Death Before Sentencing
Making a case for substantial prison reform, this week's review examines the lack of accountability American county and local jail systems take for the avoidable deaths of detainees.
Posted on in Review of the Week
Queering Law and Order
To close out 2021's Pride Month, this week's review digs into the criminal justice system's treatment of the LGBTQ+ community, and serves as call to reimagine criminal and sexual justice
Posted on June 28, 2021 in Review of the Week
Queering Law and Order: LGBTQ Communities and the Criminal Justice System
Nadal, Kevin L. Lexington Books, 2020
266p bibl index, 9781793601063 $95.00, 9781793601070 $45.00
In this vivid, powerful, and provoking text Nadal masterfully exposes how criminal justice policies, stereotypes, and fear have historically obscured rather than clarified the everyday realities of LGBTQ people—the perennial “other”—in the US. He charges that anti-gay policies, supported by certain social movements and the mentality of some, continue to strategically brutalize, marginalize, oppress, and silence non-straight people. Marshalling sound evidence and in vivid detail, Nadal argues that it is time we as a society acknowledge the brutality, intimidation, and oppression waged against LGBTQ people. Instead of pushing sexuality to the social margins, it should be situated at the center of our moral universe, prompting us to expose, accept, appreciate, and mobilize “othered” persons and correlating modes of thought, as we seek to humanize the existing (twisted) social contours of gender and sexual justice. Ultimately, this author challenges readers to understand, view, and treat sexuality for what it is—part of a person’s unique self. Broadly, this book calls for a transformation in moral, philosophical, legal, cultural, social, and public thinking about sexuality and criminal justice. The text addresses areas of philosophy, legal thought, sexuality, and gender studies, offering a must read for people vested in better understanding of, e.g., sexual violence, LGBTQ people, and sexual justice.
Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers.
Reviewer: M. G. Urbina, Sul Ross State University
Interdisciplinary Subjects: Law & Society, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual & Transgender Studies
Subject: Social & Behavioral Sciences – Sociology
Choice Issue: Sep 2021
Enjoy this week’s review? Check out more reviews of LGBTQ+ titles:
- Queer Freedom: Black Sovereignty
- Intersectionality in Feminist and Queer Movements: Confronting Privileges
- The Path to Gay Rights: How Activism and Coming Out Changed Public Opinion
- Transgender History: The Roots of Today’s Revolution
- Black on Both Sides: A Racial History of Trans Identity
Related Posts
-
-
Making the MexiRican City
To commemorate National Hispanic Heritage Month, this week's review analyzes the community-building and activist practices Mexican and Puerto Rican migrants employed in 20th-century Michigan.
Posted on in Review of the Week
-
Understanding and Teaching Contemporary US History Since Reagan
This week's review offers a roadmap for teaching contemporary US history, providing instructors with tips to tackle recent divisive topics and engage students with primary sources.
Posted on in Review of the Week
-
Laboring for Justice
Researching the experiences of day laborers in Denver, Colorado, this week's review examines wage theft and nefarious labor practices that reflect broader systemic labor issues in the US.
Posted on in Review of the Week