This thesis addresses the concept of the contemporary muse in the work of six late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century women poets. In my introduction, I detail the history of the muse in literary tradition. I examine the problems that the gendered dynamic of poet/muse presented, by restricting women to a passive, inspiring role. I argue that, due to these problematic aspects, contemporary feminist criticism of the woman poet’s muse has often elided the homoerotic desire and power-play that structures these relationships. To rectify this, I focus on contemporary, living muse figures. I emphasise why these kinds of figures (as opposed to dead, historical or mythological muses) were particularly inspiring to women poets in the late-nineteenth/early-twentieth centuries. I also address the specific ethical dilemmas of claiming a living muse. My four main chapters detail and theorise the dynamics between poets and their contemporary muses: Michael Field and Bernard Berenson; Olive Custance and Lord Alfred Douglas; Amy Lowell and Eleonora Duse/Ada Russell; and H.D. and Bryher. My conclusion draws these individual studies together to emphasise their illuminating similarities, including the increased fluidity between the roles of poet/muse, destabilisation of gender categories, and the presence of a third term that mediates the muse/poet relationship.

Thesis (B.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Humanities, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-60). / by Rebecca Widom. / B.S.

Lesbians of color exemplify persons with multiple, marginalized identities. Scholars theorize that they are susceptible to racist, heterosexist, and sexist discrimination. Given the multiple pathways of discrimination, scholars postulate that lesbians of color are susceptible to adverse mental health outcomes, such as depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorders, and decreased life satisfaction (Williams and Williams-Morris, 2000). However, most literature on lesbians of color and mental health is primarily theoretical or conceptual while empirical evidence is limited. Further, the scant literature on lesbians of color that exists primarily explore Black and/or Latina lesbians, while very little is known about the mental health of Asian American and Native American lesbians. The purpose of my research study was to explore how Asian American lesbians' mental health is affected by the convergence of multiple societal oppressions such as racism, heterosexism, and sexism (N=167). Additionally, I explored how both enculturation and unsupportive social interactions among Asian American lesbians moderates the relationship between mental health and perceived experiences with racism, heterosexism, sexism. Perceived experiences with racist, heterosexist, and sexist events were each measured by Asian American Racism-Related Stress Inventory (AARRSI; Liang, Li, and Kim, 2004), Heterosexist Harassment, Rejection, and Discrimination Scale (HHRD; Szymanski, 2006), and Schedule of Sexist Events (SSE; Klonoff and Landrine, 1995), respectively. To measure each moderator, level of enculturation and unsupportive social interactions, the study utilized Asian Values Scale (AVS; Kim et al., 1999) and Unsupportive Social Interactions Inventory (USII; Ingram, Betz, et al., 2001), respectively. Lastly, mental health outcomes were measured by Mental Health Inventory (MHI; Veit and Ware, 1983). Correlation analysis and multiple regression analyses evaluated the relationship among these variables. Results indicated that heterosexist events uniquely predicted mental health, unsupportive social interactions were predictive of mental health, and unsupportive social interactions significantly moderated the relationship between perceived experiences with racism and mental health. Limitations and implications future research and clinical practice are discussed.

Conflicting literature exists for the relationship between first disclosure, outness, sexual minority identity, and mental health among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals. That is, while the relationship between LGB identity and mental health has been relatively consistently positive in the literature, the relationship between outness and mental health is more mixed. In addition, the way these constructs differ among race, sex, and sexual orientation are rarely examined. The present study examined the complex relationship between first disclosure, outness, identity, and mental health among 192 lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals collected from an online sample. The study explored differences on these variables by biological sex, race, age, and sexual orientation. The major findings revealed that bisexual males have less developed sexual minority identities and view their identities less positively than do lesbian, gay, and bisexual female individuals. In addition, bisexual individuals overall are less out and come out later for the first time in comparison to lesbian and gay individuals. In terms of race, Caucasians have a stronger and more positive view of their sexual identity in comparison to individuals of color. It was also found that individuals in later stages of sexual identity development experienced a more positive view of their sexual identity. In terms of mental health, it was revealed that a stronger sexual identity was related to better mental health. Greater degree of outness was found to overall have a moderately positive impact on mental health, though age of first disclosure of sexual minority status was, overall, not associated to measures of identity or mental health. When examined more closely, outness had a more complex, dual impact on mental health. Specifically, outness was found to have both positive and negative consequences for mental health, with identity development accounting for the positive aspects of outness. Directions for future research and implications for clinicians are also discussed.

