Same-Sex Marriage, Context, and Lesbian Identity: Wedded but Not Always a Wife

by Julie Whitlow, Patricia Ould

Overview

This book shows how the first lesbians to marry in the United States are using or avoiding the word wife at this historic juncture when the definition of marriage is undergoing a shift. It will interest the LGBTQ community and its allies, political activists, feminists, and scholars of sociology, sociolinguistics, linguistic anthropology, and gender.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781498516983
Publisher:	Lexington Books
Publication date:	08/20/2015
Pages:	202
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

C. Julie Whitlow is professor of English and coordinator of the graduate program in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages at Salem State University. Patricia J. Ould is professor and chairperson of the Sociology Department at Salem State University.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. Same-Sex Marriage as a Reality in the United States Chapter 2. Methods and Background: The Intersection of Language and Identity Chapter 3. Whether at the Chapel, in the Courthouse, or on the Beach: Why Get Married? Chapter 4. Who Calls Whom Wife? Chapter 5. Navigating Family and Community as a Married Couple Chapter 6. Workplace Politics and Policies Chapter 7. Rebellion, Risks, and Renegotiation Chapter 8. Conclusion: The Evolving Identity of a Lesbian Wife

Editorial Reviews

This fascinating book explores one of the most complicated words around—“wife”—and uses that word to learn how lesbian couples and their friends and family are adapting to marriage.

M.V. Lee Badgett

Whitlow and Ould’s cutting edge in-depth linguistic research with lesbians in same-sex marriages captures an important moment in lesbian feminist history. In crisp prose and with lively story-telling, they capture the fear, excitement, and challenges of breaking linguistic barriers in terms of what we lesbians call our spouses. Linguistic risk-taking is shaping a more equal world.

Patricia Gozemba

Whitlow and Ould make the important point that context and situation often determine what language married lesbians use to describe themselves.

Gay and Lesbian Review

Whitlow and Ould make the important point that context and situation often determine what language married lesbians use to describe themselves.

The Gay & Lesbian Review