposite sex. Through its historical and legal contextualization of these decisions The Future of Gay Rights in America is essential for understanding an epochal moment in the history of gay rights.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|91 pages
Context
chapter Chapter 4|33 pages
The Symbolic Centrality of Gay Marriage in the 2004 Presidential Election1
part II|189 pages
Decision
chapter Chapter 9|15 pages
Lawrence, Privacy, and the Marital Bedroom
A Few Telltale Signs of Ironic Worry
chapter Chapter 10|23 pages
The Continuing Triumph of Neo-Conservatism in American Constitutional Law
chapter Chapter 12|36 pages
Why Lawrence v. Texas Was Not Expected
A Critique of Pragmatic Legalist and Behavioral Explanations of Supreme Court Decision Making1
chapter Chapter 13|17 pages
To What Extent Should We Be Looking Abroad for Guidance in Interpreting the United States Constitution?
part III|20 pages
The Future
