Beyond Straight and Gay Marriage | Valuing All Families Under The Law

"Beyond (Straight and Gay) Marriage is the book many have been waiting for...It proposes changes in the way we think about marriage,

about social structures, and about law. For those who have asked the question, "If not marriage, then what?" Nancy Polikoff provides

"Polikoff's book comes just in time....Using real case studies, Polikoff makes a strong case that furthering the legal protections for all

people, regardless of relatonship status, will help the LGBT community more than marriage itself....A realistic message that activists

"Thorough, provocative, and wonky treatise...Polikoff culls a half-century's worth of case law to support her argument, yet the book

isn't beyond the reach of the non-lawyer....It's simply grounded in the progressive idea that government is supposed to make

people's lives better without making others' lives worse....an important resource for those working to help LGBT people."

The Bilerico Project (May 5, 2008)

"...an important critique of the idea that marriage should organize our lives and our access to the basics....The book is lively and accessible to the general reader"

Windy City Times (April 23, 2008)

"This book is important for all of us regardless of sexual orientation or family situation and I would suggest that everyone...read it."

QBliss.net (March 25, 2008)

"Polikoff...deftly argues that the law’s narrow definitions of “family” and “marriage” no longer work in today’s society—not just for the LGBT community but the country at large. With many households following untraditional family models, Polikoff says, we need to look at ways the law can change to value all families beyond those created by marriage, including same and different-sexed, married and unmarried couples. Polikoff draws on legal history and contemporary (often eye-opening) court cases to make her argument. Topics such as inheritance, tax consequences, workers’ compensation death benefits, social security, probate, adoption and health care, plus their impact on the diversity of today’s “family units” are simplified for the reader. Polikoff wades through legislation and legalese with style and substance, plus a touch of flair. Impeccably researched, the book offers an evocative read that takes in the full breadth of the issues affecting marriages and avoids pedantry while remaining persuasive."
Publishers Weekly (October 19, 2007).