An emerging body of research is paying a particular attention into the family life of lesbian mothers who live in Latino countries. These studies have revealed how the cultural understandings of gender, sexuality and homophobia and the political/legal context have constrained the family experiences of Latina lesbian mothers. Notwithstanding, these studies have failed to recognize possible linkages between religious discourses and family of origin influences on understandings of lesbian motherhood within a Latino context. Latino societies hold a strong Christian religious heritage, with the Catholic Church being historically influential on national legislation that privileges heteronormative assumptions of family formation. By exploring the case of Chile, this thesis aims to examine how understandings of lesbian motherhood are constructed within the context of a strongly Catholic, and to some extent Evangelical, Latino society. The thesis details findings from three empirical, qualitative studies, within a life course theory perspective. Data from 29 participants collected through individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups were analysed. The first study used individual interviews and Narrative Analysis to explore the stories of sexual identity and motherhood of eight lesbian mothers who conceived their children within the context of a previous heterosexual relationship. The study found that participants struggled to express their same-gender feelings because lesbian women were often seen as "sick" or "deviant" and inappropriate models of motherhood. The second study used focus groups and Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to explore the expectations of motherhood of a younger cohort of six lesbian and bisexual prospective mothers. The study revealed that participants thought that it would be difficult to deal with Chilean society as mothers because the same-gender attraction was still seen as a perversion/abnormality by some people within their family of origin and their social contexts. The third study investigated contemporary Chilean attitudes towards lesbian and gay parenting using Thematic Analysis of focus group data from 15 heterosexual women who were first-year psychology students in an evening university program. The study revealed that a minority of participants had worries that having same-gender parents could disrupt children's gender and sexual orientation development. It is concluded that despite an increasing level of acceptance of “homosexuality” in Chile, lesbian mothers were still regarded as "immoral" models for children by some heterosexual people, particularly those who had a Christian religious background. These moral discourses had a strong impact on what lesbian and bisexual participants felt they could reasonably do or on what they expected to happen by living in Chilean society as a mother.

The purpose of this study was to examine factors influencing the decision of lesbian victims of domestic violence to call or not to call the police.

Older gay men and lesbians are often viewed as having multiple stressors and challenges. Social work literature and social work text books have tended to emphasize pathologies among this group. In fact, the preponderance of scientific research reveals that older gay men and lesbians enjoy a high quality of life, despite having experienced persecution, oppression, and rejection from their families and society. The purpose of this strengths-based study was to examine how these individuals are able to develop resilience in light of their cultural environment This study sampled five gay men and five lesbians who were white, middle-class, professionals, sixty years old and older, and native to or long-term residents of rural Mississippi. They were interviewed in their own homes or the location of their choosing using a semi-structured questionnaire. Responses were audio-taped and transcribed The transcripts were analyzed using phenomenological methodology and NVivo 2.5 software. The study resulted in the identification of resilient traits utilized by gay men and lesbians to survive and thrive in spite of their heterosexist environments. Participants described supportive attachments, an internal locus of control, and the benefits of existential aloneness as mechanisms by which they have avoided depression and achieved a high degree of life satisfaction. Using Friend's (1992) constructivist theory as a framework, this study examines how the study participants are able to reject heterosexist messages, develop positive self-images and become empowered / acase@tulane.edu

Friends are of crucial importance to lesbians� lives, their significance heightened due to lack of acceptance from blood family, work colleagues and society. Despite a proliferation of literature on lesbians� love relationships, lesbians� friendships remain understudied. In the light of theorising about widespread shifts in intimacy patterns in modern industrial societies, this thesis examines the role of friendship for contemporary lesbians. It takes an interdisciplinary approach, using lesbian feminist, feminist psychological and mainstream sociological theories to interpret lesbians� negotiations of their friendships and preoccupations with their own continually developing sense of self. The study finds that firstly, the most significant issue in negotiating friendships is deciding on a lesbian identity despite socialisation to �compulsory heterosexuality�. Friends are expected to be accepting and supportive or they are lost. Discrimination, the fact that the lover is the �best friend�, struggles with difference in lesbian communities, time constraints and a more general shift to individualism mean that community and family contacts are replaced by small, supportive and affirming friendship networks. These meet needs and within them lesbians negotiate a sense of self, but for the most part with no template of political consciousness. Secondly, while friendships are important, they are also difficult. The fluidity of the friendship relationship, blurred boundaries between friends and lovers, and women�s moral �imperative to care� all provide barriers to communication. Thirdly, while lesbians value �the relational self�, a confident sense of self is challenged when close-connected relationships sit at odds both with mainstream, heterocentric culture, and with traditional models of psychology which promote independence and separateness. Lesbians who are confident communicators, who have access to alternative feminist discourses which value relatedness, and who, together with their friends, are open to change, are able to negotiate satisfactory friendships and relationships. The study demonstrates lesbians� complex subjectivities as changing selves are negotiated through friendships, love relationships and communities, particularly through experiences of loss.

<p>This project is about power and sexual desire. The chapter explains the different ways in which ‘power’ is used: as a relational concept for dynamics between individuals, and as a structural societal concept. Power is understood as having a capacity for producing subordination, but also pleasure. The chapter comments upon the feminist debate on power and sexuality. The ambition of the present project is to contribute to this debate, and the analytical approach is sketched out: to investigate lesbian negotiations of power issues known from the feminist critique of heterosexuality.</p>

This project is about power and sexual desire. The chapter explains the different ways in which ‘power’ is used: as a relational concept for dynamics between individuals, and as a structural societal concept. Power is understood as having a capacity for producing subordination, but also pleasure. The chapter comments upon the feminist debate on power and sexuality. The ambition of the present project is to contribute to this debate, and the analytical approach is sketched out: to investigate lesbian negotiations of power issues known from the feminist critique of heterosexuality.

The purpose of my thesis is to explore lesbianism in Adrienne Rich¡¦s essays and poetry. Rich has earned her reputation as a major American poet and essayist since the 1950s. Most attention has been paid to her extraordinary poems and revolutionary prose. However, the issue of lesbianism has seldom been focused on or fully discussed. Therefore, I would try to present a panoramic view on how lesbianism has been developed in Rich¡¦s works. In the first chapter, I have tried to delineate various definitions of ¡§lesbian¡¨, and formulate my own definition. Besides that, I have also introduced some theoretical perspectives of lesbianism. In the second chapter, the discussion is mainly on Rich¡¦s concepts¡X ¡§institutionalization of heterosexuality¡¨, ¡§lesbian existence¡¨ and ¡§lesbian continuum¡¨¡Xwhich were brought up in the essay ¡§Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Existence.¡¨ In the third chapter, my aim is to delineate the development of Rich¡¦s lesbian perspective in her poetry. The discussion consists of three parts: the first part covers the revelation of women¡¦s oppression; the second is stressed on the concept of androgyny; the last part will present Rich¡¦s idea that women¡¦s power should be based on close relations among women.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--North Carolina State University, 2003. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. 97-99).

Homophobia and prejudice against the lesbian community have been argued to be consequences of lack of education within academic and non-academic spaces. This study introduces a pedagogical model of gendered lesbian identity that can act as a tool for educators to understand lesbian experiences, and thus contribute to addressing issues related to homophobia and prejudices in the classrooms and beyond. Based on thematic analysis of data generated by a qualitative online survey of 29 participants, this study argues that notions of social norms, individual agency, and importance of advocacy are critical points of emphases in the proposed educational model. Although the model may be seen as a pilot study, its experiential and theoretical foundation should make it a novel and simple pedagogical tool in teaching lesbian identity.

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