Homo Economics: Capitalism, Community, and Lesbian and Gay Life »

Amy Gluckman and Betsy Reed are the authors of The Gay Marketing Moment, an expose of myths about gay consumers that appeared in Dollars and Sense, a Boston-based progressive economics magazine. They are both members of the Dollars and Sense editorial collective.

Homo Economics is the first honest account of the tense relationship between gay people and the economy. This groundbreaking collection brings together a variety of voices from the worlds of journalism, activism, academia, the arts, and public policy to address issues including the recent economic history of the gay community, the community's response to its changing economic circumstances, and the risks inherent in a narrow definition of liberation.

Library Journal

Editors Gluckman and Reed, members of the progressive Dollars and Sense editorial collective, believe that not much research has been done showing how "the U.S. economy has shaped modern gay life," a problem they attempt to rectify with this unique collection of essays. The essays look at occupations, labor union involvement, living in gay neighborhoods, marketing campaigns targeted at gay consumers, domestic partnership and other benefits, and AIDS. In one remarkable essay, Lee Badgett finds that the sampling of gay and lesbian people in polls is skewed; she maintains that the myth of affluent gays is largely just that and that "it is much more common for lesbian, gay and bisexual people to earn less than heterosexuals." While a few of the 19 essays come across as leftist screeds, the majority thoughtfully examine how gays and lesbians have used American capitalism to start small businesses, benefit their communities, and improve their lives overall. Recommended for larger academic libraries and all gay/lesbian collections.-Richard S. Drezen, "Washington Post" News Research Ctr., Washington, D.C.