Magister Artium - MA / When lesbians, as women divert from social norms and reject the compulsory heterosexual norm, they are either punished through legal systems for transgressing patriarchial structures or not recognised at all. As women, lesbians suffer at the hands of a homophobic society which believs that women have stepped out of line through challenging the hegemonic discourses stipulating that they have specific and distinct roles to play - that of wives, mothers, homemakers and sexual partners to men. Because lesbians do not fit into this construct, their behaviour is socially and legally condemned for diverting from the "natural order". This study aimed to identify and explore the various ways people construct and perceive lesbians and to reveal how sexuality, as a product of history and culture, determines the ways lesbians are treated in their own communities. This study attempted to explore how, despite the democratic stance of the new constitution, South African lesbians still experience discrimination on the basis of their sexual orientation. / South Africa

Magister Psychologiae - MPsych / This study aims at exposing and challenging the effects of heterosexist assumptions that are prevalent in institutions of higher learning. It (study) further seeks to highlight and address the gaps that exist within the academic literature in South Africa with regards to homosexuality. Five students from an institution of higher learning in the Western Cape Province of South Africa with predominantly Black Students were used for this study. All the participants were Black students aged between 19 and 25 years who openly identify themselves as lesbians. Their participation was voluntary. A narrative approach was utilised as an attempt to afford the participants an opportunity to narrate their histories and personal experiences. This is a qualitative research approach which deals with personal stories that are told to describe human action and make sense of events that surround an individual. It involves getting a story from an individual who is identified as having some knowledge or experience with the topic of study. In an attempt to gain a better understanding and an insightful perspective into the personal narratives that were shared by the participants of this study, all their experiences will be put under the control of the thematic analysis. / South Africa

Magister Theologiae - MTh / Of all the Christian denominations in the United States, the United Methodist Church (UMC) is one of three probably experiencing the greatest amount of conflict over the rights of its members who practice homosexuality. History shows that United Methodists have always maintained a great diversity of opinion on many matters within the Church. Having dealt with its racist and sexist policies in the past, the UMC is now tackling its homophobic beliefs. Scripture, tradition, experience, and reason have been used as tools to deal with this debate, which has become one of the most divisive in the church and society. At present, there are two main positions concerning the debate on homosexuality in the UMC: the rejecting and accepting positions. Although the UMC - as set forth in its book of discipline - finds the practice of homosexuality incompatible with Christian teaching, its debate on homosexuality seems far from over. First, there is a majority conviction supporting the current position of the church. Second, there is a steadily growing minority conviction that maintains that the responsible practice of homosexuality should be accepted and homosexuals should enter into full membership with the church. Third, the UMC upholds basic human and civil rights. Nonetheless, gays and lesbians are not ordained into the ministry. Fourth, the UMC acknowledges that our human understanding of human sexuality is limited and a combined effort with other sciences will help us understand human sexuality more completely. One can see the church’s struggle in search for a Christian sexual ethic. It seems difficult to foresee any form of consensus that could bridge the big differences of opinion and conviction behind the two camps in the struggle: "rejection" of homosexuality (non-punitive) and "full acceptance". They simply do not seem to be compatible, rationally and ethically. It is the task of this mini-thesis to explore the United Methodist Church's struggle in the search for ethical discernment on homosexuality.

