Description: The common stereotype that lesbians and gay men are more affluent than heterosexuals is only one of many misconceptions that M. V. Lee Badgett debunks in this comprehensive work. Studying the ends and means of gay life from an economic perspective, she paints a more accurate picture than ever before of gay and lesbian standards of living, financial and family decisions, and professional lives, analyzing along the way the crucial issues that affect the livelihood of gay men and lesbians: workplace discrimination, denial of health care benefits to partners and children, the corporate wooing of gay consumer dollars, and the use of gay economic clout to inspire social and political change.
Brief description: M. V. Lee Badgett is an associate professor of economics at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst and research director of the Institute for Gay and Lesbian Strategic Studies.