Conference Sessions

This session intends to spotlight sociological research on contemporary forms of intimate relationships, with regard to their multiple dimensions (love feelings, sexuality, conjugality, domesticity). Its general purpose is to promote the study of intimacy as a specific field of research independent from - and yet connected to - the fields of family sociology and sexualities studies. To document and analyze the plurality of intimacy forms and create a space for debates dealing with this sociological object: the presentations will address conceptions, representations, and practices of intimacy, both empirically and theoretically.

Homophobia and transphobia are rapidly spreading across North America and the globe, evidenced by shifts in public discourse, educational policy, and legislation that contribute to the structural, discursive, and physical violence faced by 2SLGBTQ+ people. This rise in hate is reflective of the ongoing ‘culture wars’ concerning gender and sexuality, of which schools have been a critical battleground. Using a sociological lens, this session will examine the ways in which anti-2SLGBTQ+ sentiment and the current sociopolitical climate of rising hate are being reinforced and resisted related to K-20 educational institutions. The session aims to outline how discourses of gender and sexuality are being mobilized in and around schools to uphold an increasingly rigid cisheteropatriarchal status quo, as well as trace how queer and trans youth and their allies are resisting hate and mapping new, more just worlds.

Homophobia and transphobia are rapidly spreading across North America and the globe, evidenced by shifts in public discourse, educational policy, and legislation that contribute to the structural, discursive, and physical violence faced by 2SLGBTQ+ people. This rise in hate is reflective of the ongoing ‘culture wars’ concerning gender and sexuality, of which schools have been a critical battleground. Using a sociological lens, this session will examine the ways in which anti-2SLGBTQ+ sentiment and the current sociopolitical climate of rising hate are being reinforced and resisted related to K-20 educational institutions. The session aims to outline how discourses of gender and sexuality are being mobilized in and around schools to uphold an increasingly rigid cisheteropatriarchal status quo, as well as trace how queer and trans youth and their allies are resisting hate and mapping new, more just worlds.

Sociological research on the experiences of marginalized groups is dominated by narratives of pain, suffering, and discrimination. Within research about transgender and nonbinary communities, this focus on trauma and dysphoria without a balancing focus on euphoria, pleasure, and happiness perpetuates the belief that trans lives are unlivable ones of misery and pain. By centering trans joy within research rather than exclusively focusing on dysphoria and inequalities, we can attend to the knowledge construction that is invested in both the survival and thriving of trans people. This session will focus on centering trans joy through research design, topic, methodology, and findings.

This panel features presentations of research on any topic in the sociology of sexualities, broadly defined. This panel is sponsored by the Gender and Sexuality Research Cluster.