Victory

Former labor lawyer and professor of philosophy and women's studies Hirshman (Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World) has undertaken the difficult task of chronicling the U.S. gay rights struggle from 1920 to the present day. The result is a resounding success, both readable and informative. With an exhaustive list of sources, including interviews she conducted with major figures in the movement, Hirshman tells the stories of the individuals, groups, and institutions that battled the societal and legal view of homosexuals as insane, sinful, criminal, and subversive and that sought to advance their rights to become full participants in a democratic society. She covers the efforts of Senator Joseph McCarthy, the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HUAC), and the Religious Right to demonize homosexuals as well as internal power struggles between incrementalists and activists and the sometimes strained alliance of gay men and lesbians. Hirshman also does an admirable job of recounting the humble beginnings of gay rights institutions such as the Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal.