Prior research focused upon the intersection of race, ethnicity, citizenship and identity produced as a result of the Census Schedule. In this dissertation, I focus on the Census, as an instrument of the state, to capture the process of inclusion and exclusion as it relates specifically to the intersection of sexualities and family formation. Using Sewell’s (1992) concept of dual structures, that is, cultural schemas and resources, I argue that sexuality is structural. Using mixed-methodology and three different data sources, I produce five different indices to determine settlement patterns of same-sex households in various geographic areas. Secondly, drawing on variables operationalized as cultural schema and resources, I identify characteristics of metropolitan areas that have arguably been related to levels of gay and lesbian concentration. In the multivariate context, the variables that are most influential in predicting levels of gay and lesbian concentration are physical temperature index, poverty rate, and heterosexual cohabitation rate. Variables focusing on characteristics of the metropolitan areas of relevance mainly to gays and lesbians such as those dealing with sodomy laws and anti-discrimination laws pertaining to sexual orientation, as well as the presence of political and religious conservatism are either not statistically important predictors or exhibited minimal influences. Through the Internet survey and thirty interviews, I examine how gay and lesbian couples answered the Census Schedule. The highest percentage of individuals marked single on the Census Schedule, suggesting that partnered homosexuals are being underenumerated by the Census Bureau. Furthermore, in regards to the Census and the state, two underlying ideas influence individuals’ enactments of agency: legal consciousness and statistical consciousness. Legal consciousness refers to people’s lay understandings of the law, while statistical consciousness refers to everyday knowledge of statistics. In both cases the production of legal interpretation and statistics by authoritative sources is then variously understood, consumed, and employed by ordinary citizens for their distinct purposes. This understanding takes on forms of generally unquestioned folk knowledge, despite being socially constructed in specific historical-cultural contexts. The production and consumption of statistics serve as a pivotal point of contestation of power and resistance, especially for these interviewees.

Thesis (M.P.A.)--Kutztown University of Pennsylvania, 2003. / Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 45-06, page: 2963. Typescript. Abstract precedes thesis as 2 preliminary leaves. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-63).

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2001. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 194-205). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ66374

Cooperative marriage is a heterosexual marriage negotiated and performed by a lala (a woman with same-sex desire) and a gay man. Building on growing debates on cooperative marriage within the tongzhi community and on intensifying media and academic attention, this thesis presents an empirical investigation of how gay men and lalas understand their experiences while in cooperative marriage. The study is based on in-depth interviews, participant observation and focus group interviews of twenty-two gay men and lalas in cooperative marriage distributed across five cities in China: Beijing, Shenyang, Hangzhou, Guangzhou and Foshan. Among the questions addressed are: Why do gay men and lalas opt for this particular type of marriage? What are the lived experiences of sexual minorities facing cultural and institutional discrimination in China? What are the main living strategies and styles they adopt to cope with such discrimination? The study also explores different ways of relating to others and some novel intimate practices emerging. It is shown that, in general, these are not in harmony with the heteronormative values that are dominating society today. The new ways and practices are therefore challenging criticism from liberal rights activists, particularly with regard to issues such as coming out. I identify four types of orientations of gay men and lalas towards cooperative marriage: familial, individual, pragmatic, and idealistic. These reveal how gay men and lalas understand their relations to other main players in their lives and strategize accordingly. Among the characteristics playing key roles in their decision making are gender, being the single child of the family and co-residence with the parents in the same city (local vs. non-local). It is shown that the lives of gay men and lalas in cooperative marriage are being complicated by the need to negotiate multiple relationships, e.g., with the marital partner, the same-sex partner, the marital partner’s partner, the natal family, the in-laws, and the gay community around. I also theorize on the major types of politics of intimate relationships engaged in by gay men and lalas as they craft their living spaces while in cooperative marriage. Finally, I demonstrate that cooperative marriage has led to a new sub-cultural tongzhi movement where gay men and lalas build on the rapport they have developed with each other; e.g., they share information and experiences while participating in semi-open public discussions and matchmaking events. This is leading to emergent types of new ethics within the community which have critically challenged the stereo types and dominant narratives on tongzhi strategizing. / published_or_final_version / Social Work and Social Administration / Master / Master of Philosophy

This thesis describes and explores the development of forms of cultural participation, using photography and digital imaging, with young people in informal contexts. The process has been one of action research, within which groups of young people have developed distinct forms of cultural participation with the researcher over a sustained period. Workshops have been conducted over a three year period with young people in the indoor markets at Birmingham's Bull Ring and with a group of young people based at a lesbian, gay and bisexual youth group. The later group directed the construction of, and made images for, a web site entitled Young, Queer and Safe? This work, along with pilot studies, has informed the development of the research and the focus of this thesis. As such this thesis seeks to represent the experiences of young people who have been overlooked in previous research in the field. Previous research in this field has focussed on the experiences of young people with privileged access to digital technology at home or through formal education. Such research has informed the prevalent vision of young people as engaged with, and by, new media and posits the idea that all young people are competent users of digital technology. This ignores the experiences of many young people. This thesis is not a critique of the ideology which clusters around young people, digital technology and education, but an attempt to undercut it through research with young people who have not necessarily had such access as would enable them to identify skills in digital technology informally. This research has shown that: 1 Young people's priorities in cultural participation should not be assumed. 2 Young people's different agendas are significant, and can be made explicit in spaces where traditional social, age, and cultural hierarchies are less pervasive. 3 The representation of different agendas through cultural production is significant to wider cultural understandings of young people's diverse contemporary experiences. 4 Different ways of making, as well as differences in focus for production, are significant to the pursuit of democratic cultural practice. 5 When outcomes are diverse and transient, as has been the case within this research, traditional forms of classification collapse, problematising the way we consider those outcomes. The research has developed an inclusive pedagogic practice which is significant to formal education, community arts practice, and, contemporary research methodologies.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, August, 2007. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 63-65).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Toronto, 2005. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 92-96).

Thesis (Ph.D.)--York University, 2005. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 163-209). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&res_dat=xri:pqdiss&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:NR19819

Thesis (Ph. D.)--UCLA, 2007. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 144-154).