Drawing on material from the fields of anthropology, communication studies, linguistics, medicine and psychology, this study begins by revealing the differences between homosexual and heterosexual language, then moves on to explore contemporary issues and debates from the mid-1990s onwards.

Deborah Cameron is a sociolinguist, and currently holds the Ruppert Murdoch Chair of Language and Communication at University of Oxford. Her previous publications include Verbal Hygiene (1995) and The Feminist Critique of Language (1998).

Don Kulick is Professor of Anthropology and director of the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality at New York University. His books include Travesti (1998) and the co-edited Fat

Together, Deborah Cameron and Don Kulick are the authors of Language and Sexuality (2003)

Introduction: Language and Sexuality Part 1: Laying the Foundations. Anti-Languages: Homosexual Slang and Argot. Gayspeak: Language, Identity and Community. Part 2: Contemporary Debates. Sexual Styles and Performances. Heteronorms. The Semiotics of Sex and the Discourse of Desire