A STRAIGHT PLAYING FIELD OR QUEERING THE PITCH - CENTRING SEXUALITY IN SOCIAL-POLICY

This article argues that there is a lack of theorizing about sexuality within social policy in what is referred to as the mainstream and mor e surprisingly within feminist social policy. This is particularly sur prising given the presence of sexuality in recent as well as past soci al policies as well as in social theory. The purpose of this article i s not merely to argue that a relationship between sexuality and social policy should be examined but rather to explore and outline the speci fic nature of the relationship and its implications for both sexuality and the discipline of social policy. Specifically, how do prevalent s exuality discourses inform and constitute social policy and what are t he social relations involved in this process? Correspondingly, what ro le does social policy play in constituting what we know to be the 'tru ths' of sexuality? What exclusions and inclusions result from these do minant social relations and discourses when 'played' through social po licy? That sexuality has failed to be analytically incorporated within the discipline of social policy is addressed. First, reasons for the lack of theorizing are explored. Specifically, the historical developm ent of the discipline and the formation of an implicit consensus about what constitute the real concerns of welfare. Second, there is an exa mination of the ways feminist social policy has or has not engaged wit h sexuality. The final section posits an emergent framework for integr ating sexuality into social policy analyses and critiques.