Janeanne Levenstein (she/they) is a PhD Candidate in the Sports Studies subtrack of American Studies at the University of Iowa, where they also earned their MA and a Graduate Certificate in Gender, Women’s and Sexuality Studies. Janeanne’s work draws upon feminist, queer, and trans studies approaches in combination with critical sports studies. Currently, their research is focused on the sport of ultimate frisbee in the United States and its racialized and gendered contours within the contemporary socio-political landscape.

In 2022, Janeanne was the recipient of the Barbara Brown Outstanding Student Paper Award from the North American Society for the Sociology of Sport, for her paper: “What does ‘Big Gay Megan’ Rapinoe Have to Apologize for Anyway? Rethinking the Female Apologetic Through Post- and Popular Feminism.” Their work has been published in the Sociology of Sport Journal.

Janeanne works as a Teaching Assistant within the Department of American Studies and has a background in facilitation, experiential learning, and sports coaching.

Research Interests: 

• Critical studies of sport, gender, and sexuality
• Feminist, queer, and trans theories/methods
• Embodiment and affect