Same-Sex Marriage: Pro and Con: A Reader

This book is a fantastic resource and I would recommmend it to anyone who is interested in learning more about the topic.

"Same-Sex Marriage:Pro & Con" is an excellent summation of the gay marriage debate. Before the once-controversial Vermont civil unions, before Gavin Newsom had same-sex couples tie the knot in San Francisco,Andrew Sullivan begins by chronicling with the Hawaiian Supreme Court case. He has the original documents from the Defense of Marriage Act debate (an act that Pres. Bill Clinton reluctantly signed) "Pro & Con" shows both sides fairly. Conservatives are given plenty of space to voice their views,as do liberals. What an advantage is the original documents. It's had to be considerably updated,since San Francisco as well as the Supreme Court case that led Justice Antonin Scalia to claim that legalizing sodomy would lead to gay marriage (as if straight people don't do it?) "Pro & Con" helps one explore the gay marriage debate in depth. One can see both sides now.

I can't recommend Andrew Sullivan's "Same-Sex Marriage: Pro and Con" highly enough. It's an anthology, and the pieces excerpted do exactly what the title says: they provide a reader into pro and con positions in the same sex marriage debate. Sullivan is very fair. He really does present a variety of points of view. The reader is so thorough, after you've read it, you may realize that it would be hard to say anything new on the topic. In addition to being useful, I found the book fascinating. It's intriguing to read of how marriage between persons of the same gender was conceived long ago in China, or in Medieval Europe. I do use the book in classes I teach, but I also enjoyed reading it.

A great collection of arguments both for and against Same-sex marriage. Although the author admits his bias (pro) and includes many of his own arguments and essays, the book is really rather evenly done. I suspect that most people will not be swayed either way because there is plenty of reinforcement for both sides. This is a book I would like to have in my library.

Sullivan has put together a definitive compilation of pro-and-con-arguments over the issue of same-sex marriage--one which demands reading by both sides in the debate. It should not, however, simply and blindly be used to bolster one's own position on the issue. Use this reader to learn why the opposition feels the way they feel and believes what they believe. Understanding the intensity of and reasoning behind these positions will doubtless improve the intellectual quality of the debate on both sides (a point our friend from the Heritage Foundation [below] and his ilk miss entirely).