Yip Tuck

One of Laguna Beach's best-known plastic surgeons may need a new leash on life. Unless he's just taking a very long nap on the bench outside Melinda Langston's Bow Wow Boutique . . . Dr. O'Doggle continued to give us the silent treatment. Fluffy eyed him intently. I studied him too. Tova Randall wasn't my BFF, to say the least, but I didn't wish her boyfriend any bad luck. My neighbor, Darby, relaxed her grip on Fluffy's leash. The big Afghan lunged toward Dr. O and knocked him over. Tova's handsome hunk rolled off the bench and dropped with a thud at our feet. Darby gasped. My stomach knotted. "No, no, no." I shook my head. "Not again." I knelt down and shook his shoulders. "Dr. O'Doggle?" I grabbed his suit lapels and yelled, "Jack?" No response. No, "I'm fine." No, "Stop yelling in my face." No, "Get your hands off me." No, no, no. I checked his throat for a pulse. Nothing. But he was still warm. My fingers brushed against something knotted around his throat, and I'm not talking about his tie. I pulled back his shirt for a better look. I sucked in a breath, my nose filled with a light female perfume I didn't recognize. A thin dog leash was wound tightly around his neck. Identical to the kind I sold at the shop. This was not an accident. "Is he . . .?" Darby asked softly. I looked up at her. "Dead. No more late night walks for him."

This collection considers how religious identity interplays with other forms and contexts of identity, specifically those related to sexual identity. It asks how these intersections are formed, negotiated and resisted across time and places, including the UK, Europe, North America, Australia, and the Global South. Questions around ‘queer’ engagements in same-sex marriages, civil partnerships and other practices (e.g. adoption) have created a number of provoking stances and policy provisions – but what remains unanswered is how people experience and situate themselves within sometimes competing, or ‘contradictory’, moments as ‘religious queers’ who may be tasked with ‘queering religion’. Additionally, the presumed paradoxes of ‘marriage’, queer sexuality, religion and youth combine to generate a noteworthy generational absence. This leads to questions about where ‘religious queers’ reside, resist and relate experiences of intersecting religious and sexual lives. In looking at interconnectedness, this collection offers international contributions which bridge the ‘contradictions’ in queering religion and in making visible ‘religious queers.’ It provides insight into older and younger people’s understandings of religiosity, queer cultures, and religious groups. A small but active religious minority in the US has received much attention for its anti-gay political activity; much less attention has been paid to the more positive, supportive role that religious-based groups play in e.g. providing housing, education and political advocacy for queer youth. Queer methodologies and intersectional approaches offer a lens both theoretically and methodologically to uncover the salience of related social divisions and identities. This collection is both innovative and sensitive to ‘blended’ identities and their various enactments.

An inclusive and accessible resource on the interdisciplinary study of gender and sexuality Companion to Sexuality Studies explores the significant theories, concepts, themes, events, and debates of the interdisciplinary study of sexuality in a broad range of cultural, social, and political contexts. Bringing together essays by an international team of experts from diverse academic backgrounds, this comprehensive volume provides original insights and fresh perspectives on the history and institutional regulatory processes that socially construct sex and sexuality and examines the movements for social justice that advance sexual citizenship and reproductive rights. Detailed yet accessible chapters explore the intersection of sexuality studies and fields such as science, health, psychology, economics, environmental studies, and social movements over different periods of time and in different social and national contexts. Divided into five parts, the Companion first discusses the theoretical and methodological diversity of sexuality studies.Subsequent chapters address the fields of health, science and psychology, religion, education and the economy. They also include attention to sexuality as constructed in popular culture, as well as global activism, sexual citizenship, policy, and law. An essential overview and an important addition to scholarship in the field, this book: Draws on international, postcolonial, intersectional, and interdisciplinary insights from scholars working on sexuality studies around the world Provides a comprehensive overview of the field of sexuality studies Offers a diverse range of topics, themes, and perspectives from leading authorities Focuses on the study of sexuality from the late nineteenth century to the present Includes an overview of the history and academic institutionalization of sexuality studies The Companion to Sexuality Studies is an indispensable resource for scholars, researchers, instructors, and students in gender, sexuality, and feminist studies, interdisciplinary programs in cultural studies, international studies, and human rights, as well as disciplines such as anthropology, psychology, history, education, human geography, political science, and sociology.

Understanding Young Buddhists offers a rich analysis of young Buddhists’ lived experiences. It explores their journeying into Buddhism, belief and practice, sexuality, and positioning in diverse social contexts. It demonstrates the resourcefulness of young Buddhists in developing ethics for life.

Presenting qualitative and quantitative findings on the lived experiences of around seven hundred young adults from Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh and mixed-faith backgrounds, Religious and Sexual Identities provides an illuminating and nuanced analysis of young adults’ perceptions and negotiations of their religious, sexual, youth and gender identities. It demonstrates how these young adults creatively construct meanings and social connections as they navigate demanding but exciting spaces in which their multiple identities intersect. Accessible quantitative analyses are combined with rich interview and video diary narratives in this theoretically-informed exploration of religious and sexual identities in contemporary society. A timely investigation revealing the multiplicity of contemporary identities, this book will appeal not only to sociologists and scholars of religion, but also to those working in the fields of youth studies, sexuality, gender and identity.

What are religion and nonreligion? How do fundamentalism and religious radicalization emerge and grow? How do social class, gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, and other factors affect religious beliefs, practices, and organizations? Is religion a fundamental driving force or do political leaders use religion for their own purposes? In exploring these pertinent questions, An Introduction to the Sociology of Religion provides an overview of sociological theories of contemporary religious life. Theoretical discussion is accompanied by presentations of empirical research from several religious traditions in many parts of the world. The sociology of religion is linked closely to developments in general sociology. Some chapters are organized according to topic, while others offer brief presentations of classical and contemporary sociologists from Karl Marx to Patricia Hill Collins and their perspectives on social life, including on religion. This second edition has been thoroughly updated throughout with new chapters on religion and social inequalities, social and religious movements, and extremism. Covering classical sociology of religion as well as contemporary debates and topics, this book is ideal reading for students approaching the sociology of religion for the first time.

Identifying, illuminating and enhancing understanding of key aspects of women and girls' faith lives, The Faith Lives of Women and Girls represents a significant body of original qualitative research from practitioners and researchers across the UK. Contributors include new and upcoming researchers as well as more established feminist practical theologians. Chapters provide perspectives on different ages and stages of faith across the life cycle, from a range of different cultural and religious contexts. Diverse spiritual practices, beliefs and attachments are explored, including a variety of experiences of liminality in women’s faith lives. A range of approaches - ethnographic, oral history, action research, interview studies, case studies and documentary analysis - combine to offer a deeper understanding of women’s and girls' faith lives. As well as being of interest to researchers, this book presents resources to enhance ministry to and with women and girls in a variety of settings.

The relationship between religion and sexuality is often framed as inherently conflictual. But what actually happens when religion and sexuality converge in contemporary contexts? This provocative volume goes beyond the familiar debates over toleration and accommodation to explore the ways in which various forms of religious affiliation and sexual identity do, in fact, co-exist. Drawing on interviews and analyzing media representations, legislation, and public discourse on topics such as education, economics, and same-sex marriage in North America and the United Kingdom, this book foregrounds the complexity and multiplicity of religious and sexual identities and practices.