Why do we laugh at eight-year-old Butters Stotch when he sings about sodomy in South Park? How does the dominant audience understand Michael Scott to be heterosexual following his announcement that he would have sex with a male employee in the American version of The Office? What are the implications of laughing at Bobby Hill when his father expresses embarrassment over Bobby’s plus size modeling career in King of the Hill? I argue that the above characters are versions of the disruptive male character type common in sitcom satires. The sitcom satire is a hybrid genre that follows the sitcom format and contains satirical content. Using tools from queer theory and cultural studies, this thesis examines how particular examples of disruptive characters function in sitcom satires to reinforce cultural codes regarding gender and sexuality. In the first chapter, I suggest that when the male character disrupts normative gender and sexuality the audience laughs at the surprise and incongruity. I argue that the key feature of this character type is that he consistently disrupts cultural codes in ways that would normally mark him as homosexual yet he is not read as a gay character in the shows examined. I suggest that he is queer insofar as he does not fit neatly into the heterosexual/homosexual binary. Following this, in the second chapter, I explain how techniques used in the narrative; such as other characters' reactions, awkward silences, music selection, and scene changes, provide commentary on the disruption. I argue that characters that disrupt expectations of nonnative gender presentation and heterosexuality create anxiety for a dominant audience; the narrative commentary acknowledges that anxiety. Recognizing a character's disruption of cultural codes allows the dominant audience to relieve the anxiety and to reconcile the character's disruption with his heteronormative identity. Finally, in the third chapter I argue that the disruptive character often displays shame or pride in unexpected circumstances and is represented as ignorant I argue that by comparing normative behavior with disruptive or ignorant behavior, the narratives create the preferred or dominant meaning of the desirability of normative behavior. I conclude that the process of disruption, recuperation, and reinforcement reveals two perspectives. First, if disruptions confirm the desirability of the codes they attempt to subvert, then resisting these codes is difficult. Second. disruptions can reveal the construction of these codes; if these cultural codes were as natural as we are to believe, then our culture would not need to work as diligently to uphold them.

Det är terapeuten som definierar situationen i terapirummet och vanligt är att terapeuten betonar betydelsen av den unika individen, vilket kan medföra att sociala och kulturella faktorer förbises. Syftet med denna studie var att undersöka psykoterapeuters reflekterade kring kön, genus och sexualitet. Frågeställning: Vilka diskurser framträder i terapeuters utsagor om genus, kön och sexualitet utifrån terapeutisk praktik samt utifrån personliga erfarenheter? Metod: Halvstrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med fem psykoterapeuter och resultatet analyserades utifrån ett diskurspsykologiskt perspektiv. Resultat: Tre diskurser identifierades; den psykologiska, den biologiska och den samhälleliga. De två förstnämnda diskurserna kännetecknades av meningsbyggande utifrån dominanta diskurser, med en dikotomisk syn på kön, heteronormativ föreställning om sexualitet, naturaliserade uppfattningar om moderskap, intrapsykiska förklaringsmodeller och avsaknad av en kritisk och reflexiv hållning. Den samhälleliga diskursens normkritiska aspekt kännetecknades av en kritisk och flexibel hållning i förhållande till det egna kunskapsfältet, uttryck gjordes för kunskap om makt och ställningstaganden uttrycktes emot heteronormativa förväntningar i vår sociala och politiska kontext. I diskussionen lyftes frågan om vilket ansvar terapeuten har för att lyfta in frågor om makt i terapin samt behovet av reflexivitet inom det psykologiska kunskapsfältet. / The therapist defines the situation in the therapy-room and the emphasis of the unique individual is common, instead of being aware of social and cultural elements. The aim of this study was to examine therapists reflections of gender, sex and sexuality. Questionformulation: Which discourses emerge out of the therapists stories about gender, sex and sexuality based on their clinical work and personal experiences. Method: Semistructured interviews were effectuated with five psychotherapists and a discursive psychological perspective was used in analysing the results. Results: Three discourses were identified; the psychological, the biological and the social. The two discourses first lined were recognised by meanings of dominant discourses, including a dichotomy view on gender, a heteronormative idea of sexuality, naturalised opinions of motherhood, intrapsychic explanations and a lack of a critical stance towards the discipline of psychology. The social discourse embraced a norm critical aspect, which was recognised by a critical and flexible stance, a knowledge in power and stances against heteronormative ideas in our social and political context. In the discussion were themes highlighted such as the responsibility of the therapist when it comes to questions of power in therapy and the need for reflexivity within the discipline of psychology.

