Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1997. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves [264]-299).

Thesis (MA (AborStud))--University of South Australia, 1995

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of New South Wales, 2002. / Includes bibliographic references. Also available online.

This study examined relationships among ethnic identity, gay identity, sexual sensation seeking, and HIV risk-taking behaviors among 302 men of color recruited from gay bars, bathhouses, community agencies, and the 1998 United States Conference on AIDS. The sample included 24% African American, 28% Latino, 25% Asian/ Pacific Islander, 19% Caucasian, 1% American Indian, and 3% other ethnicity. Logistic regression analysis identified sexual sensation seeking, having an undefined gay identity, being in a sexually exclusive relationship, not being HIV seronegative, and length of stay in the country (for those born overseas) as significant predictors of unprotected anal intercourse (insertive and penetrative) among men of color who have sex with men.

Using the perspectives of individualism-collectivism, Social Cognitive Theory and other concepts such as gay community attachment, this study focused on issues of homosexual identification, disclosure and sexual risk practices in relation to cross-cultural differences among gay Asian and Caucasian men in Sydney. Mostly recruited from gay social venues, 19 gay Asian men participated in exploratory focus groups discussions, another 201 gay Caucasian and 199 gay Asian men completed an anonymous questionnaire, and a further 10 gay Caucasian and 9 gay Asian men took part in in-depth one-to-one interviews. The major findings were: gay Asian men tended to experience conflict, in being both gay and Asian, related to individualism and collectivism; the gay Asian and Caucasian men differed in various aspects of homosexual practice, but shared certain sexual traits and practices; self-efficacy in safe sex and gay community attachment were key factors associated with gay men???s sexual risk practices (???risk??? being defined as unprotected anal intercourse with any casual partners or with a regular partner whose HIV status was not concordant with the participant???s). This study provides evidence that the inclusion of individualism-collectivism, social cognitive variables and gay community factors in the examination of homosexual identity and practice among men of different cultural backgrounds holds promise. It further suggests that educational programs to encourage safe sex will continue to yield benefits from increasing individual awareness, confidence and ability to effectively deal with situations that could pose risks of HIV transmission.

Using the perspectives of individualism-collectivism, Social Cognitive Theory and other concepts such as gay community attachment, this study focused on issues of homosexual identification, disclosure and sexual risk practices in relation to cross-cultural differences among gay Asian and Caucasian men in Sydney. Mostly recruited from gay social venues, 19 gay Asian men participated in exploratory focus groups discussions, another 201 gay Caucasian and 199 gay Asian men completed an anonymous questionnaire, and a further 10 gay Caucasian and 9 gay Asian men took part in in-depth one-to-one interviews. The major findings were: gay Asian men tended to experience conflict, in being both gay and Asian, related to individualism and collectivism; the gay Asian and Caucasian men differed in various aspects of homosexual practice, but shared certain sexual traits and practices; self-efficacy in safe sex and gay community attachment were key factors associated with gay men???s sexual risk practices (???risk??? being defined as unprotected anal intercourse with any casual partners or with a regular partner whose HIV status was not concordant with the participant???s). This study provides evidence that the inclusion of individualism-collectivism, social cognitive variables and gay community factors in the examination of homosexual identity and practice among men of different cultural backgrounds holds promise. It further suggests that educational programs to encourage safe sex will continue to yield benefits from increasing individual awareness, confidence and ability to effectively deal with situations that could pose risks of HIV transmission.

In the last forty years, U.S. national and statewide LGBT organizations, in pursuit of "equality" through a limited and focused agenda, have made remarkably swift progress moving that agenda forward. However, their agenda has been frequently criticized as prioritizing the interests of White, middle-class gay men and lesbians and ignoring the needs of other LGBT people. In their shadows have emerged numerous grassroots organizations led by queer people of color, transgender people, and low-income LGBT people. These "queer liberation" groups have often been viewed as the left wing of the GRM, but have not been extensively studied. My research investigated how these grassroots liberation organizations can be understood in relation to the equality movement, and whether they actually comprise a separate movement operating alongside, but in tension with, the mainstream gay rights movement. This research used a qualitative content analysis, grounded in black feminism's framework of intersectionality, queer theory, and social movement theories, to examine eight queer liberation organizations. Data streams included interviews with staff at each organization, organizational videos from each group, and the organizations' mission statements. The study used deductive content analysis, informed by a predetermined categorization matrix drawn from social movement theories, and also featured inductive analysis to expand those categories throughout the analysis. This study's findings indicate that a new social movement - distinct from the mainstream equality organizations - does exist. Using criteria informed by leading social movement theories, findings demonstrate that these organizations cannot be understood as part of the mainstream equality movement but must be considered a separate social movement. This "queer liberation movement" has constituents, goals, strategies, and structures that differ sharply from the mainstream equality organizations. This new movement prioritizes queer people in multiple subordinated identity categories, is concerned with rebuilding institutions and structures, rather than with achieving access to them, and is grounded more in "liberation" or "justice" frameworks than "equality." This new movement does not share the equality organizations' priorities (e.g., marriage) and, instead, pursues a different agenda, include challenging the criminal justice and immigration systems, and strengthening the social safety net. Additionally, the study found that this new movement complicates existing social movement theory. For decades, social movement scholars have documented how the redistributive agenda of the early 20th century class-based social movements has been replaced by the demands for access and recognition put forward by the identity-based movements of the 1960s New Left. While the mainstream equality movement can clearly be characterized as an identity-based social movement, the same is not true of the groups in this study. This queer liberation movement, although centered on identity claims, has goals that are redistributive as well as recognition-based. While the emergence of this distinct social movement is significant on its own, of equal significance is the fact that it represents a new post-structuralist model of social movement. This study presents a "four-domain" framework to explain how this movement exists simultaneously inside and outside of other social movements, as a bridge between them, and as its own movement. Implications for research, practice, and policy in social work and allied fields are presented.