Queering Marriage: Challenging Family Formation in the United States (Families in Focus)

The definition of marriage has gone through many definitions over the centuries; not until more recent times, the Eighteenth Century, did the State become actively involved in the definition of marriage, mostly relating to property and economic rights. Since then people who have professed a lifestyle that is different from the definition of marriage have been looked down upon as second-class citizens, without the ability to claim many, if any, of the benefits of people who follow the normal definition of marriage. In this book Katrina Kimport examines San Francisco’s decision to allow gay marriage in the city, how it affected gay and lesbian couples, and how it impacted how the rest of society looks at gay rights.

This book follows many sociological books in similar veins: it relies on interviews, polls, and a close reading of the literature. What we get is a well written, and easy to understand, look at how this Winter of Love affected the conversation on gay rights, and the progress that has been made since. Even though this is considered a scholarly work, even the general reader will be able to enjoy this path-breaking book.