This ground-breaking account adds immeasurably to our understanding of how and why gay rights became a subject of public policy. It will surprise even experts who thought they knew everything about the Carter Presidency and/or about gay history in the 1970s.

Susan Hartmann, Ohio State University, USA

This is a very fine book, rooted in highly conscientious research and scholarship. The Carter Presidency and Gay Rights sheds new and important light on the progressive nature of the Carter record. It also represents an important contribution to the field of gay history.

John Dumbrell, former Professor of Government, Durham University, UK and author of 'The Carter Presidency: A Re-evaluation.'

Harris Dousemetzis has done a great service with what I believe is a major piece of presidential and American history.

Stuart E. Eizenstat, White House Domestic Affairs Advisor (1977-1981), US Ambassador to the European Union (1993-1996), and as Special Advisor for Holocaust Issues for Presidents Obama, Trump and Biden

Such a monumental book; so important for our history, for our struggle. Thanks for doing this. I hope it will be widely read.

ABilly S. Jones-Hennin, LGBT rights activist and cofounder of the National Coalition of Black Gays.

It's taken a Greek-born scholar to reveal in detail the extraordinary contributions that the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, made to the advancement of gay civil rights. Harris Dousemetzis' engaging and exhaustively researched history of this unheralded aspect of President Carter's one term in office, left me wondering how many lives could have been saved if Carter had been elected to a second term, instead of the anti-gay Ronald Reagan. An essential resource for anyone who wishes to understand how a despised minority emerged from the shadows and onto the national stage.

Eric Marcus, author of Making Gay History: The Half-Century Fight for Lesbian and Gay Equal Rights and founder and host of the award-winning Making Gay History podcast.

Dr. Dousemetzis has captured the zeitgeist of the shrouded history that the Carter presidency built as a foundational opening to the early LGBTQ+ rights in America. It comes alive with the rich quotes and stories from the LGBTQ+ leaders and allies of the time, from 'insiders' in the Carter administration, from scholars and from foot soldiers of the early movement. As this triumphant work spells out, it was under the Carter administration that LGBTQ+ individuals were first drawn into the political community en masse, not as token vehicles for some nefarious ends, but as legitimate equals helping to re-ignite the flames of democracy.

H. Eric Schockman, PhD, Professor Emeritus of Politics and International Relations, Los Angeles County LGBTQ+ Commission