Please complete readings before the class date on which they are listed. Make sure to print or save online readings so that you can annotate them and bring them to class. Readings may change up until the week before they are due, so please check the schedule regularly.
Where a reading is listed by author last name and page numbers, it refers to one of the required texts.
Unit 1. Born This Way? Identities and Communities
Week 1: Introductions and Expectations
Tuesday January 26
No class: snow day.
As soon as possible:
Log in to this website (username is your last name, password will be given in class)
Fill out the confidential information form
Thursday January 28
What is LGBTQ Studies? Introductions and explorations.
Snow day make up and first blog reflection: due Saturday January 30.
Read the following:
Bronski et al, Introduction and “Myth 1: You Can Tell Who’s Gay Just By Looking. (pages vii-xvii, 3-9).
Click here (you must be logged in) to write a blog post.
Introduce yourself to the class, and answer the following questions:
What did you find interesting about this reading?
What are you looking forward to about this class?
Week 2: Everyday Homophobia and Queer Basics
Tuesday February 2
C.J. Pascoe, excerpts from Dude, You’re a Fag: Adolescent Male Homophobia (25 pages)
Chaz Barracks, “Mother to Son” and Rod McCullum et al, “Coming Out in the Locker Room”from For Colored Boys Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Still Not Enuf ed. Keith Boykin (23 pages)
Suzanne Pharr, Homophobia as a Weapon of Sexism (10 pages)
Thursday February 4
Dorothy Allison, “Talking to Straight People” (8 pages)
Bronski et al, “Myth 5: Most Homophobes Are Repressed Homosexuals” (pages 37-44); “Myth 12: People of Color Are More Homophobic Than White People” (pages 97-105) and “Myth 18: Coming Out Today is Easier Than Ever Before” (pages 146-154).
Myth Presentations: Groups 1 (David, Erin), 2 (Brooke, Sally), and 3 (Zoya, Stef)
Any time this week before the end of the day on Friday February 5: weekly blog reflection
Add/Drop Deadline: February 9 (changed due to snowzilla).
Week 3: Gender, Sex, and Identity
Tuesday February 9
Fausto-Sterling, Chapters 1-2 (pages 1-11) 5 (pages 43-69) and 7-10 (pages 99-123). Chapters 3 and 4 optional.
Thursday February 11
Fausto-Sterling, Sex/Gender chapter 6 (pages 70-98)
Bronski et al, “Myth 7: Homosexuals Are Born That Way” (pages 52-60) and “Myth 16: There’s No Such Thing As a Gay or Trans Child” (pages 129-135).
Myth Presentations: Groups 4 and 5
Optional extra reading for the especially keen:
Emily Martin, “The Egg and the Sperm”
Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, “How to Bring Your Kids Up Gay”
Hanne Blank, excerpts from Straight: A Surprisingly Short History of Heterosexuality
Extra credit opportunity: attend and blog about the Lavender Languages Conference, held this weekend at American University
Any time this week before the end of the day on Friday February 12: weekly blog reflection
Week 4: Transgender identities and histories
Tuesday February 16
NO CLASS: Late opening due to ice.
Thursday February 18
Susan Stryker, Transgender History chapters 1 and 2 (pages 1-58)
Janet Mock, excerpts from Redefining Realness (24 pages)
Kai M. Green, “Navigating Masculinity as a Black Transman”
Monica Hesse, “When No Gender Fits”
Dean Spade, “Once More… With Feeling”
Bronski et al, “Myth 3: All Transgender People Have Sex-Reassignment Surgery” (pages 18-26); “Myth 6: All Transgender People Are Mentally Ill” (pages 45-51)
Myth Presentations: Groups 6 and 7
Optional extra reading for the especially keen:
Leslie Feinberg, “We Are All Works in Progress”
Julia Serano, “Dismantling Cissexual Privilege”
Any time this week before the end of the day on Friday February 19: weekly blog reflection
Week 5: Bisexual and asexual identities
Tuesday February 23
Shiri Eisner, “Bisexuality, Privilege, and Passing” from Bi: Notes for a Bisexual Revolution (39 pages)
Joshunda Sanders, “The Questioning Continuum”
Bronski et al, “Myth 15: Transgender People Are Gay” (pages 123-128) and “Myth 14: All Bisexual Men Are Actually Gay, All Bisexual Women Are Actually Straight” (pages 117-123)
Myth Presentation: Group 8
Myth Presentation: Group 9 (Evangelina, Stacey, Nicole)
Thursday February 25
Julie Sonders Decker, excerpts from The Invisible Orientation: An Introduction to Asexuality.
