New York University
Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues in public policy
Course # PADM-GP 2444
Spring 2015
Adjunct Assistant Professor Sean Cahill
(sc173@nyu.edu)
Fridays 9:00am to 12 noon (January 30, February 20, March 6, March 27, April 10, April
24, May 8)
Course description
The movement for equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people is
one of the most successful in recent history. In the U.S., significant policy advances
include: the extension of marriage equality in 36 states (this number has more than
doubled in the past year); the passage of sexual orientation and gender identity
nondiscrimination laws in 18 states and hundreds of municipalities, and sexual
orientation-only laws in 3 additional states; inclusion of LGBT people in a growing
number of federal health initiatives; and state and federal interventions to address
violence victimization and sexual victimization of LGBT juveniles and adults in prisons
and jails. This graduate level course will examine the incredible successes of LGBT
rights activism in the U.S. and globally, and the treatment of LGBT people in several
policy areas, with an in-depth focus on several issue areas that afford a broad overview of
domestic and global LGBT policy. These are: health policy and HIV prevention and care;
elder issues; youth and education policy; prison issues; and LGBT rights struggles in the
former Soviet Union, Africa, Arab and Muslim countries, and elsewhere.
Course requirements/grading
One paper (5-8 pages) will be assigned, and there is a final exam. Students will also
prepare one in-class presentation on a topic to be agreed upon with the professor.
Students also expected to participate in class discussions which are based on the assigned
readings. The paper is worth one third of the final grade, the final one third, and in-class
participation, including the oral presentation, one third.
The paper should examine an LGBT policy issue in the U.S. or globally. If peerreviewed, academic research exists on the issue or population addressed this should be
described and reviewed. If this is an emerging issue or understudied population (for
example, LGBT elders in long-term care), a research agenda should be articulated.
Ideally a specific proposal(s) for a policy intervention can be presented and critically
examined, with data presented to make the case for taking a particular course of action.
Pros and cons, as well as any conflicting rights or potential trade-offs (such as the rights
of conservative or traditional parents versus the rights of gay youth) should be described,
and recommendations for a preferred course of action made.
A final take-home exam will be distributed and due at the end of the semester. Students
will be asked to choose two out of three questions on major themes in the readings and
lectures/class discussions and respond to each of the two questions with two- to threepage essays.
Students should sign up to do an in-class presentation by Friday February 7th.
Presentations will start February 20th and continue through the last class, Friday, May 8th.
Students should present a policy issue and describe the problem being addressed, the
particular populations it affects and any data available on them, possible courses of action
to address it, and construct an argument—using data if available—as to why one possible
policy intervention is the most likely approach to effectively address the problem.
Presentations should last 8-10 minutes, with 3-5 minutes for questions and discussion. A
brief powerpoint, handouts, and video clips can be used.
Please adhere to NYU’s Academic Honesty policy. For more information see
http://wagner.nyu.edu/current/policies/
There are two required texts for the class and many journal articles, book chapters and
policy monographs from non-governmental organizations. Please complete all readings
prior to class. All articles will be available from the Bobst Library ejournal site, and all
articles and single book chapters will be posted on Blackboard. The texts will be placed
on reserve at Bobst Library. The texts are:
Stone, A. Gay rights at the ballot box. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 2012.
Cianciotto, J. & Cahill, S., LGBT youth in America’s schools. Ann Arbor: University of
Michigan Press. 2012.
In-class video clips will also complement readings and discussions. Guest speakers will
also contribute to our learning experience.
Week 1, January 30: The anti-gay movement and recent breakthroughs on
marriage equality
Required reading:
Stone, A. Gay rights at the ballot box. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press. 2012.
U.S. v. Windsor, U.S. Supreme Court decision striking down part of the Defense of
Marriage Act, June 26, 2013. Read both majority opinion and dissent.
http://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/12pdf/12-307_6j37.pdf
Week 2, February 20: “How many gay people are there?” Demographics, race and
gender differences. Transgender issues.
Gates, G., How many people are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender? Los Angeles:
UCLA Williams Institute, April 2011.
http://www3.law.ucla.edu/williamsinstitute/pdf/How-many-people-are-LGBT-Final.pdf
Ward B, Dahlhamer J, Galinsky A and Joestl S. Sexual orientation and health among
U.S. adults: National Health Interview Survey, 2013. National Health Statistics Reports.
Number 77. July 15, 2014.
http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhsr/nhsr077.pdf
Cahill, S., “Black and Latino same-sex couple households and the racial dynamics of
anti-gay activism.” Black sexualities: Probing powers, passions, practices, and policies.
