Everyday Law for Gays and Lesbians: An Introduction
This is the (revised) introductory chapter of a book that I am currently writing. The book is titled "Everyday Law for Gays and Lesbians", and is part of Paradigm Publishers' Everyday Law series. The introductory chapter - indeed, the entire book - is built upon and around the power of narrative. I begin the chapter with a personal narrative that illustrates what I refer to as the current predicament of the lesbian and gay movement. In the first part of the chapter, I survey the social and legal landscape that surrounds the movement, explain why I view the current situation as a predicament, and consider the source of that predicament. Then, in the second part of the chapter, I set the stage - and the tone - for the remainder of the book by suggesting that the narratives of individual lesbians and gay men, told in their own words, are a radical and powerful tool for advancing us (meaning all lesbians and gay men) toward the unqualified acceptance that we seek. As I explain in the chapter, my goal in writing this book is to empower and inspire each of us to deploy these narratives in the most effective way possible. In keeping with this view of the power of the individual narrative, I argue that it is up to each of us to draw attention to and challenge the ubiquitous privileging of heterosexuality in our society. And, the title of the book and the series notwithstanding, I further eschew overreliance on legal strategies for effecting change; instead, in the course of the book, I discuss both potential legal and non-legal avenues for effecting change. I would greatly appreciate any comments that you might have on the chapter or any suggestions that you might have regarding coverage for the book.
The Internal Revenue Code as Sodomy Statute
44 Santa Clara Law Review 763 (2004)This article represents an attempt to bridge the gap between gay and straight understanding of the Internal Revenue Code's impact on same-sex couples. Through a combination of personal narrative and legal analysis, I try to explain how, from a gay perspective, the Code can be viewed as just another manifestation of the fluid mixture of hostility, bewilderment, and discomfort that generally characterize society's reaction to homosexuality. By explaining the experiences behind my perceptions of the Code, I hope to help my heterosexual colleagues to understand just how demeaning and oppressive the Code can seem to gays and lesbians - regardless of any net financial benefit that same-sex couples may receive, or any net financial detriment that they may suffer, under the Code.
Negotiating the cultural and economic outcomes of sport heritage attractions: the case of the National Baseball Hall of Fame
ABSTRACT Contemporary museums must balance their roles as commercial entities and repositories of various, and often dissonant, heritages and histories. Sports museums in particular often have clear commercial and nostalgic aims, particularly through tourist visitation, though the extent to which they represent more challenging narratives remains unclear. This paper examines how one of the most famous sports museums in the world, the National Baseball Hall of Fame (NBHF) in Cooperstown, New York, balances its dual role as tourist attraction and repository of baseball's sometimes checkered past. It was found that different sections of the museum provide greater or lesser degrees of engagement with more controversial issues, although the commercial outputs and appeal of the museum remains clear throughout. Utlimately, the NBHF demonstrates that balancing veneration and critique in collections can be commercially prosperous, and can provide a template for other sport and popular culture museums who may be wary of incorporating more challenging narratives in their exhibits. Furthermore, the symbiotic relationship between the Hall of Fame and the village of Cooperstown, particularly in creating and maintaining cultural and economic outputs, requires further exploration.