Should an employer be required to cover a gay employee's partner under its insurance plan? Do schools have a responsibility to protect gay students from harassment and violence? Is public safety compromised if police and fire departments openly hire gay employees? These are a few of the contentious questions at the center of the struggle for -- and against -- gay rights in cities large and small across the country. By interviewing activists and officials on both sides of the battles, the authors of Private Lives, Public Conflicts examine the on-going political debate surrounding gay rights, specifically: the politics of enacting gay rights policies; the impact of gay rights laws on public schools, the police, and businesses; and the political opposition to this movement.