This is a comparative study between binary and nonbinary transgender people based on their everyday experience of difficulties. Previous studies show that many transpeople experience violence, infringement and oppression. Studies also show that suicide rate among transgender people is much higher than among the common (cisgender) population. Those studies rarely make an analysis based on specific gender identity, which shows the diversity among transgender people.To analyse the individual experiences, this study made four interviews with binary and nonbinary transgender people. The interviews were analysed with a queer-theoratical perspective to show and focus on the oppressional mechanics that heteronormativity has. The results show clear differences and similarities between binary and nonbinary transgender people's experiences of everyday life difficulties and oppression. Nonbinary transgender people elucidate their nonexistence in the majorities knowledge as a big difficulty; that people in their everyday surroundings and society in general are not aware of them. Binary transgender people's experiences have instead been focusing on their bodies and social context of their transitions. / Denna studie avser att undersöka och jämföra transpersoners erfarenheter kring svårigheter i vardagen. Jämförelsen görs mellan binära och ickebinära transpersoner. Tidigare forskning visar att många transpersoner blir utsatta för våld, kränkningar och förtryck. Den visar även att självmordsfrekvensen bland transpersoner är mycket högre än hos populationen i övrigt. I dessa undersökningar kring transpersoners hälsa och situation görs det sällan eller aldrig analyser baserade på den mångfald gällande identitet som finns inom gruppen transpersoner. För att undersöka dessa individuella erfarenheter genomfördes ett antal intervjuer med binära och ickebinära transpersoner. Intervjuerna analyserades utifrån en queerteoretisk utgångspunkt för att belysa de förtryckande mekanismer som heteronormen medför. Resultatet visar att det finns tydliga likheter och skillnader i binära och ickebinära transpersoners erfarenheter kring svårigheter och förtryck. Ickebinära transpersoner tar upp omgivningens omedvetenhet kring deras existens som en stor svårighet, att personer i deras vardagliga omgivning och i samhället i stort inte känner till att de finns medan svårigheterna för binära transpersoner snarare har varit i förhållande till deras kroppar och sociala sammanhang.

The purpose of this study is to investigate how the Swedish municipal welfare system, in their capacity as discourse makers, construct Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in the relationships of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people. A discourse analysis of their official plans of action regarding IPV and the information directed towards their citizens through their webpages showed that the discourse surrounding IPV revealed a gender dichotomy, where the victim was mainly constructed as being female and the perpetrator as male. As a consequence of this, gay and bisexual men were rendered invisible from the discourse surrounding victims of IPV, although they could be included in the construction of perpetrators of it. Lesbian and bisexual women were often included in the understanding of victims of IPV, but in the discourse surrounding perpetrators of it they were made invisible. The discourse about IPV also excluded the experiences and vulnerability of people who identify as being transgendered. Additionally, the discourse surrounding IPV was characterized by heteronormative assumptions regarding the relationships in which violence is possible. The help defined in the documents included in this study also showed a gender dichotomy in the construction of help directed towards victims and perpetrators of IPV. The relationship between them was also once more understood through heteronormative assumptions. / Denna studie syftar till att undersöka huruvida våld inom hbt-personers nära relationer, samt vem som är utsatt och förövare, synliggörs i kommuners diskurser om partnervåld. En diskursanalys har gjorts av kommuners handlingsplaner mot våld i nära relationer samt av information riktad till utsatta och förövare via deras hemsidor. Resultaten visar på att kommunernas diskurser kring våld i nära relationer karaktäriseras av en dikotom syn på kön hos utsatt och förövare, där våldsutsatt ofta förstods som att vara kvinna och förövare som man. Det gör att det våld som drabbar homo- och bisexuella män till stor del osynliggörs i diskursen. Dessa män kunde dock inkluderas i förståelsen av förövare. Homo- och bisexuella kvinnor kunde ibland inkluderas i förståelsen av våldsutsatt, men dessa kvinnor inkluderades sällan i diskursen kring förövare. Transpersoners utsatthet och upplevelser av våld i nära relationer framkom nästan aldrig i diskursen. Diskursen kring våld i nära relationer dominerandes också av heteronormativa antaganden om vilken slags relation som våld kan förekomma i. Den hjälp som definierades i kommunernas dokument utgick även från en dikotomisk förståelse av genus hos utsatt och förövare, samt heteronormativa antaganden om relationen dem emellan.

