Reinventing the Male Homosexual The Rhetoric & Power of the Gay Gene

Reinventing the Male Homosexual: The Rhetoric and Power of the Gay Gene examines the assumption that embracing the biological research on homosexuality is a viable political strategy for the gay rights movement. The biological argument for gay rights is treated as a "bio-rhetoric," a means of incorporating scientific research into public debates. The book investigates the biological research on which this gay rights argument is based, and explores how male homosexuality is conceptualized in the fields of behavioral genetics, neuroendocrinology, sociobiology, and evolutionary psychology. Robert Alan Brookey demonstrates that most biological research begins with the assumption that male homosexuality is a state of physical effeminate pathology. Although biological research may seem to support a pro-gay rights agenda, the same research can actually be used to support conservative political interests.

Robert Alan Brookey is an assistant professor in the Department of Communication at Northern Illinois University. His research examines how social norms regarding sexuality and gender are produced in scientific discourse and popular culture. His work has appeared in Critical Studies in Media Communication, Communication Studies, and the International Journal of Sexuality and Gender Studies.

Contents

Acknowledgments

1. Rights, Choice, and the Appeal of Biology

2. The sociopsychological theories of male homosexuality

3. Behavioral Genetics

4. Neuroendocrinology

5. Sociobiology/Evolutionary Psychology

6. Beyond the "Gay Gene"

Notes

References

Index