The Rainbow after the Storm: Marriage Equality and Social Change in the U.S

A detailed story of how social science contributed to gay rights gains in the courts.For most of American history, public opinion was strongly opposed to gay rights. Marriage equality had negligible public support throughout the 1970s-1980s. Yet, starting in the 1990s, American opinion toward marriage equality changed more than any other attitude in the history of American public opinion. In Rainbow after the Storm, Michael J. Rosenfeld explains how attitudes toward marriage equality changed so much, and how public opinion change drove change at the ballot box and in the courts. As Rosenfeld shows, in three crucial same-sex marriage trials, the supporters and opponents of marriage equality faced off. Rosenfeld describes the struggles of the same-sex couples who, with few resources at their disposal, and against formidable state and religious opponents, sued for the right to marry and eventually won. The first comprehensive analysis of the marriage equality movement in the U.S., The Rainbow after the Storm tells the stories of key individuals, the court battles, and the society-wide explanations for the rapid liberalization of attitudes toward gay rights that made same-sex marriage the law of the U.S. sooner than almost anyone thought was possible.

Table of Contents:
Preface 1. Introduction Part 1, Gay Rights and the antecedents of Marriage Equality 1950s-1990 2. The 1950s and 1960s 3. Stonewall and the 1970s 4. The 1980s Part 2, Attitudes toward gay rights begin to change 5. The 1990s, Fulcrum of Change: Politics and Culture 6. The courts begin to appreciate gay rights: Romer and Baehr, 1996 7. On Coming Out 8. Public Opinion Change 9. The Early 2000s Part 3: Marriage Equality Breakthroughs in the Courts 10. Perry and Windsor 11. April, Jayne, and their children 12. On Children's Outcomes 13. DeBoer v. Snyder trial 14. Obergefell v Hodges Part 4: The Broader Implications of Marriage Equality 15. Authenticity, Respectability, and the Desire for Marriage 16. Many Closets 17. Displacing and Non-displacing Movements 18. Social Science in the Courtroom 19. Afterword: A few Sobering Reminders Index of Abbreviations Interviews Cases Bibliography

About the Author :
Michael J. Rosenfeld is Professor of Sociology at Stanford University. He studies mating, dating, divorce, and the changing American family. He has published research about family history and especially the rise of non-traditional unions, same-sex couples, and interracial unions. He is interested in personal politics, national politics, the politics of intimate relationships, and the politics of parenthood.

Review :
Rosenfeld explores the historical development of the public acceptance of gay rights but adds a sociological analysis of the conditions for that acceptance, using public opinion, legal analysis, and qualitative case studies. This makes the book a great resource for students interested in exploring the topic through multiple methodologies. The connections drawn to other marginalized groups in the concluding chapters will also benefit students broadly interested in social justice.