Like other forms of fan fiction, slash fiction-centered on same sex relationships between fictional characters-is a powerful cultural dialogue. Though the genre can be socially transformative, particularly as an active feminist resistance to patriarchal ideologies, it is more complex than other literary forms of resistance. This collection of new essays covers topics on real, "fringe" bodies and identities; the inscription and transgression of bodily boundaries; and the exploration of power, autonomy and personal agency. Exploring the darker side of the genre, they also discuss how systems of authority are both challenged and reiterated by the erotic imagination and how the voices of marginalized groups are both raised and ignored within slash fiction and fan communities.

This book explores the ways Christian women in college make sense of bisexual, transgender, polyamorous, and atheist others. Specifically, it explores the ways they express tolerance for some sexual groups, such as lesbian and gay people, while maintaining condemnation of other sexual, gendered, or religious groups. In so doing, this book highlights the limits of Christian tolerance for the advancement of minority rights.

Discover the deliciously succulent homosexual world of the early 1900s The Ideal Gay Man: The Story of Der Kreis gives you the history of the influential international gay journal Der Kreis, published in Switzerland from 1932--1967. You'll gain fascinating insight into the journal's origins, its development, and the reasons for its demise. Entertaining and informative, this book points out how the events of the day relating to the gay movement were reflected in and influenced by Der Kreis. Der Kreis was the world's most important journal promoting the legal and social rights of gay men. Literary historians, gay theory scholars, and general readers will be intrigued by the generous selection of articles from the English section of the journal, as well as the English translations from the French and German sections. The Ideal Gay Man is a fascinating collection of history and entertainment.Some topics you'll explore are: the beginning of the publication Der Kreis why Der Kreis stopped publication sections on the English writers, French writers, and German writers of Der Kreis articles on morality and the public's changing perceptions of homosexuality man and boy love and the differences between leading and seduction The Ideal Gay Man studies this amazingly influential gentlemen's journal and provides you with a flattering and long overdue inclusion into gay studies material. You will explore the homosexual world during a turbulent time of intolerance and discover how the events relating to the gay movement were reflected in and influenced by Der Kreis.

In spite of the attention that Latin American women writers have attracted in recent years, a book dedicated exclusively to those writers whose work primarily articulates a lesbian perspective was until now missing. The purpose of this book, first published in 1996, is to bring attention to and examine the articulation of lesbian themes, motifs and issues in the works of these writers. It aims to study the problems pertaining to the specific literary representations of lesbianism and to examine the dimensions of a lesbian view in the works. By undertaking the study of the works of these women writers, this book contributes to the recognition and legitimization of a lesbian literary discourse.

What is lesbian beauty?Lesbians, Levis, and Lipstick: The Meaning of Beauty in Our Lives explores the many definitions of beauty among lesbians by discussing the norms they create and follow. In addition, it questions how these standards are influenced by heterosexual concepts of beauty. Here you'll find essays, poems, and research papers from women who describe some of the freeing and restrictive aspects of lesbian beauty.Lesbians, Levis, and Lipstick: The Meaning of Beauty in Our Lives examines the way lesbians define and explore the notion of beauty. Through moving, personal stories and well-represented research, this book leads the reader on a path of exploration about beauty norms and the way they liberate and confine lesbians.This sometimes humorous book is an in-depth and insightful examination of beauty practices and how lesbians use them as an expression of style and image and as a means of identifying one another. Compelling topics include: lesbians'diverse expressions and understandings of beauty the gender of a bisexual woman's partner and how it impacts her beauty routines and self-image beauty standards of older lesbians and how their views on the qualities of potential partners and on their own partners change as they age the beauty standards of lesbian and bisexual women of color pressures on lesbians to be thin and how this affects their feelings about their bodies and themselves feminism and its potential role in protecting women from eating disorders and negative body imagePersonal, intelligent, and informative, Lesbians, Levis, and Lipstick gives you insight into the meanings of lesbian beauty. Emphasizing strength, confidence, and self-acceptance as attractive qualities, this uplifting book will help you realize your own beauty and give you a new freedom to experiment with fresh expressions of it.

