Bio

Professional Bio

Amy Brainer is an Associate Professor of Women’s & Gender Studies and Director of LGBTQ+ Studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Her first book, Queer Kinship and Family Change in Taiwan, was awarded the Ruth Benedict book prize in queer anthropology. She is currently writing about LGBTQ+ marriage based immigration to the United States. See her recent publications and works in progress here.

Two additional research projects explore (1) the experience of loss through a friend breakup or death of a friend and (2) oral history interviews with directors of women’s, gender, and sexuality studies programs.

At UM-Dearborn, Dr. Brainer is the faculty advisor to Pride and teaches courses on LGBTQ+ Religious Experience; Family Diversity and Power; and other topics. She is the incoming Co-Chair of the Association for Queer Anthropology.

Photo by the original Hotline office in 2012 and in my home office in 2024.

Get a copy of Queer Kinship and Family Change in Taiwan:

Follow this link to order from the publisher. If you cannot afford the cost of the book, please let me know and I will share the PDF with you. If you are in the UK, you can borrow this book for free from the Gender Community Lending Library.

The beautiful cover art was created for this book by artist Dafne Kadai Chan.

Personal Bio

As is true for many researchers, my work and life experiences are intertwined. As a child, I lived in mainland China with my US citizen parents and developed an interest in family migration during this period. I am queer and femme, and navigated the US immigration process with a T (transmasculine) former partner. Like the participants in my current study, I have lost friends and members of my chosen family and recognize some of these losses as turning points in my life. I’m glad to answer questions about my story and how it pertains to my research. I try to practice transparency and vulnerability in my research and teaching.

Endorsement by my niece