SSSP Sexual Behavior, Politics and Communities Fall 2009 Newsletter NOTES FROM THE CHAIR The 2009 annual meeting in San Francisco was a resounding success. With well-attended panels and a popular tour of a local BDSM dungeon and Kink.com, the Sexual Behavior, Politics, and Communities Division was in its element in San Francisco. Thanks to all of you whose devoted service made the annual meeting such a success. OUTSTANDING GRADUATE STUDENT PAPER COMPETITION Congratulations to Amy Kathryn Brainer, winner of the 2009 SBPC Division’s Outstanding Graduate Student Paper competition. With an increase in submissions from previous years, Brainer faced tough competition from a pool of many impressive papers. Thank you to all of the people who made the 2009 competition such a success: committee chair David Foster Steele, the committee members who read the many excellent submissions, faculty members who encouraged their students to participate in the competition, and the graduate students who submitted their work. The 2010 competition is chaired by Corie Hammers, with submissions due April 1, 2010. Please keep the momentum from last year and submit your work, or encourage your graduate students to submit their work to the competition. For more information, see the call for papers on page eight. CHANGE OUR NAME? After much consideration and discussion with colleagues, I would like to suggest changing the name of this division. While the moniker Sexual Behavior, Politics, and Communities is both specific and inclusive, it is long and cumbersome. Even the acronym SBPC does not flow smoothly, and most members of SSSP simply call us “The Sexy Division” instead of using the acronym or the full name. We are a creative bunch and can think of a name that better suits us and is easier to use. Some alternatives I suggest are: Sex; Sexualities and Genders; Sexuality and Gender; Sexuality Studies; and Sexualities Studies. Undoubtedly one of our membership could propose better alternatives. If you have suggestions for a new name, questions, or concerns, please contact me at esheff@gsu.edu. ELECTIONS The current chairship expires at the upcoming annual meeting, and the Division must elect a new chair to begin the upcoming term in 2010. Please consider nominating yourself or someone else for chair. It is a wonderful way to get more involved in the organization. See page 10 for more information. 2010 ANNUAL MEETING We have already begun to plan an exciting line-up of panels for the next annual meeting. Please see page nine for more details, and consider submitting your work for a panel. Elisabeth Sheff Georgia State University esheff@gsu.edu SEXUALITY IN THE NEWS * Michael Jackson and the transgendered erotics of voice: http://nsrc.sfsu.edu/article/michael_jackson_transgendered_erotics_voice * Swedish couple keeps their toddler’s gender a secret: http://parenting.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/01/keeping-the-sex-of-a-toddler-secret/?scp=1&sq=gender&st=cse * Orgasm not ‘terribly important’ in great sex: http://www.canada.com/life/Orgasm+terribly+important+great+study+finds/1753874/story.html * A co-ed sexual retreat in San Francisco: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/fashion/15commune.html?_r=1&scp=5&sq=sexuality&st=cse * Canadian sex workers fight prostitution laws: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2071542 * On National Coming Out Day, protesters march on Washington for GLBT rights: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/12/us/politics/12protest.html MEMBER BOOK RELEASES Stombler, Mindy, Dawn Baunach, Elisabeth Burgess, Denise Donnelly, Wendy Simonds, and Elroi J. Windsor. 2009. Sex Matters: The Sexuality and Society Reader, third edition. Boston: Pearson Allyn & Bacon. This anthology of almost 60 readings--from contemporary scholarly literature, trade books, popular media, as well as contributed articles-- examines the many ways in which human sexuality is socially constructed and regulated behavior, and how it is studied by social scientists. Bradley-Engen, Mindy S. 2009. Naked lives: Inside the worlds of exotic dance. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press (SUNY). Is stripping good or bad for the women who do it? According to sociologist Mindy S. Bradley-Engen, there’s no simple answer. An exotic dancer’s experiences can be both empowering and degrading: at times a dancer can feel like a goddess, at times ashamed and dirty. Drawing on extensive interviews as well as her own experiences as an exotic dancer, Bradley-Engen shows that strippers’ work experiences are shaped by the types of establishments—the different worlds—in which they work. A typology of strip clubs emerges: the hustle club, the show club, and the social club, each with its own distinct culture, expectations, and challenges, each creating circumstances in which stripping can be good, bad, or