Judging Homosexuals

Corriveau (Criminology, University of Ottawa) looks at the role of law in creating the crime of being homosexual, presenting a comparative account of the treatment of individual homoerotic behavior in Quebec and France. Reaching back to the acceptance of homosexuality in ancient Greece and the subsequent vilification of homosexuality in medieval and early modern times, the author looks at how family, clergy, doctors, jurists and other actors have tried to manage the presence of homosexuals in society. Corriveau then shows the evolution of how homosexuals have been treated in Quebec and France since the late 17th century, culminating in the current status of gay people as citizens who deserve the full protection of the law. This excellent book will find favor with scholars of the history of sexuality, as well as historians of France and Quebec. Distributed by UTP Distribution. Annotation c2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Patrice Corriveau is associate professor in the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa and a researcher with the Interdisciplinary Research Laboratory on the Rights of the Child and the Sexual and Gender Diversity: Vulnerability, Resilience. Kathe Roth has been a literary translator, working mainly in historical non-fiction, for more than twenty years. She lives and works in Saint-Lazare, Quebec.