The Savvy Ally: A Guide for Becoming a Skilled LGBTQ Advocate, Second Edition, is an enjoyable, humorous, encouraging, easy to understand guidebook for being an ally to the LGBTQ+ communities. It is chock full of practical and useful tools for LGBTQ+ advocacy. This fully revised second edition includes: The most current information on identities and LGBTQ+ language; Tips for respectfully sharing, gathering, and using pronouns; LGBTQ+ etiquette, including common language bloopers to avoid; Tools for navigating difficult conversations; Best practices for creating LGBTQ+ inclusive spaces; Appropriate actions to take after messing up; and Techniques for self-care and sustainable allyship. This book will be useful for teachers, counselors, social workers, nurses, medical technicians and college professors, as well as the non-freaked out parent who wants to be supportive of their LGBTQ+ child, but doesn't know how. This is not a book about why to be an ally. This is a book about how to be an ally. The goal of The Savvy Ally is to build the reader's confidence in their ability to have respectful and useful conversations for and with LGBTQ+ individuals, and to offer tools to be effective advocates for change.

This volume comprises an interdisciplinary collection of papers on Freud's "Psychogenesis of a Case of Homosexuality in a Woman". This sixth and last case study has received very little attention, in sharp contrast to the Dora case, for example. The editors see this lack of attention as a sign of the marginalization of lesbians in both psychoanalytic theory and in culture. The book provides a forum where questions surrounding this case can be discussed in detail.

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Exploring identity development and gender orientation, Lesbian Epiphanies: Women Coming Out in Later Life contains firsthand information about the experiences and difficulties of women who discover and reveal their newfound lesbian sexuality in later life. Psychologists, social workers, counselors, and professors will find that Lesbian Epiphanies is the first book to extensively quote from interviews of lesbians and bisexuals who had entered into heterosexual marriages. From the analysis of these 24 interviews, the psychological, erotic, and social processes of women who come out as lesbians or bisexuals after a heterosexual marriage are clearly explained so you can better assist your clients throughout this coming-out process. Discussing the personal and societal standards which clouded early self-awareness for these women, Lesbian Epiphanies lifts the veil of confusion to clearly illuminate the issues at hand to assist you in understanding and helping your clients. From the case studies in this important book, you will learn how some women came to realize their same gender attractions and the barriers they faced, including negative attitudes toward lesbian women and the lack of strong role models. Helpful and informative, Lesbian Epiphanies explores the development of sexual identity in women in the Unites States today and provides you with essential information to help you improve your services to lesbian and bisexual clients by: examining how the role of marriage in American culture stifles a woman's self-awareness of her sexuality in order to help clients avoid the mistake of a heterosexual marriage before husbands and children are involved examining reasons behind the lack of valuable sexual information in America that limits a woman's general awareness of herself, her body, her sexuality, and her life options understanding the challenges that lesbians and bisexuals experience when attempting to establish their true identities to assist your clients in overcoming these barriers suggesting support groups for clients who are having a difficult time becoming used to the ideas and feelings of some same gender attractionsThis insightful book knocks down the sociological and psychological barriers that keep women from realizing or acknowledging their real sexual orientation by dispelling societal and cultural myths about what it means to be a woman in the United States. Offering you invaluable advice on how to help clients effectively and happily live with their new identities, Lesbian Epiphanies provides solutions to the challenges that women experience in establishing their other-than-heterosexual orientation in a heterosexist society.

This book provides an original insight into how families of origin of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) people are involved in negotiating meanings and experiences of sexuality and intimacy, an underexplored dimension of queer family life. Delving into the perspectives of families of origin and showing the complexity and heterogeneity of the ways people with their different gender and sexual identities "do" families across generations, it contributes to querying the very distinction between families of origin and families of choice, and questions the (hetero)normative assumptions about forms and boundaries of family this distinction rests upon. A focus on marginal contexts, such as Southern Europe, and on marginal subjects, like bisexuals or black lesbians, is proposed as a way to challenge the universality of privileged narratives within heteronormativity, homonormativity and anglocentrism, and to reveal unexpected resources families of origin mobilise to make sense of GLBT identities and lived experiences. The book poses a crucial question: how can alliances along family ties develop on the basis of shared stories of family diversity and marginalised identities, rather than of loving (and normative) support to GLBT people in need and an advocacy in their name from a position of heterosexual privilege? This book was originally published in Journal of GLBT Family Studies.

