On May 17, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-gender marriage. From California to Missouri, nearly all states now face legislative challenges to the once firmly entrenched notion that marriage can only exist between a man and a woman. Public opinion polls conducted from 1977 to 2004 found that Americans' attitudes toward gay men and lesbians and marriages or civil unions for same-gender couples have evolved. Opposition persists, however. The most recent data indicate support for some legal recognition of gay and lesbian couples, but most Americans favor civil unions over same-gender marriages. Although the future of civil unions and same-gender marriages remains uncertain, social workers can serve gay and lesbian clients and their families best by staying informed of the attendant legal, social, and policy issues.

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Data from a three generational survey of Japanese Americans indicate that the occupational and educational attainments of the first generation (Issei) are reflected in the achievements of the second and third generations. Findings suggest that two different currents flow in the Japanese American community, one relatively traditional, the other more assimilationist. It is expected that only assimilationists will survive-but in a modified fashion. The majority of the Sansei queried indicate an interest in Japanese ways while still embracing the primary goals of American society and its emphasis on socioeconomic success in particular. Although the ban on outmarriage is breaking down, a majority of Sansei have married or intend to marry within the fold. While the Japanese Americans have successfully accommodated to the American situation-especially by correctly gauging the great importance of education, there is little evidence that the subculture will soon wither away.

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The very public death of Terri Schiavo in 2005 alerted Americans to what is a growing ethical, medical, and social crisis: the status of end-of-life issues and decisions in the United States. Currently, Oregon is the only state to give terminally ill patients the right to end their lives, with physicians’ help, if they so choose. Public opinion data from 1977 to the present show that Americans support greater rights for individuals facing end-of-life decisions--up to and including physician-assisted suicide and euthanasia. This paper considers the status of end-of-life issues in the United States after Terri Schiavo’s death and examines the opportunities for advocacy by social workers who serve clients and families encountering this complex and controversial issue.

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This paper has three objectives: (a) to provide a brief review of the status of research among racial and cultural minorities, @) to present a n overview of the volume's contributed papers, and (c) to discuss certain recur,ri?g themes in the articles of this issue. Several themes have important implications for conducting research-techniques of gaining entrie to the minority community, theoretical concerns, the useof field methods, theuse of the survey method, and ethical, political, and ideological concerns. This paper suggests ways in which social scientists, while being sensitive to and meeting the needs of the community under study, can contribute to o u r fund of knowledge regarding racial and cultural minorities.I would like to thank