Terms of Exclusion: Rightful Citizenship Claims and the Construction of LGBT Political Identity

LGBT political movements in the US have been successful in expediting the growing acceptance of sexual and gender minorities and increasing public support for LGBT rights. However, marginalized identity groups have internal hierarchies that determine whose political claims are heard or ignored. Zein Murib's book "Terms of Exclusion" argues that the strategic use of rightful citizenship claims created opportunities for the recognition of white, gender-normative, monogamously partnered gay men and lesbians at the expense of other community members, leading to within-group marginalization. This book constitutes a significant revision to existing scholarship on LGBT politics and joins a growing body of interdisciplinary work that focuses on how a seemingly benign strategy of political movements foregrounding citizenship claims entails silence and erasure for the most precarious members of the group.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 312 pages
Publication date: 04 October 2023
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

LGBT political movements in the United States have played a pivotal role in accelerating the widespread acceptance of sexual and gender minorities and garnering greater public support for LGBT rights. Nevertheless, it is important to note that not all members of the broader LGBT community have benefited equally from these advancements. Even marginalized identity groups within the community exhibit internal hierarchies that determine which political claims are heard or disregarded.

In her book "Terms of Exclusion," Zein Murib delves into the formation of the LGBT community in the United States as it evolved into an identity-based social and political group. Drawing on a vast collection of movement documents and publications, Murib argues that the strategic use of rightful citizenship claims, or the assertion that lesbians, gay men, bisexuals, and transgender people are owed rights as citizens, created opportunities for the recognition of white, gender-normative, monogamously partnered gay men and lesbians at the expense of other community members. The rights wins achieved through these opportunities are celebrated as evidence of progress, while simultaneously foreclosing representation and political gains for those members whose cross-cutting identities challenge or elude the boundaries of normative citizenship.

By examining the effects of mobilization tactics aimed at assimilation, Murib demonstrates that within-group marginalization is not merely a result of political expediency or limited resources. Rather, it is a discursive strategy employed by political actors to make a group more palatable to lawmakers and the general public. "Terms of Exclusion" constitutes a significant revision to existing scholarship on LGBT politics in political science and contributes to a growing body of interdisciplinary work that explores how seemingly benign political movements can have unintended consequences.

Weight: 450g
Dimension: 157 x 237 x 27 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197671504