Voted Out: The Psychological Consequences of Anti-Gay Politics (Qualitative Studies in Psychology)

Rating:
Summary: Remarkable Achievement
Review: With this new book Dr. Glenda Russell has achieved what few scholars ever have. She has given us a solid, scholarly and rigorous accounting of her research into the effects of the passage of Colorado's notorious, homophobic Amendment 2 on gay people. In addition, she has given us many completely readable narratives that bring the devastating psychological effects down to individuals deeply harmed by the vote. (Amendment 2 was later overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court.) If the scholarly research reporting is too much for most of us, the personal accounts are well worth the reading. One wishes that all scholars would report their findings in such friendly ways, ways that all of us can access. A splendid book, both for its careful explication of research methods and results and for its careful discriptions of how anti-gay politics really does very deep and personal damage gay people. Lay readers may not want to read this book from front to back, but it's well worth the paperback price to have it on hand for those parts that are so readable and moving. It is a bonus that Russell writes so well--clearly and concisely, unlike the authors of most academic tomes.