Craig Loftin:
This anthology, edited by John Corvino, addresses a multitude of contemporary gay and lesbian issues from a variety of perspectives. Most contributors are scholars of philosophy, history, theology, psychology, classics, or public policy. Most of the essays were written in the 1980s or 1990s, although Plato is also included. Essays frequently respond directly to other essays in the collection, giving the book a “round table” tone. The most consistent theme in the book is the morality of homosexuality.
The book is divided into four sections. The first section is “Morality and religion.” Essay topics include morality, the Bible, and homosexuality. In the second section, “Science and Identity,” the origins debate takes precedence. Third is “Identity and History,” in which historians discuss homosexuality in ancient Athens and the 20th century. Last is “Public Policy,” containing discussions of the American military ban, the politics of “outing,” and gay marriage.
Contributors include John Boswell, Daryl Bem, David Bradshaw. William Byne, Claudia Card, George Chauncey, John Corvino, Madeleine Davis, John Finnis, Carla Golden, David Halperin, Daniel Helminiak, Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy, Andrew Koppelman, Mitchell Lasco, John Luddy, Robert Knight, Richard Mohr, Plato, Carol Queen, The Ramsey Colloquium, Jonathan Rauch, Thomas Schmidt, Paul Siegel, Edward Stein, James Stramel, Frederick Suppe, and Thomas Williams.
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