James J. Dean received his B.A. from Pomona College and his Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Albany. He teaches Sociology of Sexualities, Gender, Race and Ethnicity, Culture and Social Theory.

His research and teaching focus on the sociology of sexualities, particularly the sociology of heterosexualities. Recent works include a co-authored chapter on gay and lesbian politics in Japan, Mexico and the Netherlands (WW Norton 2004), a review of research on homophobia in the social sciences (Blackwell 2006), a chapter on the sociology of heterosexual identities (Routledge 2007) and an article on gay, lesbian and queer films (Sexualities).

Currently, he is working on a book manuscript from his dissertation on how recent increases in gay and lesbian visibility in the United States are shaping and reshaping heterosexual identities. Based on 60 in-depth interviews with heterosexual Black and White men and women, the manuscript explores the gendered and racial character of heterosexual identities in the context of gay visibility.

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