A Queer Guide to Saving American Democracy
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- Publisher:
- Cambridge University Press
- Publication date:
- 23 July 2026
- 15 October 2026
- ISBN:
- 9781009858069
- 9781009858052
- 9781009858076
- Dimensions:
- (229 x 152 mm)
- Weight & Pages:
- 0.52kg, 248 Pages
- Dimensions:
- (229 x 152 mm)
- Weight & Pages:
- 0.368kg, 248 Pages
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Book description
Since the early 2000s, American courts and legislatures have delivered a series of generation-defining LGBTQ legal victories. Today, this progress and the very institutions that made it possible are under attack. A Queer Guide to Saving American Democracy is an introduction to this democratic crisis, speaking directly to the queer and transgender people navigating the intensifying political and cultural fault lines. It argues that the current denigration of queer and transgender lives in the US is a symptom of the broader degradation of American democracy, representing the newest threat of American fascism. By centering queer and trans identity in the larger history of authoritarianism, the book highlights the strategic villainization of nonconforming groups as a tool to consolidate power and political control. In response, this book empowers readers to adopt pro-democracy frameworks rooted in the defiant authenticity and stubborn joy of queer existence, forging pathways committed to transformative social change.
Reviews
‘A keen and compelling analysis of democratic peril and possibility, that highlights the pivotal role of LGBTQ politics in leveraging or thwarting authoritarian designs. The shift that Maril advocates in queer politics, from institutional advocacy to ‘transformative resistance’ delivers a lesson which we can all learn: that formal legal rights will not be sufficient or secure, until a mobilized public shifts the focus to sources of systemic inequality and practical barriers to accessing civil life.’
Kathryn Abrams - Herma Hill Kay Distinguished Professor of Law, University of California, Berkeley
‘Robin Maril’s book is made for this moment. Our history of celebrating difference and affirming human dignity allows queer and trans people to be the redemptive, pro-democracy force that America needs today. Read this book now for a glimmer of hope in these dark times.’
Chai Feldblum - President, EEO Leaders, Former EEOC Commissioner (2010–2018)
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