Product Description
This study brings together 14 polemical essays that focus attention on key debates that are current within lesbian, gay and bisexual politics. Based on a conference held in October 1992 in York, this book is not just another set of conference papers. Rather it reflects the movement from theory to activism, from the "ivory tower to the streets". This comprehensive volume represents the diversity of sexual identities and subcultures that have flourished over the past decade - in particular it gives prominence to the controversial emergence of queer activism, together with the birth of a bisexual politics. Combining work by academics and activists belonging to a variety of fields - including psychoanalysis, political theory, sex education and AIDS research - this is a wide-ranging and interdisciplinary collection that should appeal to many different audiences, both inside and outside the academy. Joseph Bristow is the editor of "Sexual Sameness: Textual Differences in Lesbian and Gay Writing". ... Read more

Product Description
Key Benefits: This book joins the strengths approach with an overview of social work practice with an oppressed population. A strengths approach provides a skills framework that can be used with any vulnerable or oppressed group. The book speaks directly to the reader through illustrations and boxes written by undergraduate students, as well as a wealth of case examples provided by experienced family counselors. Key Benefits: The text includes an entire chapter on sexuality (Ch. 6), two chapters on health care with the gay, lesbian, and bisexual population (Chs. 9 and 10), and sections on homophobia and prejudice (Ch. 2). The strengths approach provides a skills framework that relates to direct practice with all vulnerable people; the text also incorporates diverse racial, as well as sexual, perspectives. Market: For any level of social work practice. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Good Start
Social Work with Lesbians, Gays, and Bisexuals: A Strengths Perspective should be required reading for everyone who works with people.It is definitely a text which should be under consideration for anyone wishing to enter the social work field.Katherine Van Wormer presents us with a solid foundation for the study of gay and lesbian lives.Her experiences with her daughter, and her experience with the sometimes accepting Lutheran Church, provided her with a necessary experience to tackle this subject with sensitivity and understanding.

Apart from providing a glossary for heterosexuals at the end of the book and a comprehensive list of usable resources, the most notable feature of this introduction to gay and lesbian studies is the use of asides which are strategically placed throughout the book.In each chapter, boxes can be found that highlight interesting facts, exercises, speeches, and testimony by gay and lesbian people as well as their supporters.

Unfortunately, the text is only an introduction.The students, teachers, and professionals who study this volume will get a good grasp of the complexity of this population.They will also come away from the volume realizing that there is indeed much more to study.More than that, they will come to know that they will also be learning more about themselves as they continue to investigate what they first conceived to be a group of people completely foreign to them.

This is definitely one of the better books to come along in recent years.

Honoring Complexity
This thoughtful, abundantly documented book intended for social workers and other helping professionals presents a massive amount of material about the gay, lesbian, and bisexual experience that will be useful to all whowish to learn more, such as family members newly aware of a loved one'ssexual orientation. The authors put responsibility for the pain of beinggay or lesbian in our society squarely on the shoulders of the dominantculture, while at the same time they acknowledge the subtleties of varioussubgroups' response to sexual minorities. Among the many riches of thisvolume are a consistent emphasis on the strengths of gay and lesbianculture--"the joy and bonding and hilarity, the insider jokes, and thepride"--references to much illuminating research, a discussion ofhomophobia and violence against gays and lesbians on a global level, and amultilayered analysis of portrayals of gays and lesbians on television. Thebook is studded with the authentic voices of individuals: a straight socialwork student, a clergyman who stands up to bigotry, one author's experiencecoming to terms with her lesbian daughter's sexual choices. In its wealthof information, the broad spectrum of opinions offered, and the solidevidence of homework well done, the book succeeds in its aim of inviting analliance between the social work profession and the gay, lesbian, bisexual,and transgender community.

The Best Book in the Field
This book, although written as a text for students in social work, is an up-to-date text for anyone interested in this subject.It is concise, informative, and easy to read, written in easily understood layman'svocabulary.Technical terms are defined, and an excellent glossary occursat the end.Resources and references are included.The book begins witha historical background of sexuality, controversies in the origin ofsexuality and civilization's attitudes of sexuality.It deals with theaspects of adaptation of LGB (Lesbians, Gays and Bisexuals) to ourheterosexual environment, its strengths and weaknesses.Further chaptersdeal with differences and similarities in LGB sexuality, aspects of LGB inthe workplace (employment issues), social and psychological adjustments andissues of marriages, children, and aging.The final chapters deal withcounseling and social work related issues of the LGB communities.Theauthors, all professors at the University of Northern Iowa, areknowledgeable and experienced.They have brought their expertise andcollaboration to bear and have produced a lucid, concise, and easilyreadable volume that covers a multitude of heretofore obscure, oftenprejudicial material.I highly recommend this excellent work to all whoseek information and insight into the subject. ... Read more

Product Description

Internalized homophobia, alienation, poor support structures, and high levels of depression all contribute to substance abuse among lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals, with social activity at bars and clubs reinforcing addictive behavior. The threat of bias in treatment programs also prevents many from seeking help.

