Gender, Sex, and Politics

Shira Tarrant, PhD, is Professor of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at California State University, Long Beach. She has written and edited several books including Men and Feminism (Seal Press), When Sex Became Gender (Routledge), and Men Speak Out: Views on Gender, Sex, and Power (Routledge). Read more at http://shiratarrant.com.

This exciting new book is essential for understanding sexuality and gender in the 21st century. Topics range widely, from sexting to sexual assault. Many chapters are deeply personal, but with broader social implications. This book will stimulate animated conversation and deep thinking; it is one of the most important books on gender and sexuality in the past 30 years.-Tom Digby, Philosophy, Springfield College, and author of Love and War: How Militarism Shapes Sexuality and RomanceThis sparkling book challenges us to pursue fresh critical thinking on feminist issues of exploitation and empowerment, pointing out how we can use constructive dissent rather than destructive disagreement -- a great addition to the canon.-Loretta Ross, Former National Coordinator, SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Justice CollectiveIn our insanely fast-paced, Twitter-trigger world, discussion of sexuality and gender too often consists solely of snarky knee-jerk statements that do nothing to contest dominant thinking. These essays, on the other hand, invite us to think and rethink about power, and for the best reason of all: so that we can equalize it. If you care about gender, sex, and politics, this book is for you. - Leora Tanenbaum, author of I Am Not a Slut: Slut-Shaming in the Age of the InternetThis is a must read for academic and practical alike and should be in every college sociology and psychology course. The first chapter "Hollaback!" is an eye opener and makes me want to join the movement. The book goes on to unveil many truths we must all face. -Kristin Beck, US Navy SEAL, Candidate for US Congress 2016Forty years after the sex wars first captured popular imagination, Shira Tarrant makes it brilliantly clear that sex wars matter anew. In this edgy collection of truth-tellers, contributors invite readers to open their minds, hearts, and conversations. They redefine sexual literacy and challenge the very notion of taboo. Bridging theory, practice, and competing perspectives, the book unsettles and entices. As with the best in gender studies, it’s sure to hit a nerve.-Deborah Siegel, PhD, author of Sisterhood, Interrupted: From Radical Women to Grrls Gone WildTarrant and the 27 contributors show how relevant gender is in our daily lives — from online dating to the experience of walking down the street – and the format makes each chapter easy to digest and ponder while the discussion questions can help guide either internal debate or a classroom discussion.-HKearl, www.stopstreetharassment.org

• Part I: Gender, Sexuality, and Social Control 1. Hollaback! You Have the Power to End Street Harassment By Emily May and Samuel Carter 2. "But Look at What She Was Wearing!": Victim Blaming and Street Harassment By Kimberly Fairchild 3. SlutWalk: A Stroll Through White Supremacy By Aura Bogado 4. The Body Wars: Sexuality, Social Control, and What Texas Can Teach Us By Carrie Tilton-Jones 5. The Abortion Debate: How Do We Talk With Each Other When We Disagree? By Caroline Heldman 6. Sex and the Body: A 21st-Century Understanding of Trans People By Noah E. Lewis Part II: Pornography 7. "You’re Taking a Class on What?!" Studying Pornography in College By Lynn Comella 8. The Porn Pandemic: What Can We Do? By Craig Gross 9. Just a John? Pornography and Men’s Choices By Robert Jensen 10. Male and Queer in the Porn Industry By Ned Henry Part III: Sex and Social Media 11. Slut-Shaming and The Sex Police: Social Media, Sex, and Free Speech By Soraya Chemaly 12. The Revolutionary Possibilities of Online Queer Communities By Jamie J. Hagen 13. Digital Indiscretions: Infidelity in the Age of Technology By Ebony A. Utley 14. Consensual Sexting and Child Pornography: Legal and Cultural Controversies By Lara Karaian 15. Social Media and Sexual Safety: Quit Facebook, Don’t Sext, and Other Futile Attempts to Protect Youth By Rena Bivens and Jordan Fairbairn 16. Bye Felipe: Online Harassment and Straight Dating By Alexandra Tweten Part IV: Dating, Desire, and the Politics of Hooking Up 17. Can Disabled People Have Sex? and Other Questions You Probably Shouldn’t Ask Me if We Just Met By Jennifer Scott 18. Big Girls Need Love, Too: Dating While Fat (and Feminist) By Brittney Cooper 19. Are Women Bad at Orgasms? Understanding the Gender Gap By Lisa Wade 20. Why We Hook Up: Searching for Sex or Looking for Love? By Justin R. Garcia and Helen E. Fisher 21. Everybody’s Not Hooking Up: Asexuality on Campus and Beyond By Mark Carrigan with David Jay Part V: Issues in Sexual Pleasure and Safety 22. Pleasure, Pain, and the Feminist Politics of Rough Sex By Marjorie Jolles 23. True Love Waits: Do Teens? The Importance of Sexual Honesty By Janet Rosenbaum 24. Campus Sexual Assault: Myths, Facts, and Controversies By Nina M. Flores 25. Kiss and Sell: When Twentysomething Lady Authors Write About Our Sex Lives By Allison McCarthy 26. The World Will Be a Better Place When More Men Take It Up the Ass By Charlie Glickman 27. In Defense of Going Wild or: How I Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Pleasure (and How You Can, Too) By Jaclyn Friedman