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Voted Out is the first to document the psychological impact of anti-gay legislation on the gay community, illustrating the range of reactions, from depression, anger, and anxiety to a sense of empowerment and a desire to mobilize, which such legislation can engender. It also offers a detailed account of an innovative team approach to the qualitative coding and analysis process. Blending traditional quantitative methods with more innovative qualitative analyses, it provides a valuable opportunity to compare quantitative and qualitative data focused on the same issue within one volume.

This timely work, part of Volume 21 in the Review of Psychiatry series, offers compelling facts and insights in a concise yet comprehensive format, bringing together the latest research and clinical practice in this rapidly evolving field.

• Chapter 1 details normal adolescent development and the extra challenges imposed by the development of a sexual identity that is different from that of most of their peers, including the lack of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender role models.

• Chapter 2 presents a rare discussion about theoretical models (managing a concealable stigma, minority stress and resilience, and coping with multiple minority statuses) and empirical data on aging as a stigmatized sexual minority, including the similarities and differences of aging between the sexual minority communities and the heterosexual community and special issues in working with aging ethnic minority gay men, lesbians, and bisexual persons.

• Chapter 3 breaks new ground by detailing the expanding role of the psychiatrist or other mental health professional as forensic expert and therapist—requiring not only an in-depth understanding of lesbian and gay mental health issues, but also the often-daunting task of encouraging and teaching judges and juries to better understand these issues as they relate to discriminatory laws in child custody/visitation, workplace harassment/other discrimination, domestic violence, and immigration/asylum.

• Chapter 4 covers both the three types of etiological theories on homosexuality presented in the scientific literature and an historical overview of clinical attitudes toward homosexuality, from early modern theories (Karl Ulrichs, Krafft-Ebing, and Freud) to the present day, reporting on some adverse side effects of sexual conversion treatment that have been either overlooked or ignored in the reparative therapy literature and raising important clinical and ethical concerns.

• Chapter 5 examines the public and professional evolution of thinking toward U.S. African race and toward sexual orientation with regard to the reevaluation of the psychiatric diagnosis and treatment of gender identity disorder. Among other topics, the author presents a fascinating discussion of differences between sexual orientation and gender (e.g., anatomical, social, hormonal, psychological, legal, or political), and distinctions between transgenderism and homosexuality, including an illuminating case example.

-- Dr. April Martin, author of The Lesbian and Gay Parenting Handbook

The treatment of sexual minorities-whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender-varies significantly in different parts of the world. In some countries, equal rights have been achieved and progress is being made against discrimination; in others, being gay still incurs the death penalty.

This guide examines all the colors of the sexual rainbow, unearths hidden histories, and looks at contributions from medicine and science. It also includes a unique global survey of laws that affect sexual minorities.

Vanessa Baird has been co-editor at New Internationalist magazine since 1986. Her previous books include, as compiler and editor, Eye to Eye Women.