The die-off of romance among the younger generations (Millennials and Gen-Z) is palpable. But what if I told you that the trends we are witnessing with young people today began under their parents’ (Gen X and Boomer) and even their grandparents’ (Silent) generations? Drs. Sabrina Strings and Serene Khader will discuss the little-known crusade during the mid-20th century movement era (~1950s-1980) to undo romance as a backlash to feminism. Initiated by white male media moguls, men were advised against commitment unless to the “highest” type of woman. Later, many Black male entertainers would ally themselves to the cause—an unexpected consequence of racial integration. Together, their efforts resulted in an explosion of men who are wary of serious relationships with women, especially women who are neither rich nor white, the so-called “fuckboys.” This scintillating conversation will center research done for Dr. Strings’ latest book, The End of Love: Racism, Sexism and the Death of Romance, and find connections to Dr. Khader’s new book Faux Feminism: Why We Fall for White Feminism and How We Can Stop.

To reserve a copy of Sabrina String’s The End of Love: Racism, Sexism, and the Death of Romance (Beacon Press, January 21, 2025, paperback, $18.95) and/or Serene Khader’s Faux Feminism: Why We Fall for White Feminism and How We Can Stop (Beacon Press, October 29, 2024, harcover, $28.95) please write to us at contact@bgsqd.com with “please reserve a copy of End of Love and/or Faux Feminism for Feb. 14 event” in the subject line.

Thank you for supporting the Bureau by purchasing books from us!

This event will take place in person at the Bureau of General Services—Queer Division, on the second floor (room 210) of The LGBT Community Center, 208 W. 13th St., NYC, 10011.

Registration is not required. Seating is first come, first served.

Also live-streaming on the Bureau’s YouTube channel:

youtube.com/@bgsqd

The Bureau will solicit donations at the beginning of the event—we especially encourage donations from those who do not plan to purchase any books.

All are welcome to attend, with or without a donation.

We will pass a bag for donations at the start of the event, but we can also take credit card donations at the register or on Venmo @BGSQD

Dr. Sabrina Strings is Professor and North Hall Chair of Black Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research examines race, gender, and embodiment in science, media, and medicine. She has been featured in dozens of venues, including BBC News, NPR, Huffington Post, NowThis!, Essence, Vogue, The Washington Post, TIME, and The New York Times. She is the author of the award-winning book Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia (NYU 2019). Her second book, The End of Love: Racism, Sexism & the Death of Romance was released with Beacon Press (2024). Find her on the Netflix docuseries The Black Beauty Effect, and the CNN Original Series TV on the Edge: Moments that Shaped Our Culture, now streaming on HBO Max. Follow her latest moves on Twitter @Sastrings, and IG @YoginiBlack.

Dr. Serene Khader holds the Jay Newman Chair in Philosophy of Culture at Brooklyn College and is Professor of Philosophy and Women’s and Gender Studies at the CUNY Graduate Center. Her new book, Faux Feminism: Why We Fall for White Feminism and How We Can Stop (Beacon 2024), sets out to explain what makes white feminism wrong, why it’s so easy to end up supporting it, and what feminists might believe in instead. She argues that faux feminisms are rooted in the misunderstanding that feminism is about individual freedom, rather than opposition to group-based hierarchy. It has been called “a page-turner” by “Chandra Talpade Mohanty, “well-researched, compellingly written, and passionately argued,” by Kirkus reviews, and “a marvelous and essential read” by Rafia Zakaria.