Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage

Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage reframes the family-rights debate by arguing that marriage shouldn’t bestow special legal privileges upon couples because people, both heterosexual and LGBT, live in a variety of relationships-including unmarried couples of any sexual orientation, single-parent households, extended biological family units, and myriad other familial configurations. Nancy D. Polikoff shows how the law can value all families, and why it must.

“Polikoff wades through legislation and legalese with style and substance, plus a touch of flair. Impeccably researched, the book offers an evocative read that takes in the full breadth of the issues affecting marriages and avoids pedantry while remaining persuasive.”–Publishers Weekly

“Polikoff’s argument is provocative, illuminating, and original.”–John D'Emilio, author of Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin

“The book many have been waiting for . . . Polikoff provides answers worth contemplation and implementation.” –Ruthann Robson, Professor of Law and University Distinguished Professor, City University of New York School of Law, Women’s Review of Books

“Polikoff’s book comes just in time . . . Using real case studies, Polikoff makes a strong case that furthering the legal protections for all people, regardless of relationship status, will help the LGBT community more than marriage itself.”–Rachel Pepper, Curve Magazine

“A bold, detailed, reasoned (even subversive) tome that makes the case for moving the debate beyond the issue of marriage rights and into the realm of creating laws that protect all of us.”–Scott Stiffler, Edge

“This book really matters. It is brilliant and thoughtful-not simply about a set of laws, it is a manifesto to transform the way we understand, recognize, and respect the reality of our diverse and complex family compositions.”–Amber Hollibaugh, senior strategist, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

“Polikoff mobilizes an impressive array of legal history and contemporary court cases to show how marriage, whether same-sex or heterosexual, has ceased to be the only place where people incur long-term obligations.”–Stephanie Coontz, author of Marriage, a History: How Love Conquered Marriage