When customs officials stop gay books at the border, when lesbians and gay men are denied equal protection on Colarado ski slopes, and when a member of congress mangles a name as simply as Barney Frnak, gay and lesbian civil rights policy can't be left in the hands of politicians. This book is a practical no-nonsense guide for individuals and grass-roots groups on how to overturn anti-gay laws, ordinances, and policies, and how to implement non discriminatory policies including those covering domestic partnerships. It suggests strategies appropriate at the state and local government levels and in institutions - including universities, corporations, banks and social services organizations - and takes budding activists through the process of organizing themselves, building support in the lesbian/gay community, getting mainstream backing, writing policy, and lobbying. Written in response to the hundreds of requests for guidance, this book also contains anecdotes from those who have attempted reform, sidebars on what works and what doesn't, and an appendix with the recommended wording for domestic-partnership clauses.

Author Biography

Matthew A. Coles directs the lesbian and gay rights and AIDS projects at the ACLU. He lives in New York City and San Francisco.