This essay examines six transpersons’ experiences as clients of treatment from the social services. Research shows that transpersons experience a high amount of discrimination and vulnerability in society. For this reason, it is important to examine how transpersons, as clients, experience professional treatment in their interaction with social workers. Using a qualitative method, six respondents were interviewed about what kind of treatment they had expected to receive prior to their first meeting with the social worker. The respondents’ general perceptions of their treatment and their wishes regarding how transpersons should be treated were also examined. The results showed that the respondents experienced a positive treatment regarding their gender identity but perceived the social application process as difficult and demanding. One respondent expressed a negative perception of their treatment by social services regarding their gender identity. This experience was however regarding a social worker not in charge of the social benefits application process. The informants expressed a wish to be treated like other clients but with a knowledgeable social worker who understood transpersons’ special vulnerability and needs. Informants also expressed their recommendation that Swedish social services should undergo a LGBTQ certification to ensure a knowledgeable and respectful treatment of transpersons.

No description available.

The purpose of this degree project is to examine to what extent certain groups in society are represented in the teaching material in upper secondary schools in Sweden. Through the scrutinizing of a selected number of English textbooks, the intention is to analyse texts and images to see whether representation of individuals on the basis of ethnicity, gender, gender identity and sexual orientation occur in the material. Another aspect of the essay is to identify possible stereotypes regarding the mentioned categories. The analyses draw on a number of theories: postcolonial, feminist and gender, as well as queer theories, in order to relate possible non-representation in the teaching material to the key concept of otherness. Furthermore, the concepts of hegemony and heteronormativity serve an important role in the analyses of the material as they expose dominant structures in society which tend to give certain groups authority over others.

This thesis analyses social worker’s assessments of appropriate same-sex parenthood in the case of second-parent adoption in Sweden to thereby investigate the governmentality directed toward same-sex parents and how this governing practise normalises certain discourses on parenthood. The material consists of interviews with social workers conducting second-parent adoptions, which have been analysed through a discourse analysis deploying theoretical frameworks on governmentality, heteronormativity and family theory. The thesis has provided a deeper understanding of the effects of normative discourses on the exercise of public authority in the case of second-parent adoption. Great differences have been found among which criteria are used to condition same-sex parenthood and the impact of social workers own perceptions of suitable parenthood and the purpose of the assessment process.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T18:15:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marco Aurelio Paiva Gomes.pdf: 14449244 bytes, checksum: 4ae9e06dd739b75e3be25b1bf5be3f8e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-06-08 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This study aims to analyze instances of the transgression of heteronormativity in cinema. The question posed for this analysis was: what is the dominant image of sexually deviant subjects (transsexuality, transvestism and androgyny) shown in current cinema screens? The underlying hypothesis is that nothing in their depiction is linked to natural, but that it reflects historical and discursive constructs. Our main theoretical and methodological references consist of gender film studies such as the ones authored by Laura Mulvey, Tania Modleski, Teresa De Lauretis and Robert Stam. The selection criteria was the artistic relevance of directors, their different origins and themes. This study's corpus selected the following evidential ensemble: In a year with 13 moons (1978, Germany), directed by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Law of desire (1987, Spain) by Pedro Almodóvar, Tirésia (2003, France) by Bertrand Bonello e Laurence anyways (2012, Canada) by Xavier Dolan. Methodologically, this was a comparative study / Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar figuras da transgressão da norma heterossexual no cinema. Tal análise enfrentou a seguinte questão de pesquisa: qual é a imagem dominante do sujeito desviante sexual (transexualidade, travestilidade e androginia) nas telas do cinema atual? Trabalhamos com a hipótese de que nestas representações nada se agarra à natureza, mas a constructos históricos e discursivos. Nossos principais referenciais teóricos são constituídos por estudos de gênero voltados ao cinema, a exemplo daqueles realizados por Laura Mulvey, Tania Modleski, Teresa De Lauretis e Robert Stam. Elegendo como critério de seleção a relevância artística dos diretores, suas diferentes procedências e suas temáticas, o corpus da pesquisa selecionou o seguinte conjunto probatório: Num ano de 13 luas (1978, Alemanha) de Rainer Werner Fassbinder, A lei do desejo (1987, Espanha) de Pedro Almodóvar, Tirésia (2003, França) de Bertrand Bonello e Laurence para sempre (2012, Canadá) de Xavier Dolan. Metodologicamente, trata-se de pesquisa comparativa

<p>Although Sweden is considered to be in the lead concerning an open-minded perception of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population, very little attention has been given to the elderly within this target group. The elder LGBT population’s got special needs that haven’t been made sufficiently visible, neither as a research field, from social institutions nor from the LGBT movement itself. This study has described the target group's specific needs, based on the results of a focus group consisting of older LGBT people. Their experiences and stories have given an idea of what adjustments must be made to satisfy their specific needs. These needs have included the development of housing with LGBT focus, education for health care workers, information about the existence of the target group to other elderly and changes in the practice of social workers. Respondents' attitudes, opinions and ideas have been analyzed by means of queer theory, ageism and the intersectional perspective. Finally, the results have been discussed and a few recommendations are provided.</p>