ATHENS, Ohio (April 9, 2001) -- Internationally acclaimed sociologist and author Michael S. Kimmel will speak Thursday at Ohio University on "Gladiators and Glamour Queens: Gender in America Today."

A professor of sociology at State University of New York (SUNY)-Stony Brook, Kimmel is one of the foremost experts on men and masculinity. He recently addressed the European Parliament and is a consultant to the Swedish government on fatherhood and masculinity issues.

Kimmel will focus his talk on the tensions around gender differences today -- whether these differences are exaggerated at the expense of similarities. He will address the lessons men are taught and the ways in which these lessons often hinder and restrict men in everyday life.

According to Suzanne Hatty, Ph.D., Ohio University professor of social medicine, Kimmel's discussions are as much for women as for men. Hatty describes him as a "pro-feminist man." He has a long history of involvement in the battered women's movement and now advocates the need for men to participate in social change. Kimmel has authored many books, including most recently a history of masculinity in America. At SUNY, he teaches an innovative course examining men's lives from a pro-feminist perspective.

"He's an activist, working toward the social transformation of gender relations," Hatty said. "He's also a very lively commentator who engages his audience in a two-way conversation. He is both provocative and humorous."

Hatty, along with the sociology and anthropology departments and My Sister's Place, the local women's shelter serving a three-county area, invited Kimmel.

The lecture will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 12, in the Irvine Hall auditorium. It is free and open to the public.