Respectably queer diversity culture in LGBT activist organizations - Ward, Jane (Vanderbilt University Press, 2008)
Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002
Includes bibliographical references (pages 165-173) and index
Introduction: the co-optation of diversity -- The mainstreaming of intersectionality: -- Doing identity politics in a diversity culture -- Getting skilled in queer diversity: Christopher Street West -- Celebrating queer diversity: the L.A. gay & lesbian center -- Funding queer diversity: bienestar -- Defying "diversity as usual": queering intersectionality
"Respectably Queer reveals how neoliberal ideas about difference are becoming embedded in the daily life of a progressive movement and producing frequent conflicts over the meaning of "diversity." The author shows how queer activists are learning from the corporate model to leverage their differences to compete with other non-profit groups, enhance their public reputation or moral standing, and establish their diversity-related expertise. Ward argues that this instrumentalization of diversity has increased the demand for predictable and easily measurable forms of difference, a trend at odds with queer resistance." "Ward traces the standoff between the respectable world of "diversity awareness" and the often vulgar, sexualized, and historically unprofessional world of queer pride festivals. She spotlights dissenting voices in a queer organization where diversity has become synonymous with tedious and superficial workplace training. And she shows how activists fight back when prevailing diversity discourses - the ones that "diverse" people are compelled to use in order to receive funding - simply don't fit."--Jacket