Optional extra reading for the exceptionally keen:
C. DeLuzio Chasin, “Reconsidering Asexuality and its Radical Potential”
Julia Serano, “Bisexuality and Binaries Revisited”
Extra credit opportunity: attend and blog about Christina Sharpe’s talk in the LGBT Studies Lecture Series. Wednesday February 24 at 4.30pm.
Any time this week before the end of the day on Friday February 26: weekly blog reflection
DUE MONDAY FEBRUARY 29: Gender/Sexuality Narrative
Unit 2. We’re Here, We’re Queer: Histories and Movements
Week 6: Gay and lesbian cultures in the first half of the 20th century
Tuesday March 1
Brooks, Foreword (xiii-xiv) and chapters 1 (3-9); 3 (16-22); 5-7 (30-54)
George Chauncey, “Forging a Gay World in the Streets” (24 pages)
Thursday March 3
Joan Nestle, “Butch-Fem Relationships: Sexual Courage in the 1950s”
Leslie Feinberg, excerpts from Stone Butch Blues (content note: vivid descriptions of police violence and non-graphic depictions of sexual assault)
Audre Lorde, excerpts from Zami
Optional extra reading for the exceptionally keen:
Elizabeth Lapovsky Kennedy and Madeline D. Davis, from Boots of Leather, Slippers of Gold: The History of a Lesbian Community
Any time this week before the end of the day on Friday March 4: weekly blog reflection
Week 7: Gay liberation? Uprisings and solidarities
Tuesday March 8
Brooks, Chapters 12-14 (87-93); 16-17 (121-134)
Stryker, Chapter 3 (59-91)
Joseph Beam, “Brother to Brother: Words from the Heart”
Thursday March 10
Emily Hobson, “Pits and Perverts: A Review of Pride”
Watch before class: Pride (2014) (available on ELMS)
Optional extra reading for the exceptionally keen:
Come Out! The Newsletter of Gay Liberation Front, volume 1 (1969)
Any time this week before the end of the day on Friday March 11: weekly blog reflection
SPRING BREAK
Week 8: AIDS and its movements
Tuesday March 22
Brooks, Chapters 21 and 22 (158-170)
David Wojnarowicz, excerpts from Close to the Knives (26 pages)
Watch before class: The Normal Heart (2014)
(content note: graphic depictions of severe illness, death, and medical neglect/abuse)
Thursday March 24
Douglas Crimp, “How to Have Promiscuity in an Epidemic” (24 pages)
Evelynn Hammonds, “Race, Sex, AIDS and the Construction of Other”
Elizabeth Pisani, “Sex, Drugs, and HIV – Let’s Get Rational”
Bronski et al, “Myth 21: Getting Tested on a Regular Basis Helps Prevent the Spread of HIV” (pages 170-179)
Myth presentation: Group 10
Dan McLaughlin leading class
Optional extra reading for the exceptionally keen:
Douglas Crimp, AIDS Demo Graphics
Erin Allday, “Last Men Standing“
Any time this week before the end of the day on Saturday March 26: weekly blog reflection
Week 9: Media and mainstreaming
Tuesday March 29
Andy Medhurst, “One Queen and His Screen” (9 pages)
Ann M. Ciasullo, “Making Her (In)Visible: Cultural Representations of the Lesbian Body in the 1990s” (13 pages)
Bronski et al, “Myth 17: Positive Visibility in the Media Increases Tolerance and Acceptance of LGBT People” (pages 139-145)
Myth presentation: Group 11
Screening of TV episodes for Thursday: 3-5pm Tuesday March 29 at the WMST Multimedia Studio (Taliaferro 0135). OINTB will screen at 3pm, Transparent at 4pm.
Thursday March 31
King, Interview with Janet Mock (pages 195-210)
Buzz Bissinger, “Caitlyn Jenner: The Full Story”
Yasmin Nair, “Laverne Cox: Transforming Hollywood”
Watch before class: Orange is the New Black (2013). “Lesbian Request Denied”(Season 1 episode 3; available on Netflix)
; Transparent (2015) “Man on the Land” (Season 2 episode 9; available on Amazon Prime)
Optional extra reading for the exceptionally keen:
José Muñoz, “Pedro Zamora’s Real World of Counterpublicity”
Martin Manalansan, “Queer Love in the Age of War and Shopping”
Extra credit opportunity: attend and blog about Lee Edelman’s talk in the LGBT Studies Lecture Series. Thursday March 31 at 4.30pm.
