Miller

Lisa R. Miller

Associate Professor of Sociology, Eckerd College

About Lisa

Miller studies gender; sexualities; aging; families; and health. Her most recent research examines how dating and sex vary and unfold across of the life course. Some of her past research examines Americans’ attitudes toward lesbian and gay couples. With her collaborator; Eric Anthony Grollman; she also examines the linkages between discrimination and health among the transgender population. She views undergraduate classrooms as an important place to educate people about social inequality and oppression. She also regularly seeks out media coverage for her research and tries to make research accessible to the public. 

 

Contributions

Discrimination as an Obstacle to Wellbeing for Transgender Americans

  • Eric Anthony Grollman

No Jargon Podcast

In the News

Opinion: "Americans Support Partnership Benefits for Same-Sex Couples, but are Less Positive towards Marriage Rights and Showing Affection in Public," Lisa R. Miller (with Long Doan and Annalise Loehr), London School of Economics Blog, January 8, 2015.
Research discussed by Kim Geiger, in "Many Straight People Back Legal Rights for Gay Couples but Reject PDA," Chicago Tribune, November 20, 2014.
Research discussed by Tom Jacobs, in "Gays Rights are Great, but Ixnay on the PDAs," Pacific Standard, November 20, 2014.
Research discussed by Jenny Kutner, in "More Love, More Rights," Salon, August 18, 2014.
Research discussed by "Lesbian, Gay 'in Love' Couples Viewed Differently," Business Standard, August 16, 2014.

Publications

"The Social Costs of Gender Nonconformity for Transgender Adults: Implications for Discrimination and Health" (with Eric Anthony Grollman). Sociological Forum 30, no. 3 (2015): 809-831.

Uses the National Transgender Discrimination Survey (NTDS). Finds that transgender people who are more frequently “read” as transgender are more likely to face discrimination and, in turn, worse health.

"The Power of Love: The Role of Emotional Attributions and Standards in Heterosexuals’ Attitudes toward Same-Sex Couples" (with Long Doan and Annalise Loehr). Social Forces 94, no. 1 (2015): 401-425.

Uses nationally representative experimental survey data. Finds that gay couples are perceived as less loving than heterosexual and lesbian couples, and that gay couples deemed less loving are, in turn, less likely to be granted the right to display affection in public or marry.

"Formal Rights and Informal Privileges for Same-Sex Couples: Evidence from a National Survey Experiment" (with Long Doan and Annalise Loehr). American Sociological Review 79, no. 6 (2014): 1172-1195.

Uses nationally representative experimental survey data. Finds that Americans are equally willing to grant heterosexual and same-sex couples formal rights (i.e., partnership benefits), but they are less willing to grant lesbian and gay couples informal privileges (i.e., public displays of affection).