Sex,Truths,and Audiotape: Anonymity and the Ethics of Exposure in Public Ethnography

Abstract

This article discusses ethical issues confronted in The Stranger Next Door, my ethnographic study of a small town divided by a local ballot initiative against gay/lesbian civil rights. Seeking to intervene in public debates about the issue, I wrote a book that was broadly accessible, painting vivid portraits of local activists engaged in this conflict. When the pseudonymous community was “outed” by a review in the statewide newspaper, rightwing activists became incensed, and charged me with compromising their anonymity, among other offenses. Years later, as I reflect upon these accusations, I recognize that some of them have some credence. While public sociological work cannot and should not seek to avoid controversy, I question whether the quest for anonymity in ethnographic research always serves the interests of researchers and their subjects of study.