Any time this week before the end of the day on Saturday April 2: weekly blog reflection
Week 10: Inclusion and its discontents
Tuesday April 5
Suzanna Walters, excerpts from The Tolerance Trap (15 pages)
Dean Spade and Craig Willse, “I still think marriage is the wrong goal.”
Kenyon Farrow, “Is Gay Marriage Anti-Black?” (online)
Bronski et al, “Myth 8: LGBT Parents are Bad for Children” (pages 63-70); “Myth 9: Same-Sex Marriage Harms Traditional Marriage” (pages 71-79)
Myth Presentation: Groups 12 and 13
Guy Hostetter leading class
Thursday April 7
Joey L. Mogul, Andrea J. Ritchie, and Kay Whitlock, “False Promises: Criminal Legal Responses to Violence Against LGBT People” (23 pages) (content note: brief graphic descriptions of physical violence and extended discussions of domestic abuse)
Bronski et al, “Myth 19: Antidiscrimination Laws in the United States Protect LGBT People” (pages 155-162); “Myth 20: Hate Crime Laws Prevent Violence Against LGBT People” (pages 163-169)
Myth Presentation: Groups 14 and 15
Any time this week before the end of the day on Saturday April 9: weekly blog reflection
DUE FRIDAY APRIL 8: LGBTQ Movement Research
Deadline for withdrawal with “W” on transcript: Monday April 11
Unit 3: Who Are You Calling Normal? Art, Politics, and Culture
Week 11: Queer of color art and activism
Tuesday April 12
Cherrie Moraga, excerpts from Loving in the War Years (20 pages)
King, Foreword and Introduction (pages i-ix); Interviews with Micia Mosely (pages 29-44), Yosimar Reyes (pages 45-60), Julio Salgado (pages 155-168), Nia King (pages 211-219)
Thursday April 14
Raquel Gutierrez visits class.
Read before class: unpublished essay by Jeanne Cordova (available on ELMS).
Any time this week before the end of the day on Saturday April 16: weekly blog reflection
Week 12: Queer il/legalities
Tuesday April 19
Dean Spade, “Impossibility Now” (10-minute video)
Morgan Bassichis, Alexander Lee, and Dean Spade, “Building an Abolitionist Queer and Trans Movement with Everything We’ve Got”
Jayden Donahue, “Making It Happen, Mama: A Conversation with Miss Major”
Screening of Tangerine at Taliaferro 0135 (WMST Multimedia Studio), Wednesday April 20 at 2.15pm (available on Netflix or for $3.99 on YouTube)
Thursday April 21
Watch before class: Tangerine (2015) (content note: drug use and everyday violence)
Alex Godfrey, interview with Sean Baker
Sign up for final manifesto groups by Thursday 21
Extra credit opportunity: attend and blog about the DC Queer Studies Symposium, Queer Beyond Repair, at UMD on Friday April 22.
Any time this week before the end of the day on Saturday April 23: weekly blog reflection
Week 13: The limits of US/Euro-centric LGBT politics
Tuesday April 26
Watch in class: Paper Dolls (2006)
Thursday April 28
Maya Mikdashi, “Gay Rights as Human Rights: Pinkwashing Homonationalism”
King, Interview with Nick Mwaluko (pages 169-184)
Sokari Ekine, “Contesting Narratives of Queer Africa” (14 pages)
Any time this week before the end of the day on Friday April 29: weekly blog reflection
Week 14: Queer crip futures
Tuesday May 3
Eli Clare, “The Mountain” and “Stones in my Pocket, Stones in my Heart” (content note: discussion of child sexual abuse)
Anna Mollow, “Mad Feminism”
Thursday May 5
“Talking Transformative and Disability Justice with Mia Mingus”
King, Interview with Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (pages 185-194);
Mia Mingus, “Hollow” (12 pages) and Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, “Children Who Fly” (5 pages)
Any time this week before the end of the day on Saturday May 7: weekly blog reflection
Extra credit opportunity: attend and blog about Laverne Cox’s talk on campus! Friday May 6, 3-4.30pm
DUE FRIDAY MAY 6: Activist/Outreach Letter
Week 15: Finishing up
Tuesday May 10:
No class. Use the time to catch up on any late requirements, meet in your groups, and prepare for the final manifesto.
LAST DAY TO SUBMIT ALL MAKEUP BLOGS AND QUIZZES
PARTICIPATION QUESTIONNAIRE DUE
Final Session: Presentation of Collective Queer Manifestoes
Friday May 13 8-10am.