In Tennessee, a majority of students who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, or Transgender (LGBT) do not feel safe due to bullying and harassment that is targeted toward them by their peers. Schools, such as MTS school (a pseudonym), are not required to specify protection for LGBT students, causing the LGBT bullying to continue without being reported and resulting in higher absences, lower achievement, greater mental health issues, and in some cases, suicidal ideation among LGBT students. Through confidential personal interviews that were transcribed and coded, this case study's purpose was to better understand how MTS adult stakeholders perceive (a) the issue of LGBT based violence, (b) the effectiveness of the school's current bullying policy in protecting LGBT students, and (c) the possibility of implementing a change in the school policy to protect LGBT students. Exploring the barriers to protecting LGBT students was based on the theoretical framework of antibias education in which students gain self-awareness, develop acceptance of human diversity, recognize unfairness in society, and are empowered to act against discrimination. The following four themes emerged: (a) accepting culture, (b) protection of students, (c) need for change, and (d) process for change. These findings have led to the development of a policy recommendation and plan of action that, through antibias education, will specifically protect the LGBT students and include acceptance and tolerance of the LGBT community in the counseling curriculum. The results of this study may create a positive social change by opening up dialogue concerning the effects of LGBT-based bullying on students and exploring opportunities to create a safe school environment for all children.

Spiritual Well-Being of Black LGBT Individuals When Faced With Religious Homonegativity by Patricia A. Hill MA, Loyola University-Chicago, 2004 BS, Chicago State University, 2000 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Psychology Walden University May 2015 Abstract Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) individuals in the United States often face homophobic sermons and messages within their traditional religious settings. This phenomelogical research study was designed to document and understand the lived experiences of Black LGBT individuals' spiritual well-being in the face of homonegativity, and to identify the ways in which they cope with these experiences. The qualitative interview data from 9 participants were interpreted through the lens of feminist theory and Pargament's theory of the psychology of religion and coping. Recurring themes were coded from the participants' interviews using the QSR Nvivo 10 software program. Interview themes included change in faith community, experiencing familial acceptance or discord/rejection due to sexual orientation, feelings of abandonment by God/religion, negative experiences in a religious setting due to sexual orientation, emotional reactions, maladaptive coping, adaptive coping, and religious and/or spiritual reconciliation. The results of this study provide insight into the challenges that Black LGBT individual experience with religious homonegativity and they ways in which they cope with these stresses and challenges. This study promotes positive social change by providing a better understanding of the impact of Christian religion on the mental and spiritual well-being of the Black LGBT individual. These findings can be used to inform therapists and psychologists who are seeking treatment strategies for their Black LGBT clients. The findings suggest there is an educational component that also could benefit family, friends, and religious leaders who want to be present and accepting of the Black LGBT community.

The lived experiences of African American lesbians who attended historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have not received sufficient empirical attention; therefore, this study was conducted to understand and describe their experiences. The study followed a qualitative phenomenological approach. The multidimensional identity model, developed by Reyolds and Pope, was used as the framework through which to understand the participants' experiences. Semistructured, 40 to 60-minute interviews were conducted with 6 women who identified as African American lesbians and attended HBCUs. Initial hand and subsequent NVivo coding of interview data led to the development of the following 7 themes: (a) either African American women or African American lesbian, (b) fear of rejection, (c) chosen kin, (d) no benefit of being an African American lesbian at an HBCU, (e) love for the African American community, (f) women who love women, and (g) the road not taken. The findings suggest African American lesbians often shift between identities, depending on the situation or setting. The results of the study provide suggestions for counselors and counselor educators who will be able to increase their understanding of the unique needs of individuals who identify with at least 3 marginalized communities. African American lesbians who attend HBCUs may benefit from this inquiry as HBCUs can use the information in this study to help create and sustain a more inclusive campus environment. Additional implications for social change and future research are included at the end of the study.

