Includes articles, essays, and primary documents that cover the formation of gay identity, religious, scientific, medical, and legal perspectives, the mainstream media, lesbian and gay media, and community prospects and tactics. This book explores experiences and representations of lesbian and gay people.

The Columbia Reader" features: concise introductions to each section, as well as a substantial general introduction viewpoints - ranging from radical to conservative - of lesbian and gay scholars and community writers, as well as nongay intellectuals and public figures essays, articles, and primary documents from both mainstream and lesbian/gay sources; detailed exploration of mainstream media representations of gays and lesbians in films, television, and print as well as the rise of lesbian/gay media outlets; broad coverage of history and identity, social, cultural, legal, medical, and religious regulation, AIDS, and lesbian and gay political agendas; and, strategies current topics, such as the recent development of a cybercommunity, as well as questions of censorship and pornography, same-sex marriage, the ethics of "outing," gay and lesbian activism, and the conservative backlash.Grounded in key social and political topics rather than wholly theoretical approaches, "The Columbia Reader on Lesbians and Gay Men in Media, Society, and Politics" will be a valuable resource for years to come.