An essential resource for human service professionals searching for the latest research on these unique issues, this volume features both state of the art practice methods for treating substance use disorders and up-to-date analyses of sexual orientation and gender identity issues, heterosexism, and the ethical challenges of working with the LGBT community. Sandra Anderson discusses practice with individuals, couples, families, and small groups, as well as practice at the program level. Drawing on case studies with her own clients and from social service agencies that treat LGBT clients, Anderson emphasizes evidence-based treatment models, including motivational enhancement therapy, contingency management, the matrix model, and community reinforcement. Packed with recommendations for effective practice, this singular volume confronts the obstacles faced not only by clients with addictions but also by the LGBT population as a whole.

Product Description
Better understand and successfully treat LGBT substance abusers!

This completely revised edition of the groundbreaking 1987 volume is about what it means to have dual identities: to be lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender and to be a substance abuser in a hostile world. Written with a minimum of jargon so as to be understandable to beginners, this vital book contains information that will be extremely valuable to experts as well. Counseling Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Substance Abusers: Dual Identities is the only book that deals specifically with the interface between being LGBT and substance abuse. It examines ways to help this population, including special treatment issues, stages of identity transformation, counseling approaches, and resources.

This book gives practical suggestions for helping clients, including what questions to ask them and what issues may arise in treatment, so that you’ll know what to expect as well as how to deal with the sensitive issues related to gender identity and sexual orientation. It provides a way to conceptualize many issues and practical problems that come up in treatment and gives you a vocabulary for discussing issues with patients struggling with their sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition, it looks at multiple oppressions such as racism, sexism, classism, and the interplay among these experiences, and it clarifies the complex interactions among gender identity, sexual orientation, and substance abuse.

This vital book:

• provides information to trainers and educators
• can be given to patients--its jargon-free language is appropriate for a lay audience as well as professionals
• examines ways for counselors to assess their performance
• includes an organization audit so agencies can evaluate their programs
• presents the Klein Sexual Orientation Grid and other information that can help patients exploring these issues

Product Description
This is nonfiction commentary.Chapters: List of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender-Related Films. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 115. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: This is a list of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender-related films. It contains theatrically-released cinema films that deal with or feature important gay, lesbian or bisexual or transgender characters or issues and may have same-sex romance or relationships as an important plot device. Made-for-TV movies are listed separately. There is also a list of these films by year. (The production year should conform to each movie's IMDb entry). Contents: Top 09 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ...http://booksllc.net/?id=165647 ... Read more

Product Description
This is nonfiction commentary.Chapters: List of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or Transgender-Related Films. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 102. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: This is a list of lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender-related films. It contains theatrically-released cinema films that deal with or feature important gay, lesbian or bisexual or transgender characters or issues and may have same-sex romance or relationships as an important plot device. Made-for-TV movies are listed separately. There is also a list of these films by year. (The production year should conform to each movie's IMDb entry). Contents: Top 09 A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z ...http://booksllc.net/?id=165647 ... Read more

Product Description
From same-sex marriages to hate-crime laws, gay, lesbian and bisexual people have fought an uphill battle to gain equal rights.Now a comprehensive new reference collects in one volume the strategies, hard data, and legal arguments that are central to the fight for equality in lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) life.
Up-to-date and readable, Everyday Activism is the one essential book that provides the basic facts on the key questions faced by LGB citizens. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Truly highlights policy in everyday life
I assigned this book for a course I'm teaching on social policy and the LGBT community and my students love it.It's easy to read, totally accessible, and really highlights how policy impacts everyday life for LGBT people.This book will obviously continue to grow outdated in terms of policy changes in the courts and legislature.But it will remain useful as a snapshot of all the areas in which policy and politics touches our lives. ... Read more

Product Description
The definitive and most comprehensive book of 20th century African American lesbian, gay, and bisexual writing ever published.Chronicling one hundred years, Black Like Us showcases a canon of work that often falls beyond narrow parameters of African American or lesbian and gay fiction.

