Please see below a call for papers for a panel at the 2024 American Studies Association:

The last few years have seen a resurgence in conservative political activism concerned with protecting children from queer and trans adults. Parents and politicians around the country are passing homophobic and transphobic legislation. These include laws aimed at prohibiting children from attending Drag shows (Tennese), the “Don’t Say Gay Bill” (Florida), and restrictions on trans student athletes in school sports (24 states). These contemporary iterations, of course, have historical precedents, such as Anita Bryant’s “Save Our Children” or The Briggs Initiative to fire gay teachers. Although mobilized to different ends, liberals have been equally as guilty of using the discourse of child protection to advance various political projects that may have nefarious and complicated outcomes—for example, pushing for legislation that criminalizes bullying (in the name of queer and trans youth) which ends up fueling the school to prison pipeline. This panel welcomes papers that employ intersectional feminist, queer, and trans historical and theoretical methods to draw connections between the broad topics of child protection and American sex panics.

Interested panelists should email inquiries and abstracts by February 9th 2024.