Wesley G. Phelps, Ph.D.

Wesley G. Phelps, Ph.D.

Dr. Wesley G. Phelps is an associate professor of history and director of undergraduate studies at the University of North Texas in Denton, where he teaches courses on recent United States history and queer history. He received his Ph.D. in history from Rice University in 2010. His research focuses on how democracy operates at the grassroots level and how marginalized groups of people have struggled to participate in the democratic experiment. His book, A People’s War on Poverty: Urban Politics and Grassroots Activists in Houston, was published by the University of Georgia Press in 2014. Phelps’ new book, titled Before Lawrence v. Texas: The Making of a Queer Social Movement, was published by the University of Texas Press in February 2023. He is also the creator of “Queering the Lone Star State,” a 10-episode podcast series chronicling landmark legal cases in the struggle for queer equality in Texas.