According to many scholars, schools are the last bastion of permitted homophobia (Beadle, 2009; Grew, 2008; as cited in Formby, 2013). Primarily using the theories of Foucault, Kristeva and Butler, the thesis uses critical theory as a means to both understand and critically analyse the construction of subjectivity within and throughout discourse in the hetero-/cis-normative institution, and how this related to the potential abjection of LGBT+ pupils. Whilst it is agreed in this thesis that LGBT+phobia is still widespread in both schools and wider society, it was found in this research that the impact of direct LGBT+phobic discrimination was less evident. Instead, the discursive spaces where LGBT+phobia had been silenced were filled with hetero-/cis-normative discourse. Concomitantly, the impact of LGBT+ invisibility, the silencing of positive discourse surrounding sexuality and the institutional rejection of performative LGBT+phobia without cultural or organisational change meant there remained a negative impact on LGBT+ young people, despite a reduction in visible LGBT+phobia (DePalma and Atkinson, 2006/2010). Through the use of short vignettes taken from a period of ethnographic research, I have used discursive reflexivity to offer an alternative discourse surrounding the LGBT+ pupil in the school. In a thesis preoccupied with language, the institutional denial of appropriate language, the lack of positive space for LGBT+ young people to construct their identity and the potential risk of abjection from the hetero-/cis-normative institution are all highlighted as points for discussion. Viewed through a critical theory lens, the exemplars used to illustrate these complex theories are chosen from 72 workshops undertaken in schools with Year Nine pupils over a the 2015 to 2016 academic year in the Merseyside region, and also from self-identified LGBT+ young people (also in Year Nine during the academic year 2015 to 2016), who were part of discussions in an LGBT+ Youth drop in based in Liverpool city centre. Intertwining academic analysis and philosophical reflection, the research finds that not only is the LGBT+ pupil abject in the school, but this abjection is threefold. It is enacted by the institution, the peer group and by the internalised LGBT+phobia of the abjected pupil. In the conclusion, it is reflected upon how the impact abjection from school continues to affect LGBT+ people into adulthood.

The United Kingdom’s acceptance of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) refugees has been heralded as a progressive shift in asylum law. Indeed, the scope for the protection of sexual minorities under the Refugee Convention has expanded. The interpretation of the Convention definition of refugee in Article 1A(2) has been continuously adapted, especially the “particular social group” (PSG) category as well as the recognised scope of “well-founded fear of being persecuted.” This thesis interrogates how “gay” refugees have been accepted under the Convention. The analysis considers the ways judicial decision-making has constructed the PSG and persecution of sexual minority asylum seekers. The sample consists of 22 appeals from 1999-2011 which were identified as major legal developments, beginning with the first significant recognition of “homosexual” refugees. Several additional tribunal determinations and key international cases are also considered. A socio-legal approach is taken to study the tensions between fluid sociological images of gender and sexuality and the fixed notions of identity found in the law (whether arising from individual cases, formal practice, or state imperatives). Through an examination of the legal discourse in the texts examined, the research deconstructs the jurisprudential debates in order to assess their impact on sexual minorities seeking asylum. This contextual, rather than doctrinal, approach reveals how the jurisprudence often obscures sociologically problematic assumptions made by adjudicators. This analysis offers an original contribution, concluding that UK protection is grounded on the assumption that sexual and gender identity are “immutable.” Far from opening the UK to persecuted sexual minorities, the prevalence of this assumption significantly narrows the apparently “inclusive” construct of the refugee. Building on the findings, the thesis proposes that adjudication should focus on the persecutory intent to suppress non-conforming acts and identities (or norm deviance) in order to identify sexual minority refugees rather than the categories of LGBT. Additionally, framing determination in the terms of relational autonomy develops a better understanding of the conditions necessary to realise a non-conforming sexual and gendered life free of persecution. The concept of norm deviance decentres the assumption of a knowable truth of identity, and relational autonomy asserts that the deprivation of self-determination and rights to relate may constitute a well-founded fear of persecution.

