Gays and the Military - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0691019444 ISBN 13: 9780691019444

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 1993

Synopsis

In April 1987 Joseph C. Steffan, one of the ten highest ranking midshipmen in his class at the U.S. Naval Academy, and only six weeks from graduation, was denied his diploma and forced to resign his commission because he answered "Yes, sir" to the question, "I'd like your word, are you a homosexual?" Six years later his cause, and that of other gay men and lesbians seeking to serve their country by enlistment in the military, has become the subject of intense national controversy. This unusual and innovative work, based on the litigation strategy and court papers filed in the case of Joseph C. Steffan v. Richard Cheney, Secretary of Defense, et al., brings the resources of clinical psychiatry, clinical and social psychology, cultural history and political science to bear upon the fundamental questions at issue: How is sexual orientation determined? How and why have socially prejudiced stereotypes about male and female homosexuals developed? Why have gays faced special obstacles in defending themselves against discrimination? How much political power do gays have?

Marc Wolinsky and Kenneth Sherrill argue that gays constitute a politically powerless class that has been unjustly deprived of its constitutional right to equal protection under the law. They have collected here the affidavits filed on behalf of Joseph Steffan in his suit against the United States government, together with the counter-arguments of the Department of Defense and the extraordinary opinion of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Whatever the outcome of the case, presently on appeal to the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, this book will stand as a lasting and indispensable guide to the sources of sexual discrimination.

About this title

About the Author:

Marc Wolinsky is a partner of the New York law firm of Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz, and co-counsel to Joseph C. Steffan in association with Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. Kenneth Sherrill is Professor of Political Science and Chair of the College Senate at Hunter College, City University of New York.

Review:

"One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 1994"

"Named an Outstanding Book by the Gustavus Meyers Center for the Study of Human Rights in North America for 1998"

"This is a valuable resource for anyone wishing to understand the constitutional, emotional, human, and organizational issues involved. It is a remarkable collection of materials concerning homosexuality in the military and provides a service to all in understanding the current national debate." (Choice)

About this edition

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 1993
• ISBN 10: 0691019444
• ISBN 13: 9780691019444
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 248
• Editor: Wolinsky Marc, Sherrill Kenneth