Finding Out: An Introduction to LGBTQ Studies

by Deborah T. Meem, Michelle A. Gibson, Jonathan Alexander

The new Third Edition of Finding Out: An Introduction to LGBTQ Studies provides readers with an accessible and riveting introduction to LGBTQ (lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-queer) studies. Designed as a combination of introductory text and reader, Finding Out helps students understand the growth and development of LGBTQ identities and the interdisciplinary nature of sexuality studies. The book combines comprehensive introductory and explanatory material with primary source readings. The authors provide context (from history, literature and the arts, media, politics, and more) to form a coherent framework for understanding the included debates and readings. Going beyond simply providing a historical account, this easy-to-follow text offers an in-depth examination of LGBTQ culture and society--making LGBTQ studies a central part of your course coverage.

Genres: LGBT, Nonfiction, Read For School, Sexuality, Queer, History, Reference

464 pages, Paperback

First published December 9, 2008

About the author

Deborah Meem, Ph.D., is Professor of English and Women's Studies in the University College of Cincinnati.

Reviews

[Olivia's Bookish Places & Spaces · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the main textbook in my LGBT studies class. I have to say it was one of the best textbooks I have ever read! It examines the LGBT community through various lenses. I enjoyed the history, pop-culture and sociology sections the most. This book gave an excellent introduction to LGBT issues, and I would recommend it to everyone!

[Lucie Pelcakova · Rating 5 out of 5]

Krásný úvod a zasvěcení do problémů LGBTQ komunity, přes krátkou historii až po dnešní dobu.

[Bianca Maryanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative and a great introduction to LGBT+ studies. I do wish that it had talked more about trans people and bisexual people and there were a few instances where I think they may have even misgendered someone...I do hope that is taken care of in the next edition. Overall though I think this is a great textbook for anyone looking to understand the evolution of Queer culture.

[Thisnik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, this is a decent textbook for dealing with L & G issues. It also provides some invaluable passages from relevant works of the periods it covers. It provides a good sense of history along the development of current queer identities. However, I found it to be dismissive of bisexual and queer perspectives. It was also downright problematic in its brief treatment of people of trans* identity and experience, dismissive in its attitudes and utilizing pejorative language.

[Sam Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

to say this was a journey would be an understatement!!!! i haven’t read ~academic text~ in a couple of years so i really had to take my time with this one. i’m glad that i did tho!! i now better understand the nuances of LGBT history and it’s developments that led to what we know today. as someone who has never taken a class about this, i really wanted something that gave me a fully realized understanding of the evolution of the community, and this book gave me just that!!

[AZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note: I actually read the second edition, but unfortunately, Goodreads doesn't have it in their library.

Finding Out: An Introduction to LGBT Studies doesn't have much in terms of plot (it's a literal textbook), but the content and quality of information included more than made up for it. It's not just your everyday textbook talking about how LGBTQ+ people were oppressed, and now need to become activists for equal rights. Sure, it has a history of LGBTQ+ people, but what I found most interesting was towards the end of the book; specifically the section on LGBTQ+ people that were also part of other minority groups, LGBTQ+ representation in the media, and how those two are connected.

It's true that back before the Stonewall Riots really kicked off the Western world's LGBTQ+ rights movement, people didn't see much LGBTQ+, or even just gay or vaguely homoromantic content in movies or books. The content that did exist wasn't made to be an accurate example of LGBTQ+ people -- for example, lesbian pulp novels were aimed at a straight male audience. However, even today in our 'advanced' societies and gay rights movements, you mostly have to actively search in order to find books or movies about non-straight and/or cisgendered people. There are still so many stereotypes revolving around LGBTQ+ people, which in itself is fine. Society thrives on the existence of stereotypes, and people like to categorize things into boxes. What's less fine, however, is the idea that you can only belong to one minority group at a time. Oh, you're Hispanic? Looks like you can't be transgender. You said he's gay? God forbid he's of color, then.

It's not just colored people and the LGBTQ+ community either. Poor people, disabled people, non-Christians, even women (which is ridiculous, since they make up 50% of the population) are thought to be less likely to be LGBTQ+ than their white, well-to-do, able-bodied, devotedly Christian, male counterparts. You don't believe it? Try to imagine a bisexual person with Down Syndrome or a poor Latina transgender person. A straight white male (with other factors that most people don't even stop to consider) has already become the norm when guessing people's identities, and you can really only image one, or at most two, of those factors being changed. It's understandable; people can't imagine what they don't know exist, and there hasn't been enough LGBTQ+ representation for us to really get the scope of the whole community.

