
Sexual Deceit
The Ethics of Passing
Kelby Harrison(Author)
Lexington Books (Publisher)
Published on 26. February 2015
Book
Paperback/Softback
230 pages
978-1-4985-1128-5 (ISBN)
Description
Sexual Deceit is an extended ethical analysis of the phenomenon of sexual identity passing - i.e. socially presenting as X, when one understands oneself as Y, where the variables represent any contemporary sexual identity - alongside identity passing in the contexts of race, gender, and briefly, religion and class. The analysis of passing utilizes and challenges traditional moral understandings of identity falsification, complicating our understandings of moral obligations under systemic oppression. Tracing the intervention of social construction theory on contemporary political understandings of LGBT communities and activism, Sexual Deceit argues against social construction models of identity - notably performativity, promulgated by the work of Judith Butler and consumed and repeated by many scholars and theory educated queer people. A new model of identity is constructed, based on a phenomenological concept of style that provides for a socially adjustable yet rooted notion of sexual identity. The ethical implications of sexual identity passing are considered in the context of eschatological images of social justice and within practical matters such as military service, leadership, and sexual harassment law.
Reviews / Votes
Sexual Deceit: The Ethics of Passing shows an excellent understanding and command of the scholarship on the issues. This is particularly notable because the approaches of what I will call traditional philosophy and of queer theory are very different, and it can seem to readers as if they are speaking different languages. The author not only handles the different approaches/traditions well, but also combines their insights, key concepts, and important arguments in developing an ethical theory the author calls "Gayness as Practical Identity," or just "Gayness." And this serves as an ethical theory that can be applied to many issues in addition to passing. I think that this theory, which I will call a theory of gay ethics is an important contribution to ethics and LGBT studies. -- Mark Chekola, Minnesota State University Moorhead A useful study of the ever more complicated matters of passing, closeting, outing, and the like. As sex/gender issues evolve, these questions and the importance of how to approach them justly only increase. Specialized work that will evoke necessary discussion. * Water Women's Alliance *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing Plc
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
343 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4985-1128-5 (9781498511285)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
03/2013
1st Edition
Lexington Books
€48.99
Available for download
Person
Kelby Harrison has a Ph.D. in philosophical ethics, gender and sexuality from Northwestern University. From 2010 to 2012 she was the social ethics post-doctoral fellow at Union Theological Seminary. She is the co-editor of Passing/Out: Sexual Identity Veiled and Revealed, an intergenerational, interdisciplinary, and intersubjective anthology on issues of sexual identity closeting and revelation.
Content
Introduction: Many Have Passed; Some Have Failed
Chapter 1: Passing in Abstraction: The Theoretical Organization of Passing
Chapter 2: The Good, The Bad, and The Oppressed: Ethical Considerations
Chapter 3: Thoughtfully Produced Sexuality: Sexology and The Queer Academy
Chapter 4: Those Shoes Look Pretty Gay, Or at Least Bi-Curious: Style and Sexual Identity Passing
Chapter 5: Political Pervasity: Queer Sexuality and the Moral Majority
Chapter 6: Practicing to Preach: Gayness as a Practical Identity
Conclusion: Social and Legal Implications of Sexual Deceit
Bibliography
Chapter 1: Passing in Abstraction: The Theoretical Organization of Passing
Chapter 2: The Good, The Bad, and The Oppressed: Ethical Considerations
Chapter 3: Thoughtfully Produced Sexuality: Sexology and The Queer Academy
Chapter 4: Those Shoes Look Pretty Gay, Or at Least Bi-Curious: Style and Sexual Identity Passing
Chapter 5: Political Pervasity: Queer Sexuality and the Moral Majority
Chapter 6: Practicing to Preach: Gayness as a Practical Identity
Conclusion: Social and Legal Implications of Sexual Deceit
Bibliography