Straightforward: How to Mobilize Heterosexual Support for Gay Rights

Ayres, Ian and Jennifer Gerada Brown. "Straightforward: How to Mobilize Heterosexual Support for Gay Rights'. Princeton University Press, 2005. Advocacy Amos Lassen Ian Ayres and Jennifer Brown are husband and wife and professors of law. They let us know that there is a population of about 20 million people who are willing to support the GLBT community and they show us how to get their support. Many heterosexuals will hide their own sexual orientation in the interest of activism. They want to make the world a better place. History has shown us that no civil rights movement is ever won just by those who are the targets of discrimination. The subject of gay rights also includes non-gay rights and all Americans want fair treatment. The authors show how non-gay people can have their voices heard and use those voices to gain equal rights for all. We are well aware that we need straight allies and they need to speak out as well as act for equality. We must have strategies for them and by changing the incentives and making them inclusive, laws can be changed. The authors give us real stories about real people and how they have dealt with decisions. There are also examples of how people can be valuable to us. We must realize that gay people are a small population and our rights depend upon the support of those who are not members of our community. There are benefits for supporting gay people and this book tells how to make this possible. The insight here is absolutely necessary id we want to have the rights we seek. This is a practical book for all of us and its message is one that we must pay attention to. I cannot recommend it highly enough.

This book provides mostly sensible advice about how to promote gay rights without unnecessarily provoking opponents, and sometimes (but not consistently) without requiring unusual effort on the part of gay rights supporters. Many of the ideas in the book can be applied to other causes that mainly require changing public opinion. They occasionally go overboard and suggest fighting privileges that don't exist. For instance, they mention favorably advice that heterosexuals boycott marriage until it's available for all. It might make sense to ask heterosexuals to not have their marriages legally recognized (although I doubt the effectiveness of such a strategy). But the suggestion that wedding ceremonies be boycotted as long as gays are excluded from them is silly - wedding ceremonies are very much available to gays today. Their Fair Employment Mark, under which employers would volunteer to enable employees sue them if they discriminate, would be a great idea under a sufficiently fair legal system. But it's unclear why an employer would consider the U.S. legal system sufficiently fair to agree to this.

I am a student government senator at a small community college and we have been given the task of rewriting our discrimination policy. This will be a fight but I am glad to know that our library thought enough of students input to order this great book. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in not only this cause but others. The ideas can be put to use on so many other issues.

I haven't even finished every word but am sartled, amazed even more involved (if possible)! I am now in the"privalaged" world and cannot live without working to insure that ALL families get an "even playing field". The extent of marriage discrimination is appalling! What can be realized by the privalaged (hetro marrieds and singles)and what can be acted upon to alter the inequality is here in this book/manual and I recommed that everyone read it!

I'm giving this book to all my straight friends and relatives, and I'm going to give it as a wedding present to straight people getting married. There are just so many ideas in this book, from radical to relaxed.