Drawing on an international range of examples to illustrate key points, this book addresses the questions of: • how language categorizes the gender/sexuality world in both grammar and interaction; • how speakers display, create, and orient to gender, sexuality, and desire in interaction; • how and why people display different ways of speaking based on their gender/sexual identities. The second edition has been fully updated and now includes new sections on political discourse and social media, more discussion questions, and new extensive online resources with student activities and instructor materials. Aimed at students with no background in linguistics or gender studies, this book is essential reading for anyone studying language, gender, and sexuality for the first time.