Lesbians continue to be an invisible, stigmatized group in the United States, and as a result, engage in sexual identity management strategies to conceal and reveal their sexual identity across several different contexts. The experiences of sexual minorities in the workplace is one domain that has garnered scholars' recent attention, especially as it relates to sexual orientation disclosure; however, the unique experiences of lesbians' management of their sexual identity remains underexplored. Furthermore, while scholars assert that there is most likely an association between lesbians' disclosure of their sexual orientation in the workplace and their intimate relationship, this remains unclear. As such, the present study investigated antecedents and outcomes of sexual orientation disclosure in the workplace among a sample of 201 self-identified lesbians in the context of their intimate relationship. As hypothesized, a multiple linear regression revealed that the higher prevalence of affirming organizational policies and practices, less perceived treatment discrimination towards sexual minorities in the workplace, lower levels of internalized homophobia, and greater relationship commitment was associated with the use of greater sexual identity management strategies that reveal a lesbian's identity in the workplace. A multivariate General Linear Model (GLM) was utilized to assess the outcomes of sexual orientation disclosure in the workplace among lesbians. As expected, the use of greater sexual identity management strategies that reveal a lesbian's identity was positively associated with higher levels of psychological well-being and relationship satisfaction. Contrary to what was predicted, the use of sexual identity management strategies was not significantly associated with job satisfaction, and possible explanations for this finding are addressed. Furthermore, two simple linear regression analyses revealed that greater relationship commitment was associated with bringing one's partner to work-related events and bringing one's partner to work-related events was associated with greater relationship satisfaction. This study improves present understanding of lesbians' experiences of sexual orientation disclosure in the workplace. The findings are useful for organizations and practitioners in their pursuits to better understand their lesbian employees and clients, and will hopefully motivate other researchers in the field who are interested in contributing to the growing literature in this area. Limitations and implications for theory, research, practice, and training are discussed.

Taiwanese lesbians have been found to utilize screening tests for breast cancer at lower rates when compared to women in general in Taiwan. However, there is a lack of evidence regarding the factors which influence Taiwanese lesbians' breast healthcare behaviour and intentions. A two-phase sequential exploratory mixed-methods study was employed to explore the factors influencing Taiwanese lesbians' breast healthcare behaviour and intentions, including semi-structured interviews and an online survey. Taiwanese women aged 20 years or above and who self-identified themselves as lesbians or as partnered with the same gender were targeted and recruited, using purposive and snowball sampling. Thirty-seven semi-structured interviews were conducted initially. According to the interview findings and two existing health psychology models (the health belief model and the theory of reasoned action), a questionnaire was developed and an online questionnaire survey was undertaken with a larger population. A total of 284 women completed the online survey. The findings showed that the lesbians' breast healthcare behaviour and intentions were directly or indirectly affected by their gender identity, gender role expression, patient-provider interaction and partners' support. In addition, it was also found that the lesbians may share similar views about breast cancer and breast cancer screenings, self-efficacy and cues to action with women in general in Taiwan. Some of these factors had an important effect on the lesbians' breast healthcare behaviour and/or intentions, in particular the perceived barriers to performing and/or having breast cancer screenings, the perceived susceptibility to breast cancer, self-efficacy and cues to action. Based on the PhD findings and social-ecological model, four levels of recommendations were proposed in order to encourage Taiwanese lesbians' utilization of breast cancer screenings and to promote their breast health.

This research investigates the intersection of ageing, gender, class and sexual identity with a particular focus on the role of same-sexuality social groups and networks for older lesbians and bisexual women. Thirty-five women aged between 57 and 73 were interviewed about a range of topics including what it was like to come out in the 1950s and 1960s, their education and employment, their feelings about ageing, whether they had been lonely or isolated and their experiences of attending groups for lesbians and bisexual women. The research found that many participants experienced feelings of being ‘out of place’ that were not to do with financial or structural inequalities but were culturally and socially shaped by aspects of their social mobility, generation, gender and sexuality. Using an intersectional approach, I draw on Bourdieu’s work, using the concept of habitus dislocation to consider the contradictions of these mobilities. I suggest that many of my participants faced unprecedented and unique disjunctures between their original habitus and the new classed, sexual and gendered locations in which they finally ‘arrived’. The research indicates that participants’ friendships and families of choice, as well as the social groups they have created and attended across the life course, have had an important role to play in helping to alleviate the feelings of difference that are a consequence of multiple mobilities. For many participants they are sites of resilience and help to promote positive ageing, offering a sense of belonging to a generation of lesbian and bisexual women who have faced marginalisation across their life course. However, they are also locations of hierarchy and privilege, where some are excluded or precariously positioned. This study offers a unique view of habitus dislocation as a consequence of multiple mobilities across the life course of a generational cohort of women, often under-represented or absent from sexualities research. It makes an important contribution to the literature on lesbian, gay and bisexual ageing that focuses solely on loneliness and isolation and the significance of social support.

