Resume

• 2005

  Dean

  Sonoma State University

  Sonoma State University

• 1997

  Ph.D.

  Sociology

• 1993

  BA

  Sociology

• Program Evaluation

  Research

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  Microsoft Word

  Straights: Heterosexuality in Post-Closeted Culture

  Since the Stonewall Riots in 1969

  the politics of sexual identity in America have drastically transformed. It’s almost old news that recent generations of Americans have grown up in a culture more accepting of out lesbians and gay men

  seen the proliferation of LGBTQ media representation

  and witnessed the attainment of a range of legal rights for same-sex couples. But the changes wrought by a so-called “post-closeted culture” have not just impacted the queer community—heterosexuals are also in the midst of a sea change in how their sexuality plays out in everyday life. In Straights

  I argue that heterosexuals can neither assume the invisibility of gays and lesbians

  nor count on the assumption that their own heterosexuality will go unchallenged. The presumption that we are all heterosexual

  or that there is such a thing as ‘compulsory heterosexuality

  ’ I claim

  has vanished.\n\nBased on 60 in-depth interviews with a diverse group of straight men and women

  Straights explores how straight Americans make sense of their sexual and gendered selves in this new landscape

  particularly with an understanding of how race does and does not play a role in these conceptions. I provide a historical understanding of heterosexuality and how it was first established

  then move on to examine the changing nature of masculinity and femininity and

  most importantly

  the emergence of a new kind of heterosexuality—notably

  for men

  the metrosexual

  and for women

  the emergence of a more fluid sexuality. The book also documents the way heterosexuals interact and form relationships with their LGBTQ family members

  friends

  acquaintances

  and coworkers. Although homophobia persists among straight individuals

  I show that being gay-friendly or against homophobic expressions is also increasingly common among straight Americans. A fascinating study

  Straights provides an in-depth look at the changing nature of sexual expression in America.

  Straights: Heterosexuality in Post-Closeted Culture