Samantha Leigh Allen

Last updated
Samantha Leigh Allen
Born California, U.S.
Occupation
  • Journalist
  • author
NationalityAmerican
Education Brigham Young University
Rutgers University
Emory University (PhD)
Notable works Real Queer America (2019)
Notable awards GLAAD Media Award (2018)

Samantha Leigh Allen is an American journalist and author. Allen worked as a senior reporter for The Daily Beast and now works as Senior Culture Editor at Them. In 2019 she published the nonfiction book Real Queer America: LGBT Stories From Red States .

Contents

Early life and education

Allen was born in California and grew up in New Jersey. [1] She was raised in a conservative, Mormon household. [2] [3] As a young adult she served as a Mormon missionary. [4] She officially left the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 2008 and transferred from Brigham Young University to Rutgers University later that year. [2] [5] She came out as a transgender woman in 2012. [6] [7]

She has a Ph.D. in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies with a certificate in Psychoanalytic Studies from Emory University. [8] [9] She was a recipient of a George W. Woodruff Fellowship while at Emory. [10] In 2013 she received the John Money Fellowship for Scholars of Sexology from the Kinsey Institute at Indiana University Bloomington. [11] In 2014 she was a recipient of the Unsung Heroine Award from the Center for Women at Emory as well as a Transgender Advocate of the Year Award from Emory's Office of LGBT Life. [12]

Career

Allen covered LGBTQ stories as a senior reporter for The Daily Beast and worked as a staff writer for Fusion TV's Sex + Life vertical. [11] [13] She later became a Senior Culture Editor at Them. [14] She has written for The New York Times , Rolling Stone , Out , CNN, and Crosscut.com . [12] Allen has also written for LGBTQ media outlets including Them and Logo TV's NewNowNext as a freelance writer. [15] [16] She also writes a travel newsletter called Get Lost on Substack and co-hosts a podcast about the WNBA called Double W with Laurel Powell. [15]

In 2018 she received the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Digital Journalism Article for her article on the cultural erasure of bisexual men. In 2019 she was nominated for a GLAAD Award her piece on non-binary inclusion in the workplace. [12] In 2018 Allen published Love & Estrogen with Amazon Original Stories, which is a biographical queer romantic comedy about meeting her wife at the Kinsey Institute. [12]

In 2019 she published the biography Real Queer America: LGBT Stories From Red States , which won the Judy Turner Prize for Community Service at the Decatur Books Festival. [12] [17] Her book focuses on LGBTQ communities in Utah, Texas, Indiana, Tennessee, Georgia, and Mississippi. [15] [18] [19] [20]

Allen's first fiction novel, Patricia Wants to Cuddle, was published June 28, 2022 by Zando. It follows the final four contestants on a reality dating show as they encounter a creature named Patricia in the woods on a remote island. [21] [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">LGBT community</span> Community and culture of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people

The LGBT community is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individuality, and sexuality. LGBT activists and sociologists see LGBT community-building as a counterweight to heterosexism, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, sexualism, and conformist pressures that exist in the larger society. The term pride or sometimes gay pride expresses the LGBT community's identity and collective strength; pride parades provide both a prime example of the use and a demonstration of the general meaning of the term. The LGBT community is diverse in political affiliation. Not all people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender consider themselves part of the LGBT community.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Human Rights Campaign</span> LGBTQ civil rights advocacy group

The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) is an American LGBTQ advocacy group. It is the largest LGBTQ political lobbying organization within the United States. Based in Washington, D.C., the organization focuses on protecting and expanding rights for LGBTQ individuals, including advocating for same-sex marriage, anti-discrimination and hate crimes legislation, and HIV/AIDS advocacy. The organization has a number of legislative initiatives as well as supporting resources for LGBTQ individuals.

A "friend of Dorothy" (FOD) is a euphemism for a gay man, first used in LGBT slang. Stating that, or asking if someone is a friend of Dorothy, is a furtive way of suggesting sexual orientation while avoiding hostility. The term was likely based on the character Dorothy Gale of the Oz series of novels, which have been interpreted as including much queer subtext. Actress Judy Garland, who portrayed Dorothy in the 1939 Wizard of Oz film, is considered a gay icon. Writer and critic Dorothy Parker is thought to be another potential origin of the term. The "friend of Dorothy" euphemism was commonly used throughout the 20th century, but its use has declined in recent decades as LGBT acceptance has advanced.

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<i>Real Queer America</i> 2019 non-fiction book by Samantha Allen

Real Queer America: LGBT Stories From Red States is a 2019 nonfiction book written by Samantha Allen. The book documents a road trip Allen took in the summer of 2017 through LGBT communities in conservative parts of the United States, focusing on Utah, Texas, Indiana, Tennessee, Mississippi, and Georgia.

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References

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  21. PATRICIA WANTS TO CUDDLE | Kirkus Reviews.
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