Ellen D B Riggle, Barry L Tadlock, eds. Gays and Lesbians in the
Democratic Process: Public Policy, Public Opinion, and Political
Representation. New York: Columbia University Press, 1999. x +
304 pp. $49.50 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-231-11584-1. Reviewed by
William B. Turner (Department of History, St. Cloud State
University ) Published on H-Pol (June, 2001) At the 2001
American Historical Association meeting, I found myself arguing
for the importance of lesbian/gay civil rights issues, and
sexuality generally, for our understanding of U.S. political
history in the post World War II period. The present volume
confirms my belief, both in demonstrating how the failure to
study those issues impoverishes our understanding of political
processes and outcomes in the period, and in demonstrating how
little scholarly work yet exists on the topic. Gays and Lesbians
in the Democratic Process is a collection of original articles
by political scientists. The essays explore a variety of topics,
including correlations between i