Between Gay and Straight: Understanding Friendship Across Sexual Orientation

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

This is a study of a gay community, a narrative of personal development and change and an exploration of the use of friendship in conducting research. It started as a class project - a young, married, small-town white woman interviewing a gay acquaintance and his circle of friends. This developed into a three year study on the complexities of gay-straight friendships. The study explores sexuality, marriage, lifestyles, and the meanings of friendship, and through it the author develops an understanding of the differences between the gay and straight community, the difficulties of bonding across groups and the rewards of seeking and being the "other" in contemporary society.

Reviews

A resource to some family or friends who are just coming to terms with their son as part of the gay community, or may be a guide to someone who wants to learn how to be a better straight ally. * Pflagpole *
A lively first-person account of her experiences, her husband's and their gay, lesbian and straight friends. -- Richard Ousky * The Graphic, Lake City, Mn *
[This] compelling story... started out as a class projectstudying a community of gay men living in Tampaand ended up a narrative of personal experience, friendship and growth. -- Samantha Puckett * St. Petersburg Times *
The study itself is challenging in that it does not merely involve choosing an object and then "studying" it, but takes friendship as its guiding framework....it does discuss a particular community and a particular woman's responses to it. The is not an attempt at generalizing in the way that readers might expect of more typical research. The book does not deal with political issues, but stays with the personal and interpersonal, wherein lies its strengths. -- Sarah Redshaw, Centre for Cultural Research, Univ of Western Sydney * Forum: Qualitative Social Research *
Tillmann-Healy has written an easy-to-read narrative study that all began when [her husband] Doug started playing softball with a queer friend from work. Clear, compelling and vunerable, this book offers a real-life look at the tests, triumphs and ramifications of friendships between homos and heteros. -- Aaron Hartzler * Instinct *

Author Bio

Lisa M. Tillman-Healy is a recent Ph.D. in communication from University of South Florida and teaches at Rollins College.