A More Perfect Union: Why Straight American Must Stand Up for Gay Rights

A concise moral argument supporting the place for gays and lesbians in American society examines the case for gay justice in terms of fundamental American values of equality and freedom and discusses such issues as sexual privacy and equal protection.

Sensing "America to be at a turning point on gay issues," Mohr ( Gay Ideas ) uses often forceful, sometimes sophistic, arguments to identify gay rights with the civil rights that protect women, blacks and other minority groups. Demanding equality for the gay person "as a social creature and community member," the author urges legalization of marriage and adoption for gays. He invokes moral and legal censure of bias crimes, along with discrimination or exclusion of gays from schools, housing and employment, including the military. The tacit right to privacy, Mohr also contends, should apply to sexual activity. He also holds that "the assessment of risk of AIDS should be left to the individual," who, however, "should be viewed as morally innocent in its contagion and spread."
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

After the firestorm ignited by his Gay Ideas ( LJ 11/15/92), Mohr here returns to the mainstream of gay-rights advocacy. In the face of a mounting backlash against the gains made by gay-rights supporters, he presents a succinct handbook on the real gay agenda: equal rights. Covering such topics as gay marriage, privacy rights, and gays in the military, Mohr challenges America to extend basic civil rights protection to all its citizens. Contrary to his opponents' cry of "special rights," Mohr argues that at present, gay Americans are subject to a number of illegal practices, including housing discrimination, wrongful employment termination, and loss of child custody rights. Focusing specifically on legal aspects, Mohr has written a straightforward primer on a topic that desperately needs his thoughtful treatment. He also includes a simple ten-point plan that Americans might use to reconsider their feelings about their gay friends and family members. This book will encourage gays, enlighten non-gays, and inform everyone. Recommended for most collections.
- Jeffery Ingram, Newport P.L., Ore.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.