Straight Expectations

Author: Julie Bindel

Stock information

General Fields

  • : $27.99 AUD
  • : 9781783560004
  • : Guardian Books
  • : Guardian Books
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  • : 0.248
  • : June 2014
  • : 216mm X 135mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : 27.99
  • : August 2014
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  • : books

Special Fields

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  • : Julie Bindel
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  • : Paperback
  • : Aug-14
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  • : 306.766
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  • : 224
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Barcode 9781783560004
9781783560004

Description

From picket line to picket fence - what does it mean to be gay in the era of same-sex marriage and equal rights? More than four decades after the start of the gay liberation movement, lesbians and gay men can legally marry, adopt children, and enjoy the same rights and respect as heterosexuals ...or can they? In Straight Expectations, Julie Bindel, an out lesbian since 1977, tracks the changes in the gay community in the last forty years and asks whether fighting for the right to marry has achieved genuine progress. Drawing on extensive original research into changing attitudes towards sexuality, as well as interviews with scientists examining the 'gay gene', gay liberation pioneers, religious figures and key players of all political persuasions, Straight Expectations asks: Is sexual orientation learned or latent?; Do lesbians and gay men have anything in common?; and Have we now reached a stage where the 'only gay in the village' mentality no longer has any place in society?

Promotion info

Journalist and political activist Julie Bindel explores what it means to be gay in today's world.

Reviews

“Gay adolescents today are faced with a much more welcoming world than when I came out. Legislatively we have never had it so good and are now almost equal with heterosexuals. The big businesses who would once fire us now embrace the “pink pound” with relentless vigour. Even the unthinkable has happened — the Conservative party has endorsed us. Far from being the “pretend families” of Thatcher’s era, we can now marry and adopt children. On paper it really does look like gay people have made it — but what are the hidden costs? 


It’s this brave new gay world that Julie Bindel deconstructs in her book Straight Expectations: What Does It Mean to Be Gay Today? Bindel’s thesis is controversial: the once flourishing lesbian and gay movement has completely sold out in the face of assimilation. We’ve been “duped” and are now pathetic shadows of our former selves, “a cowardly mass of apologetic sops”, grovelling for crumbs from a largely conservative society, who exploit us for our disposable income” 


Alex Hopkins – Huffpost  (JC BookGrocer)

Author description

Julie Bindel is a freelance journalist and political activist. She is the co-editor of Gaze: A Modern Review and tweets under@bindelj