Political institutions and lesbian and gay rights in the United States and Canada
By: Miriam Smith.
Edition: 1st ed.
Series: Routledge studies in North America Politics -- 1
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2008
Place of publication: New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 230
ISBN-13: 9780415988711
Subjects: Gay rights -- United States; Gay rights -- Canada; Gay men -- Legal status, laws, etc; Lesbians -- Legal status, laws, etc; Same-sex marriage -- United States; Same-sex marriage -- Canada; Sex discrimination -- United States; Sex discrimination -- Canada; United States -- Politics and government; United States -- Politics and government
Description: Lesbian and gay citizens today enjoy a much broader array of rights and obligations and a greater ability to live their lives openly in both the U.S. and Canada. However, while human rights protections have been exponentially expanded in Canada over the last twenty years, even basic protections in areas such as employment discrimination are still unavailable to many in the United States. Examines why these similar societies have produced such divergent policy outcomes, focusing on how differences between the political institutions of the U.S. and Canada have shaped the terrain of social movement and counter-movement mobilization. It analyzes cross-national variance in public policies toward lesbians and gay men, especially in the areas of the decriminalization of sodomy, the passage of anti-discrimination laws, and the enactment of measures to recognize same-sex relationships. From publisher description.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.