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The system of higher education in the United States of America has retained some of its original character yet it has also grown in many ways. Among the contemporary priorities of colleges and universities are undergraduate student learning outcomes and success along with a growing focus on diversity. As a result, there has been a growing focus on ways to achieve compositional diversity and a greater sense of inclusion with meaningful advances through better access and resources for individuals from non-dominant populations. The clearest result of these advances for sexual and gender diversity has been a normalization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) identities through positive visibility and greater acceptance on campus. However, it appears that relatively few institutions have focused on improving academic diversity and students’ cognitive growth around LGBTQ issues. Through historical inquiry and a qualitative approach, this study explored the fundamental aspects of formal LGBTQ studies academic programs at some of the leading American research universities, including Cornell University, the University of Maryland, College Park, and the University of Texas at Austin – a purposeful sample chosen from the Association of American Universities (AAU) member institutions with organized curricula focused on the study of sexual and gender diversity. The analysis of primary and secondary sources, including documents and interviews, helped create historical narratives that revealed: a cultural shift was necessary to launch a formal academic program in LGBTQ studies; this formalization of LGBTQ studies programs has been part of the larger effort to improve the campus climate for sexual and gender diversity; and there has been a common pattern to the administration and operation of LGBTQ studies. Clearly, the research shows that LGBTQ studies, as a field of study and formal curriculum, has become institutionalized at the American research university. A key outcome of this research is the creation of a historiography of curricular development around sexual and gender diversity at a sample of premier research universities. This work also begins to fill the gap in the study of academic affairs at the postsecondary level of education related to LGBT and queer studies and the organization and administration of learning about diversity and inclusion. Ultimately, the results of this study can influence the continued advancement and maturity of this legitimate field of study as well as academic diversity and social transformation around sexual and gender diversity.

The history of Japanese women who love women is often either ignored by or inaccessible to English speakers. To address this lacuna, I will lay out two case studies of women whose Queerness is potentially useful as models of Queer Japanese womanhood. I examine the narratives surrounding two women, Murasaki Shikibu (c. 973 or 978 – c. 1014 or 1031), the author the Tale of Genji, and Otake Kōkichi (1893-1966), an author, artist, and first wave feminist activist, in order to see how narratives surrounding their Queerness, known or posited, affect or are affected by cultural and religious narratives of identity and sexual values. The only major reading of Murasaki Shikibu as a woman who loved women is that of literary scholar and lesbian feminist Komashaku Kimi in Murasaki Shikibu’s Message (Murasaki Shikibu no Messeji), written in 1991. Her argument is that the interest in women’s bodies Murasaki shows in her diary and Poetic Memoirs was a kind of same-sex desire and that that desire was integral to her message in the Tale of Genji. This argument has never been given significant scholarly attention. As such, I examine this argument and present it in English. Otake Kōkichi, born Otake Kazue, is one of a handful of Queer women from the early 20th century who are regularly discussed in academic literature on Japanese feminist history, but most narratives surrounding her tend to center on a same-sex relationship she had in her youth and ignore the radical nature of her life after marriage. I will present aspects of her life that worked with and resisted various religions and systems of value creation that were competing for influence in twentieth-century Japan. The narratives surrounding Otake and Murasaki as Queer people center the radical nature of their work and lives. Both are discussed as having a kind of embodied politics that resists dominant images of womanhood and sexuality in favour of more liberatory constructions of value and identity. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

This diploma thesis of the self-presentation explores the aspects of self-presentation and social perception of a group of 5 selected drag queens. The thesis has a form of 5 case studies based on deep analysis of their profiles on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, which are currently the most used social networks. The areas of interest in this diploma thesis were the visual presentation of their drag identity, the trends their profiles show in areas of make-up, wig or hair, costume and body position in which they are shown on their profiles. The second area of interest was the nature of the textual presentation and captions, use of hashtags and interaction with their audience. Third are of interest was the audience itself, whether it was supportive in terms of drag and LGBTQ+ community in general and the nature of the interaction with the audience. The results from the content analysis were then summarized and used as a basis for semi-structured interview based on the outcomes from the said content analysis. The focus of this thesis was the relation of their drag identity to their civil identity and how these identities interact on their profiles on social medial. The thesis claims that the shift of drag from club shows to everyday presence on social media positively affects the reception of this...

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<p dir="ltr">For many, spiritual beliefs and religious affiliation exist as a protective factor, providing significant emotional, psychological, and social support (Ibrahim & Dykeman, 2011). However, for others, abuse within the power structures of religion can also inflict great harm—particularly within marginalized communities—resulting in religious trauma. The LGBTQIA+ community has historically experienced marginalization and discrimination within various religious contexts and doctrines, becoming a group particularly vulnerable to religious trauma (Simmons et al., 2017; Swindle, 2017). This type of trauma has often been overlooked in the therapy room and within the broader Marriage and Family Therapy field. This thesis addresses this gap through the creation of an introductory training for therapists on religious trauma that many in LGBTQIA+ community experience. Grounded in religious trauma research and trauma-informed client care, the training seeks to enhance therapists' capacity to navigate these complex terrains with empathetic and informed care (Ellis et al., 2022). The aim is to create a therapeutic landscape where healing and self-compassion become more accessible to LGBTQIA+ individuals impacted by religious trauma.</p>