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Research on influences of eating disorders have informed diagnosis and treatment of eating disorders, particularly for White cisgender women. A Perfect Biopsychosocial Storm is a theory of influences of disordered eating development: sociocultural influences of rigid body shape and size ideals, high rates of trauma and violence, experiences of objectification and sexualization, and biological changes (Maine & Bunnell, 2010). For transgender individuals, recent findings suggest disparities and negative mental health outcomes such as elevated prevalence of disordered eating, body image concerns, and self-reported disordered eating. For transgender men and women, researchers found that disordered eating may be related to attempts to masculinize/feminize the body, through effects like suppression of weight and secondary sex characteristics. For nonbinary individuals, motivations are unclear regarding masculinization/feminization. Further, while previous research has implicated experiences of marginalization in reduced body appreciation, impact on disordered eating behaviors in nonbinary individuals have yet to be explored. This study addressed gaps in research regarding experiences of nonbinary individuals with disordered eating. Through Grounded Theory qualitative analysis, I developed a framework to understand disordered eating among nonbinary individuals. Disordered eating was the surface-level manifestations of experiences such as trauma, distress surrounding bodily changes in puberty, and marginalization. Repeated marginalization, like misgendering and identity erasure, created conditions of shame to be associated with identity and self. Shame is a universal emotion that occurs when one does something they perceive as social transgressive and, thus, prevents connection. Shame motivates individuals to reduce socially transgressive behavior to increase connection with others. When one experiences marginalization and repeated shame surrounding identity, identity and self then can be experienced as a social transgression that prevents belonging. For example, participants described feelings of shame in comparison to the stereotypical image of a nonbinary person (White, masculine-leaning/androgynous, thin, tall). Disordered eating facilitated emotional coping, and, for some participants, helped achievement of gender presentation. Disordered eating also was associated with consequences of further shame around eating behaviors, and feelings of lack of control. Recovery and healing was supported through combating shame and disempowerment: being seen and empowerment through choice.

My dissertation explores the demographics and composition of sexual minority populations in the United States, their labor market experiences, and public policy, respectively. Using a novel method of Cross-Survey Multiple Imputation (CSMI), I create a unique dataset which allows me to examine the demographic profile of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) populations at the national and state levels. I then measure the prevalence of discrimination experienced by these groups in the labor market through regression analyses and decompositions of wages. Finally, I examine the effectiveness of sexual orientation nondiscrimination policies at the state level. My analyses show that LGB people make up just over four percent of the national population, a sizeable minority though smaller than popular and historical estimates. I show that LGB people tend to be younger, more racially and ethnically diverse, and slightly more educated than the heterosexual majority. However, LGB people are also more likely to be unemployed, more likely to be living below the poverty line, and less likely to have health insurance than heterosexual people. I find that lesbian women and gay men earn a wage premium over similarly situated heterosexual women and men while bisexual men and women experience a significant wage penalty relative to heterosexual men and women. After cataloguing and analyzing all state-level sexual orientation nondiscrimination policies for textual themes, I test for policy effectiveness. My analyses suggest that while policies raise the wages of all workers, the specific effects of policies on LGB workers’ wages are inconsistent, suggesting other factors play a role in shaping wage differentials. / Sociology

Thesis advisor: Geoffrey Sanzenbacher / Oddly, as acceptance of LGBT+ individuals continues to rise in the United States, the number of reported anti-LGBT+ hate crimes also rises (McCarthy 2022, Author’s calculations from Uniform Crime Reporting data). Could this be the result of a violent backlash against the legalization of same-sex marriage? This paper investigates this love-hate relationship using data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics’s Uniform Crime Reporting system. Utilizing a collection of difference-in- differences regressions, this analysis compares the number of reported anti-LGBT+ hate crimes in a state before and after that state’s legalization of same sex marriage. The results suggest that states have a higher number of reported hate crimes per month after their legalization of same-sex marriage when controlling for population. A placebo regression shows that this effect is not found with other kinds of hate crimes. Two potential explanations for this finding are explored: firstly, that reporting of anti-LGBT+ hate crimes in a state becomes more reliable after that state’s legalization of same-sex marriage or, alternatively, that the number of hate crimes committed against LGBT+ individuals rises. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2023. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: Economics.

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The research topic of this thesis is the perceptions and expectations of the LGBTcommunity in China and Sweden regarding LGBT-related content in games. With the development of games, the frequency and ways of LGBT content appearing ingames have become more and more diverse, but whether these are what the LGBT groupitself expects, and whether Chinese LGBT groups and Swedish LGBT groups in differentenvironments and policies are having a different view is the focus of my research. In this study, I will mainly conduct sample interviews and questionnaires with LGBTgroups in China and Sweden to collect their thoughts and make statistics on them.Therefore, the content of this research involves sociology, ethics, etc. In addition, this thesis will conduct homogeneous and differentiated discussions basedon the data and will be no subjective interferences to praise or disparage any of thepoints made in it.