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10th out of 70 books
—
10 voters
Dishonorable Passions: Sodomy Laws in America, 1861-2003
A fascinating one-of-a-kind history of the government�s regulation of sexual behavior
From the Pentagon to the wedding chapel, there are few issues more controversial today than gay rights. As William Eskridge persuasively demonstrates in Dishonorable Passions, there is nothing new about this political and legal obsession. The American colonies and the early states prohib...more
From the Pentagon to the wedding chapel, there are few issues more controversial today than gay rights. As William Eskridge persuasively demonstrates in Dishonorable Passions, there is nothing new about this political and legal obsession. The American colonies and the early states prohib...more
Hardcover, 528 pages
Published
May 1st 2008
by Viking Adult
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I have very mixed feelings about this book - on one hand, I can see why it won a Stonewall book award - it is remarkably comprehensive. On the other hand, it was very dense and kinda boring. I mean, I love queer history as much as the next gal, but this was tough slaying to get through - particularly the first few chapters. The last four chapters were the best. I'm sure this book will be useful for academics, but I'm not really sure that it deserves a Stonewall book award. This isn't a book that...more
Interesting, excellently written, and well researched and documented. It tells the story of how far we've come, how much further we have to go, and how tenuous it all is. Read the Philip Roth book if your imagination can't get you there.
As a fully-articulated gay man, I forget how recent it was that my very existence made me a "presumptive criminal" in many states. In fact, it hadn't occurred to me that I had committed felonies in so many places!
Keep the people in the brown shirts away!
As a fully-articulated gay man, I forget how recent it was that my very existence made me a "presumptive criminal" in many states. In fact, it hadn't occurred to me that I had committed felonies in so many places!
Keep the people in the brown shirts away!
While I was familiar with the decisions in Hardwick, Romer and Laurence this nuanced history of the cases and their social and historical contexts gave me great perspective on them and on their current analogs. Also, while perhaps not as viscerally satisfying, I appreciate the humanity brought to those on both sides, instances of really evil people in this history are rare.
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