indifferent. Going beyond the warring rhetorics of exploitation and empowerment, this book provides a rich and complex account of the realities of exotic dance and offers a fascinating, thought-provoking consideration for both academics and general readers. Weitzer, Ron (2009). Sex for Sale: Prostitution, Pornography and the Sex Industry. New York and London: Routledge. A groundbreaking collection of essays on the sex industry, the second edition of Sex for Sale contains original studies on sex work, its risks and benefits, and its political implications. The book covers areas not commonly researched, including gay and lesbian pornography, telephone sex workers, customers of prostitutes, male and female escorts who work independently, street prostitution, sex tourism, legal prostitution, and strip clubs that cater to women. The book also tracks various trends during the past decade, including the mainstreaming and growing acceptance of some types of sexual commerce and the growing criminalization of other types, such as sex trafficking. Sex for Sale offers a window into the lived experiences of sex workers as well as an analysis of the larger gender arrangements and political structures that shape the experiences of workers and their clients. MEMBER PUBLICATIONS Dworkin, S.L., Blankenship, K. Microfinance and HIV/AIDS Prevention: Assessing Its Promise and Limitations. (2009). AIDS & Behavior, 13, 462-469. Dworkin, S.L., Gambou, S., Sutherland, C., Moalla, K., Kapoor, A. (2009). Gendered “Empowerment” and HIV/AIDS Prevention: Policy and Programmatic Pathways to Success the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Region. JAIDS, 52, S111-S118. Dworkin, S.L., Fullilove, R.  Peacock, D. (2009). Are HIV/AIDS Prevention Interventions for Heterosexually-Active Men Gender-Specific? A Critical Look at Work in the United States. American Journal of Public Health, 99, 98- 984. Huo, D., Ouellet, L.J. (2009). Needle exchange and sexual risk behaviors among a cohort of injection drug users in Chicago, Illinois. Sexually Transmitted Diseases 36(1), 35-40. Iguchi, M., Ober, A., Berry, S., Fain, T., Heckathorn, D., Gorbach, P., Heimer, R., Kozlov, A., Ouellet, L.J., Shoptaw, S., Zule, W. (2009).  Simultaneous recruitment of drug users and men who have sex with men in the United States and Russia using respondent-driven sampling: Sampling methods and implications. Journal of Urban Health, 86 (1), 5-31. Lerum, K., and Dworkin, S. (2009) 'Bad Girls Rule': An interdisciplinary feminist commentary on the report of the APA task force on the sexualization of girls. Journal of Sex Research, 46, 1-14. Schrock, D., Boyd, E. M., & Leaf, M. (2009).  Emotion work in the public performances of male-to-female transsexuals. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 38, 702-712. Sheff, Elisabeth. (2009). Strategies in Polyamorous Parenting. In: Barker, Meg and Langdridge, Darren, (Eds.) Understanding Non-monogamies. London: Routledge. Williams, C.T., Mackesy-Amiti, M.E., McKirnan, D.J., Ouellet, L.J. (2009).  Characteristics and risk practices of bisexual, low-income, drug-using men in Chicago.  Journal of Urban Health, [EPub] May 29 doi: 10.1007/s11524-009-9367-2. Youm, Y., Mackesy-Amiti, M.E., Williams, C.T., Ouellet, L.J. (2009).  Identifying hidden sexual bridging communities in Chicago.  Journal of Urban Health, [EPub] June 19 doi: 10.1007/s11524-009-9371-6. MEMBER AWARDS Congratulations to all of our members who have received awards for their work! > Rashawn Ray, a doctoral candidate at Indiana University (Department of Sociology) was awarded a Ford Dissertation Fellowship for his dissertation, entitled "Class Identification in the United States, 1974-2008: Reassessing the Influence of Race, Gender, Family, and Age." > Elroi J. Windsor, a doctoral candidate at Georgia State University (Department of Sociology) earned the designation of Excellence in Teaching in Higher Education, from Georgia State University's Center for Teaching and Learning. > The winner of the Sexual Behavior, Politics, and Communities Division’s Graduate Student Paper Competition is Amy Kathryn Brainer from the University of Illinois at Chicago for her paper, “Being Straight is Not a Choice': Essentialism and Identity De/Construction Among Heterosexual Siblings of Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth." She presentED this paper at the SSSP annual meeting during the Student Award Paper Session III on Sunday August 9th. > This year's recipient of the SSSP Social Action Award is the Wo/Men’s Alliance for Medical Marijuana.  WAMM, a small patient-caregiver cooperative in Santa Cruz, California, has collectively grown and given away millions of dollars worth of cannabis to seriously and terminally ill people since the early 1990s.  