"The rhetoric and emotion surrounding the same-sex marriage debate tends to obscure the facts and figures. Tracing the development of same-sex marriage in the United States and its deployment as a political tool, Sean Cahill lays out the current situation in plain language and explains what's at stake. Using previously unpublished data from the 2000 census, Cahill reveals surprising figures about how many people are currently living in same-sex relationships, as couples and families, and where. He details the rights they currently have and the ones they are being denied. He recounts the rise of organizations focused on ""family values"" and explains how and why they became mobilized against same-sex marriage, and he unpacks the claims that support their cause. The book is an invaluable guide for average Americans, both gay and straight, and a critical resource for policymakers on both sides of the debate. Members of the media will find it especially useful for the raw data unencumbered by partisan discourse." Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

The 2000 census was the first to make any realistic estimate of the number of gay/lesbian couples in the United States. Its questions were flexible enough to allow those inclined to indicate same-sex unmarried partner household status. Here, the two largest lesbian and gay lobbyist groups put these data to good use. In their work, Gates and Ost of the Human Rights Campaign present maps of the 50 states indicating concentration of same-sex couples by census tract and county. Other correlations, such as race and number of children, are provided as well. In addition, more than 20 maps of metropolitan areas indicate concentrations by zip code and census tract. The authors discuss some of the issues involved in using census data, the strengths and limitations of these data, and the rationale for doing this work. Though some of the assumptions underlying the enterprise may be questionable, the atlas makes the best use of what data are available and has enough depth to lead to solid analysis of the relationships between geography and gay and lesbian demographics. Libraries with readers interested in contemporary social trends will find this atlas a necessity.Cahill (National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) uses the same data and provides similar maps but in a more limited way since he is focusing on the question of same-sex marriage. And he includes much else besides. Briefly, his book is a mélange of maps, tables, and statistics. It also has a list of rebuttals to arguments against same-sex marriage. Since this topic is of such broad interest and the information contained here is presented so well and succinctly, this work makes a good companion to the atlas. However, the price differential between the paperback and hardcover editions is so large that it seems foolhardy for libraries to purchase the hardcover. David Azzolina, Univ. of Pennsylvania Lib., Philadelphia Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

In 2003-4, same-sex marriage was certainly among the most visible and contentious social issues in the US. This book presents a timely, clearly written survey of many of the key aspects of the debate and the relevant research relating to it. Cahill (director, Policy Institute, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force) begins with a review of the "fierce debate" on this issue, placed in a historical context, and then considers the political agenda in the anti-gay movement. A third chapter reviews benefits according gay people full recognition as families. A long fourth chapter examines the emergence of gay rights as a political issue, especially since 1972, taking the discussion through spring 2004. A final chapter provides an account of two stories of gay partners, suggests some ramifications since 9/11 for such partners, and considers future directions. The book includes some helpful tables and charts, and boxes listing important legislative developments. The author, a PhD in political science, identifies himself as a gay activist, and this commitment is evident throughout the book. Altogether, this is an informative, useful contribution to the literature on same-sex marriage. Summing Up: Recommended. General and undergraduate collections. General Readers; Lower-division Undergraduates; Upper-division Undergraduates; Two-year Technical Program Students. Reviewed by D. O. Friedrichs. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Sean Cahill, Ph.D., is Director of the Policy Institute of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Preface	vii
Acknowledgments	xi
Fast Facts	xii
1 A Fierce Debate	1
Landmark Decisions	1
Legislative Efforts to restrict Same-Sex Marriage	5
Historical Precedents to the Current Debate	12
Civil Marriage and Religious Marriage	13
2 "Family Values": A Political Agenda?	19
Defining the Anti-Gay Movement	19
Financial Resources	20
Local Campaigns	22
A Larger Agenda	24
Focus on Homosexuality	26
What Do Anti-Gay Groups Say about Same-Sex Marriage and Gay Families?	26
3 The Benefits of Being Family	43
Defining the Family	43
The 2000 Census's Same-Sex Couple Sample	45
Parenting among Same-Sex Couples and Single Gay Parents	45
Custody Rights	51
Adoption Rights	52
Elder Couples	56
Health Care	59
Unequal Tax Treatment of Same-Sex Couples	61
4 Gay Rights on the Political Stage	65
The First Wave of Anti-Gay Ballot Campaigns	65
1972-1980: The Emergence of Gay Issues in Presidential Politics	66
The Reagan Years	68
Late 1980s and Early 1990s: The Rise in Anti-Gay Activism	69
Pro-Gay Advances in the 1990s	73
Anti-Gay Politics in the 1992 Presidential Election	77
1996: Defending Marriage	80
The 2000 Election Campaign	82
The Bush-Cheney Administration in 2004	86
The White House Defends Its Position	90
The 2004 Democratic Presidential Candidates: The Most Pro-Gay Field Yet	97
Current Measures	99
5 The Case for Marriage Equality	101
Two Stories	101
Surviving Same-Sex Partners and the Aftermath of 9/11	104
Focus on the Future	107
Afterword	111
Notes	113
Select Bibliography	145
Index	153

Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.