Out of the Closets and into the Courts: Legal Opportunity Structure and Gay Rights Litigation

by Ellen Ann Andersen

Over the past 30 years, the gay rights movement has moved from the margins to the center of American politics, sparking debate from bedroom to boardroom to battlefield. Out of the Closets and into the Courts analyzes recent gay rights cases and explores the complex relationship between litigation and social change.
 
“An excellent book, enlightening and well-written. Out of the Closets and into the Courts should be highly useful in the classroom and of interest to a broad audience.”
--Evan Gerstmann, Loyola Marymount University
 
“A detailed historical analysis of changes in the law surrounding gay and lesbian relationships, Out of the Closets and into the Courts also breaks fresh ground in thinking about how and when law can be used to affect social change. The concept of a legal opportunity structure, which complements the concept of political opportunity structure, proves to be very useful in analyzing judicial changes in the law. A very impressive analysis.”
--Mayer Zald, Professor Emeritus, University of Michigan
 
“Ellen Andersen's book integrates sophisticated sociolegal theory and thorough empirical research into a compelling, insightful analysis of legal mobilization campaigns led by the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. This study makes a significant contribution to scholarship about struggles over gay rights in the U.S. and about legal reform politics in general.”
--Michael McCann, University of Washington
 
Ellen Ann Andersen is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

312 pages, Paperback

First published September 18, 2006

Reviews

[Heron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elucidating. A little repetitive and conciliatory, but very comprehensive. Touts itself as a hitory of Lamda Legal, but is a bit broader. Written before the Goodridge opinion was passed down, but included it in the afterword.