Sexual Strangers: Gays, Lesbians, and Dilemmas of Citizenship

192 Pages·2001·0.724 MB·English

by  Shane Phelan

S e x u a l S t r a n g e r s
In the series
Queer Politics, Queer Theories
edited by Shane Phelan
S e x u a l
S t r a n g e r s
GAYS, LESBIANS,
AND DILEMMAS
OF CITIZENSHIP
Shane Phelan
Temple University Press
PHILADELPHIA
Temple University Press, Philadelphia 19122
Copyright © 2001 by Temple University
All rights reserved
Published 2001
Printed in the United States of America
The paper used in this publication meets the requirements of the American National
Standard for Information Sciences—Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials,
ANSI Z39.48-1984
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Phelan, Shane.
Sexual strangers : gays, lesbians, and dilemmas of citizenship / Shane Phelan.
p. cm. — (Queer politics, queer theories)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-56639-827-4 (cloth : alk. paper) — ISBN 1-56639-828-2 (pbk. : alk. paper)
1. Gay rights—United States. 2. Political rights—United States. 3. Citizenship—United
States. 4. Homosexuality—Political aspects—United States. 5. Lesbianism—Political
aspects—United States. I. Title. II. Series.
HQ76.8.U5 P48 2001
305.9'0664'0973—dc21 00-032564
To Den, finally—
another stranger, another home

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction 1
1 Citizens and Strangers 11
2 Structures of Strangeness: Bodies, Passions,
and Citizenship 37
3 Structures of Strangeness: Citizenshipand Kinship 63
4 Negotiating Strangeness: Assimilation and Visibility 82
5 Strangers among “Us”: Secondary Marginalization
and “LGBT” Politics 115
6 Queering Citizenship 139
Notes 163
Bibliography 165
Index 177
vii

Acknowledgments
A
s is always the case, many other people worked to make this
book better than it would have been. Jodi Dean, Kathleen
Jones, Morris Kaplan, and David Rayside each read an ear-
lier version of the manuscript and made suggestions and
comments far beyond the call of duty. Annalise Acorn, Nico
Beger, Christine Di Stefano, Kathy Ferguson, Judith Gar-
ber, Jonathan Goldberg-Hiller, Victoria Gray, Cheryl Hall,
Susan Hekman, and Rogers Smith read chapters and offered
their insights. If I have not always followed their advice, it is
a sign not of ingratitude but of stubbornness. Audiences at
the universities of California–Los Angeles, Colorado,
Hawai’i, Nevada–Las Vegas, New Mexico, and Wichita
State, and at numerous conferences helped me clarify my
thinking. Several anonymous reviewers helped, especially
where I least liked what they had to say. Doris Braendel at
Temple University Press has been editor, co-conspirator,
and friend.
I have been fortunate to have two fine graduate students
through the years of this writing. Judy Palier’s enthusiasm
and willingness to try on new ideas has continually spurred
me to think about what I am saying. Don Westervelt has
offered that rare opportunity for many academics, a student
from whom I have learned and whose work spurs my own.
As I finish this book, and they finish their dissertations, I am
grateful to have shared this process with them.
ix