<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> <p align="left">In this study, the two most dominant sexual discourses were the male sexual drive discourse and the have/hold discourse. These discourses, together with traditional gender constructions, made condom negotiation difficult for women. Nevertheless, the discourses and constructions were also resisted and challenged. This study was limited by its focus on heterosexual women and the negotiation of condom use. Future studies which explore alternate forms of safe sex, sexual orientation and allow men&rsquo / s experiences to emerge would provide greater insight.</p> </font></font></p>

Syftet med detta examensarbete har varit att försöka förstå varför så få homosexuella ungdomar väljer att komma ut offentligt med sin homo-bisexualitet i gymnasieskolan. Min frågeställning löd ”Av vilka anledningar väljer så få gymnasieelever att öppet visa sin homo-bisexualitet”. Metoden jag använt består i tre kvalitativa intervjuer med två lärare och en rektor. Intervjuerna spelades in på band. Tre gymnasieklasser svarade också på en enkät bestående av tio frågor, sammanlagt deltog trettiotvå elever. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att lärare och rektor inte har någon erfarenhet av öppet homo-bisexuella elever, och därmed inte känner sig insatta i problemet. De anser inte heller att homofobiska skällsord är vanligt förekommande i skolan. Majoriteten av eleverna känner heller inget obehag inför homo-bisexuella personer men anser att homofobiska skällsord är vanligt förekommande i skolan. Litteraturen och samtliga informanter är ense. Rädslan är stor för allmänhetens förlöjligande och fördömande av öppet homo-bisexuella personer. / The purpose of this examination work has been to understand why so few high school students choose to come out with their homo/bi sexuality. The question at issue were “Why are so few high school students open with their homo/bi sexuality?” The methods being used were three quality interviews with two teachers and one principal. The interviews were recorded on tape. Three high school classes answered a questionnaire, containing ten questions, in all there were thirty three students participating. The result of the survey shows that teachers and principals don’t know how to handle situations with openly homo/bisexual youth because of lack of experience. Their view is also that homophobic foul language isn’t commonly occurring in school. The majority of students don’t fell any discomfort in present of homo/bisexual students but consider that homophobic foul language is commonly used in school. Both the literature and all other sources are in agreement. Homosexual youth are afraid of people’s reactions and for them to condemn their sexual aptitude.

To date, little research has explored the utility of inter-personal confrontation as a strategy for the reduction of homonegative attitudes and/or behaviours among heterosexual women. Consequently, the purpose of the current study was to explore three unique aspects of such confrontations among a sample of heterosexual women from the University of Saskatchewan. These three aspects were: 1) to what extent do high- and low-prejudiced womens reactions to confrontations of subtle homonegative behaviour differ; 2) what differences exist in the way that heterosexual women respond to bias directed towards gay men than to bias directed towards lesbian women; 3) what effect does the vested interest of a confronter have on heterosexual womens reaction to confrontations of homonegative behaviour. A 2(target condition) X 2(modern homonegativity endorsement) X 4(confronter type) between-subjects design was used wherein 286 female volunteers completed a questionnaire booklet developed for the project. The questionnaire booklet asked participants to first imagine themselves in a scenario where they would be confronted for engaging in subtle homonegative behaviour and to then indicated how they would think, feel, and behave in response to such a confrontation. The results indicated that low-prejudice participants reacted with greater negative-self directed affect (e.g., guilt) and compunction (e.g., apologize for behaviour) than high-prejudice participants when confronted by either a gay man or lesbian woman. Such reactions are important as they mark the initiation of a self-regulatory cycle that allows the individual to avoid such biased behaviour in the future. Limitations of the study and directions for future research concerning inter-personal confrontations of homonegativity are also presented.

To date, little research has explored the utility of inter-personal confrontation as a strategy for the reduction of homonegative attitudes and/or behaviours among heterosexual women. Consequently, the purpose of the current study was to explore three unique aspects of such confrontations among a sample of heterosexual women from the University of Saskatchewan. These three aspects were: 1) to what extent do high- and low-prejudiced womens reactions to confrontations of subtle homonegative behaviour differ; 2) what differences exist in the way that heterosexual women respond to bias directed towards gay men than to bias directed towards lesbian women; 3) what effect does the vested interest of a confronter have on heterosexual womens reaction to confrontations of homonegative behaviour. A 2(target condition) X 2(modern homonegativity endorsement) X 4(confronter type) between-subjects design was used wherein 286 female volunteers completed a questionnaire booklet developed for the project. The questionnaire booklet asked participants to first imagine themselves in a scenario where they would be confronted for engaging in subtle homonegative behaviour and to then indicated how they would think, feel, and behave in response to such a confrontation. The results indicated that low-prejudice participants reacted with greater negative-self directed affect (e.g., guilt) and compunction (e.g., apologize for behaviour) than high-prejudice participants when confronted by either a gay man or lesbian woman. Such reactions are important as they mark the initiation of a self-regulatory cycle that allows the individual to avoid such biased behaviour in the future. Limitations of the study and directions for future research concerning inter-personal confrontations of homonegativity are also presented.