Battle, J. and Barnes, S. (Editors), New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2010,
p. 243-268
Grant, J., Mottet, L., and Tanis, J. Injustice at every turn: A report of the National
Transgender Discrimination Survey. Washington, DC: National Center for Transgender
Equality and National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, 2011. Executive summary.
http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/reports/reports/ntds_summary.pdf
Reisner S., White J., Dunham E., Heflin K., Begenyi J., Cahill S. (2014). Discrimination
and health in Massachusetts: A statewide survey of transgender and gender
nonconforming adults. Boston: The Fenway Institute and the Massachusetts Transgender
Political Coalition.
http://fenwayfocus.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/The-Fenway-Institute-MTPCProject-VOICE-Report-July2014.pdf?__hstc=148127528.d0b07f10554ec62ed8bdc952d5af7e60.1400530233002.141
8421834924.1421435878451.18&__hssc=148127528.2.1421435878451&__hsfp=32380
20983
Week 3, March 6: LGBT health, including HIV/AIDS
Mayer K., Bradford J., Makadon H., Stall R., Goldhammer H., Landers S. (2008). Sexual
and gender minority health: What we know and what needs to be done. Am J Pub Health,
98: 989-995.
Boehmer U., Bowen D., & Bauer G. (2007). Overweight and obesity in sexual minority
women: evidence from population-based data. Am J Pub Health, 97: 1134-1140.
Committee on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Health Issues and Research Gaps
and Opportunities; Board on the Health of Select Populations; Institute of Medicine, The
Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding, Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2011. Summary, pp. S1-S5; recommendations, pp. 293-305.
http://www.nap.edu/catalog.php?record_id=13128
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2020. Lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender health.
http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=25.
The Fenway Institute, The Center for American Progress, Human Rights Campaign,
GLMA, The Case for Designating LGBT People as a Medically Underserved Population
and as a Health Professional Shortage Area Population Group, 2014.
http://thefenwayinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/MUP_HPSA-Brief_v11-FINAL081914.pdf
Cahill S, Singal R, Grasso C, King D, Mayer K, Baker K, Makadon H. (2014, September
8). Do ask, do tell: High levels of acceptability by patients of routine collection of sexual
orientation and gender identity data in four diverse American community health centers.
PLOS ONE.
http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0107104
Week 4, March 27th: LGBT elders and aging policy issues
Fredriksen-Golden, K., Kim, H., Emlet, C., Muraco, A., Erosheva, E., Hoy-Ellis, C.,
Goldsen, J., & Petry, H., (2011). The aging and health report: Disparities and resilience
among LGBT older adults. Seattle, WA: Institute for Multigenerational Health,
University of Washington.
http://caringandaging.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Full-Report-FINAL11-16-11.pdf
Cahill S. Community resources and government services for LGBT older adults and their
families. Orel N, Fruhauf, C (eds.). The Lives of LGBT Older Adults: Understanding
Challenges and Resilience. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association, 2014.
141-170.
Porter K. Cahill S. (2014, September 24). A state-level review of diversity initiatives in
congregate meal programs established under the Older Americans Act. Research on
Aging. DOI: 10.1177/0164027514552330.
Week 5, April 10th: LGBT youth and education policy
Cianciotto, J. & Cahill, S., LGBT youth in America’s schools. Ann Arbor: University of
Michigan Press. 2012.
Week 6, April 24th: Corrections issues affecting LGBT juvenile and adult inmates
Himmelstein K and Brickner H. Criminal-Justice and School Sanctions Against
Nonheterosexual Youth: A National Longitudinal Study. Pediatrics. Published online
December 6, 2010.
Beck AJ, Cantor D, Hartge J, and Smith T. Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities
Reported by Youth, 2012. Bureau of Justice Statistics (2013).
http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/svjfry12.pdf.
National Institute of Corrections. Policy Review and Development Guide: Lesbian, Gay,
Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersex Persons in Custodial Settings. Washington, DC
(2013).
http://nicic.gov/library/027507
Brewer R., Magnus M., Kuo I., et al. Exploring the relationship between incarceration
and HIV among Black men who have sex with men in the U.S. JAIDS. October 2013.
Lucas KD, Miller JL, Eckert V, Horne RL, et al. “Risk, Feasibility, and Cost Evaluation
of a Prison Condom Access Pilot Program in One California State Prison.” Journal of
Correctional Health Care 20:184 (2014).
Week 7, May 8th: The global context of LGBT rights
These everyday humiliations: Violence against lesbians, bisexual women, and
transgender men in Kyrgyzstan. Human Rights Watch, 2008.
http://www.hrw.org/en/reports/2008/10/06/these-everyday-humiliations-0
Secretary Hilary Clinton, Remarks in Recognition of International Human Rights Day, Geneva,
December 6, 2011.
http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2011/12/178368.htm
United Nations Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights. Discriminatory
laws and policies and acts of violence against individuals based on their sexual
orientation and gender identity. Geneva. November 17, 2011. (First-ever UN report on
sexual orientation and gender identity.)
http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/docs/19session/A.HRC.19.41_English.p
df
Semugoma, P., Nemande, S., and Baral, S. “The irony of homophobia in Africa.” The
Lancet. HIV in men who have sex with men (special issue). Pp. 4-5. July 2012.
BBC. Uganda fury at David Cameron aid threat over gay rights. October 31, 2011.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15524013
U.S. State Department fact sheet. Advancing the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual
and transgender persons worldwide: A State Department priority. 2013
http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/211690.pdf