As lesbians and gay men have intensified their fight for equal rights and recognition in American society over the past several decades, issues involving sexual orientation have been hotly contested in social, religious, ethical, legal, and political contexts. The law has proved a primary battleground, for it is the law that establishes the contours of sexuality itself and mediates social questions such as how "open" lesbians and gay men can be about their sexuality, where and under what conditions gay people can work, whether they can marry or adopt children, and so on.