This volume investigates how sexual identities and experiences are constructed, performed, and regulated within rural and peripheral geographic spaces. The editors, David Shuttleton, Diane Watt, and Richard C. Phillips, curate a multidisciplinary collection of essays that challenge the urban-centric bias prevalent in contemporary queer theory and sexuality studies. By examining marginal locales, the contributors argue that rural environments possess unique social dynamics that fundamentally shape the expression and visibility of non-normative sexualities.

Scholars in the field of queer geography frequently cite this text for its role in expanding the spatial understanding of sexual identity beyond metropolitan centers. The academic rigor and breadth of the contributions make it a standard reference for researchers focusing on the intersection of rural sociology and gender studies.