Terrell J. A. Winder is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, specializing in the study of race, gender, sexuality, and identity formation. He is the author of Shameless: The Making of Black Gay Identities in LA (New York University Press 2026). His scholarship sits at the intersection of Black studies, queer studies, and urban sociology, with a particular emphasis on how marginalized communities navigate systems of stigma and inequality. Originally from Baltimore, MD, he earned a BA in Comparative Ethnic Studies from Columbia University and his MA and PhD in Sociology from the University of California, Los Angeles.
Winder’s research employs in-depth ethnographic methods, including participant observation, interviews, and media analysis, to examine how Black queer individuals construct identity and community in everyday life. His work highlights the agency, creativity, and resistance of Black queer Americans, challenging dominant narratives that frame them primarily through deficit or risk. His first book, Shameless, offers a groundbreaking account of how young Black queer men in Los Angeles transform stigma into pride and collective belonging. His work contributes to ongoing conversations in sociology, public health, and cultural studies, and is positioned to shape future scholarship on race, sexuality, and urban life.
His research has appeared in academic journals such as Qualitative Sociology, Sociology of Race & Ethnicity, Gender & Society, and the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. Winder’s projects have been funded by the California HIV Research Program and the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Additionally, his work at the intersection of sociology and public health has been covered by the Public Health Post.
In recognition of his scholarship, Winder was selected to receive a Mellon Emerging Faculty Leaders Award from the Institute for Citizens and Scholars (formerly the Woodrow Wilson Foundation). He also was awarded the prestigious Jacquelyne Johnson Jackson Early Career Scholar Award from the Association of Black Sociologists.