The organization, many of whose original members were gay men living with HIV/AIDS, is strictly non-profit or – perhaps more accurately – anti-profit. WAMM is the subject of the new ethnography by SSSP member Wendy Chapkis: Dying to Get High: marijuana as medicine (New York University Press) http://dyingtogethigh.net A special session about this remarkable grassroots organization was held at the annual SSSP meeting. MEMBER NEWS Eric Grollman, a doctoral student in Sociology at Indiana University, has joined the staff at the Kinsey Institute's Kinsey Confidential as a regular blogger, where he blogs about sexual health matters through a sociological lens: http://kinseyconfidential.org/author/egrollma MEMBER SPOTLIGHT Dr. Cary Gabriel Costello Dr. Cary Gabriel Costello has been a member of the SSSP for fourteen years, serving in a number of positions, including the Chair of the Council of Division Chairs. Cary has also been a member of the Sexual Behavior, Politics, and Communities section for most of that time. Apparently this has left hem with a rather wry sense of humor. When selected for a profile in the newsletter, ze was told ze could choose to write about hemself either in the first or third person, titling hemself either Cary or Dr. Costello. Ze elected to do all of the above via a self-interview technique. Dr. Costello: Cary, before I get to my rather standard introductory questions about your research and your involvement in the SSSP, I have to note that the introductory paragraph above uses rather nonstandard pronouns. Cary: Thanks for bringing that up. The newsletter editor wanted me to address the issue of using gender-neutral pronouns, since it was I who drafted the resolution that the SSSP approved and is circulating this year. The resolution calls upon editors and educators to permit authors to use gender-neutral pronouns in their writing. Dr. Costello: And why is it that authors would want to do that? Cary: Well, Dr. Costello, there are two main reasons people employ gender-neutral pronouns. The first is to refer to a person whose gender is unknown, and the second is in the case of individuals who choose not to identify with male or female pronouns. We’ve come a long way from the day when “he” was used as the generic pronoun for people of unknown or undisclosed gender, but the alternatives generally used today are awkward. Colloquially, people tend to import the plural “they.” Dr. Costello: Editorial style guidelines shouldn’t permit that; it’s ungrammatical. Cary: The style guides I’ve generally encountered today suggest using “he or she” instead. But it’s so awkward. Consider the sentence, “I met the informant at his/her home at his/her request, and he/she gave me the evidence.” It can be made so much more elegant by using gender-neutral pronouns: “I met the informant at zir home at zir request, and ze gave me the evidence.” Dr. Costello: I notice that the pronoun you use differs from the one in that example. Cary: True. The use of gender-neutral pronouns is fairly new, and people have different preferences. Ze/zir/zim and zie/hir are quite common. I use ze/hem/hes. Dr. Costello: But you are not some hypothetical person of unknown or undisclosed sex—I’m talking to you right now. Hmm. What is your sex? Cary: Ah. Actually, I’m intersex by birth. Dr. Costello: Can you tell our audience what you mean by that? Cary: Well, I’m not inclined to disclose any more about my personal anatomy than you’d ask other SSSP officers to disclose regarding their genitalia in a newsletter, but I was born with an intermediate configuration. Since my gonadal array included an undifferentiated ovotestis, I’m medically classified as a “true hermaphrodite,” but I consider that a highly problematic term. I’m intersex. And for that reason, I feel strongly about gender-neutral pronouns, and people’s right to use them. Although really, it’s my sex that’s neutral, rather than my gender. Dr. Costello: You identify your gender as masculine, but your sex as intersex. . . Cary: Yes, I’m a female-assigned-at-birth intersex man. Recently transitioned, in fact. But I thought you were going to be interviewing me about my accomplishments rather than my identity? Dr. Costello: Do the two not relate? Cary: Heh. Read the last thirty years of feminist sociological methodology and get back to me on that. . . Yes, they do relate. One of the areas in which I do research, write, and organize is on intersex issues. Your readers can check out my blog, the Intersex Roadshow: http://intersexroadshow.blogspot.com/. I write there on the medicalization of intersex, on the problem of social erasure, on the relationship between transgender and intersex issues, on how intersex anatomy is viewed, and other issues. Dr. Costello: Interesting that you should refer an academic audience to a blog rather than to a journal article. Cary: Oh, I address intersex issues academically, but we’re speaking here about the SSSP. I’m pretty passionate about doing public sociology, and that’s why I’ve been so