Since the Stonewall rebellion in 1969, gay and lesbian movements have grown from small outposts in a few major cities to a worldwide mobilization. This book brings together stories of the emergence and growth of movements in more than a dozen nations on five continents, with a comparative look that offers insights for both activists and those who study social movements. Lesbian and gay groups have existed for more than a century, often struggling against enormous odds. In the middle of the twentieth century, movement organizations were suppressed or swept away by fascism, Stalinism, and McCarthyism. Refounded by a few pioneers in the postwar period, movements have risen again as more and more people have stood up for their right to love and live with persons of their choice. This book addresses both the mature movements of the European Union, North America, and Australia and the newer movements emerging in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and parts of Asia and Africa, examining the social and political conditions that shape movement opportunities and trajectories. It is rich in the details of gay and lesbian cultural and political life in different countries.

Rich accounts of gay and lesbian groups on five continents

About the Author
Barry D Adam, Professor of Sociology, University of Windsor, is the author of The Rise of a Gay and Lesbian Movement and Experiencing HIV (with Alan Sears). Jan Willem Duyvendak, Professor of Community Development, Erasmus University of Rotterdam, has published two books on the new social movements and one on the gay movement. Andre Krouwel is Assistant Professor of Comparative Political Science at the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam.

Reviews
"This book fills a self-evident gap in the social and political literature on sexual identity movements." -Robert W. Bailey, Rutgers University "The last twenty-five years have seen a creative and original theorizing from sociologists and political scientists about social movements and collective political behavior. In the pages of this book these two intellectual worlds finally meet, and our understanding of politics and social change is the wiser because of it. It deserves wide readership." -John D'Emilio, author of Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities "This important collection explores the origins and development of lesbian and gay movements across a range of countries, from north to south, including Canada, the U.S., select European countries, select Latin American countries, Japan, Australia, and southern Africa." -Canadian Journal of Sociology Online "...a necessary reminder that many of our queer white male compatriots have a long way to go before they really 'get' what feminists and people of color have been saying about power and difference. For this is a book about power and sameness among queers, and differences get sacrificed to the author's pursuit of what is specifically and universally queer (or, rather, specifically and universally lesbian and gay)." -Contemporary Women's Issues Database



Book Information
ISBN 9781566396455
Author Barry Adam
Format Paperback
Page Count 392
Imprint Temple University Press,U.S.
Publisher Temple University Press,U.S.
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 23mm