What does social science research tell us about homosexuality? Does this knowledge affect public policy? Despite scholarly research, homosexuality continues to be the subject of an intense, and often bitter, debate.This volume summarizes academic knowledge about homosexuality and its relevance for public policy. Topics addressed include the nature and causes of sexual orientations; the reasons homosexuality is not an illness; the ethics of various mental health approaches to homosexuality; the effects of social and legal discrimination; newer biological and psychological understandings of homosexuality; homosexuals as parents; and the implications of the AIDS epidemic.