The rise of gay rights and the fall of the British empire : liberal resistance and the Bloomsbury group / David A. J. Richards, New York University School of Law.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Richards, David A. J., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Gay rights.

Gay rights--Great Britain.

Patriarchy.

Democracy.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (x, 271 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

The Rise of Gay Rights & the Fall of the British Empire

Place of Publication:

Cambridge : Cambridge University Press, 2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book argues that there is an important connection between ethical resistance to British imperialism and the ethical discovery of gay rights. It examines the roots of liberal resistance in Britain and resistance to patriarchy in the USA, showing the importance of fighting the demands of patriarchal manhood and womanhood to countering imperialism. Advocates of feminism and gay rights are key because they resist the gender binary's role in rationalizing sexism and homophobia. The connection between the rise of gay rights and the fall of empire illuminates questions of the meaning of democracy and universal human rights as shared human values that have appeared since World War II. The book casts doubt on the thesis that arguments for gay rights must be extrinsic to democracy and reflect Western values. To the contrary, gay rights arise from within liberal democracy, and its critics polemically use such opposition to cover and rationalize their own failures of democracy.

Contents:

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Patriarchy and democracy

Imperialism and patriarchy

The rise of gay rights

The fall of empire

The fall of empire from the rise of gay rights to the 1967 decriminalization

The fall of empire in the era of gay rights in the United States and Britain

A. American resistance movements

B. Impact on Britain and elsewhere

Conservative reaction in the United States

Limited impact on Britain and elsewhere

Gay rights in former British colonies : legacy of empire?

Canada

South Africa

India

Gay rights as universal human rights

Bibliography.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 05 Oct 2015).

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

1-107-06592-5

1-316-09076-0

1-139-80568-1

1-107-05734-5

1-107-25587-2

1-107-05855-4

1-107-05978-X

1-107-05623-3

OCLC:

843187593