Longtime Companions: Autobiographies of Gay Male Fidelity provides a sophisticated alternative to "anything goes" gay literature. Challenging the stereotype that gay men are incapable of lasting and successful relationships, 15 long-term gay couples share slices of their own lives to give you insight into their present relationships, while some discuss life after their mates have passed on. You will find that their stories offer an inspirational and richly fulfilling alternative to an empty life of promiscuity that lacks true love.Through a treasury of autobiographical essays, Longtime Companions documents how committed gay male unions can be as enduring, nurturing, and diverse as heterosexual marriages and proves that loving commitments and life-sharing are not exclusive to heterosexual unions. A celebration of gay diversity, this book offers you insights from contributors of different ages, professions, geographic locations, and attitudes. You will learn the intimate details of the couples'lives, including: how they met their partners how soon they committed to each other how long the couples have been together--from 14 years to over 50 years their keys to leading successful, happy lives the ways in which their relationships fulfill their personal needs and contribute to community lifeYou will come to realize the true strength of these men's relationships as you share in their struggles within a society that offers them little recognition or support for their successful relationships. Co-editor Alfred Lees explains in the introduction to Longtime Companions, "We've all worked diligently to make our partnerships sound, nurturing, and enduring. We've done this without any social motivation, largely without role models, in the face of 'official'disapproval or contempt. We've told our stories here to refute--by the simple facts of our experience--the grotesque misrepresentation of gays as being incapable of stable, committed relationships." Will add more. . . Through a treasury of autobiographical essays, Longtime Companions documents how committed gay-male unions can be as enduring, nurturing, and diverse as heterosexual marriages and proves that loving commitment and life-sharing are not exclusive to heterosexual unions. A celebration of gay diversity, contributors vary in age, profession, geographic location, and attitudes. You will learn the intimate details of the couples'lives, including: how they met their partners how soon they committed to each other how they managed to collaborate on successful, fulfilling lives how some have maintained their commitment as part of an open relationshipYou will come to realize the true strength of these men's relationships as you share in their struggles within a society that offers them little recognition or support for their successful relationships. Co-Author Alfred Lees explains in the Introduction to Longtime Companions, "We've all worked diligently to make our partnerships sound, nurturing, and enduring. We've done this without any social innovation, largely without role models, in the face of 'official" disapproval or contempt. We've told our stories here to refute--by the simple facts of our experience--the grotesque misrepresentation of gays as being incapable of stable, committed relationships."

With a focus on historic sites, this volume explores the recent history of non- heteronormative Americans from the early twentieth century onward and the places associated with these communities. Authors explore how queer identities are connected with specific places: places where people gather, socialize, protest, mourn, and celebrate. The focus is deeper look at how sexually variant and gender non-conforming Americans constructed identity, created communities, and fought to have rights recognized by the government. Each chapter is accompanied by prompts and activities that invite readers to think critically and immerse themselves in the subject matter while working collaboratively with others.

There are areas which can be described as gay space in that they have many lesbians and gays in the population. Queerspace: A History of Urban Sexuality, edited by David Higgs, offers a history of gay space in the major cities form the early modern period to the present. The book focuses on the changing nature of queer experience in London, Amsterdam, Rio de Janiero, San Francisco, Paris, Lisbon and Moscow.
This book provides an interdisciplinary analysis of extensive source material, including diaries, poems, legal accounts and journalism. By concentrating the importance of the city and varied meeting places such as parks, river walks, bathing places, the street, bars and even churches, the contributors explore the extent to which gay space existed, the degree of social collectiveness felt by those who used this space and their individual histories.

This collection, which grew out of a research conference held at Arizona State Universoty in November 1997, examines varieties of Chicano/Latino homoerotic identities. It includes essays by a group of scholars who are engaged in defining the parameters of these identities and who are concerned with how those identities interact with the dominate ones articulated by a hegemonic Anglo society in the United States.

The years between 1850 and 1900 were the vintage years of a discreet homosexual culture in England. In this period, educational, personal and foreign influences all contributed to the establishment of a trend expressed in the works of authors such as John Addington Symonds, Walter Pater, and A.E. Housman, and in those of lesser writers, now largely forgotten. This book, first published in 1970, is an anthology of English prose and verse, either homosexual in tone or providing a vehicle for homosexual emotions, and in several examples even overtly and experimentally frank. The book includes an introduction by Brian Reade explaining the network of friendships and associations which underlay this development and tracing some of its origins.

There are areas which can be described as gay space in that they have many lesbians and gays in the population. Queerspace: A History of Urban Sexuality, edited by David Higgs, offers a history of gay space in the major cities form the early modern period to the present. The book focuses on the changing nature of queer experience in London, Amsterdam, Rio de Janiero, San Francisco, Paris, Lisbon and Moscow.
This book provides an interdisciplinary analysis of extensive source material, including diaries, poems, legal accounts and journalism. By concentrating the importance of the city and varied meeting places such as parks, river walks, bathing places, the street, bars and even churches, the contributors explore the extent to which gay space existed, the degree of social collectiveness felt by those who used this space and their individual histories.

