Pitt Law Professor's New Book a Resource for Gays and Lesbians

”Everyday Law for Gays and Lesbians and Those Who Care About Them” (Paradigm Publishers, 2008), a new book by University of Pittsburgh associate professor of law Anthony C. Infanti, presents an informative view of the legal issues facing the gay and lesbian community.

In the book, available in February, Infanti explains the many ways the law applies to and affects lesbian and gay lives. Each chapter opens with a story about actual experiences of lesbians and gay men and then uses those experiences as a springboard for discussing the law. Issues discussed include marriage and its alternatives, bias crimes, the military, education, employment, housing, medical and tax planning, and parenting. Going beyond a mere summary of the law, the book provides both legal and nonlegal strategies for coping with and effecting positive change in the law as it affects the lives of lesbians and gay men.

Patricia Cain, Inez Mabie Professor of Law at Santa Clara University, is quoted on the book jacket: “[“Everyday Law”]. . . is a combination of powerful narrative and intricate legal analysis. Anthony Infanti writes in a style that is easily accessible for nonlawyers while also providing the details and research notes that lawyers and academics will appreciate. His message, that legal change alone will not stamp out antigay bias, is not new, but his telling of this story is fresh, insightful, and full of constructive suggestions for social activists who wish to advance the cause. This book should be mandatory reading for anyone who cares about lesbians and gay men.”

Infanti's areas of specialization include taxation and critical tax theory. His articles have appeared in such publications as the “Florida Tax Review,” the “Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law”, the “University of Pittsburgh Law Review,” the Tax “Management International Journal,” and “Taxes” magazine. His work in the area of critical tax theory, which focuses particularly on the application of the tax laws to lesbians and gay men, has been published in the “Buffalo Law Review,” the “Santa Clara Law Review,” the “Whittier Law Review,” “Unbound: The Harvard Journal of the Legal Left,” the “Saint Louis University Public Law Review,” and “The Tax Lawyer.”