My interest in the discursive power of the law, inequality, race, and gender is a central component of my larger research agenda.

 

In my content analysis study of the discourse built online by Illinois sex purchasers, I argue that not only is law a central concern to sex purchasers generally, as an ongoing risk, but also that changes in laws and their enforcement create appreciable anxiety and discussion amongst purchasers, who use discussions of the law to buttress their own sense of sexual identity and community.

 

The policy-focused article won the Society for the Study of Social Problems’ Law and Society Division Lindesmith Graduate Student Paper Competition and is currently under review.