This book examines why the US and Canada have produced such divergent policy outcomes in affording rights to their gay and lesbian citizens. Smith's contribution will prove vital as movements for lesbian and gay rights continue to recast the social landscape in North America and beyond.

1. The Comparative Politics of Lesbian and Gay Rights 2. Starting Points, 1969-1980 3. Bowers and the Charter, 1980-1986 4. Discrimination, from Romer to Vriend, 1986-2000 5. The Emergence of Same Sex Marriage, 1991-1999 6. Policy Divergence and Policy Diffusion: Same-Sex Marriage in the 2000s 7. Conclusions: Historical Institutionalism and Lesbian and Gay Rights

Miriam Smith is Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at York University, Toronto, Canada. She is the author of Lesbian and Gay Rights in Canada: Social Movements and Equality-Seeking, 1971-1995 (1999) and co-editor with Michael Orsini of Critical Policy Studies (2007).