<p> Chethiya is a brown, gay, disabled (ultimately), abused young man from Sri Lanka, who comes to the U.S. on a full scholarship. His dream is to be a Broadway star, but after coming out of his first relationship with an emotionally abusive, alcoholic man, he is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a chronic, degenerative neurological disease that results in demyelination, causing progressive debilitation. The story is divided into six chapters that narrate his life under various marginalizations he is subjected to, culminating in traumatization. The story, however, ends on a positive note of redemption with the narrator looking forward to his days to come.</p>

<p> Marital status and sexual orientation discrimination has been largely under-researched and has not been researched using working professionals, or with the incorporation sexual orientation, marital status, and gender interactions. Past studies have found that marital status bias hiring decisions for men and women differently (Hammer, 1993; Jordan, College &amp; Zitek, 2012; Renwick &amp; Tosi,1978). Additionally, with the growing acceptance of gay (LGBT) relationships, marriages, and partnerships, the interaction of marital status (i.e., applicants with or without a spouse) and sexual orientation bias in the workplace needs to be examined. Our study examined the interview process testing for gender, marital status, and sexual orientation bias affecting simulations of hiring decisions. A significant three-way interaction was found such that single lesbian women received significantly higher ratings when compared to married lesbian women, and heterosexual women received significantly higher ratings when married in comparison to when they were single. The study revealed that sexual orientation interacted with marital status in women's ratings but not for men. This research updates current knowledge about discrimination in employment settings and provides updated information on a topic where the existing research has been largely outdated and under-researched.</p>

<p> Middle school professionals are confronted with the inability to effectively intervene during acts of bullying affecting LGBT youth. Research supports the need to provide educational training for middle school staff, in order to eliminate this form of victimization and create a safe learning environment for these students. The purpose of this grant-writing project was to seek funding for the existing Gay Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) program titled <i>Safe Space Kit (SSK),</i> which had never before been implemented in a middle school in the Long Beach Unified School District. Washington Middle School (WMS) was the selected agency to implement this intervention along with the support from the Center of Long Beach (CLB). A review of literature and interviews with key members from both agencies involved, helped identify the need to educate these professionals. Neither the actual submission and/or funding of this grant project were required for the completion of this project.</p>

<p> The purpose of this project was to develop a potential psycho-education group for trans gender and gender variant (TGV) adolescents in need of services based on the most recent literature. A search for a funder was conducted using the Long Beach Nonprofit Partnership Library and the local LGBTQ Center of Long Beach. The grant-funded support group will target TGV adolesents age 13 to 17 in need of resources including, but not limited to a safer environment, social and medial transition support, legal aid, and mental health support. The goals of the project include increased support, increased mental health, and increased community outreach. The actual submission and funding of this grant was not a requirement for the successful completion of the thesis project. </p>

<p> When the Supreme Court grants new rights, public awareness is a crucial part of enforcement. Gerald N. Rosenberg and Michael J. Klarman famously criticized minority rights organizations for attempting to gain new rights through the judiciary. The crux of their argument relied heavily on the American media's scanty coverage of Court issues and subsequent low public awareness of Court cases. Using the 2013 <i>United States v. Windsor</i> and <i> Hollingsworth v. Perry</i> rulings as a case study, I suggest that the media environment has changed so much since Rosenberg and Klarman were writing that their theories warrant reconsideration. Minority rights groups now have access to social media, a potentially powerful tool with which to educate the public about the Supreme Court and new rights granted by the Court.</p>