Lai Yuen-ki. / Thesis submitted in: October 2003. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves p. 144-146). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter Chapter One - --- Introduction --- p.1 / "What is a ""TB""?" --- p.2 / The cultural context of Hong Kong --- p.6 / Research question --- p.8 / Literature review --- p.9 / Background of the study --- p.16 / Persistent display of masculinities --- p.16 / Fluidity of TB/TBG role-play --- p.23 / Methodology --- p.29 / Chapter Chapter Two - --- The lesbian community --- p.33 / "Identity change from ""tomboy"" to ""TB""" --- p.34 / The lesbian community in Hong Kong --- p.39 / Ethnicity --- p.40 / Lesbian pubs --- p.41 / Lesbian service groups --- p.48 / Lesbian websites --- p.51 / Influence of the lesbian community on TBs´ةmasculinities --- p.56 / Common features of TBs' bodies --- p.56 / Identifying as a TB --- p.62 / Diversity within the lesbian community --- p.71 / Identity --- p.71 / Sexuality --- p.73 / Summary --- p.80 / Chapter Chapter Three - --- Negotiation between TBs and the society --- p.83 / The mini-society: the workplace --- p.84 / Insisting masculinity in the workplace --- p.84 / Femininity in the workplace --- p.91 / Naturalization of TBs´ةmasculinities --- p.102 / Negotiation between TBs and the society --- p.102 / The lesbian community as buffer --- p.104 / Summary --- p.106 / Chapter Chapter Four - --- Negotiation between TBs and the lesbian community --- p.108 / The discourse of sex in Hong Kong --- p.109 / Expectations imposed on TBs --- p.111 / TBs' sexual pleasures --- p.112 / Power dynamics in sex --- p.113 / Negotiation between TBs and the lesbian community --- p.116 / Interchanging sex roles --- p.116 / Role conflict --- p.118 / Role-segregation and audience-segregation --- p.121 / Negotiation process: resistance and conformity --- p.122 / Fluid sexual relationship --- p.123 / Using the sex service --- p.124 / Casual sex with a man --- p.128 / Masturbation --- p.130 / Summary --- p.132 / Chapter Chapter Five - --- Conclusion --- p.134 / Personal reflections --- p.134 / An overview --- p.137 / Limitations --- p.139 / Further implications --- p.141 / Bibliography --- p.144

The 1951 Refugee Convention aims to provide international legal protection to all asylum seekers. Individuals making asylum claims based on persecution which relates to their sexual orientation however are not explicitly represented in Article 1A (2) of the Convention. As a consequence, cases based on sexual orientation are usually argued under the ‘membership of a particular social group' category, a classification which has long remained the most contested of the Refugee Convention grounds for granting asylum. This thesis focuses on the experiences of lesbian women as they navigate the UK asylum process. The research explores how sexuality is constructed and performed as women seek asylum as well as how this impacts upon their social and sexual identity. A theoretical framework for the study is principally (though not exclusively) drawn from the works of Judith Butler (1990, 2004, 2006) and Michel Foucault (1978, 1979), as well as Ken Plummer's (1995) ‘telling sexual stories'. The research draws upon in-depth, repeat interviews with eleven lesbian asylum seekers and refugees in the UK. These women all reported to have experienced physical and sexual violence in their home countries as a consequence of their homosexuality and all had sought international protection in the UK on the basis of their sexuality. The analysis presented in this thesis reveals that the experience of going through the UK asylum process was, for the women in this study, an emotionally challenging and confusing experience. As a consequence of women's traumatic experiences in their home countries, they were often over familiar with secrecy which added to the difficulties of self-identifying as a lesbian in the UK. The legal requirement to evidence and ‘prove' one's sexual orientation was considered problematic and frequently left women feeling compelled to ‘perform' their sexual identity in order to be believed as a credible lesbian. In addition the analysis presented demonstrates that the requirement to share intimate narratives on demand and in an open and public way had a range of significant implications on women themselves. This included how women felt that their sexuality was persistently judged and the devastating impact of not being believed. This thesis also shows how navigating complex legal procedures impacts upon women's social and sexual identity. The study demonstrates that living in limbo, without permanency and stability exacerbated women's experiences of social isolation and rejection and left them occupying a distinct social space, excluded from British, asylum seeking and migrant groups. Despite these struggles however, the data presented in the thesis also reveals women's ability to recognise, fight and campaign for their legal citizenship and to enjoy the freedom to express their sexual identity and sexual self-esteem. The desire to create a safe space, to understand their sexuality and to re-construct a sense of belonging was paramount as women fought for their sexual entitlements.

