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Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered people are becoming more and more visible in all aspects of American culture, from party politics to MTV videos.

Despite the recent queer publishing explosion, few texts cover a broad range of topics around sexual and gender identities. Most existing works are high-level theory books, texts focused upon specific disciplines or topics, or practical guides aimed primarily at a heterosexual audience or people just beginning to come out. There has been to date no general, accessible, and inclusive work suitable for use as an introduction to Queer Studies.

In this collection, contributors assess the conflict between postmodernism and identity, the concept which typically serves as a linchpin for social and political organizing. Others address queer theory, looking specifically at how we define it, how it informs political activism, and how we can theorize such aspects of sexual performance/behaviors as s/m or butch-femme relationships.

The volume contains contributions from both established and newly emerging Queer Studies scholars, including Amber Ault, M. V. Lee Badgett, Warren J. Blumenfeld, Gregory Conerly, Patricia L. Duncan, Ruth Goldman, Lynda Goldstein, Sherrie A. Inness, Christopher James, Amanda Udis-Kessler, JeeYeun Lee, Michele E. Lloyd, Tracy D. Morgan, Ki Namaste, Vernon Rosario II, Paula Rust, and Siobhan Somerville.

LGBT Studies and Queer Theory: New Conflicts, Collaborations, and Contested Terrain examines the similarities and differences between LGBT studies and queer theory and the uneasy relationship between the two in the academic world. This unique book meets the challenge that queer theory presents to the study and politics of gay and lesbian studies with a collection of essays from leading academics who represent a variety of disciplines. These original pieces place queer theory in social and historical contexts, exploring the implications for social psychology, religious studies, communications, sociology, philosophy, film studies, and women's studies. The book's contributors address queer theory's connections to a wide range of issues, including the development of capitalism, the evolution of the gay and lesbian movement, and the study of bisexuality and gender.

Many scholars working in gay and lesbian studies still question the intellectual and political value of queer theory. As a result, queer theory has often been concentrated in the humanities, while gay and lesbian studies are concentrated in the social sciences and history. But this has begun to change in the past 10-15 years, as documented by the 12 essays presented in LGBT Studies and Queer Theory: New Conflicts, Collaborations, and Contested Terrain.

LGBT Studies and Queer Theory: New Conflicts, Collaborations, and Contested Terrain includes:

historical notes on LGBT studies and queer theory
some continuing tensions between LGBT studies and queer theory
doubts about whether queer theory can lead to social change
an analysis of the current state of "proto-fields" of LGBT studies and queer studies in religion
concerns that queer theory's "erasure of identity" feeds into late capitalism
an analysis of variability in social psychologists' studies of anti-homosexual prejudice
an exploration of the commodification of queer identities in independent cinema
how and why the category of bisexuality has been marginalized
a historical review and assessment of recent bisexual theory
a case study of Provincetown, Massachusetts
an investigation of the interarticulation of race/ethnicity and gender
a case study of the struggle to introduce LGBT studies in the curriculum at West Chester University
and much more!

Some books break myths. Others break silences. A few break new ground. The Health of Sexual Minorities achieves all three aims.

The first book of its kind, this resource offers a multidimensional picture of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) health across clinical and social disciplines to give readers a full and nuanced understanding of these diverse populations. Here are real-world matters of definition and self-definition (including sexual identity, gender identity, and anti-identity), meticulous analyses of stressor and health outcomes, a extensive coverage of research methodology concerns, and critical insights into the sociopolitical context of LGBT individuals’ health and lives.

- Developmental issues across the lifecourse

- Human rights and ethical issues

- Global perspectives of LGBT health

- Physical and mental health issues

- Issues and concerns of racial/ethnic minority groups

- Health concerns of lesbian and bisexual women

- Prejudice and homophobia as social stressors

- A comprehensive review of quantitative and qualitative research methodology

- Tobacco, alcohol, and substance use issues

- The current state of LGBT health care and strategies for improvement

- The impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on LGBT communities

The Health of Sexual Minorities is an advanced-level text whose scope and accessibility makes it useful to a broad audience. Over 50 contributors have made this a work of crucial importance to public health and health care professionals and biomedical and social science researchers. The Health of Sexual Minorities encourages clear thinking, informed practice, and effective, progressive policy for improved health and well-being of LGBT individuals and communities.

"The Health of Sexual Minorities is a welcome and much needed comprehensive text focused on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations, chiefly in the U.S. but also globally. Of use to researchers, practitioners, and advocates alike, the text covers key conceptual, methodological, and substantive issues. Its critical analysis of how unjust sexual hierarchies harm health exemplifies why LBGT health and health care issues must be analyzed and addressed in context: in relation to gender, class, racism, and the ways in which sociopolitical conditions shape LGBT identity and health."

--Nancy Krieger, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Society, Human Development and Health, Harvard School of Public Health