Developmental Perspectives on Lesbian and Gay Politics

Fragmented Citizenship in a Fragmented State

Bibliographic Data

ID6318403
AuthorsStephen M Engel (corresponding author)
Year2015
Volume13
Issue2
Pages287-311
Publication date2015-06-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePerspectives on Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1537-5927 • E-ISSN: 1541-0986
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1537592715000043
OpenAlexW1945835762
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited93

Responding to recent criticism that American political development (APD) has yet to fully engage with both contemporary and historical matters related to lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) politics, I use citizenship to provide one way to do so. Drawing on the central insight of APD scholarship that the polity is a composite of multiple clashing governing orders and by viewing citizenship as a relational dynamic between the individual and the state, I argue that citizenship is fractured across time, space, and policy issue. This claim is illustrated by two case studies: first, how gay, lesbian, and bisexual military participation has been redefined over time by the Department of Defense, with each policy shift toward equality revealing previously unseen and persistent inequities, and second, how conflicts between marriage and parental recognition have emerged after states recognize same-sex marriage. I aim to demonstrate how APD concepts can be fruitfully applied to yield new insights about institutional authority and the meaning and content of citizenship status. In short, much can be gained by increased developmental attention to gay and lesbian politics

Citizenship · Criticism · Epistemology · Lesbian · Meaning (existential · Political science · Politics · Polity · Scholarship · Sociology · State (computer science · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Politics and Representation · Gender Studies · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies