abstract: “OUT.” is a song cycle for bass and piano that follows the coming out process of a young homosexual who has been raised in a politically and religiously conservative corner of American culture. This character was taught from a very young age that anything or anyone of a queer nature was inherently wrong and should be avoided and scorned. The story arc captured in this seven-movement work is only a small portion of what the character ultimately goes through as they mature. This portion of their narrative has been isolated with the hope of embodying a queer character of strength, and this piece begins with the character knowing, understanding, and having already come to terms with their own sexuality. The story outlined in this song cycle is one of hardship that ultimately leads to triumph, as a demonstration that overcoming queer suppression is an achievable goal. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Composition 2019

abstract: Guided by Tinto’s Theory of College Student Departure, I conducted a set of five studies to identify factors that influence students’ social integration in college science active learning classes. These studies were conducted in large-enrollment college science courses and some were specifically conducted in undergraduate active learning biology courses. Using qualitative and quantitative methodologies, I identified how students’ identities, such as their gender and LGBTQIA identity, and students’ perceptions of their own intelligence influence their experience in active learning science classes and consequently their social integration in college. I also determined factors of active learning classrooms and instructor behaviors that can affect whether students experience positive or negative social integration in the context of active learning. I found that students’ hidden identities, such as the LGBTQIA identity, are more relevant in active learning classes where students work together and that the increased relevance of one’s identity can have a positive and negative impact on their social integration. I also found that students’ identities can predict their academic self-concept, or their perception of their intelligence as it compares to others’ intelligence in biology, which in turn predicts their participation in small group-discussion. While many students express a fear of negative evaluation, or dread being evaluated negatively by others when speaking out in active learning classes, I identified that how instructors structure group work can cause students to feel more or less integrated into the college science classroom. Lastly, I identified tools that instructors can use, such as name tents and humor, which can positive affect students’ social integration into the college science classroom. In sum, I highlight inequities in students’ experiences in active learning science classrooms and the mechanisms that underlie some of these inequities. I hope this work can be used to create more inclusive undergraduate active learning science courses. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Biology 2018

“The LGBTQIA+ community”, like all social groupings, is moulded by dialectical forces: inclusivity/exclusivity, belonging/non-belonging, sameness/difference. Literature on it is riddled with dichotomous conflicts over (dis)identification and (anti)relationality in theory, lived experiences, and political mobilisation. Dominant discourses tend to overlook intersectional complexities therein, focus on labels over interactions, and reiterate a framing of the LGBTQIA+ as inherently vulnerable. The gaps point to a need for a more open and reparative investigation that creates space for exploring and (re)negotiating the assumed coalition. This study investigated what diverse groups of queer-identified individuals experienced when sharing their lived accounts of “sameness and difference” with others. Twenty-one people each participated in one of four focus groups and in a follow-up interview were invited to reflect on their experience. Decolonial Intersectional Narrative Analysis (Boonzaier, 2019) and a Bakhtinian-dialogical analysis (Grossen & Salazar Orvig, 2011) were used to inspect the “what” and the “how” of the group dialogues, respectively. Participants recounted significant experiences of sameness and difference that both foregrounded and transcended their particular intersectional identities. Moments/relationships of being treated as more an object than a full subject, due to divergence from certain monoglossic gendered/sexed/sexual norms (both intra- and extra-communally), were conarrated as keys to ongoing queer abjection. Participants expressed that dialoguing in this particular setting was an experience of coming-out-of-isolation, intersubjective learning, and strengthening senses of self and community. Future research and activism are encouraged to invest in accessible open dialogue as a site itself for LGBTQIA+ community-building in South Africa and beyond.

[pt] A tese se insere no campo de estudos sobre o refúgio e sua intersecção com o campo das dissidências LGBTQIA+. Nesse contexto, produziu-se uma leitura acerca da geopolítica de corpos dissidentes em deslocamento em busca de refúgio no Brasil, em particular na cidade de São Paulo. Corpos que se deslocam nas fronteiras, atravessados por seus gêneros, sexualidades e outros marcadores da diferença. Corpos que sofrem perseguições, violências e políticas de morte (necropolítica), que têm os seus direitos humanos negados: o direito à vida, à residência e a viver livremente. Os principais objetivos deste trabalho basearam-se em refletir sobre as articulações entre a tríade gêneros, sexualidades e a política de refúgio na perspectiva contemporânea; analisar o contexto sociopolítico em que ocorreu a incorporação da temática das dissidências de gêneros e sexuais no Sistema Internacional de Proteção às pessoas refugiadas; analisar as experiências dos atendimentos dos profissionais de um centro de atendimento que atuam com o deslocamento, a integração local e o acolhimento de pessoas refugiadas e solicitantes de refúgio LGBTQIA+ na cidade de São Paulo; conhecer os processos de partidas e chegadas das tessituras institucionais de refugiados/as LGBTQIA+ no acesso aos direitos em São Paulo e identificar barreiras nos serviços, projetos e programas prestados nos diferentes espaços das redes de apoio e proteção, dentro das políticas públicas aos/as refugiados/as LGBTQIA+ na cidade de São Paulo. O percurso metodológico baseou-se em pesquisa qualitativa e exploratória. Foi realizado levantamento bibliográfico sobre dissidências de gênero e sexuais, Teoria Queer, refúgio, migração e análise de documentos internacionais e nacionais das políticas de proteção aos refugiados. Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas de forma remota com duas profissionais do Centro de Referência e Atendimento para Imigrantes – Oriana Jara (CRAI) de São Paulo e com um ativista que atua com a população LGBTQIA+ em situação de refúgio, tendo em vista o cenário pandêmico da COVID-19. Observou-se que em São Paulo, apesar de possuir uma rede complexa de serviços públicos e privados que integram políticas de atendimento/acolhida/integração para imigrantes e refugiados/as (heterossexuais) e políticas para LGBTIs (nacionais), ainda não dispõe de ações e estratégias consolidadas em relação ao público imigrante LGBTQIA+. Logo, o cenário vivenciado pela população LGBTQIA+ é de vulnerabilidade e marginalização, suscetíveis a sofrerem desproteção social, LGBTfobia, xenofobia e racismo. Pode-se inferir que existe uma invisibilidade das pessoas que migram devido às questões de gênero e sexualidade nos atendimentos do CRAI, pela ausência de dados oficiais dos órgãos locais, nacionais e internacionais. O maior desafio apontado pelos profissionais é a questão do trabalho para este público, por sofrer discriminação de várias ordens. Ressalta-se, porém, que mesmo com obstáculos de ordem jurídica, social, política e econômica, encontra-se potência na agenda de proteção social no Brasil para pessoas LGBTQIA+ refugiadas, como os grupos organizativos que possibilitam resistências coletivas, o respeito ao uso do nome social nos equipamentos públicos e o acesso aos serviços de saúde. São inúmeros os desafios ao acesso da população LGBTQIA+ aos tratamentos no Sistema Único de Saúde - SUS, principalmente ao grupo trans, como a transfobia, discriminação, exclusão, violências, patologização da transexualidade, porém, de acordo com os profissionais, o Brasil é um dos países compreendidos por esse público, onde possuem o direito ao acesso a tratamentos e serviços específicos. / [en] The thesis is part of the field of studies on refuge and its intersection with the field of LGBTQIA+ dissidences. In this context, a reading was produced about the geopolitics of dissident bodies in displacement in search of refuge in Brazil, particularly in the city of São Paulo. Bodies that move across borders, crossed by their genders, sexualities and other markers of difference. Bodies that suffer persecution, violence and death policies (necropolitics), who have their human rights denied: the right to life, residence and to live freely. The main objectives of this work were based on reflecting on the articulations between the triad of genders, sexualities and the refuge policy in the contemporary perspective; to analyze the socio-political context in which the issue of gender and sexual dissidence was incorporated into the International System for the Protection of Refugees; to analyze the experiences of professionals from a service center who work with displacement, local integration and reception of refugees and LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers in the city of São Paulo; to know the departure and arrival processes of the institutional fabrics of LGBTQIA+ refugees in accessing rights in São Paulo and identify barriers in the services, projects and programs provided in the different spaces of the support and protection networks, within the public policies for refugees LGBTQIA+ in the city of São Paulo. The methodological course was based on qualitative and exploratory research. A bibliographic survey was carried out on gender and sexual dissidence, Queer Theory, refuge, migration and analysis of international and national documents on refugee protection policies. Semi-structured interviews were conducted remotely with two professionals from the Centro de Referência e Atendimento para Imigrantes – Oriana Jara (CRAI) from São Paulo and with an activist who works with the LGBTQIA+ population in refugee situations, in view of the COVID pandemic scenario. It was observed that in São Paulo, despite having a complex network of public and private services that 17 integrate care/welcome/integration policies for immigrants and refugees (heterosexuals) and policies for LGBTIs (nationals), it still does not have actions and consolidated strategies in relation to the LGBTQIA+ immigrant public. Therefore, the scenario experienced by the LGBTQIA+ population is one of vulnerability and marginalization, susceptible to social unprotected, LGBTphobia, xenophobia and racism. It can be inferred that there is an invisibility of people who migrate due to gender and sexuality issues in CRAI care, due to the absence of official data from institutions (local, national and international). The biggest challenge pointed out by professionals is the issue of work for this public, as they suffer discrimination of various kinds. It is noteworthy, however, that even with legal, social, political and economic obstacles, there is power in the social protection agenda in Brazil for LGBTQIA+ refugees, such as the organizational groups that enable collective resistance, respect the use of the social name in public facilities and access to health services. There are numerous challenges to the LGBTQIA+ population s access to treatments in the Unified Health System - SUS in portuguese, especially to the trans group, such as transphobia, discrimination, exclusion, violence, pathologization of transsexuality, however, according to professionals, Brazil is a of the countries comprised by this public, where they have the right to access specific treatments and services.

Considering the rise of transgender representation and discussion across many media platforms (television, film, print, social networking, etc.), how does such burgeoning and diverse exposure affect transgender individuals and communities? This project explores the ways in which transgender communities have developed and investigated potential for alternative and community-created representations of transgender experiences. With a particular focus on the utility and versatility of digital spaces, this project investigates the potential of web comics in harnessing both digital space and graphic narrative in creating alternative representation and discourse. The ensuing work, Maps, follows the journey of a cast of queer and transgender characters on a journey through the American South in search of family and justice.

This study used Arts-based research and Narrative Inquiry to explore the rural-urban transition experiences of three high-achieving millennial gay men. Using Clandinin’s (2013) narrative commonplaces of temporality, sociality, and place as frames for understanding each participant’s individual story, the study utilized The Listening Guide (Gilligan, 2015) to illuminate participants’ experiences related to identity development, sense of community, queer migration, and authentic leadership development. In addition to the individual narratives, story threads or themes present in one, two, or all three narrative portraits were analyzed and discussed. The data also included found poetry and original poems written in the style of George Ella Lyon’s (1999) I Am From poem. The study examined the authentic leadership development of the participants and advanced arts-based research through a discussion of the personal, practical, and social justifications of the methodology broadly, and this study in particular. The significance of this study is directly related to the social justifications of theoretical contributions and a social justice orientation. By engaging in the research, the participants told their stories in this way for the first time and gave voice to their past experiences and illuminated the implications of these experiences on their current roles as junior faculty members and administrators in higher education. The narrative portraits and poetry serve as counter-narratives to those of white, straight men which are most often privileged in the academy and beyond. This study demonstrates the usefulness and rigor of using narrative methods to gather and share stories about 1) transitioning between rural and urban places, 2) the experiences of a subset of the millennial cohort and life-course development, 3) and the development of authentic leadership. Each participant expressed a passion and purpose for more socially just classrooms, campus environments, and community spaces, and each participant incorporated this purpose in his teaching, research, and practice in his own way. As more millennial gay men assume leadership positions in universities, board rooms, and city halls, ABR creates the potential capacity for a new generation of public leaderships to usher in societal shifts reflecting a changing America.

Ce mémoire porte sur l’(in)visibilité des couples féminins dans les lieux publics en Estrie et tente de pallier au manque de recherches universitaires sur les femmes de la communauté LGBTQIA+ au Québec, femmes souvent mises à l’écart dans les recherches universitaires et gouvernementales. Subissant une double discrimination, soit celle d’être femme et de ne pas être hétérosexuelle, ces femmes offrent, dans ce mémoire, leurs histoires de vie et parlent de leurs réalités de couple de même sexe qui sont des plus intéressantes et importantes à comprendre. Dans le cadre de cette recherche exploratoire, j’ai réalisé neuf entretiens compréhensifs individuels, de type récit de vie, avec des femmes estriennes de 25 à 35 ans qui s’identifient comme lesbiennes ou pansexuelles. Elles étaient toutes en couple avec une femme au moment des entretiens. À travers ces entretiens, j’ai tenté de comprendre leur relation avec leur conjointe ainsi qu’avec les individus présents dans les lieux publics qu’elles fréquentent. Comment interagissent-elles lorsqu’elles sont en couple? Le présupposé d’homophobie plus présent dans les régions hors des grands centres urbains du Québec a-t-il des effets sur leur présence dans les lieux publics? À partir de théories féministes, d’aspects de la communication interpersonnelle et de la dramaturgie sociale d’Erving Goffman, j’ai dégagé certains éléments caractéristiques des couples féminins en Estrie. Premièrement, il semble que la communication non verbale soit privilégiée par les couples ne désirant pas que leur orientation sexuelle soit visible dans les lieux publics. Deuxièmement, plusieurs femmes interrogées souhaitent rendre invisibles les signes de leur orientation sexuelle et du lien qu’elles ont avec leur conjointe, alors que d’autres ne s’inquiètent aucunement d’être visibles. Troisièmement, la présentation de soi est un élément très important pour les femmes de cette recherche, tantôt pour se faire reconnaître comme lesbienne, tantôt pour éviter les stéréotypes accolés aux femmes LGBTQIA+, tantôt comme moyen d’être acceptées. Enfin, il est important de rendre compte des craintes que plusieurs participantes disent avoir lorsqu’elles sont avec leur conjointe dans les lieux publics estriens. Bien que présentant des expériences et des portraits différents, toutes les femmes interrogées souhaitent une société plus ouverte aux différences, où toutes les personnes de la diversité sexuelle et de genre pourront vivre pleinement et sans crainte.

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Representing marginalized identities in visual communication is animportant effort to making them part of the majority’s perceived reality,therefore normalizing and destigmatizing their existence. By exploringthe concepts of discourse, re-presentation and reception,based on the works of Michel Foucault and Stuart Hall, and examining whereidentity and labels originated, I came to the conclusion that the current(common) practice of representation in design is rather paradoxical. Thoughrepresentation intends to push back on hegemonic oppressive structures,designers rely on the visible recognizability of marginalized identities, reinforcingthe structures that singled out and condemned traits outside of thenorm to begin with. This foundational research is compiled as the Grundstein(engl. cornerstone), essentially a foundational handbook, to encouragedesigners to rethink representation as a practice and think of other ways visualcommunication can aid not only the inclusion of marginalized people,but the deconstruction of oppressive structures. Throughout, the thesis focusesspecifically on the mis- and underrepresentation of [aromantic asexuals]and lays out how considerations of those identities could also impactdesign practice.Delabeling is my implementation of the Grundstein into design, proposingthe immaterialization of identity by omitting the depiction of bodies,and instead focusing on the representation of shared experience betweenminority and majority groups. The aim is to introduce [aromantic asexuality],a rather unknown sexual identity, by not focusing on what makes them‘different’ from the majority, but by inviting the observer to ‘recognize’ themselvesin the [aro-ace] experience. Neither Delabeling or the Grundstein are intended as ‘alternatives’ tocurrent practice, but I hope they invite designers to reconsider industry‘rules’ and standards and motivate them to develop own ideas for more radicalforms of representation in visual communication.

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