Beginning with the turn-of-the-century writings of Angelina Weld Grimke and Alice Dunbar-Nelson, the collection charts the literary evolution of black lesbian and gay fiction into the Harlem Renaissance of Langston Hughes and Countee Cullen and later post-war protest era, in which works by Audre Lorde, Samuel R. Delany, and James Baldwin signal the emerging sexual liberation movements.

Black Like Us also highlights outstanding contemporary works by E. Lynn Harris, Shay Youngblood, James Earl Hardy, Randall Kenan, Cheryl Clarke, Michelle Cliff, Helen Elaine Lee, Thomas Glave, Jewelle Gomez, Brian Keith Jackson and more. An extended bibliography of poets, essayists, and playwrights that includes Essex Hemphill, Lorraine Hansberry, June Jordan, George C. Wolfe, Sapphire, and Pat Parker among many others is featured.

Contains three original introductions, 36 author profiles, a foreword by Evelym C. White, and the largest bibliography of black lesbian, gay and bisexual-related writing availableAmazon.com Review
One result of the combined American prejudice against both blacks and sexual minorities is that as these voices finally come to light, they seem astonishingly new. The words of Alice Dunbar Nelson or Angelina Welde Grimke, both of whom wrote at the turn of the twentieth century, are as fresh to us as the novels of E. Lynn Harris. This groundbreaking and beautifully crafted anthology--a graduate seminar in a single volume--reveals a hidden tradition, no less powerful for being filtered quietly from writer to writer, sometimes between the lines of published stories or novels. All the writers you would expect are gathered here--Langston Hughes (represented by his incomparable story, "Blessed Assurance," posthumously published in 1963), Countee Cullen, James Baldwin, Audre Lorde--beside scores of lesser-known figures. Many of the contemporary writers included are out of the closet, but not widely read as gay. The unifying factor is the high quality of the work, rare in a collection such as this. With historical introductions, author profiles, and an extensive bibliography, Black Like Us is a sparkling scholarly accomplishment, as well as a fantastic, accessible read. --Regina Marler ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

LGBT Anthropology
Anthropologies are a great way to review various books - fiction and non-fiction - in a specific category. "Black Like Us" opened my mind to new authors (such as Richard Bruce Nugent) that I would have never inquired about. I suggest this anthropology to anyone who is wants to know more about LGBT African-American novelist. The best thing is that the book is divided into chronological parts. The introduction to each part - Harlem Renaissance, Contemporary Writers, etc - is a must read. You get a history lesson, excerpts and brief bios of each author and time period. A MUST READ.

A treasure waiting to be discovered
Black Like Us should be on every bookshelf of people of color. I was born in Harlem and raised in Brooklyn; my affinity for the Harlem Renaissance period is strong even today. Each chapter is divided from the1900�s � 2000, and they are appropriately named. A small biography is placed before the excerpt and what book it was taken from.

Devon W. Carbado sectioned the book into different time periods.During the Protest Era a quote jumped off the pages at me "To be white male in America and realize your gayness and find out your opressed is a very different thing than being oppressed all your life as a woman of color." In Harlem during the 1920�s we witnessed a cultural firecracker with books like never before. I wonder how many of those books were written from Wallace Thurman's boarding house at 136th Street called the �Niggerati Manor?� There is an American Folk saying; if you want to keep something secret from black folks put it between the covers of a book. Nowadays that is not the case. With titles like Black Like Us and The Greatest Taboo by Delroy Constantine curiosity is winning. Black Like Us makes me feel proud of the many literary giants included in this work, empowering and sending us love.

It is the stories and quotes from this book that will keep Black Like Us as a reference tool on reader's shelves for years to come. Julie Blackwomon offers an excerpt from Voyages Out 2titled "Symbols," a short story that reflects Julie's own life. She makes a very intriguing statement, "coming out of the closet is more than just a "gay thing" It is my hope that authors like these in Black Like Us help to cease the homophobia in the gay and heterosexual African American community. I thoroughly enjoyed this treasure and how it examines literature.

About Time
In this world of the politically correct parry, it's good to know that the folks at Cleis Press do not suffer from the "me too" school of publishing.With BLU, readers are taken on an omnibus of writers that expand traditional boundaries of race and sexual preference.And it's about time.If you care about expanding your consciousness and folks who seek to shed light where there was none or little, then get a copy of BLU and get on the bus.