<p> The purpose of the present study was to explore the associations between level of internalized homophobia, experiences of heterosexism, and gender with endorsement of type of humor (self-enhancing, affiliative, self-defeating, and aggressive) used as a coping skill among sexual minority participants. A survey was created and administered online, and participants were recruited by word of mouth, emails, and online postings on Facebook and craigslist. The sample consisted of 146 participants who identified as a sexual minority (i.e. Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual), with ages ranging from 18 to 70 years. Results indicated a positive direct correlation between participants' level of internalized homophobia and endorsement of self-defeating humor. Results also indicated a positive direct correlation between participants' experiences of heterosexism and endorsement of self-defeating humor. Results indicated no significant correlations among level of internalized homophobia, experiences of heterosexism, and endorsement of aggressive, affiliative, or self-enhancing humor types. In regard to gender and humor type, men in the sample endorsed greater levels of aggressive humor than women in the sample. Results indicated no significant difference between men and women for self-defeating humor. Future research should continue to explore sexual minorities' use of humor. Implications of the present study suggest that clinicians be alert to and explore consequences of utilizing self-defeating and aggressive humor, especially for sexual minorities with more experiences of heterosexism, higher levels of internalized homophobia, and men using aggressive humor. Additionally, adaptive coping skills, such as affiliative and self-enhancing humor, should be encouraged to promote well-being. </p>

abstract: Bisexuality is a unique kind of sexual identity, as a gray area between heterosexuality and homosexuality. The piece You made up the Story and I Played with all the Parts explores bisexuality as a lived artistic experience based on my sexual journey within a society that advocates heterosexuality. The piece includes movement phrases and text derived from conversations with intimate partners, characters based on former partners, storytelling, a 1950s-style sex education video parody, and audience participation via dialogue. The creation of movement and dialogue manipulated heteronormative social stigmas into a canny social acceptance of bisexuality. The multifaceted nature of the piece provokes viewers to consider how sexuality is constructed socially through my own interpretation. As a result, the work suggests that bisexuality is a legitimate sexual identity and represents a culture within American society. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.F.A. Dance 2011

abstract: The current study sought to reevaluate Cass' Theory of sexual identity formation in terms of lesbian identity development over the past twenty years and how media acts as mediation in lesbian identity development. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with only nine useable transcripts analyzed for this thesis. This study is an explanatory investigation into linear stage theory, specifically Cass' theory, as well as the impact of media as a mediator during lesbian identity development. This study had three objectives 1) to gain an understanding of the theory and its components related to lesbian identity development 2) to understand the lesbian identity formation process and 3) to understand the impact and influence if any, media has had on lesbian self-reported identity development. Qualitative methods were used to obtain information and analyze the responses. Results indicate that the participants in this study believed that the coming out process was important. This study's results showed that several of the participants entered each stage of the theory, while others did not. Media had little influence on the identity development, and the participants had mixed reviews of medias portrayal of lesbians. Implications for practice and further research are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / IRB Approval / M.S.W. Social Work 2011

abstract: This study situated a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) softball league within the logic of homonormativity and queer futurity and explored how community and identity were constituted, practiced, negotiated, and problematized. The project endeavored to address the questions: What is the meaning and significance of community for the League participants? To what extent and how does participation in the League affect gender and sexual identity discourse and practice? And, in the context of the League, how are dominant ideologies and power structures reinforced, disrupted, and produced? A critical ethnography was undertaken to render lives, relations, structures, and alternative possibilities visible. Data was collected through participant observation, interviews, open-ended questionnaires, and archival document analysis. A three stage process was employed for data transformation including description, analysis, and interpretation. LGBT identified sports clubs, formed as a result of identity politics, are understood to be potential sites of transformation and/or assimilation. Although the League was imbued with the discourses of inclusion and acceptance, the valorizing of competition and normalization led to the creation of hierarchies and a politics of exclusion. The League as an identity-based community was defined by what it was not, by what it lacked, by its constitutive outside. It is possible to learn a great deal about community by looking at what and who is left out and the conspicuous absence of transgender and bisexual participants in the League highlights a form of closure, a limit to the transformative potential of the League. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Recreation and Tourism Studies 2015

abstract: This study aimed to fill the gap in research with regards to how individuals who define themselves as LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered) and devoutly religious (either currently or in the past) manage the interaction between these two conflicting identities. The researchers conducted 8 semi-structured qualitative interviews to examine how these individuals manage this conflict and what affects these individuals experience internally and externally. To analyze the interviews, researchers used an open coding method to determine the common themes amongst the participants. Results indicated that these participants traveled a similar path when attempting to manage the conflict between their religion and sexuality and similar internal and external affects were experienced amongst the participants. / Dissertation/Thesis / M.S.W. Social Work 2013