Abstract Headline: Young trouble and teenage love (Fjortisgrubbel och tonårskärlek) Number of pages: 37 Author: Annika Ilmoni Tutor: Amelie Hössjer Course: Media and communication C Period: Autumn 2007 University: Division of Media and Communication, Department of Information Science, Uppsala University Purpose/aim: The purpose of the work was to produce a comparing study of two Swedish teenage films from different periods of time, 1970 and 2005. An analysis was to be made of how love between teenagers as well as the heterosexual relationship in general was depicted in each of the films and further investigate the gender construction in both films. Material/method: With the intention of narrowing down the complexity and make the evaluation more lucid 5 scenes from each film were used for comparison, these were chosen through the Anglo Saxon dramaturgy. To make the scenes more comparable 4 factors were used for analysis in each scene, these were: clothes, recreational activities, behaviour and environment. Beside the above given factors the heterosexual relationship were analysed and compared in each of the scenes through the theory of dominance in dialogue. Main results: The gender construction occurs obliviously in the older film from 1970 while taking place in a more conscious way in the film from 2005. Further on the heterosexual relationship is perpetually depicted in the 70’s film with a submissive girl and predominant boy, the same dominance is easily seen in the more recent film but with a higher rate of equality as the girl is portrayed as the dominant character in almost half of all scenes. A general note for the comparison of the two films is that a consciousness of gender construction does not lead to a direct elimination of these. Keywords: Teenage movie, post-modern feminism, gender construction, heterosexual relationship

Denna studies syfte är att beskriva och förstå könsmönster i förskolebarns samtal omkring lek. Tidigare forskning har visat att den rådande normen i förskolan är den heterosexuella normen. Studier har visat att man inte vet hur många förskolor som arbetar med jämställdhet för att det inte finns någon skyldighet att rapportera det. Barn anpassar sig till pedagogers och vuxenvärldens normer på hur de förväntas vara. Utifrån empirin, som består av två gruppintervjuer med barn i 4-5årsåldern, så visar det att barnen applicerar de rådande könsstereotypa föreställningarna på leksaker och föremål i sin närmiljö. Enligt min studie så var barnen medvetna om könsmönster och delade upp lekformationer och leksaker i manligt och kvinnligt kodade positioner. Samtidigt som barnen tilldelade olika föremål från sin lekmiljö könskategorierna flickor och pojkar, visade de förståelse för att flickor och pojkar inte ska delas upp utan att alla utifrån en vedertagen norm ska leka tillsammans och med alla föremål på förskolan. Uppsatsen avslutas med tankar som har uppkommit under min studie och förslag till vidare forskning. / The purpose of this study is to examine and understand the view on gender patterns in preschool children's conversations about play. Previous research has shown that in preschools is the prevailing norm the heterosexual norm and that children adjust to educators and adult world standards on how they are expected to behave. There is currently no way of knowing how many Swedish preschools are working with gender equality because there is no obligation to report it. The empirical material in this study, consisting of two group interviews with children between the ages of 4 to 5, show that children apply the prevailing stereotypical gender notions on toys and objects in their local environment. According to this study, the children were aware of gender roles and were dividing game formations and toys into male and female coded positions. At the same time as the children assigned the gender categories "girls" and "boys" on various items from their play environment, they did however also show understanding for the idea that girls and boys should not be divided but instead play together and be able to use all preschool objects from an accepted norm. The essay concludes with some reflections that arose during my study and suggestions for further research.

Dominant discourses on youth sexual health construct young people as at-risk subjects who engage in risky behaviours due to ignorance or poor decision-making. This dissertation challenges the prevailing assumption embedded in these discourses that young people’s sexual behaviours are based on individual rational choices. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice and R. W. Connell’s notion of hegemonic masculinity, this dissertation uses an interpretive approach to analyze the narratives and resonant texts of 24 young men in Toronto. It explores how young men construct and perform their masculine identities in the context of their socio-spatial environment; it also examines the strategies that young men use to compete for cultural capital and dominant positions in the homosocial and (hetero)erotic fields. The analysis yields a number of findings. First, it shows that gender identity is a state of being-doing-becoming. Guided by their gender-class-race habituses, young men engage in an unceasing process of defining, affirming, declaring, and validating not only their sense of who they are (self-identity) and where they belong (collective identity), but also the boundary that differentiates the ‘Self’ from the ‘Other’. Second, there is a dialectical relationship between the young men’s masculine habituses and their sexual practices. While all the young men engaged in hegemonic masculine practices to gain ‘respect’ from their peers, their practices varied according to their classes and ethnoracial backgrounds. At the same time, their (hetero)erotic practices are intricately intertwined with their homosocial practices, whereby the intra-group masculine expectations coupled with the broad hegemonic masculine discourses assert significant influences on their interactions with both young women and other young men. Finally, hetero-guy-talk constitutes an important everyday social interaction in which young men actively engage in the (re)production and/or resistance of hegemonic masculine discourses and practices. These results suggest that effective sexual health promotion (SHP) must go beyond the focus on individual sexual behaviours to address the historical, cultural, economic, and political contexts that shape the collective sexual health practices of young men. Furthermore, it may be useful to explore ‘hetero-guy-talk’ as an important ‘third’ space where young men are invited to interrogate and resist misogynist, masculinist, and homophobic practices and be supported to engage in humanizing sexual practices.