Outstanding
Black Like Us is a must have for those who love history and literature--gay, straight, black, white or otherwise. The introductory essays alone are worth the price of admission.B.L.U. is an instant classic.

Amazing. Important. Engaging. Groundbreaking.
Books that are "important," significant historically, academically, and politically, are more often than not, BORING. BLACK LIKE US is anything BUT boring.I collect anthologies but rarely have I read one from cover to cover.The collection of work from Queer Black Writers is composed in such a way that engages the reader from start to finish.The accompanying essays from Carbado and Weise are insightful and written with great intelligence and love for the work.What are you doing reading this review? Buy this BOOK now!And look, the darn thing is on SALE! ... Read more

Product Description
Soon to be translated into Japanese! The Bisexual Option explores bisexuality, explains the bisexual, and explodes myths surrounding this large “unseen” segment of the population. Now in its second edition, this intriguing book gives an overview of bisexuality. As there is still no book that covers the subject like this one, it is must reading for establishing a contemporary view of bisexuality and those committed to a bisexual lifestyle. Fritz Klein, an experienced psychiatrist and expert in bisexuality and sexual orientation, explains the concept and the variables of sexual orientation and where bisexuality fits.

He covers many subjects in the book including:

• myths of bisexual nonexistence and the “either/or” dilemma
• intimacy, both emotional and sexual
• an explanation of bisexuality and the Oedipus Complex
• definitions and examples of the healthy and troubled bisexual
• major sociological findings about bisexuality
• the bisexual in history
• the bisexual as depicted in the arts
• factors that will influence bisexuality in the future
  
  The book helps readers understand where they fit on the sexual orientation continuum. The Bisexual Option aids in explaining who bisexuals are and why they have problems in heterosexual as well as homosexual societies and shows bisexuals that they are not alone. Even helping professionals will find information on this “invisible” but large segment of the population.
  
  A variety of readers will want to read The Bisexual Option including the bisexual community and individual bisexuals, the homosexual communities which include many bisexuals, mental health practitioners, psychologists, both students and professionals, university students, married partners of bisexuals, HIV/AIDS workers who wish to become acquainted with how bisexuality affects the risk to the heterosexual community, sexologists, and researchers.

Customer Reviews (6)

The first and foremost
This book is the first to really explore bisexuality as a real, substantial idea.It is the best book out there to help someone figure themselves out.It's pages are thick with truly objective, unbiased information, and it can be very liberating to read.It is a must read for anyone who feels they don't quite fit quite at either end of the sexual spectrum.

Need to know basis
This is an important part of the Bisexual living. Bisex 101 you could say. How to plot your sexual preference and lifestyle in a scientific way. To further expand your knowledge there are newer books though, but can't hurt to have this one.

Great starter
This is the very first book I ever read on bisexuality.Since then I've found better books on the subject, but this is still a book I'll put my nose into again.The reason it's not the "best" is because I didn't relate to most of the bisexuals Klein interviewed.It was kind of a downer, some of the uptitebis in this book.Then again, he didn't interview very many people.Especially compared to "Bi Any Other Name:Bisexual People Speak Out".Now that is a book where I related to many more of the people.Just goes to show we (bis) are all different.I will always have a lot of respect for Fritz Klein and found his scale on bisexuality very good.Although I don't agree who we prefer to socialize with has anything to do with orientation.I could enjoy a cup of coffee with anyone, that says zilch about orientation! Other than that, I liked the scale.This is an interesting read, for the most part.

Bisexuality: A Feelgood Scholarly Book
As one half of a long-time male to male rlp, with a three year periodic sexual rlp with a bisexual male, I was interested in reading Dr Klein's book. This is a scholarly and thoughtful addition to the scant litteratureon bisexuality. Dr Klein is a Psychiatrist who specialises in sexualorientation and rlp problems.

In the first half of his book Dr Kleintells us why bisexuality is so hated and misunderstood in gay and"straight" society. He then goes on to reproach the (American)Psychological establishment for their slowness to accept bisexuality as agiven. (This reads almost as an apologia, given the conservatism of medicalculture). Dr Klein presents a number of patient profiles, and clinicalstatistics. Disturbingly, there are very few lower-middle class, or poorpeople represented. The message seems clear: it's easier to be bi' andorganise your sexual mobility if you're affluent. This is a book thatcelebrates the diversity of bisexuality, and encourages the like-orientedto see themselves as "normal". As for the really difficult anduncomfortable issues (ie: the agonising struggle of hetero' and homosexualpartners to bisexual men and women, Dr Klein offers little advice.Reprinted from an earlier adition, this 1993 second edition has the"feel good" feeling of 1980's/1990's books on Sociology andPsychology.

