AIDS and the Sexuality of Law

"AIDS and the Sexuality of Law maps the relationship between sexuality and the law and science of AIDS as it evolved between 1985 and 1995. Joe Rollins undertakes a close reading of case opinions from the federal appellate courts during that time and argues that these scripts can be read productively through the interpretive lens of irony. Although these texts rely literally on the language of science, their logic is grounded in a sexual epistemology that remains unspoken. By relegating scientific knowledge and available facts to the realm of the unknowable, these opinions reinforce the conception that AIDS is a disease specific to gay men, and allow us to overlook the dangers of such an assumption. Court cases examined in the book deal with adult businesses, the health care industry, and prisons."--BOOK JACKET.