involved with the SSSP. I want my research, our research as sociologists, to be used to address social problems and reduce social injustice. That’s why I view public speaking and blogging as so important. Dr. Costello: I find that I agree. Cary: Well, given that you’re me, that makes sense. Dr. Costello: Right. Before we go, then, I was supposed to ask you about your academic position and research agenda. Cary: I’m an associate professor of sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, a city known for imposing winters and a dedication to alcoholic beverages that may be related. I specialize in privilege and inequality—race, class, gender, sexuality, and disability—and in sociology of the body and sociology of medicine. For the past two years my research has focused on the virtual body and identity. I conduct it from the Avatar Identity Research Center in the virtual world of Second Life. It’s been fascinating. Dr. Costello: It does sound interesting. But we’re out of space. Thank you for your time, and for allowing me to share in the experience of autoinverviewing. Cary: Any time! It’s been a novel experience for me. CALL FOR PAPERS: THE ANNUAL GRADUATE STUDENT PAPER COMPETITION Deadline: 4/1/10 The Sexual Behavior, Politics, and Communities Division announces the 2010 Graduate Student Paper Competition.  Papers may be empirical and/or theoretical, and they may be on any aspect of sexuality, including sexual behavior, sexual identity, sexual politics, sex law, political activism, or sexual communities.  The winner will receive a stipend of $100, payment of the winner’s SSSP registration fee for the 2010 SSSP meeting (to help the winner attend the meeting), and a ticket to the awards banquet.  The winner will be expected to present their winning paper at one of the SBPC sessions being held as part of the 2010 SSSP meeting.  To be eligible, a paper must meet the following criteria: 1) The paper must have been written between January 2009 and March 2010; 2) The paper may not have been submitted or accepted for publication (papers that have been presented at a professional meeting or that have been submitted for presentation at a professional meeting are eligible); 3) The paper must be authored by one or more students, and not co-authored with a faculty member or colleague who is not a student; 4) The paper must not exceed 35 pages including notes, references, and tables; 5) The paper must be typed using 12 point font in either Times New Roman or Courier; and 6) The paper must be accompanied by a letter from a faculty member at the student’s college or university nominating the paper for the SBPC Division Student Paper Competition.  Students should send their paper via email, with no identifying information on any part of the paper; and a letter of nomination from a faculty member to: Corie Hammers, Ph.D., Email: chammers@macalester.edu, Macalester College, Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies Department,1600 Grand Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55105, (651) 696-6542. SBPC DIVISION SESSIONS: ANNUAL MEETING 2010 The next annual meeting is already taking shape, and the theme of “Social Justice Work” is one that many SBPC are passionate about. The following is a list of SBPC panels and sessions that are co-sponsored with other SSSP divisions that we hope will whet your appetite. Please consider submitting your work to a panel, and we hope to see you in Atlanta next summer! SBPC Division Sessions, Annual Meeting 2010 Session 1, Thematic: Sexuality, Gender, and Social Justice * Organizer: Elisabeth Sheff, esheff@gsu.edu Session 2: Sexuality in Physical and Virtual Places * Organizer: Corie Hammers, chammers@macalester.edu Session 3: Sexuality on the Edge * Organizer: Kathleen Asbury, asburykathy@comcast.net Co-Sponsored Sessions Session 1: Sexuality, Gender, and Sporting Bodies * Organizer: PJ McGann, PJMCGANN@UMICH.EDU Session 2: Queer Families and Social Justice (Families Division) * Organizer: Jaimie McCauley, University of Windsor, MCCAULEJ@UWINDSOR.CA Session 3: Intimate Relationships Across the Lifecourse (Youth, Aging, and the Lifecourse) * Chris Wellin, Illinois State University, cwellin@ilstu.edu * Heather Dillaway, Wayne State University, dillaway@wayne.edu Session 4: Global Sex Industry (Global Division) * Organizer: Laura Agnich, lagnich@vt.edu Session 5: Law and Sexuality (tri-sponsored with SBPC, Law & Society, and Crime & Juvenile Delinquency) * Organizer: Lloyd Klein, lklein@stfranciscollege.edu Session 6: Researching Sexuality and Academic Freedom (co-sponsored with the Standards and Freedom of Research, Publishing, and Teaching Committee) * Organizer: Elisabeth Sheff, esheff@gsu.edu Session 7: Tables in the Round * Organizer: David LaPorta, laportad@gmail.com Social Problems Editorial Search -- Call for Applications The Editorial and Publications Committee of the Society