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Orientador: Fernando Silva Teixeira Filho / Banca: Angela Aparecida Donini / Banca: Leonardo Lemos de Souza / Resumo: No presente trabalho, tenho o objetivo de apresentar um percurso narrativo através das experiências e histórias vividas e compartilhadas por cis-homens gays que assumem e/ou vivenciam suas homossexualidades no município de Cascavel-PR. Nesse percurso, pretendo discutir as experiências e os impactos das diferentes manifestações da homofobia em suas intersecções e tensionamentos com as idiossincrasias que marcam o enredo de cada uma das histórias dos participantes da pesquisa. Para tanto, adoto como referencial teórico os estudos de gênero e feministas que me possibilitam pensar as homossexualidades e a própria vivência da homofobia como fenômenos plurais impossíveis de serem submetidos a categorias universalizantes e essencialistas. Nesse sentido, busco discutir e apresentar a homofobia enquanto um conceito "guarda-chuva". Uma categoria política, conceitual e analítica que possibilita traduzir o cotidiano de violências, mais ou menos explícitas, que constituem e afetam todas as pessoas, e especialmente as pessoas LGBT, margeando e (de)limitando as formas de nos relacionarmos social, política, afetiva e sexualmente. Reconhecendo o caráter localizado, contextualizado, (de)limitado e parcial desse empreendimento de pesquisa e visando alcançar os objetivos traçados adoto como "método-processo de investigação" as narrativas de histórias de vida de seis cis-homens gays, dentre os quais me incluo. Por meio dessa pista metodológica, pude estabelecer uma necessária e indissociável... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: This dissertation aims to present a narrative pathway through experiences and stories lived and shared by cisgender gay men that assume and/or live their homosexuality in Cascavel city, Paraná state. In this pathway, I intend to discuss experiences and impacts from the different homophobia manifestations in their intersections and tensions with idiosyncrasies that are remarkable on the story of each participant of this research. For this purpose, I adopt as a theorical reference gender and feminist studies, which allow me to consider homosexualities and the homophobia experience itself as plural phenomena, that are impossible to be submitted to universalising, essentialist and static categories. Therefore, I aim to discuss and present homophobia as an "umbrella" concept, a political, conceptual and analytical category, that allows to render the daily violence, explicit or not, that constitutes and affect all the people, especially LGBT ones, creating margins and delimitating the social, aesthetic, political, affective and sexual ways to relate to each other. Recognizing the localized, (de)limited, contextualized and partial character of this research, I adopted as an "investigation method-process" the life stories narratives of six cisgender gay men, in which I include myself. The choice of this "method-process" was fundamental, since it made possible to be linked to and stablish an approximation with the research participants, both undeniable elements to accomplish the... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

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Despite the Obergefell v. Hodges Supreme Court decision to legalize same-sex marriage, none of the seven mainline historically Black denominations have sought to redefine marriage or affirmatively welcome “out” LGBTQIA bodies of color. Notwithstanding the lack of radical hospitality and LGBTQIA affirmation within Black denominations, there are Black churches that unashamedly provide unprejudiced pastoral care, hospitable spiritual formation, and radically affirmative ecclesial settings for LGBTQIA persons of color. To date, no ecclesiological or practical theological research has been conducted on the practices of radical hospitality within these open and affirming Black congregations. Within my dissertation, I examine how three historically Black churches have queered their ecclesial contexts. I research three open and affirming Black congregations in the Boston, Massachusetts Metro Area to answer the following questions: How do these congregations understand what it means to be the church? What are the key defining characteristics of their ecclesiology? How and why have these churches “queered” their Black ecclesial contexts, including both their theology and praxis? The purpose of this investigation is to better understand why some Black congregations practice more radical inclusivity and what that might mean for the future of “Black churches” and Black ecclesiology. I intend to reimagine the nature, mission, and practices of the Christian church itself. While I am sure the findings of this research will contribute to the fields of Black church studies, ecclesiology, and practical theology, my goal is to preserve the history, protect the dignity, address the needs, examine the obstacles, foster understanding, reflect on the experiences, humanize the narratives, and analyze the ecclesiological elements of these particular congregations in order to work towards a Black queer ecclesiology. / 2021-10-28T00:00:00Z

Background: Every day Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT-persons [LGBT]) meet difficulties in life. Within healthcare they face discrimination and difficulties. The development of LGBT in society is on the rise, but still persons who don't fit the sexuality norm struggles to be accepted. Aim: The aim was to discover if nurses values effect on the meeting with persons who don't fit the sexuality norm. Method: This paper is a literature review which is based on nine quantitative articles. All the articles were analyzed by the authors looking for similarities and differences. Results: The result of the literature review was that the nurse's values do effect on their attitudes toward LGBT-persons. The result showed that nurses who had previous experience in LGBT-persons was more accepting in their meeting. It also shows that the nurse's ethnicity and religious values had effect on their attitude toward LGBT-persons. Overall majority weighs toward difficulties in the meeting with persons who don't fit the sexuality norm. Subcategories became accepting in the meeting, difficulties in the meeting, ethnicities and accepting and previous experience with LGBT-persons. Conclusion: Nurses today is more accepting in the meeting with LGBT-persons than they were 10 years ago. Still persons who don't fit the sexuality norm is feeling discriminated because of their sexuality. Nurses need more knowledge about how they can make LGBT-persons feel more accepted in their meeting. More research about LGBT-persons in healthcare is needed.