Orientador: Luci Regina Muzzeti / Banca: Andreza Marques de Castro Leão / Banca: Fábio Tadeu Reina / Banca: Flávia Baccin Fiorante / Banca: Darbi Masson Suficier / Resumo: A presente pesquisa foi realizada por meio de uma análise descritiva/analítica da proposta de implantação e seus desdobramentos de uma escola destinada ao público LGBTTI, a E-JOVEM, sendo uma na capital do estado de São Paulo, duas no interior e uma no litoral paulista. O estudo possibilitou perceber a cada um desses segmentos e como a E-JOVEM contribuiu para a promoção ou não ao combate à homofobia e o respeito pelas diferenças no período de 2009 até 2012. A abordagem metodológica desta pesquisa é qualitativa e com os resultados e análises das narrativas trazidas pelos gestores/fundadores, granjeamos os pontos críticos e relevantes da E-JOVEM. As fontes são de duas naturezas: documentais, sobre a criação e implementação da E-JOVEM e a percepção sobre o trabalho desenvolvido pelos principais atores/atrizes, neste caso, os fundadores/diretores assim como, os resultados objetivados na vida dos depoentes. Além disso, observou-se qual a percepção da direção, dos professores e dos alunos sobre os resultados que a referida formação pedagógica trouxe a cada um desses segmentos, à luz do objetivo da criação da escola: promover o combate à homofobia e o respeito pelas diferenças. Nesse sentido, o objetivo central entrecruzou ações e reações derivadas de políticas públicas específicas ao grupo LGBTTI. / Abstract: The present research was carried out by means of a descriptive / analytical analysis of the proposal of implantation and its unfolding of a school destined to the public LGBTTI, the EJOVEM, being one in the capital of the state of São Paulo, two in the interior and one in the coast paulista The study made it possible to perceive each of these segments and how EJOVEM contributed to promoting or not the fight against homophobia and respect for differences between 2009 and 2012. The methodological approach of this research is qualitative and with the results and analyzes of the narratives brought by the managers / founders, we get the critical and relevant points of E-JOVEM. The sources are of two natures: documentaries, about the creation and implementation of E-JOVEM and the perception about the work developed by the main actors / actresses, in this case, the founders / directors as well as the objective results in the life of the deponents. In addition, it was observed the perception of the direction of teachers and students on the results that the pedagogical training brought to each of these segments, in light of the objective of the creation of the school: to promote the fight against homophobia and respect for differences. In this sense, the central objective intertwined actions and reactions derived from specific public policies to the LGBTTI group. / Doutor

This project analyzes the Spanish dubbing of Glee for Latin American audiences in order to understand how identity—gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, religion, and (dis)ability—is shaped by the adaptation process. I make two primary interventions within the field of global television studies. First, I expand adaptation analysis by adding industrial norms and production processes to the traditional theorizations of technical and cultural aspects; secondly, I use this web of elements as an interpretive lens for analyzing television translations, thus providing a model for making sense of how the adaptation process affects the representation of race, sexuality, and other forms of identity. Glee is translated for all of Latin America by the Mexico City company New Art Dub, and so I spent three weeks there doing field work. In addition to interviewing Glee’s Spanish-language script writer, director, actors, engineers, and technicians, and observing their work at every stage, I reviewed dubbed scripts and conducted textual analysis of the dubbed episodes. As this project demonstrates, the translation process negotiates complex international forces along with numerous industrial, technical, and cultural constraints as it shapes representations of and discourses about sexual, gender, racial, and ethnic identities. This research demonstrates that between imperialism and indigenization is an entire adaptation industry which simultaneously exaggerates and downplays cross-cultural similarities and differences.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) students report higher levels of harassment and assault, exposure to prejudiced language, and diminished feelings of safety at school compared to their non-LGBTQ counterparts. Due to the difficulties these young people experience at school as well as their increased risk for psychological distress and suicidality, these students may need additional support to be successful. Although professional organizations support school psychologists acting as advocates to support LGBTQ students, research suggests that practitioners’ knowledge about issues faced by LGBTQ students as well as training related to their needs may lag behind this appeal for best practice. Given this information, it is valuable to investigate how well school psychologists believe themselves capable of fulfilling responsibilities related to working with and advocating for LGBTQ youth in schools. The purpose of this project was to create a comprehensive scale measuring school psychology practitioners’ self-efficacy in working with LGBTQ youth. The proposed scale was created by reviewing existing scales and literature related to LGBTQ student needs. The proposed scale was then sent to three expert panelists who provided feedback that was incorporated to make revisions to the original scale. A finalized scale is presented, which may assist in expanding the knowledge base regarding school psychologists’ self-efficacy in working with this vulnerable student population.

