HOMOSEXUALITY & MARRIAGE: THE DEBATE A guide to resources at the Springfield Library |
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The issue of same-sex marriage is being heatedly debated in Massachusetts and elsewhere and has become a major issue in the current presidential campaign. Few books have been written specifically on this issue; however, there is a wealth of both fact and opinion available about the general topic of homosexuality. In order to provide context for the debate this list includes materials treating historical, societal, cultural, familial, psychological and religious issues.
Additional information may be found in articles in magazines and journals. These may be identified through two databases available in the library (and from home through the library's website).
General Reference Center Gold is an index to articles in general magazines as well as some newspapers. Expanded Academic Index includes many of the same magazines and research journals. Both databases include the full text of many of the articles indexed. Productive subject headings in each are: SAME SEX MARRIAGE; GAY COUPLES; and LESBIAN COUPLES. For a wider range of articles, use HOMOSEXUALITY; GAYS; and LESBIANS. Each of these last three will produce a range of sub-topics, such as HOMOSEXUALITY AND LITERATURE; LESBIAN COUPLES; etc.
A record of the debate currently taking place in Massachusetts can be found through various Massachusetts newspapers, such as the Springfield Republican, Boston Globe and others which are also available online through the library's website.
SAME SEX MARRIAGE
A comprehensive overview of the issue of same-sex families can be found in the article "Gay and Lesbian Families," Encyclopedia of Family Life (1999) pp.646-51. [306.8509703 E56]
Garner, Abigail. Families Like Mine: Children of Gay Parents Tell It Like It Is, 2004 [NEW CASE 306.874086 GARNER]
Graff, E. J. What is Marriage For? , 1999. [306.81 GRAFF What is]
Moats, David. Civil Wars: A Battle for Gay Marriage, 2004 [NEW CASE 306.848 MOATS]
Rauch, Jonathan. Gay Marriage: Why It Is Good for Gays, Good for Straights and Good for America, 2004 [NEW CASE 306.848 RAUCH]
Same-Sex Marriage: Pro and Con: A Reader. Edited by Andrew Sullivan, 1997. [306.848 S187]
- Rutgers Law Library. "Same sex marriage: a selective bibliography of the legal literature."
- Links to articles and websites on both sides of the issue. State-by-state summary of court cases are summarized and links to background and written opinions where available.
- 50-state rundown on gay marriage laws
- From Stateline.org
- Lambda Legal
- An organization active in promoting gay and lesbian rights. Offers links to news about many gay issues.
- Family Research Council
- An organization that actively opposes homosexuality and same sex marriage. This website offers news and advocacy.
- Boston Globe: The Same-Sex Marriage Debate
- A special report from the Globe with stories about the controversy in Massachusetts, with current and archived stories, analysis, a timeline, a photo gallery, and more.
HISTORY
Faderman, Lillian. To Believe in Women: What Lesbians Have Done for America-A History, 1999. [305.489664 FADERMAN To belie]
______________. Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth-Century America, 1991. [306.76 F123o]
Hidden from History: Reclaiming the Gay and Lesbian Past. Edited by Martin Duberman, Martha Vicinus, and George Chauncey, Jr., 1990. [306.766 H53]
Spencer, Colin. Homosexuality in History, 1995. [306.766 S745h]
Duberman, Martin B. About Time: Exploring the Gay Past, 1991. [306.766 D851a 1991]
McCourt, James. Queer Street: Rise and Fall of an American Culture, 1947-1985: Excursions in the Mind of the Life, 2004. [On Order]
Berube, Allan. Coming out Under Fire: The History of Gay Men and Women in World War Two, 1990. [940.540973 B463c]
SOCIETY AND CULTURE
Berzon, Betty. Setting Them Straight: You Can Do Something About Bigotry and Homophobia In Your Life, 1996. [305.90664 B463s]
The Greatest Taboo: Homosexuality in Black Communities. 2000. [305.90664 GREATEST]
Hochman, Anndee. Everyday Acts & Small Subversions: Women Reinventing Family, Community, and Home, 1994. [305.420973 H656e]
Homosexuality: Debating the Issues. Edited by Robert M. Baird and M. Katherine Baird, 1995. [306.766 H754]
Marcus, Eric. Is It a Choice? Answers to 300 of the Most Frequently Asked Questions About Gays and Lesbians, 1993. [305.90664 M334i]
Queerly Classed. Edited by Susan Raffo, 1997. [306.766 Q31]
FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS AND PSYCHOLOGY
- APA (American Psychological Association) Online.
- Answers to your questions about sexual orientation and homosexuality.
- American Psychiatric Association: Gay, lesbian and Bisexual Issues.
- Includes the Association's position statement on homosexuality.
Fairchild, Betty. Now That You Know: A Parents' Guide to Understanding Their Gay and Lesbian Children, 1998. [306.766 F16n]
Griffin, Carolyn Welch. Beyond Acceptance: Parents of Lesbians and Gays Talk About Their Experiences, 1996. [306.874 G875b]
Katz, Jonathan. The Invention of Heterosexuality, 1995. [306.764 K159i]
Kaufman, Gershen. Coming Out of Shame: Transforming Gay and Lesbian Lives, 1996. [305.90664 K162c]
McNaught, Brian. On Being Gay: Thoughts on Family, Faith, and Love, 1988. [306.7662 M232o]
Same-Sex Love and the Path to Wholeness. Edited by Robert H. Hopcke, Karin Lofthus Carrington, and Scott Wirth, 1993. [155.3 S187]
GAYS AND LESBIANS IN LITERATURE
Austen, Roger. Playing the Game: The Homosexual Novel in America. 1977. [813.509352 AUSTEN]
Castle, Terry. The Apparitional Lesbian: Female Homosexuality and Modern Culture. 1993. [809.8920664 C279a]
Cooper, Emmanuel. The Sexual Perspective: Homosexuality and Art in the Last 100 Years in the West. 1986. [701.03 C784s]
Frantzen, Allen J. Before the Closet: Same-Sex Love from Beowulf to Angels In America, 1998. [829.09353 F857b]
Inness, Sherrie A. The Lesbian Menace: Ideology, Identity and the Representation of American Life, 1997. [810.9920664 I58L]
Martin, Robert K. The Homosexual Tradition in American Poetry. 1979. [811.009352 MARTIN]
Tóibín, Colm. Love in a Dark Time: and Other Explorations of Gay Life and Literature. 2002. [810.9920664 TOIBIN]
Woods, Gregory. A History of Gay Literature: The Male Tradition. 1998. [809.8920664 C279a]
RELIGION AND ETHICS
Boswell, John. Christianity, Social Tolerance, and Homosexuality: Gay People In Western Europe From the Beginning of the Christian Era to the Fourteenth Century, 1980. [306.766 B657c]
Gallagher, John. Perfect Enemies: The Religious Right, The Gay Movement, and the Politics of the 1990s. 1996. [306.766 G135p]
Glaser, Chris. Coming Out As Sacrament, 1998. [261.835766 G462c]
Hartman, Keith. Congregations in Conflict: The Battle Over Homosexuality, 1996. [261.835766 H255x]
Helminiak, Daniel A. What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality, 1994. [261.835766 H369w]
Herman, Didi. The Antigay Agenda: Orthodox Vision and the Christian Right, 1997. [261.835766 H426a]
Schmidt, Thomas E. Straight and Narrow? Compassion & Clarity in the Homosexuality Debate, 1995. [241.66 S354s]
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