This course provides students with an interdisciplinary examination of the history, politics, and cultural expressions of gay and lesbian communities in American culture. It explores the ways lesbians, gay men, and bisexual and transgender people construct, participate in, and resist various constructions of gender and sexuality. We question desire and social/cultural power, the nature and power of social change, and so on. Particular attention is paid to examining the roots and effects of heterosexism and homophobia, the call for hate crime legislation, the ethics of "outing" and "passing," the impact of AIDS, partnership recognition, and domestic violence in LGBT communities. Throughout the course, students are encouraged to examine the intersections of gender, race, ethnicity, and social class with sexual orientation.
Course Attributes: EN H; BU BA; AS HUM; AS SD I; FA HUM; AR HUM
