Dr. Jason Whitesel

Biography

Jason Whitesel, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology and the Interim Director of the Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Program at Illinois State University. He teaches and researches LGBTQIA2S+ studies and queer theory; fat studies; sociological approaches to critical race studies; gender & sexuality studies; visual culture; and sociology of the body. He uses the theoretical paradigm of intersectionality in conducting qualitative research to examine marginality and privilege in social groups. He has authored Fat Gay Men: Girth, Mirth, and the Politics of Stigma; coedited a journal issue on “Fat Activism”; published in journals and anthologies; appeared on Good Morning America, The Takeaway, and BBC Radio 4’s Thinking Allowed; and he is a longtime member of the Racial, Democracy, Crime and Justice Network.