A same-sex attraction for soldiers and sailors spans the globe and predates the term "homosexual" by several thousand years. But these days "military chasers" are likely to be seen as doubly incorrect. Most are gay men who pursue straight men. And, many of them do it in public. What continues to motivate so many men to brave arrest, violence, and the scorn of gay leaders who condemn any non-gay homosexual desire as "internalized homophobia"?In Military Trade (now updated to include an expanded photo insert!), Steven Zeeland, author of Sailors and Sexual Identity, The Masculine Marine, and Barrack Buddies and Soldier Lovers, brings together an edgy, enlightening, and richly entertaining collection of voices with a passion for servicemen, including: a TV talk-show host who pimped Marines to Hollywood stars a heavy metal superstar who dreams of being reincarnated as a Marine boot a women "trapped in a gay man's body" who seduces Marines online then dominates them in person with strap-on dildos a former Force Recon Marine who complains of being chased by civilians but is now a Marine-chaser himself By turns steamy, hilarious, appalling, and deeply moving, Military Trade challenges assumptions about both chaser and chased and poses pointed questions about the wisdom of those who seek to divide the world into "straight" and "gay." The interviews and essays collected in this book suggest that, paradoxically, for many men the advances of the gay rights movement have actually made it more difficult to form affectional bonds with other men. Gay sex has never been more openly advertised. But the military love of comrades is something that gay life can't offer. Military Trade offers groundbreaking insight into: the difference between "military chasers" and uniform fetishists why gay men prefer sailors and Marines over soldiers and airmen the surprising range of sexual, "buddy," and even love relationships "chasers" form with servicemen the nuances of "trade" and civil-military male prostitution what has been overlooked in the "sex panic" debate about men who have sex in public places For anyone interested in queer theory, the construction of masculinity, or sex between men outside of gay urban culture--and for anyone who has ever thrilled at the sight of a man in uniform--Military Trade is must reading.

In Edwin and John: A Personal History of the American South, award-winning author James T. Sears interweaves diaries, letters and poems to craft an innovative first-person narrative history that details the hard realities of growing up gay in the South during the early decades of the 20th century. Set against the backdrop of World War II and the post-war South, Edwin and John, provides a unique and intimate approach to queer history by following the 50 year relationship between John Zeigler and Edwin Peacocke that carried them both from their roots in the conservative South, through service in World War II, and into a placid and loving literary life where they opened a bookshop in what was then the small town of Charleston, South Carolina. Edwin and John is a revealing look at queer history, detailing how these two men and their remarkable circle of close friends--which included some of the greatest writers and artists of their era including Prentiss Taylor, Carson McCullers, and John Bennett--endured war, intolerance, and jealousies, while living proud and public lives in far more conservative times.

Nineteenth-Century Writings on Homosexuality is a comprehensive collection which provides, for the first time in one volume, many texts unavailable outside specialised academic libraries. Chris White has brought together a wide range of primary source material, including prose, poetry, fiction, history and polemic from 1810 to 1914.
Nineteenth-Century Writings on Homosexuality includes writing on:
* trials and scandals
* censorship and homophobia
* cultural and personal history
* love and friendship
* lesbianism
* aestheticism and decadence
* sexual tourism and colonialism
* cross-class desire
* sodomy and sadomasochism.
Containing a general introduction, section headnotes, a bibliography of primary and secondary source material, this book is extraordinarily well researched.

Nineteenth-Century Writings on Homosexuality is a comprehensive collection which provides, for the first time in one volume, many texts unavailable outside specialised academic libraries. Chris White has brought together a wide range of primary source material including prose, poetry, fiction, history and polemic from 1810 to 1914.
Nineteenth-Century Writings on Homosexuality: A Sourcebook includes writing on:
* trials and scandals
* censorship and homophobia
* cultural and personal history
* love and friendship
* lesbianism
* aestheticism and decadence
* sexual tourism and colonialism
* cross-class desire
* sodomy and sadomasochism.
Containing a general introduction, section headnotes, a bibliography of primary and secondary source material, this book is extraordinarily well researched.

Based on long-term field research carried out over more than 15 years, Beneath the Equator examines the changing shape of male homosexuality and the emergence of diverse and vibrant gay communities in urban Brazil. Drawing on detailed ethnographic description of multiple sexual worlds organized around street cruising and impersonal sex, male prostitution, transgender performances, gay commercial markets and establishments, gay rights activism and AIDS service provision, Richard Parker examines the changing sexual identities, cultures and communities that have taken shape in Brazil in recent years.

