Officially Gay: The Political Construction of Sexuality by the U.S. Military (Queer Politics, Queer Theories)

Rating:
Summary: Something to read NOW!
Review: In a time like this, when military policy and civil rights are intersecting in disastrous ways, Lehring's book can be read as a cautionary tale against expanding state power. Be careful for what you wish as Lehring suggests, as indicated in military policy, gays and lesbians have been a victim of their own organizing success. He argues that in both helping to create gay and lesbian identity and providing an arena for the evolution of gay community and politics, the military continues to play a central role in defining citizen's rights for minority groups in the US. A must read!

Rating:
Summary: Something to read NOW!
Review: In a time like this, when military policy and civil rights are intersecting in disastrous ways, Lehring's book can be read as a cautionary tale against expanding state power. Be careful for what you wish as Lehring suggests, as indicated in military policy, gays and lesbians have been a victim of their own organizing success. He argues that in both helping to create gay and lesbian identity and providing an arena for the evolution of gay community and politics, the military continues to play a central role in defining citizen's rights for minority groups in the US. A must read!

Rating:
Summary: Serious Epistomological study: creation of Gay identity
Review: Looks like a book on Don't Ask Don't Tell, but is actually a book on the juncture of the epistemology of the concept of homosexuality, as reified by official policy exemplified by the military. Lehring's premise is that essentialist arguments are both wrong and destructive, and that a constructivist approach will better help us understand the current concept of a Gay identity. He is thoughtful, erudite and provocative, and the book is far better than its cover.