Book Review by Elvia R. Arriola
Not so long ago, a person taking an interest in the study of homosexuality had to search in the hidden corners of libraries and bookstores for works that even remotely had a positive outlook on lesbian and gay culture. I remember how, during my own coming out period in the early 1980s, I found only one book, in the psychology section of a major bookstore in New York City. The book, authored by a male therapist, offered its reader advice on how to tell her friends and family that she was coming to terms with her sexual identity. I remember how terrified I was to display the book at the checkout counter, how I buried it in my bag and waited to read it alone at home. I clung to that book for months until I was able to walk into a gay bookstore, an act that I felt symbolized my readiness to embrace my own lesbian identity.
The cultural scene for gays and lesbians has dramatically changed in the past ten years. With the onset of the social, medical, and legal crises fostered by the AIDS disease, a sense of community and political strength has been forged by lesbians, gays, and bisexuals across America. The gay and lesbian literature, once available only in cities like New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles, can now be found in mainstream malls in places like Kettering, Ohio. The reader can now find a wide spectrum of literature concerning gay and lesbian culture including: gay novels, poetry and plays; lesbian and gay travel guides; histories, biographies, and legal treatises relating to homosexual subjects; and social science studies examining the impact of homophobia on American culture.
About the Author
Elvia R. Arriola. Assistant Professor of Law, University of Texas at Austin. M.A., History, New York University, 1991; J.D., University of California, Berkeley, 1983; ACLU Karpatkin Fellow, 1983-84; former Assistant Attorney General, Civil Rights Bureau, New York State Department of Law, 1986-1989.
Citation
68 Tul. L. Rev. 283 (1993)