Deborah Meem

Deborah T. Meem is a Professor of English and Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS) at the University of Cincinnati, College of Arts & Sciences. She holds a Ph.D. in English Literature from Stony Brook University (1985) and a B.A. from Wellesley College (1971). Her research focuses on Victorian literature, LGBTQ studies, and 19th-century women’s novels. She served as Head of the WGSS Department from 2008–2015 and has co-edited major works like Finding Out: An Introduction to LGBT Studies (2009, 2013, 2017). Her scholarship includes reviving overlooked Victorian author Eliza Lynn Linton and exploring butch/femme dynamics in academia.

Her career includes over three decades at the University of Cincinnati, progressing from Assistant Professor (1984) to full Professor (2004). Awards include the Eric Hoffer Award for Finding Out and the Enduring Spirit Award for scholarly activism. She actively serves on LGBTQ advisory boards, chairs, and community initiatives like the Harriet Beecher Stowe House conferences.

Her teaching spans undergraduate and graduate courses in queer studies, feminist research, and Victorian literature. Key grants include Taft Conference grants for LGBTQ symposia and UC research council funding. She has organized major events like the 2016 'Highsmith: Queer and Now' symposium and contributed to interdisciplinary projects such as the Aunt Lute Anthology series.