And these are only the problems in Western countries. If there's not enough representation there, think of all the non-representation happening in third-world countries, or even developed countries, like China. There, homophobia (the hatred or dislike of gay people) runs rampant. Transgender people are hardly even mentioned. Why is it so hard for us to visualize LGBTQ+ people in, say, Africa? It's because nobody really gives any indication that there are LGBTQ+ people living there. Of course, there are LGBTQ+ rights activists from those places that have been trying to get more visibility, but not many are succeeding.

While we're on the topic of visibility, there's a question to address: is visibility in media really a good thing? The obvious answer would be yes, as that means more people are aware of LGBTQ+ rights issues. However, popularity always comes with more people willing to antagonize your ideas. Think of Donald Trump. A lot of people hate him, and with good reason. But if we look beyond his exterior, we'll find that his mindset mirrors that of countless other conservatives. The only reason he's more widely hated, than, say, that one annoying guy named Steve who just won't shut up about white superiority, is because he's famous. If we took Steve and told him to tell everyone his thoughts about important political issues, nobody would really listen and they would just write him off as another infuriatingly close-minded and opinionated individual. We all make an exception for Donald Trump because he's well known and he's someone you can discuss and hate on (or like, no judgments here) freely. If you say, "Gosh, Steve is an idiot -- why does he stand with [insert political figure]'s claim that [insert aforementioned political figure's most well-known ideal]," others will tell you to shut up and not talk about people behind their backs (which is ironic, because politics has pretty much been degraded into talking about people behind their backs when you don't agree with them).

I'm not saying that it's a bad thing that LGBTQ+ people are getting represented and their issues are being made public discussion, but people should be aware that having more visibility also means having more people hate you. If you want to get into the spotlight, you can't complain that it's not making any difference. There'll always be stupid people, and there's nothing you can do about it. LGBTQ+ representation in media, at least in my opinion, is a good thing. Getting all people to realize that we're all human and that Steve's polar opposite, Hannah, can be black, female, autistic, agnostic, homoromantic, and asexual at the same would be a great goal -- one that we'll probably never achieve, but one that we'll keep on trying to reach. Sure, there'll be rough patches, but if you don't try, then how will you succeed?

[Claudia Cortese · Rating 3 out of 5]

I used this textbook in my LGBTIQ+ Studies course. The book is well-written, clear, and organized. It gives an extensive overview of this emerging field, covering a wide range of topics in a short span. I was impressed with the authors' abilities to break down and clearly explain complex historical and theoretical concepts. The book was most successful when discussing issues related to cisgender gay men and lesbians. The book also had an excellent section on bisexual erasure.

However, the books' discussion of trans issues, lives, and experiences was problematic, to say the least. It often used outdated, even transphobic, language and even misgendered trans people. I hope that, for later editions of the book, the authors bring on a trans writer and scholar to help them discuss trans issues and lives with more accuracy.

[Zvjezdana · Rating 3 out of 5]

12 poglavlja, 12 predavanja, 4 mjeseca.
udžbenik za Queer Studies (Brno 2024.)... very eye-opening. made me angry more times than I can count.

[Amy]

Just what it says, a good intro to LGBT studies. Looking forward to more in depth books on LGBT Studies. I think it could have devoted an entire chapter to Bisexuals...but that shouldn't surprise anyone! :)

[Matthew · Rating 1 out of 5]

I liked that it was unstraight

[Jessie Proctor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listen I don’t review textbooks really because who has time for that? But I had to leave a review about how much I despised this textbook.

I had to read this for a class this last semester and I found it to be frustratingly boring and quite outdated even though the last edit was this year? Genuinely almost fell asleep reading several of the extremely long and long winded chapters with words I couldn’t pronounce and sentences I had to reread 4-5 times over to make sense of. Maybe that’s just a me problem though I can almost guarantee it’s not, or maybe it’s just how textbooks are. (Sometimes it’s okay to use small words when you’re trying to “introduce” and teach a new topic.) I found it frustrating that they have the nerve, the gall, the audacity, to call this book “an introduction to LGBTQ” studies. An introduction? Absolutely not. The organization of the chapters was completely all over the place. Why was trans lives and theories in the middle of queer diversities and intersectionality, and why was it in the middle of the textbook? Why was there hardly a mention of bisexuality or asexuality or pansexuality? Why would you not break down the basic/general meaning of each type of sexuality and gender for the reader in the very beginning of the textbook?