This study reports the results of an exploratory factor analysis conducted to analyze the reliability of a pilot instrument created to evaluate social workers’ attitudes toward LGBT youth in the foster care system. The sample (n = 60) included social workers, supervisors, and staff from the County of San Bernardino Children and Family Services. Data were collected from February 2011 to March 2011. A two factor solution yielded the best results; Chronbach’s alpha for factor one yielded a strong result for internal consistency reliability (α = .777) and for factor two yielded a less strong result (α = .628). Strategies are recommended to increase the reliability and evaluate the validity of the measure in future.

This study explores the attitudes of social workers in relation to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) adoptions. Race, gender, generation, position and prior LGBT training are factors that can positively or negatively impact social workers’ biases towards LGBT adoptions. Researchers contacted adoption agencies whom agreed to partake in the 26-question survey, including eight demographic questions and an 18 item scale. The current study used an adapted version of the Attitude Toward Gay Men and Lesbians as Adoptive Parent Scale (APS) (α = .95). There were 28 survey respondents, however two surveys were discontinued due to incomplete informed consents. A series of Mann-Whitney U tests were conducted to find if two independent, yet similar groups of people answered questions significantly different. Results show that men answered two questions significantly different than women participants who answered the same questions, and that administrative workers answered four questions differently than front-line service providers answered the same four questions. Limitations of this study include time; sample size; and an overrepresentation of women, heterosexuals and Caucasians. Further research should be done on this population, because they may directly impact the progression of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender adoptions.

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into foster parents’ perceptions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) foster youth through a self-administered survey in an attempt to provide better care for these children. The pool of participants were varied in most areas including age, gender, ethnicity, education levels, and religiosity. However, the majority was heterosexual and had less than 2 years of experience fostering. The results showed no particular demographics, trainings, or level of experience that contribute to more or less acceptance or preparedness. This may be due to response bias, however, it is more likely due to a flawed instrument. The results show that overall attitudes followed a normal bell curve, slightly skewed in favor of more positive attitudes. This is the most important finding of the study, which shows an improvement in foster parents’ overall attitudes compared to prior research. It also showed that more parents feel comfortable fostering LGBT youth, than do not.

The purpose of this research was to gain a better understanding of transgender people and allow participants to have a voice in describing the experience of those in the transgender community. This study was conducted utilizing qualitative analysis through individual interviews with six participants. One of the major key findings of this study was the prevalence of depression among all participants. Another key finding of this study found safety among peers to be an issue for those transitioning from male to female. From the findings, it is imperative for social work practitioners to understand this marginalized community and be sensitive to the issues they face, such as: higher rates of mortality, suicide, substance abuse, and mental health issues.

To my knowledge, few studies have investigated the effects of ingroup prejudice. Study 1 assessed the relationship between experienced ingroup prejudice and wellbeing. Results indicated that experiencing racism from the LGBT community was related to poor wellbeing amongst Black men (N=99). Partial correlations indicated that while controlling for other sources of prejudice, racism from the ingroup (i.e., LGBT community) continued to relate to the wellbeing of gay Black men (GBM); however, the relationship between racism from the outgroup (i.e., Whites) and wellbeing was lost. Thus, ingroup and outgroup racism may affect GBM’s wellbeing differently. For Study 2, (N=264) I once again, evaluated the relationship between ingroup prejudice and wellbeing amongst gay Black men. Findings demonstrated that effects of prejudice on wellbeing of GBM were not dependent upon ingroup and outgroup prejudice. However, racism from the LGBT community was more impactful than any other condition. GBM reported lower self-esteem when racism stemmed from the LGBT community versus sexuality prejudice from the Black community. This may be due to GBM finding bias from the LGBT community as more unexpected compared to all other sources of bias. When bias stemmed from the LGBT community compared to all groups, GBM reported lower self-esteem and lower perceived control. Mediation analyses demonstrated that bias expectations mediated the relationship between the difference of racism from the LGBT community from all other groups and wellbeing. Moreover, GBM identified less with their ingroups when they read about ingroup prejudice.