Tina Fetner

Sociologist with expertise on sexuality, activism, and social change.

Tina Fetner is Professor and Chair of the Sociology Department at McMaster University. 

Her research examines the social organization of sexual behaviour. She is the principal investigator for the Sex in Canada multi-method research project that examines sexual behaviour and social attitudes among Canadian adults. Recent publications from this project include analyses of gender inequality in the experience of orgasms in heterosexual sex (Gender & Society), analyses of the impact of feminist identity on sexual behaviour (Archives of Sexual Behavior; Men & Masculinities), and the prevalence of sexual identity-behaviour discordance in Canada—those who identify as heterosexual but participate in sexual encounters with same-gender partners (Canadian Review of Sociology). This project builds upon previous work, including comparative analyses of the change in attitudes toward lesbian and gay people, as well as the uneven growth of Gay-Straight Alliances in high schools.

Her previous projects explored the dynamics of social change relating to sexuality, examining the impact of the opposing activism of LGBT movement and the anti-LGBT activism of the religious right from a historical perspective. Her book, How the Religious Right Shaped Lesbian and Gay Activism, examines the rise of the anti-LGBT religious right in the United States and traces over time how LGBT activists reshaped their movement in response to the threat of this opposing movement. In addition, her historical research comparing the religious right in Canada and the United States uncovers the cultural and political underpinnings of socially conservative religious activism in Canada and the United States. 

Dr. Fetner has been active in professional associations throughout her career. She is the founding co-Chair of SWS-North, the Canadian regional chapter of Sociologists for Women in Society, an international group for sociologists who are committed to resisting gender inequality within and outside the discipline. She has served as President of the Canadian Sociological Association, the governing council of the American Sociological Association, and Chair of the ASA Section on Collective Behavior and Social Movements.