"In Sexual Strangers, Shane Phelan addresses long-standing tensions between inclusion and exclusion both in queer politics and in the theory and practice of democratic citizenship. In the process, she offers a compelling case both for 'queering' citizenship and for broadening and deepening our understandings of the possibilities of a truly queer politics." --Martha Ackelsberg, Professor of Government and Women's Studies, Smith College "Shane Phelan's ambitious and highly original new book explores the tensions between citizenship and sexuality. Feminist theory has contributed significantly to the critique of the patriarchal underpinnings of conceptualizations of citizenship. Yet, Phelan rightly observes, 'the connection between heterosexism as a regime and modern citizenship is a new terrain [only] beginning to be explored.' Sexual Strangers is a landmark contribution to this emergent literature." --Kathleen B. Jones, Professor of Women's Studies, San Diego State University "Sexual Strangers is a powerful book that probes contradictory tendencies within the movement of queer citizens for full equality. Shane Phelan brings the work of activists and journalists into productive conjunction with democratic theory, addressing major concerns in political science, lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgendered studies, feminsim, and cultural studies." --Morris B. Kaplan, Associate Professor of Philosophy, Purchase College, State University of New York, and author of Sexual Justice: Democratic Citizenship and the Politics of Desire "Sexual Strangers explores what membership in the American polity might really mean for queers. Informed by recent work in feminist theory and democratic politics, Phelan offers a clear, original, and compassionate argument that addresses issues of longstanding import to minority group politics: the meaning and terms of inclusion, respect, and resistance." --Jodi Dean, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Hobart and William Smith Colleges "Phelan's treatise is a lucid and thoughtful contribution to the literature of gay civil rights." --Q SYNDICATE