The Straight State

"The Straight State" is an in-depth exploration of how the U.S. government historically enforced sex and gender norms, systematically marginalizing gay individuals through regulations connected to immigration, the military, and welfare. Drawing on newly uncovered archival evidence, Margot Canaday examines the long process by which federal policies shaped perceptions of homosexuality and established a framework of second-class citizenship that persists today. Narrated by Laurel Lefkow, the audiobook offers a compelling account of the evolving relationship between the state and sexual minorities in American history.