The last twenty five years has seen the introduction and expansion of studies concerning
intersectionality. Intersectionality is claimed by some authors as a central aspect of
feminist thinking, one which has transformed the conceptualisation of gender in research
(Shields 2008). As is well rehearsed, intersectionality theory grew out of a critique of
models of inequality which framed social forces as operating in layered or additive ways
(Shields 2008). Intersectionality can be used as ‘a method for interrogating the
institutional reproduction of inequality, whether at the level of the state, the family, or of
legal structures more generally’ (Grabham et al 2009: 1). This more structural form of
intersectionality thinking moves analysis away from the individualising approaches that
have been criticised by authors such as Conaghan (2009). Such an approach would have
purchase in developing understandings of inequality, identity and difference in the area of
sexuality; an area which has been relatively neglected within the field of intersectionality
studies.
A review of the literature demonstrates the way in wh