 Cover of the first edition | |
| Author | Urvashi Vaid |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | LGBT rights in the United States |
| Publisher | Anchor Books |
Publication date | 1995 |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover and Paperback) |
| Pages | 440 |
| ISBN | 978-0-385-47298-2 |
| OCLC | 32468601 |
| 305.9/0664 | |
| LC Class | HQ76.8.U5 V35 1995 |
Virtual Equality: The Mainstreaming of Gay and Lesbian Liberation is a 1995 book about gay rights by lawyer and civil rights activist Urvashi Vaid, in which the author argues that LGBT movements in the United States have been only partially successful in achieving their goals, and that gay and lesbian Americans continue to suffer from discrimination and other problems. Vaid maintains that the American gay rights movement must reconsider its tactics and move from advocacy of civil equality to aiming at social change.
The book received mainly positive or mixed reviews, and was compared to the political commentator Andrew Sullivan's Virtually Normal (1995). It was seen by reviewers as partly a personal memoir by its author and partly a guide for readers on how to advance the cause of gay rights, and as having benefited from Vaid's experience as an activist. Some reviewers criticized Vaid for failing to explain fully how her proposals could be implemented. Vaid was awarded a Stonewall Book Award in 1996 for Virtual Equality.