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Homosexuality has been politicized. But when the issue hits home, whether it involves a family member, colleague, or neighbor who’s gay, all that controversy fades in the face of a real, live person who wants and deserves basic human rights and freedoms. With essays by Candace Gingrich, Margaret Cho, Judy Shepard, Rebecca Walker, and leaders of organizations including the ACLU, Amnesty International USA, GLAAD, Human Rights Campaign, and PFLAG, 50 Ways to Support Lesbian and Gay Equality is a compendium of informative, joyful, and poignant personal stories, each promoting understanding while suggesting simple actions. From defining terminology to exploring family issues, the book deftly navigates workplace, family, cultural, and human rights issues. A timely and much-needed guide, 50 Ways is bursting with positive solutions to everyday incidents of homophobia and heterosexism, offering guidance on issues from the personal to the political. Essays include, “Get Beyond Stereotypes,” “Learn the Facts about Lesbian and Gay Families,” “Cherish the Diversity of the Human Family,” “Stop Hate Before It Kills,” and “Keep the Faith,” among others.
50 Ways takes a personal look at heterosexual advocacy for gay rights in the form of short personal essays by a variety of gay rights advocates that includes celebrities, writers, and artists. These clear-cut essays ask readers to do the simple things: read a gay book, mentor a gay teen, and choose words with care. Among the contributors are Ben and Jerry’s cofounder Jerry Greenfield, who discusses ways to create a gay-friendly workplace; author and award-winning high school soccer coach Dan Woog (School’s Out), who urges gays and straights alike to come out of the “locker room closet”; and comedian Margaret Cho, who urges supporters to “grab the brass ring of equality” by standing up to the “silent complicity of the status quo.” Larger public libraries may opt for both titles given their different approaches, while smaller libraries may find 50 Ways preferable for its more personal take. -Library Journal 6.1.05
The impressive “50 Ways to Support Lesbian & Gay Equality” features dozens of well-known activists–like NCLR’s Kate Kendell, HRC’s Candace Gingrich, author Rebecca Walker and comic Margaret Cho–offering simple and easy to understand advice on everything from helping dykes have kids to comprehending what exactly a tranny is.
-Curve Magazine, June 2005The importance of achieving lesbian and gay equality cannot be overestimated. Although the GLBT community may be closer to realizing that goal than it has ever been in the past, it also has more outspoken and formidable adversaries than ever before. And like never before, there are millions of Americans who think the American dream permits them to create legislation to keep gay men and lesbians out of the picture. The book 50 Ways to Support Lesbian & Gay Equality doesn’t break any new ground for its concept: get a bunch of people to contribute a story or article, group the contributions according to common themes, and give it a catchy title and cover. In this case, there are 50 contributors, G, L, B, T, queer, straight you name it. You will recognize many of the names but there are lots and lots of refreshingly new voices. Their contributions are grouped into sections called Start from the Heart, Speak the Truth, Know Your Stuff, Promote True Family Values, Lay down the Law, Take Care, and Create an Equal Society. And there are the usual end notes, resource lists and thumbnail contributor bios. What’s most-to-like about 50 Ways to Support Lesbian & Gay Equality is that it’s not just a rehashing of arguments and stories you’ve heard 100 times before. There’s a lot of personal and original thought, and a lot of simple truths that bear repeating and re-reading. Buy a copy and donate it to your local school or public library.
—Echo Magazine (viewable at http://echomag.com/site/index.html)