The purpose of the essay is to by means of a quantitative method investigate what the portrayal of GLBT-people looks like in a selection of Swedish and New Zealand newspapers. The essay focuses on aspects such as the gender ratio between GLBT-people who are mentioned and also those who are allowed to speak out in the newspapers. Also in what proportions the newspapers portrays the different fractions of the GLBT-term, what subjects are covered and what types of sources are used are areas of interest. The analysis is conducted through a quantitative research method where two Swedish newspapers (Aftonbladet and Dagens Nyheter) and two New Zealand newspapers (The Dominion Post and The New Zealand Herald) were selected. Three periods of 15 days were selected for each newspaper and electronic databases were used in order to try and collect all articles with relevance for this study. The theoretical background consists of Tiina Rosenberg’s theories about media’s role in the individuals’ identity shaping, Nina Björk’s feminist theories connected to gender and power, and the patriarchal structure of society, and also Anders Sahlstrand’s accounts of journalism’s use of sources and their effect on the audience’s perception of the news presented. The main results from the analysis points towards preponderance in the occurrence of male homosexuality and male homosexuals. Elite sources occur more often than non-elite, and GLBT-males are more often used as elite sources than GLBT-women, though due the analysis being based on a low number of articles the level of generalization from the results is questionable.

This qualitative dissertation in Counseling Psychology considers the open secret, an under-researched phrase describing an interesting phenomenon that is experienced by some, but not all, LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people when their sexual orientation is known or suspected by family members, friends, and/or coworkers, but not discussed. A review of the literature notes how the essence of the open secret appears to be about knowledge that is not acknowledged, while it may also create a space of grace, allowing people to coexist, where they might not otherwise be able to do so easily. Participants (N = 11) were either current or past members of the U.S. military who served before or during the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy. Interviews were analyzed using James Paul Gee’s linguistic approach to narrative, from which three major findings emerged: (a) sexual and homophobic harassment, whereby historically homophobic attitudes within the military drive the need for secrecy surrounding LGBT sexuality; (b) acceptance and support, whereby the open secret seems to create a space of grace; and (c) empowerment and honesty, whereby LGBT people seem to have a new sense of honesty that empowers them toward a new sense of agency. Discussion includes examination of how the three findings may relate to the open versus secret parts of the open secret, as well as how the open secret and the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy may represent a gestalt attempt at balance that may now be moving toward a gestalt dynamic of completion, suggesting the possibility of a new Discourse of openness and honesty for LGBT people that appears to be on a proleptic edge of possibility.

xi, 158 p. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / This study, set in the context of the feminist sex wars, explores the performances of Holly Hughes, Carmelita Tropicana, and Split Britches throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. The purpose of this study is to better understand the implications of a specific style of lesbian comedic performance, found at the WOW Café and defined here as lesbian camp, throughout a contentious era in feminist politics. The motivating questions for this study are: How can a performance inspire an activated spectatorship? How have lesbian comedic performance practices provoked feminist theory and practice? Chapter II defines lesbian camp and attempts to trace a dialogue among lesbian performance critics and academics ruminating over lesbian camp and its existence. It also explores lesbian camp's relationship to drag and butch-femme as well as how lesbian camp functions within specific performances of Holly Hughes, Split Britches, and Carmelita Tropicana. Chapter III argues that it is the very element of lesbian camp that brings forth the potential for an activated spectatorship. It is a chaotic, unstable environment that exposes and disassembles deep-seated fears, ideals, and practices seemingly inherent, although pragmatically constructed, to our communities and cultures throughout the 1980s and early 1990s. It presents a climate of resistance through the disruption of identificatory practices. This, in turn, provokes an activated spectatorship. Chapter IV examines the effects these artists had on the larger stage of the feminist sex wars and culture wars. Holly Hughes, for example, became a national figure, defunded from the National Endowment for the Arts due to her subject of the queer body, then deemed obscene and pornographic. Split Britches were popularized by feminists in the academy not only for their creative techniques but also for their (de)construction of butch-femme coupling. Carmelita Tropicana brought drag to a whole new level with incorporation of male and female drag into her hybrid performances. / Committee in charge: John Schmor, Chairperson, Theater Arts; Sara Freeman, Member, Theater Arts; Theresa May, Member, Theater Arts; Ellen Scott, Outside Member, Sociology

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Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / This is a photo-documentary study of two themes found within the literature on fabulous appearances: the gay nightclub patron and the club DJ. This study used a large Midwestern gay nightclub as the field setting. Fabulousness involves the way patrons costume themselves in order to communicate status within the setting. This study revealed that participants in the setting utilize three different types of self-presentation. These types embody desirable characteristics and ideas of attractiveness that revolve around power, establishing a normalized “gay” identity, and using surreal based characteristics to achieve their goal of being noticed. The DJs served as informal organizers through their appearances and performances. Analysis of the DJ role found that DJs provide visual cues for other participants in the setting on how to act, dance, dress, and behave. This study is the first in depth examination of the role of the DJ and the communicative processes between the DJ and dancers in gay nightclubs.

In the twenty-fifth anniversary edition of Reading the Romance , Janice Radway offers a new introduction in which she states that women continue to be limited in their access to discursive spaces where they can participate and engage equally. This thesis argues that women have created their own discursive spaces, or safe spaces, to compensate for their restricted access to the public sphere through book clubs. By utilizing a critical ethnographic approach and feminist theory, this thesis analyzes the communal constructs and safe space of one book club in the Midwest U.S. This critical ethnography of this book club provides an important perspective because its members are both heterosexual and lesbian women, thus providing an intersectional perspective about this safe space. After six months of data collection, three themes emerged: current events, family and personal experiences. By analyzing these themes I was able to conclude that these women have constructed a safe space that protected and fostered them through difficult and challenging times and experiences while also giving them the place to safely be themselves by exploring nontraditional gender roles and sharing their identities.

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