"Contemporary Continental Philosophy "steps back from current debates comparing Continental and analytic philosophy and carefully, yet critically outlines the tradition's main philosophical views on epistemology and ontology. Forgoing obscure paraphrases, D'Amico provides a detailed, clear account and assessment of the tradition from its founding by Husserl and Heidegger to its challenge by Derrida and Foucault. Though intended as a survey of this tradition throughout the twentieth century, this study's focus is on the philosophical problems which gave it birth and even now continue to shape it.The book reexamines Husserl as an early critic of epistemological naturalism whose grasp of the philosophical importance of the theory of meaning was largely ignored. Heidegger's contrasting effort to revive ontology is examined in terms of his distinction between ontic and ontological questions. In contrast with many earlier studies, the author outlines confusions engendered by the misappropriation of the distinct philosophical agendas of Husserl and Heidegger by such famous figures as Sartre and Merleau-Ponty. The book is also original in its emphasis on how social externalism in epistemology, inspired by Karl Mannheim, influenced this tradition's structuralist and Marxist phases. The philosophical defenses of a theory of interpretation by Gadamer and Habermas are closely examined and assessed and the study concludes with a a probing yet balanced account of Foucault and Derrida as critics of philosophical autonomy. The book concludes by reassessing this century-long divide between the analytic and Continental traditions and its implication for the future of philosophy.

Written in a scholarly but accessible style, this book provides an integrated critical analysis of lesbian and bisexual women's health. The book highlights trends and themes, with selected examples of research and personal experience of lesbians and bisexual women and their health care providers.

The alphabet mafia? The queer umbrella? A little confused by-or curious about-the terminology and identities that make up the LGBTQIA+ community? For allies and queer folks alike, this visual introduction uses bright and fabulous illustrations to explain the rainbow of gender identities and sexualities. Activity pages, featuring a rainbow mascot-The Rain-boa Constrictor - divide chapters on gender identity, assigned sex, sexual and romantic orientations, acronyms, and common queer-ies, to make things (hopefully) more Perfectly Queer!

Throughout history, homosexuality has been a complicating factor for men and women electing to serve in the armed forces of the United States. The right to serve became increasingly complicated when the Department of Defense responded to congressional legislation in 1993 by adopting a policy that later became known as "don't ask, don't tell" (DADT). DADT permitted homosexual members to serve in the forces, so long as they showed no evidence of homosexual behavior. The compromise policy remained in force until Congress passed the Don't Ask, Don't Tell Repeal Act of 2010 and finally, in September 2011, the ban on gay men and lesbians serving openly in the US armed forces officially came to an end. Reflecting on the 20-year period governed by DADT, this volume explores the history, culture, attitudes and impacts of policy evolution from the mid-20th Century through to the present day. It not only provides insight to the scholarly field of how the most powerful institution in the world has viewed and dealt with homosexuality as it transitioned into the 21st century, but it is also poised to become a seminal collection for researchers in the decades to come. This book was originally published as a special issue of the Journal of Homosexuality. "Parco and Levy have produced a fine edited volume dedicated to deepening our understanding of the federal DADT policy. What has resulted is a deep analysis of the federal policies regarding gays and lesbians in the U.S. military. This volume is filled with rich descriptions and analyses written by the very best thinkers about issues pertaining to gays and lesbians in the U.S. military. Parco and Levy not only offer a comprehensive treatment of DADT, but their book will stand the test of time and spur additional important research about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and queer service members. The Rise and Fall of DADT is accessibly written and offers readers a comprehensive understanding of the DADT federal policy and the attendant issues of equity, social justice and ever-changing attitudes about LGBTQ people related to the U.S. military and to the larger American society." John P. Elia, Ph.D. Editor-in-Chief, Journal of Homosexuality and Professor and Associate Chair of Health Education at San Francisco State University, USA "As Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs from 2010 to 2012, and the first openly-gay senior official to serve at the Pentagon, I was witness to and honored to be an active participant in the historic process that led to the ban on discrimination against lesbian and gay service members: men and women who had been hiding in plain sight while risking their lives to serve their country honorably. In this volume, Jim Parco and Dave Levy provide what is perhaps the most comprehensive account to date of the evolution of US government policy regarding LGBT service members. Their study includes outstanding firsthand narratives by many friends who played central roles in the repeal of Don't Ask/Don't tell, including Sue Fulton, Jonathan Lee and former Congressman Patrick Murphy. Parco and Levy provide the opportunity for scholars, experts and ordinary citizens from all walks of life to share in those journeys and in the very positive results that were achieved." Douglas B. Wilson, former Assistant Secretary of Defense for the United States