Out Law: What LGBT Youth Should Know about Their Legal Rights (Queer Ideas/Queer Action #2)
Description
The enormous advances of the civil rights movement have made it easier for LGBT youth to be "out," yet their increased visibility has led to myriad legal issues involving such critical matters as freedom of expression, sexual harassment, self-chosen medical care, and even their right to privacy within their own families.
In this accessible guide, Lisa Keen illustrates how some laws limit the rights of LGBT youth and others protect them. Out Law lays out the basics about federal, state, and local laws that frequently impact LGBT youth and explains how legal authority and responsibility is often vested in local officials, such as school principals.
Keen explains how laws treating LGBT people differently came to exist, evolved over time, and are subject to significant changes even today. Out Law discusses the shifting legal terrain for such issues as when schools can censor messages on T-shirts or library computer research into LGBT-related Web sites. It gives youth tips on how to document efforts to curb their rights and where to turn for help in protecting those rights.
Praise for Out Law: What LGBT Youth Should Know about Their Legal Rights (Queer Ideas/Queer Action #2)
Keen's book is must reading for all gay youth and those who care about them. —Kevin M. Cathcart, executive director, Lambda Legal
"Keen's book is brilliant in its concise and well-researched treatment of complex legal issues for LGBT people. Engaging and accessible, it offers a unique and smart focus on the rights of young gay people in each facet of their lives."—Urvashi Vaid, author of Virtual Equality and Executive Director of the Arcus Foundation
"Jam-packed with information—history, obstacles, and remedies—Out Law is a terrific legal guide for LGBT kids looking to achieve equal rights."—Nancy Garden, recipient of lifetime achievement award by the American Library Association and author of Annie on My Mind