I’m so curious if this was read and approved by queer people/queer people of color while it was in the editing stages?

There were definitely some very good things about this book, and I felt it included a lot of thought provoking ideas and concepts for sure! But overall the majority of the textbook was boring, outdated, and I felt it was too long winded and all over the place.

Imo there are better textbooks and better non fiction books about queer people out there, written by queer people, that I would recommend to anyone over this book. If you want to learn more about queer people, this is not the place to start. If you have to read this for a class, my condolences. If you want to read this for fun? Maybe consider something else until this gets the massive modern update it needs. :)

[monika · Rating 3 out of 5]

informative, yet boring. asexuality briefly mentioned, nothing about aromanticism if i don’t count one single table. i’d deem it more important to include also more peripheral groups within the queer community, but welp. it does say lgbt on the front cover, the text however continuously uses lgbtq which then comes across as underwhelming, considering the lack of interest in the “Q” with which the authors work only superficially. one could also ask why bisexuality and the struggle of bisexuals re: their identity is also mentioned seemingly as an afterthought nearing the very end of the book. the chapter about queer diversities stood out the most.

[Nikon Kovalev · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nice introduction. Easily written, it gives a good entry point into the topic. I like how the short chapters are mixed with literary examples. I did found out a lot of useful info about cross-dressing culture in the 18th century, for example. Or the theory that people in Sodom were punished rather for their inhospitality than for their sexual practices. Also, I was glad to find out some early authors or novels in the Renaissance and Victorian era that almost literally defined themselves as homosexual. I thought that homosexual identity emerged relative late but I am glad that I was wrong.

[Tabi · Rating 5 out of 5]

For a book more than 15 years old at the time of my reading, it holds up surprisingly well, with few facts needing updated, and a few word choices are questionable/outdated in today's light.

One of the best written textbooks I've had the pleasure to absorb. The writing style lends itself to more of a standard queer history than a textbook, and the documents included at the end of every chapter were interesting additions to the text, truly highlighting the events discussed.

[Rebecca Lien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This Book and the Class I took to go alongside it was a pivotal moment in my young adult life! The best book I have read on the study of LGBT history, sociology and more. the book covers so many important topics I would suggest every LGBTQ and even the haters read.

Tarot Card- Magician -gothic Tarot - Understanding that opens your mind and you can not un-see

[madeline · Rating 4 out of 5]

read this for my intro to queer studies class. a great read for anyone, not just students! great readings and look into queer history as well. wish it talked about other types of queer identities a little like aro or ace people, or non cis identities, but it’s still great!

[Oliver Zirbel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used for a LGBT Studies degree. Helpful and written well.

[Oliver Zirbel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used for a LGBT Studies degree. Helpful and written well.

[Wuttipol✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐

[Travis Wagner · Rating 2 out of 5]

For a book that is hoping to be the premier text on LGBTQ studies, it is frustratingly dated and this new edition came out within the past year.

[avni a · Rating 3 out of 5]

4 pride month! pretty good but too much white history :/

[Caroline Loves2Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

For inro to sexuality, straightforward and not too jargon-y

[Mika · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 (Please note that I rate books on personal enjoyment and for a non-fiction, read for class book, this is super high.)

Overall, I feel like I learned a lot from the book. It was a decent companion to my class, and helped prepare me for class discussions. If you need a crash course in LG history, works, (with some T incorporated here & there) and a place to start for thinking on 'queer' issues it's great. I didn't agree with like, everything the book posed, but that just helped me discuss. It helped me shape my attitudes into better, more refined, words. In general though, I credit the class as a whole for opening my eyes to so much.

However, though this book covers a range of topics, I was quite put off that there is so...little of the BT in LGBT. There is like...one chapter on queer diversity that has a specific small paragraph on bisexuality. Explicitly, there is little of me in this book.

Alas.

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. For being published in 2018, my professor pointed out many inaccuracies. For example, the book continuously used “transgendered”..Some historical inaccuracies (first woman-to-woman on TV kiss), and still seems as though gays and lesbians are the main focus.

However, this is an introduction. And I feel this is exactly that. I still managed to learn a lot. Without any prior background knowledge, this book could certainly be overwhelming.

[Nelson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent textbook for introducing LGBT studies to undergraduates, love it! My students have really enjoyed reading it!!

[Deedee]

I don't normally log textbooks, but I read this whole thing so I figured it was worth it.