Em nossa sociedade, a relação heterossexual ainda parece ser a única possibilidade legitimada para formação de um casal ou até mesmo de uma família. Porém, é cada vez maior o número de pessoas que desafia os discursos normativos presentes e busca a constituição de parcerias afetivo-sexuais com outras de seu próprio sexo, muitas vezes associando essas parcerias à experiência da parentalidade, seja com filhos biológicos ou adotivos. Com as crescentes discussões sobre os direitos sexuais reprodutivos e com o surgimento de novos arranjos familiares, entre eles o formado por casais homossexuais, começa-se a desconstruir o modelo ideal de família nuclear e abre-se caminho para discussão de temas como a maternidade lésbica. Este trabalho pretende contribuir com o debate da homoparentalidade, procurando demonstrar as especificidades existentes entre essas mulheres e suas formas de construir sua cidadania íntima dentro do contexto heteronormativo da sociedade brasileira. Para tanto, foi traçado o seguinte objetivo geral: compreender as concepções sobre a parentalidade de mulheres lésbicas que buscam a gravidez por meio de doadores de sêmen, sejam eles conhecidos ou desconhecidos. O estudo proposto baseia-se nos pressupostos da pesquisa qualitativa, como forma de privilegiar os discursos dos sujeitos como fonte de informação. Doze mulheres lésbicas aceitaram participar do estudo e foram entrevistadas entre os anos de 2009 e 2011. Os dados foram transcritos, organizados e analisados. A partir dos resultados, foi possível perceber que a vivência da maternidade por parte das mulheres lésbicas depende de fatores diversos como o histórico-cultural, o social, o jurídico-legal, o econômico e os relacionados às políticas públicas, além, é claro, da história de vida de cada uma dessas mulheres. Desta forma, para a mulher assumir a homossexualidade em uma sociedade heteronormativa e, ao mesmo tempo, optar pela maternidade, é necessário percorrer um árduo caminho, onde uma das saídas parece ser a luta pela cidadania plena e consolidação dos direitos humanos. Isto aponta para a importância de se abordar o tema em estudos e discussões acadêmicas com outras esferas da política pública e da vida social, incluindo a saúde pública / In our society, the heterosexual relationship still appears to be the only legitimate form to be a couple or to be a family. However, an increasing number of people who challenge the normative discourse are seeking for same-sex partnerships, often associating these partnerships to the experience of parenting, with biological or adoptive children. The increasing discussions about reproductive and sexual rights and the emergence of new family arrangements, including the one formed by homosexual couples, began to deconstruct the ideal model of nuclear family and its opens up the way for new discussions such as lesbian motherhood. This study intend to contribute to the homoparenthood debate, by demonstrating the specificities between these women and their ways to construct an intimate citizenship within the context of Brazilian heternormative society. To do so, the following overall aim was: to comprehend the parenthood concepts of lesbian women who seek pregnancy through known or unknown semen donor. The proposed study is based on the assumptions of qualitative research, which means that the subjects discourse was the source of information. Twelve lesbians were interviewed between the years 2009 and 2011. The data were transcribed, organized and analyzed. From the results, it was revealed that the motherhood experience by lesbians depends on several factors such as historical, cultural, social, juridical, legal, economic, public policies, and, of course, the personal history of each of these women. Thus, for women who come out as a lesbian in a heteronormative society and at the same time, opt for motherhood, they have a hard road to face. The solution seems to be to struggle for citizenship and human rights consolidation. So, its important working up this issue in academic studies and to discuss with other spheres of public policy and social life, including public health