The Children of Harvey Milk

December 1, 2018

For much of the 20th century, being openly gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, or otherwise queer all but precluded a political career. In the 1970s, that slowly began to change. Reynolds (political science, Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) explores how LGBTQ elected officials have sought to change, and been changed by, the halls of political power. The analysis draws on dozens of interviews with legislators, mayors, governors, candidates, and activists worldwide as well as a range of published sources to consider what is gained--and perhaps lost through assimilation--when LGBTQ-identified people join the government. They may not have a unified agenda, but LGBTQ elected officials bring personal experience and testimony to bear when championing or opposing laws and policies that impact their communities. While the work does gesture toward a global narrative, the author's research focuses on the United States and Britain; only a handful of interviews are with non-American, non-British political leaders. VERDICT Despite this shortcoming, the book's group portrait of LGBTQ leaders who have labored for change is a reminder that representation matters. A scholarly analysis that will also appeal to politically engaged generalist readers.--Anna J. Clutterbuck-Cook, Massachusetts Historical Soc., Boston

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 1, 2018
A chronicle of the "compelling web of deeply personal stories of individual gay men and women transforming the views and votes of those around them."Despite the title, readers will find little about Harvey Milk (1930-1978) himself. Given his status as a household political name in 2018, as well as the giant leaps made in the evolution of gay rights and politics since his brief tenure in 1970s San Francisco, Reynolds (Political Science/Univ. of North Carolina; Designing Democracy in a Dangerous World, 2011, etc.) pays tribute to next-generation politicians who followed in his footsteps after he flung open the battlefield doors. Featuring a score of personal interviews, the book follows that evolution in the U.S. and across the globe. Opening with the inspiring story of Maori lesbian Louisa Wall's fight for same-sex marriage in New Zealand and then moving on to the intertwined legacies of Peter Tatchell, Simon Hughes, and the progress of gay rights in Britain, the author fleshes out the hard-fought struggles of--and advances made by--LGBTQ politicians in places like Massachusetts, the Netherlands, and Congo. While exploring the gulf between gay and straight representatives in politics, Reynolds offers before-and-after comparisons between the often horrific circumstances of the past and current realities of gay rights advocates. "At the beginning of 2018," he writes, "1.1 billion people live in the two dozen countries where gay marriage is legal." At the same time, however, "nearly three billion people live in countries where just being gay is a crime." In short, while there have been many victories in the fight for equal rights, there is a massive amount of work still to be done. Peppering the book with interesting little details--such as transgender poster child Sarah McBride stealing a french fry from the author's plate--Reynolds nicely textures his deftly researched academic book with a warm human touch.Illuminating political and social history.

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