Homo Economics: Capitalism, Community, and Lesbian and Gay Life

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Author: Amy Gluckman

ISBN-10: 0415913799

ISBN-13: 9780415913799

Category: Business Life & Skills

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Homo Economics is the first honest account of the tense relationship between gay people and the economy. This groundbreaking collection brings together a variety of voices from the worlds of journalism, activism, academia, the arts, and public policy to address issues including the recent economic history of the gay community, the community's response to its changing economic circumstances, and the risks inherent in a narrow definition of liberation. Library Journal Editors Gluckman and Reed, members of the progressive Dollars and Sense editorial collective, believe that not much research has been done showing how "the U.S. economy has shaped modern gay life," a problem they attempt to rectify with this unique collection of essays. The essays look at occupations, labor union involvement, living in gay neighborhoods, marketing campaigns targeted at gay consumers, domestic partnership and other benefits, and AIDS. In one remarkable essay, Lee Badgett finds that the sampling of gay and lesbian people in polls is skewed; she maintains that the myth of affluent gays is largely just that and that "it is much more common for lesbian, gay and bisexual people to earn less than heterosexuals." While a few of the 19 essays come across as leftist screeds, the majority thoughtfully examine how gays and lesbians have used American capitalism to start small businesses, benefit their communities, and improve their lives overall. Recommended for larger academic libraries and all gay/lesbian collections.-Richard S. Drezen, "Washington Post" News Research Ctr., Washington, D.C.

AcknowledgmentsIntroductionPt. IA Community Divided11The Gay Marketing Moment32A History in Ads: The Growth of the Gay and Lesbian Market113High Anxiety: I Was a Stepford Queer at the Inaugural Ball214Sexuality, Class, and Conflict in a Lesbian Workplace255Gentrification and Gay Neighborhood Formation in New Orleans: A Case Study456Beyond Biased Samples: Challenging the Myths on the Economic Status of Lesbians and Gay Men657Lesbian and Gay Occupational Strategies73Pt. IIThe Contradictions of Capitalism for Lesbians and Gay Men: Some Theoretical Perspectives878Queer Political Economy: The Social Articulation of Desire899The Political Economy of the Closet: Notes toward an Economic History of Gay and Lesbian Life before Stonewall12310The Sexual Division of Labor, Sexuality, and Lesbian/Gay Liberation: Toward a Marxist-Feminist Analysis of Sexuality in U.S. Capitalism13511Do Gay Men Have a Stake in Male Privilege? The Political Economy of Gay Men's Contradictory Relationship to Feminism16512Homosexual Liberation: A Socialism of the Skin185Pt. IIIArguments and Activism19313Where Has Gay Liberation Gone? An Interview with Barbara Smith19514The Hoax of "Special Rights": The Right Wing's Attack on Gay Men and Lesbians20915Lavender Labor: A Brief History22316Laboring for Gay Rights: An Interview with Susan Moir22917Class Action: Bringing Economic Diversity to the Gay and Lesbian Movement24118Domestic Partner Benefits: A Primer for Gay and Lesbian Activists24919AIDS and the Moral Economy of Insurance261Contributors275Index279