Part of the Queer Ideas series, edited by Michael Bronski QUEER IDEAS-a new series of LGBT hardcovers that address important intellectual questions facing the movement. The debate over marriage equality for same-sex couples rages across the country. Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage boldly moves the discussion forward by focusing on the larger, more fundamental issue of marriage and the law. The root problem, asserts law professor and LGBT rights activist Nancy Polikoff, is that marriage is a bright dividing line between those relationships that legally matter and those that don't. A woman married to a man for nine months is entitled to Social Security survivor's benefits when he dies; a woman living for nineteen years with a man or woman to whom she is not married receives nothing. Polikoff reframes the debate by arguing that all family relationships and households need the economic stability and emotional peace of mind that now extend only to married couples. Unmarried couples of any sexual orientation, single-parent households, extended family units, and myriad other familial configurations need recognition and protection to meet the concerns they all share: building and sustaining economic and emotional interdependence, and nurturing the next generation. Couples should have the choice to marry based on the spiritual, cultural, or religious meaning of marriage in their lives, asserts Polikoff. While marriage equality for same-sex couples is a civil rights victory, she contends that no one should have to marry in order to reap specific and unique legal results. A persuasive argument that married couples should not receive special rights denied to other families, Polikoff shows how the law can value all families, and why it must. "A much-needed intervention in the contemporary debate about marriage and family. Polikoff's argument is provocative, illuminating, and original." -John D'Emilio, author of Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin "Polikoff mobilizes an impressive array of legal history and contemporary court cases to show how marriage, whether same-sex or heterosexual, has ceased to be the only place where people incur long-term obligations. She argues vigorously that our society needs to find new ways of determining when legally-enforceable responsibilities and entitlements have accrued in interpersonal relationships." -Stephanie Coontz, author, Marriage, A History: How Love Conquered Marriage "This book really matters. It is brilliant and thoughtful, not simply about a set of laws, but as a manifesto to transform the way we understand, recognize and respect the reality of our diverse and complex family compositions. Polikoff grounds her arguments in the 35 year history of social change activism in this country to construct a passionate and nuanced argument for expanding our same sex marriage activism to include all of the ways people love, form families and build community." -Amber Hollibaugh, Senior Strategist, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, and author of My Dangerous Desires: A Queer Girl Dreaming her Way Home "Passionate but completely grounded in reality, Polikoff challenges LGBT rights advocates to see beyond gay equality arguments and question the fundamental fairness of limiting family recognition based on marriage, gay or straight. It is a powerful call for social justice." -Nan D. Hunter, founder of the American Civil Liberties Union Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Project and Professor of Law, Brooklyn Law School "A provocative and perspicuous intervention in one of the most devilish recent debates in U.S. law and politicshellip;In a principled yet pragmatic analysis, Polikoff mounts a compelling case against the continued grip of 'conjugalism'on our family law and policy. Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage challenges us

This collection investigates intermarriage and related relationships around the world since the eighteenth century. The contributors explore how romantic relationships challenged boundary crossings of various kinds – social, geographic, religious, ethnic. To this end, the volume considers a range of related issues: Who participated in these unions? How common were they, and in which circumstances were they practised (or banned)? Taking a global view, the book also questions some of the categories behind these relationships. For example, how did geographical boundaries – across national lines, distinctions between colonies and metropoles or metaphors of the ‘East’ and the ‘West’ – shape the treatment of intermarriage? What role have social and symbolic boundaries, such as presumed racial, religious or socio-economic divides, played? To what extent and how were those boundaries blurred in the eyes of contemporaries? Not least, how have bureaucracies and law contributed to the creation of boundaries preventing romantic unions? Romantic relationships, the contributors suggest, brought into sharp relief assumptions not only about community and culture, but also about the sanctity of the intimate sphere of love and family. The chapters in this book were originally published as a special issue of The History of the Family.

Punctuated by marches across the United States in the spring of 2006, immigrant rights has reemerged as a significant and highly visible political issue. Immigrant Rights in the Shadows of U.S. Citizenship brings prominent activists and scholars together to examine the emergence and significance of the contemporary immigrant rights movement. Contributors place the contemporary immigrant rights movement in historical and comparative contexts by looking at the ways immigrants and their allies have staked claims to rights in the past, and by examining movements based in different communities around the United States. Scholars explain the evolution of immigration policy, and analyze current conflicts around issues of immigrant rights; activists engaged in the current movement document the ways in which coalitions have been built among immigrants from different nations, and between immigrant and native born peoples. The essays examine the ways in which questions of immigrant rights engage broader issues of identity, including gender, race, and sexuality.

"This book is an optimal tool for instructors and students of graduate classes in social work and related disciplines." --Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health "I applaud social work students, professors, and social workers who seek to serve and empower the immigrant community. This text is a great tool toward raising awareness of the many issues immigrants face, and helping them find solutions." --Frank Sharry, Executive Director, America's Voice "The book is a major contribution to social workers and their clients as it addresses advocacy on behalf of immigrants and refugees during a social, economic and political period that restricts immigrants' rights and service access." --Dr. Diane Drachman, Associate Professor, University of Connecticut School of Social Work Successful social work with immigrants must begin with an understanding of their legal status and how that status impacts their housing, employment, health care, education, and virtually every other aspect of life. Chang-Muy and Congress present social workers with the only book on the market to emphasize the legal aspect of immigrant issues as well as critical practice and advocacy issues. Topics discussed include historical and current trends in immigration, applicable theories for practice with immigrants, policy and advocacy methods, and the need for cultural competence. By providing comprehensive coverage of both the legal and practice issues of this complex field, this book will help social service professionals and graduate students increase their cultural sensitivity and work more effectively with immigrants. Key Features: Covers the latest aspects of the immigration debate and discusses how social workers are affected by emerging immigration policies Discusses special populations such as refugees, elderly immigrants, and victims of international trafficking Includes case studies on the most critical issues immigrants face today: legal processes, physical and mental health issues, employment difficulties, family conflicts, and more Instructional Materials Available! Free to instructors with a verified order of seven or more copies. Email [email protected] to request syllabus and PowerPoint slides.

This thoroughly updated edition provides readers with the background and resources needed to understand one of the greatest civil rights issues of our time. When it was first published in 1994, Gay and Lesbian Rights: A Reference Handbook was acclaimed in School Library Journal for taking "a sober and balanced approach in addressing this emotionally charged and complex topic." The new edition shows just how far the nation has come in securing legal protections regardless of sexual orientation—and how far we still have to go. Gay and Lesbian Rights: A Reference Handbook, Second Edition provides a history of the gay liberation and gay rights movements in the United States and other parts of the world. Maintaining the careful approach of the first edition, it addresses a range of current issues from housing and employment discrimination to military service to same-sex marriage and adoption laws. Wholly rewritten, with almost 80 percent new material, it is the ideal introduction to one of the most important civil rights issues in the world today.