An engaging exploration of human sexuality
This well-written book is a must-read for anyone struggling, as I have, with bisexuality.It is hopeful, insightful, and very liberating.Dr. Klein presents an engaging balance of theory, research, and case examples. This is a very real and honest presentation of bisexuality. ... Read more

Product Description
This digital document is an article from School Psychology Review, published by National Association of School Psychologists on December 1, 2009. The length of the article is 8988 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Content-specific strategies to advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth: an exploratory study.(Report)
Author: Emily C. Graybill
Publication: School Psychology Review (Magazine/Journal)
Date: December 1, 2009
Publisher: National Association of School Psychologists
Volume: 38Issue: 4Page: 570(15)

Article Type: Report

Distributed by Gale, a part of Cengage Learning ... Read more

Product Description
In our shared efforts to serve every member of our YA community, this new title is an important addition to your professional collection. This innovative guide will help you make informed collection, service, and programming decisions about materials for the growing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) YA population. The authors provide an overview of LGBTQ literature, address concerns for serving these patrons, and help guide you and your colleagues through the benefits and challenges of collecting materials. This breakthrough new publication offers: An A-Z annotated guide to 50+ fiction, non-fiction, and multimedia works 30+ ready-to-use programming ideas and booktalks that will help you welcome and provide a more inclusive environment for all teens Tips and suggestions for handling challenging situations placement of books, patron privacy, handling parents questions, and more ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

It's a good place to start
If you have no idea what to do or where to go in order to serve your GLBT youth in your library, this book is a good place to start. There's collection development information, suggestions for programs (some pretty detailed), and reader's advisory. Of special note, this is one GLBT library service book that actually takes the time to talk about Transgender youth.While it's not the most in-depth of coverage on TransYouth topics, cheers for inclusion! Many GLBT library service items don't even touch on the Trans topic. They should publish an updated version with more transgender information, and it'd be perfect. ... Read more

Product Description
Breaking through long-held presumptions about family relationships, this volume focuses on lesbian, gay and bisexual identities as an important facet of life in many families. For the first time, it examines the entire multifaceted experience of such relationships, in contrast to studies which have looked exclusively at the lives and origins of lesbian and gay couples. The editors bring together the most important recent scholarship on lesbian, gay, and biosexual identities in families, and identify directions for future research and theory in this area. The first section of the book discusses different perspectives on sexual orientation in families. It highlights important and controversial new research on sexual orientation and emphasizes the interplay of continuities and discontinuities across generations. The next section focuses on key aspects of interpersonal relationships within the families of lesbians, gay men, and bisexual individuals. The relationships between children and parents of different sexual orientations are discussed. The final section of the book focuses on the community and contextual issues.It explores the economic issues, antigay attitudes, policies, and social structures. This volume, the first to discuss the family relationships of gay men, lesbians, and bisexual men and women, will be interesting to psychologists, scholars of gay/lesbian/bisexual studies, as well as lay audience. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A must read for current information for families.
This book has been helpful to dispel many myths related to gays, lesbiansand bisexuals.I feel that every public library should have one forreference. ... Read more

Product Description
Since the mid-1980s, lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered Christians have found confidence in their ability to define their own experience and think theologically about it. "Queer" theology has emerged as a distinctive theological tradition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Does Love Make a Family?
"Love makes a family" originally started as a photo exhibition depicting gay,lesbian,transgender&bisexual families. The exhibition toured the US- and there were even different versions of it,one for kids,another for adults. It does beg the question- if it's so family-friendly&all about families,why did there have to be different versions? The exhibition faced controversy as it toured public libraries. Though it initially fanned the flames of controversy, its message came to be seen as ubiquitous. Gay parenting is more accepted than gay marriage;it's commonplace for same-sex couples to have children.

"Love makes a family" was the spoonful of sugar that made the medicine go down. One can sympathize with the families' struggles. It's not just the case of two men or two women raising children;there are also bisexuals and the transgendered. The book's philosophycan be summed up as-family is how you define it. A free-for-all. Granted,the photography is beautiful;in a sense,"Love makes a family" is a great queer parenting coffee table book. (However,the amount of text is daunting&at times intrusive)

"Love makes a family" shows how times have changed. Back when the exhibition traveled from coast to coast, from Boston to Portland, New York City to Dallas, people debated gay parenting. Now, a queer family is any other kind of family.