Dominant discourses on youth sexual health construct young people as at-risk subjects who engage in risky behaviours due to ignorance or poor decision-making. This dissertation challenges the prevailing assumption embedded in these discourses that young people’s sexual behaviours are based on individual rational choices. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of practice and R. W. Connell’s notion of hegemonic masculinity, this dissertation uses an interpretive approach to analyze the narratives and resonant texts of 24 young men in Toronto. It explores how young men construct and perform their masculine identities in the context of their socio-spatial environment; it also examines the strategies that young men use to compete for cultural capital and dominant positions in the homosocial and (hetero)erotic fields. The analysis yields a number of findings. First, it shows that gender identity is a state of being-doing-becoming. Guided by their gender-class-race habituses, young men engage in an unceasing process of defining, affirming, declaring, and validating not only their sense of who they are (self-identity) and where they belong (collective identity), but also the boundary that differentiates the ‘Self’ from the ‘Other’. Second, there is a dialectical relationship between the young men’s masculine habituses and their sexual practices. While all the young men engaged in hegemonic masculine practices to gain ‘respect’ from their peers, their practices varied according to their classes and ethnoracial backgrounds. At the same time, their (hetero)erotic practices are intricately intertwined with their homosocial practices, whereby the intra-group masculine expectations coupled with the broad hegemonic masculine discourses assert significant influences on their interactions with both young women and other young men. Finally, hetero-guy-talk constitutes an important everyday social interaction in which young men actively engage in the (re)production and/or resistance of hegemonic masculine discourses and practices. These results suggest that effective sexual health promotion (SHP) must go beyond the focus on individual sexual behaviours to address the historical, cultural, economic, and political contexts that shape the collective sexual health practices of young men. Furthermore, it may be useful to explore ‘hetero-guy-talk’ as an important ‘third’ space where young men are invited to interrogate and resist misogynist, masculinist, and homophobic practices and be supported to engage in humanizing sexual practices.

The purpose of this thesis is to explore the relationship that love and romance have to young women’s experiences of and decisions to engage in heterosexual intercourse for the first time. Inspired by Sharon Thompson’s (1995) book Going All The Way, I wanted to listen to young women’s stories about love, romance and sex in order to better understand their first sexual experiences. I have interviewed six women based on their age (18-23), on whether their first experiences with sex were both heterosexual and consensual, and on whether their decisions to have ‘sex’ for the first time were influenced by a romantic relationship. I analyse the interview transcripts, contextualizing them within the relevant literature, and explore the ways popular culture and media might have influenced the girls in my study. I am concerned with intercourse because I want to gain a better understanding of young women’s experiences with it and to recognize what love and sex might mean to them. I was surprised to find that, even with third wave feminist ‘empowerment’ discourse and hyper-sexualized media and popular culture, the six women I spoke with felt that sex is about an expression of love and a “deeper connection of intimacy” (Krissy) rather than about empowerment or the fun of ‘doing it’. Even though I required that participants needed to have been influenced by a romantic relationship in their decisions to have intercourse for the first time, it was interesting to see the extent that they valued love in their relationships when love was not part of the criteria required to participate. The findings from this study will be useful to sex educators, including myself, who work with young women as well as to parents who might be able to worry less about their daughters, knowing that some girls are looking for love and commitment when they engage in intercourse, not simply casual sex or hook-ups. / Thesis (Master, Kinesiology & Health Studies) -- Queen's University, 2011-06-15 12:45:08.093

<p><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"><font face="Times New Roman" size="3"> <p align="left">In this study, the two most dominant sexual discourses were the male sexual drive discourse and the have/hold discourse. These discourses, together with traditional gender constructions, made condom negotiation difficult for women. Nevertheless, the discourses and constructions were also resisted and challenged. This study was limited by its focus on heterosexual women and the negotiation of condom use. Future studies which explore alternate forms of safe sex, sexual orientation and allow men&rsquo / s experiences to emerge would provide greater insight.</p> </font></font></p>