for the Study of Social Problems is seeking applications for the position of Editor of the Society’s journal, Social Problems. The Editor’s three-year term will begin with the operation of the new editorial office at mid-year 2011. The new editor will be responsible for editing Volumes 59-61 (years 2012-14). Members of the SSSP are encouraged to apply for the position and/or nominate colleagues who are (or will become) members. The Editor is responsible for managing the peer review process for approximately 300-400 submitted manuscripts per year, and preparing four issues of the journal (approximately 650 printed pages) annually. The editorial office manages the review process using the on-line services of ScholarOne/Manuscript Central and also has responsibility for copy editing and proofreading in accordance with customary publishing standards. The committee seeks editorial candidates with distinguished scholarly records, previous editorial experience (e.g., service as journal editor or associate editor, editor of scholarly editions, etc.), strong organizational and management skills, and the ability to work and communicate well with others. A familiarity with, and commitment to, Social Problems and the SSSP are essential. The SSSP supports the operation of the editorial office with an annual budget and provides a modest stipend and travel expenses for the Editor. Support is also expected from the host institution. This may include office space, utilities, the use of computers and other office equipment, tuition waivers for office personnel (if appropriate), faculty release time, and other basic expenses. Each year the Editor will be expected to submit a budget to the SSSP to cover operating expenses that the host institution does not support. Individuals interested in applying for the editorship should submit their curriculum vitae with a cover letter detailing their relevant experience along with the support their institution is willing to provide. Letters from the applicant’s department chair, dean, or other authorized university administrator confirming specific institutional support should also be included. Guidance in the preparation of applications is available from the Editorial and Publications Committee Chair as well as the current Social Problems Editor, the Executive Officer, and the Administrative Officer, if necessary. Please direct all questions, inquiries, nominations, expressions of interest, and application materials to: Claire Renzetti, Chair, SSSP Editorial and Publications Committee, Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Social Work, University of Dayton, 300 College Park, Dayton, OH 45469-1442. Phone: (937) 229-2428. Email: Claire.Renzetti@notes.udayton.edu. Deadline for applications is February 12, 2010. CALL FOR NOMINATIONS: SBPC DIVISION CHAIR Dear SSSP Sexual Behavior, Politics, and Community Division members, My two-year term as Division chair will conclude with the 2010 SSSP meeting in Atlanta. We will need to have an election for the next chair soon. NOMINATIONS ARE NOW OPEN! And you can nominate yourself. If you do nominate yourself, email me with a copy to Michele Koontz, Administrative Officer & Meeting Manager: koontz3@utk.edu If you nominate someone else, please ask him/her if h/she will accept the nomination before sending me his/her name. Time permitting, I will double check with them to make sure. The duties are not onerous, and there are essentially three: 1) coordinate our sessions for the annual meetings, which means selecting session topics, titles and organizers - often done in cooperation with other divisions; 2) put out the Division's newsletter - ideally twice a year; 3) attend the business meetings for division chairs at the annual SSSP meetings - or send a designated replacement if you cannot attend. Of course, you can also give papers, organize and/or chair sessions, etc. Please feel free to contact me at esheff@gsu.edu if you have any questions. I would like to receive all nominations by Monday, April 5, 2010. Sincerely, Elisabeth Sheff Georgia State University EDITORIAL NOTE Welcome to the Fall 2009 edition of the Sexual Behavior, Politics, and Communities Division Newsletter. Having been the newsletter editor for the last year, I am handing over the newsletter responsibilities to my very capable colleague, Dr. Juline Koken. For the next newsletter, please send stories you would like to highlight, news items, publications of interests, calls for submission (conferences, special issues, etc.), or anything else you would like to go out to our division members in the newsletter. Further, if you or someone you know would like to be highlighted in the Member Spotlight section, please send an e-mail with that information. Dr. Koken can be reached with suggestions, comments, and questions at jkoken@chestnyc.org I hope this finds you all well! Brooke Wells & Juline Koken 11