Unruly democracy and the privileges of public intimacy: (same) sex spousal hiring in academia.

Within the context of a discussion of lesbian academic couples there is something to be said about the (dis)pleasures and profits of a heteronormative practice such as spousal hiring and how much this privilege reveals the broader systemic discrimination vis-à-vis sexual and gender claims in our academic institutions. Two issues emerge from its (questionable) application: (1) How a privilege such as spousal hiring intersects with institutional policies concerning sexual diversity; and in light of this, (2)Why queer or lesbian couples shouldn't embrace dubious spousal hiring incentives.