Very Interesting, Very Surprising
What I enjoyed about this book is that it covered not only the people like me (gay, male, plans to have children), but it also gave me an insight into some others who have very different lives but the same issues of"alternative-ness."It actually contained a few surprises andgave me some ideas about how a family could be built from things I'd neverconsidered before.

fantastic
a look into the lives of different people. it makes one think that one in simular cercumstances is not alone.A infomative book that shows real people in real lives.well done!!It does need though, more family portrates oftransgendered people. Im glad I waited over two monthes for this book.

A New Book from FAMILY DIVERSITY PROJECTS
"If an image is worth a thousand words, then Love Makes a Family, a book of photographs by Gigi Kaeser, edited by Peggy Gillespie, speaks for itself.The book's vivid black and white photographs and personal storiessend a powerful message about diversity in America.Together, the imagesand text challenge heterosexual assumptions and stereotypes.With morethan 40 family portraits and personal interviews, the book captures theessence and experiences of Lesbian, Gay, bisexual and transgender familiesof all kinds..."-Terrance Lee Pitts, Washington Blade

A New Book from FAMILY DIVERSITY PROJECTS
"If an image is worth a thousand words, then Love Makes a Family, a book of photographs by Gigi Kaeser, edited by Peggy Gillespie, speaks for itself.The book's vivid black and white photographs and personal storiessend a powerful message about diversity in America.Together, the imagesand text challenge heterosexual assumptions and stereotypes.With morethan 40 family portraits and personal interviews, the book captures theessence and experiences of Lesbian, Gay, bisexual and transgender familiesof all kinds..."-Terrance Lee Pitts, Washington Blade, June ll, 1999 ... Read more

Product Description
This accessible introductory book explores the complicated and intimate area of human sexuality from a human rights perspective. It describes how lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual people around the world are denied their rights, and discusses why these abuses continue into the 21st century. It shows the range of violations inflicted upon people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. A journey through time and across cultures, this book explores one of the most controversial human rights issues of our time. ... Read more

Product Description
Looking Queer: Body Image in Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, and Transgender Communities contains research, firsthand accounts, poetry, theory, and journalistic essays that address and outline the special needs of sexual minorities when dealing with eating disorders and appearance obsession. Looking Queer will give members of these communities hope, insight, and information into body image issues, helping you to accept and to love your body. In addition, scholars, health care professionals, and body image activists will not only learn about queer experiences and identity and how they affect individuals, but will also understand how some of the issues involved affect society as a whole.

Dismantling the myth that body image issues affect only heterosexual women, Looking Queer explores body issues based on gender, race, class, age, and disability. Furthermore, this groundbreaking book attests to the struggles, pain, and triumph of queer people in an open and comprehensive manner. More than 60 contributors provide their knowledge and personal experiences in dealing with body image issues exclusive to the gay and transgender communities, including:

• exploring and breaking down the categories of gender and sexuality that are found in many body image issues
• finding ways to heal yourself and your community
• discovering what it means to “look like a dyke” or to “look gay”
• fearing fat as a sign of femininity
• determining what race has to do with the gay ideal
• discussing the stereotyped ”double negative”--being a fat lesbian
• learning strategies of resistance to societal ideals
• critiquing ”the culture of desire” within gay men’s communities that emphasizes looks above everything else
  
  Revealing new and complex dimensions to body image issues, Looking Queer not only discusses the struggles and hardships of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgendered persons, but looks at the processes that can lead to acceptance of oneself. Written by both men and women, the topics and research in Looking Queer offer insight into the lives of people you can relate to, enabling you to learn from their experiences so you, too, can find joy and happiness in accepting your body.
  
  Visit Dawn Atkin’s website at: http://home.earthlink.net/~dawn_atkins/

Customer Reviews (1)

Essential reading for the queer community.
Body image has always been a hot topic in the queer community, but has never been expressed so eloquently as in this book.Looking Queer is packed with first person accounts of all sorts of body image issues: fromlesbians with eating disorders who are shunned from the lesbian communityfor being so body-oriented, to disabled gay men who can't find a place inthe image-conscious gay dating scene, to transsexuals recounting thejourney they've been through to get to where they are now, to intergenderedpeople who proudly refer to themselves as "mythical creatures." Every single story in this anthology touched me deeply.In thisincreasingly lookist world, this book is a must-read of the first degree. ... Read more