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WMST-L File Collection:

Sexuality/Sexual Orientation

Last updated: Oct. 30, 2006

The following files from the WMST-L file collection focus on issues of sexuality/sexual orientation:

Barbara Jordan, E. Bradford Burns, and Me: Coming Out in Public Life
(An essay by WMST-L member Rosa Maria Pegueros that considers issues involved in coming out in political and academic life.)

Brain Differences and Sex
(Discussion of research on brain differences between women and men. WMST-L, February 2002. 2 parts.)

Coming-of-Age Novels for Conservative Students
(WMST-L discussion in August 2000 about coming-of-age novels suitable for use with conservative freshmen. The discussion gave rise to consideration as well of whether one should teach gay/lesbian novels in such a course.)

Films and Texts for a Sexuality Course
(Two discussions about resources for a course on sexuality: one seeks appropriate films, the other asks about current texts. The discussions took place on WMST-L in July and October, 2004.)

The Fluidity of Sex, Sexuality, and Gender
(This lengthy WMST-L discussion began in July 2001 with a query about a term for women who dress up as transvestites. After some consideration of terms (several involving "drag"), the topic evolved into a discussion about social construction and the fluidity of sex, sexuality, and gender. Additional messages from 2001-2003 have been added at the end of the file. 5 parts.)

Heterosexual Desire in Fiction
(Suggestions for works of fiction depicting women's heterosexual desire. WMST-L discussion, December 2001.)

Integrating Lesbian/Bisexual Issues into Courses
(Suggestions offered on WMST-L in April 1995 for how to integrate lesbian and bisexual experience and concerns into Women's Studies courses.)

Issues Involving a 'Gender Autobiography' Assignment
(A discussion of the advisability of making a 'gender autobiography' assignment in the Intro to Women's Studies course, and also of the role of faculty members in whom students confide. WMST-L discussion, December 2005)

Origins of the LGBT Rights Movement
(Discussion of the various "origins" of the LGBT [lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender] rights movement. WMST-L discussion, June 2002.)

The Politics of Marriage
(Resources concerning the politics of marriage, with particular focus on same-sex marriage. WMST-L discussion, March 2004.)

Prostitution in Film
(A two-part WMST-L discussion from March 1995 in response to a query about films depicting prostitution/sexwork, for use in a seminar. See also the 2002 discussion Prostitution/Sexwork.)

Prostitution in the U. S.: Recent Work.
(A WMST-L discussion in January 2005 that deals with recent work about the experience of prostitutes and/or attitudes toward prostitution in the United States.)

Prostitution / Sexwork
(A four-part WMST-L discussion from April 2002 that arose in response to a query about influencing students' understanding of prostitutes/sexworkers.)

Readings by Straight, White Feminists
(A student's request gave rise to suggested readings and discussion of the request's legitimacy. WMST-L, May 2002)

Sex Between Faculty and Students?
(A discussion of the contentious issue of sexual relations between faculty and students. The discussion took place on WMST-L in April 1994; it has been divided into two parts because of its length.)

"Sex" versus "Gender"
(A 2-part file containing discussions of these often-confused terms from 1993 and 1997)

"Sex" versus "Gender" Revisited
(Further discussion of the terms "sex" and "gender," including their meaning(s) and some reasons that people often confuse these terms. WMST-L discussion, September/October 2006.)

University LGBT Programs
(John Younger's listing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer studies programs has been available from WMST-L for several years. Here is the most recent web version.)

Use of the Term "Dyke"
(This WMST-L discussion on the meaning and use of the term "dyke" took place in February 2005.)

Videos on Intersection of Gender, Race, Class
(Suggestions for videos that show the intersection of gender identity with race, class, and national differences. WMST-L discussion, April 2002.)

Violence in GLBT Relationships
(Resources for information about intimate violence in gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender relationships. WMST-L discussion, October 2004.)

'Waves' of Feminism
(A lengthy WMST-L discussion from May/June 2002 that focused at the start on the book Jane Sexes It Up: True Confessions of Feminist Desire and evolved to consider as well the notion of "waves" of feminism, especially second and third-wave feminism. A few additional messages from 2002 and 2003 (including a brief third-wave bibliography) appear at the end. See also the earlier discussion Teaching '70s Feminism.

Women-Only Communities
(Suggestions for where to find information about women-only communities, including lesbian communities. WMST-L discussion, September 2004)


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