Thesis (M.A.)--East Tennessee State University, 2002. / Title from PDF t.p. (viewed Mar. 30, 2005). Includes bibliographical references (p. 42-44). Also available via Internet at the UMI web site.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on September 20, 2007) Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 59-61).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Cincinnati, 2004. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Mar. 27, 2005). Includes bibliographical reference (p. 73-76).

M.Ed. / As an Educational Psychologist, one is frequently touched by people struggling to come to terms with life’s complexities, which may in some instances be termed a life in crisis. This crisis may often involve change, which may cause the person to embark on a journey of discovery where the destination may not be what he/she had planned. A mother may embark on just such a journey when she is confronted by the loss brought about by her child’s “coming out” as either gay or lesbian. A mother approached the Institute for Child and Adult Guidance in need of guidance where the acceptance of her son’s alternative lifestyle was concerned. Her story piqued my interest as I am a mother and because I have recently experienced “coming out” with many of my friends. I immediately recognized that this was a mother on the threshold of a journey of discovery that may well enable me to assist and support others in similar situations. I wondered what I, as an Educational Psychologist, might learn from a mother’s journey towards acceptance of her son’s alternative lifestyle. In addition to this question, I realized that I would need to explore her dominant discourses, which may have influenced her view of the alternative lifestyle and that I, as her therapist, would have a role to play in deconstructing them. I would also have to deconstruct the traditional power relationship that exists between a client and a therapist and in this case between a participant and a researcher. The research was conducted within a qualitative research paradigm. In order to answer the research question and to specify the aims of the research, in terms of the Narrative Therapy paradigm, a Participatory Action Research strategy was followed. This manner of conducting research aims at constructing knowledge and meaning together with the participants of the study, thus creating a collaborative process. In this study, multiple methods of data collection were employed in order to construct and co-create rich data with the participant. This data included recordings of therapeutic conversations, as well as journal texts and letters written by my client and me. The experiences of the mother were recorded by way of thick descriptions and reflections. These thick descriptions reflected her journey towards, and our understanding of, acceptance. From the results research, it became evident that acceptance is an ongoing process. It also became apparent that my client had the ability to deal with her problems and to move towards a place where acceptance appeared to be possible. The collaborative process made it possible for a mother’s voice to be heard regarding her knowledges and skills where her own journey towards acceptance was concerned. It also broadened a community of care within her family and circle of friends and even nationally, after we were interviewed by a national magazine, the purpose of which was to offer advice to other parents in a similar situation.

This paper explores the reality of a queer individuals life and the reality of a mother of a queer individual, where the author himself and his mother are the subjects. The paper seeks to explore these person's experiences/realities using both an autoethnographic approach and a life history approach. Coming from a postmodern and feminist position the author delves into such issues as power, oppression, social construction, personal voice, and identity. Personal narratives and academic literature within this paper are going to display queer realities and the broad range of oppression (such as heterosexism, homophobia and gendering) that they face (in educational, familial, and religious settings) and the experiences of a mother who has a queer child (such as emotional reactions, lack of resources/information). / The methodologies used within this paper also seek to explore and expand the use of alternative forms of academic research, focusing on the autoethnographic approach. Personal narratives, emotions and experiences take center stage within the body of this paper and seek to represent the realities of queer youth and their families to the reader, and hopefully, expose the need for more queer awareness, education, and advocacy.

No description available.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender young people face a landscape of prejudice and intolerance when first coming to terms with their identities. In these moments of confusion, they often turn to their parents for support, yet parents often lack the information and resources necessary to support their LGBT child. The outcomes project interviews LGBT people about their "coming out" experience, and presents their video interviews a multi-platform website. The interviews appear alongside written accounts that highlight common themes encountered in research. The website also links to well-sourced resources for parents coming to terms with a child's disclosure. By telling these stories in a context that encourages an empathetic response, The outcomes project aims to give parents the information and understanding they need to support their LGBT child. / text

Research to date in South Africa has explored the coming out narratives of lesbian and gay people. Most of this research suggests these people experience their parents’ reactions as largely negative. This negativity is attributed to the patriarchal culture and religious beliefs which insist on compulsory heterosexuality that dominate African discourse in South Africa. However, thus far, little work has been done focusing specifically on the perceptions of the parents of lesbian, gay or bisexual offspring, and on the parents’ own coming out about their children’s alternative sexual orientation. In this qualitative study, I explored the lived experiences of black mothers of lesbian, gay or bisexual children from diverse backgrounds with the aim of capturing their own voices and gaining an understanding of their journeys, from the moment that each discovered that her child belongs to a sexual minority to her acceptance of the child’s alternative sexuality. I conducted semi-structured interviews with six black South African mothers of lesbian, gay or bisexual offspring in order to learn about these mothers’ experiences. I analysed the interview transcripts using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. I identified three main themes, namely the mothers’ journeys; responses to the study’s research questions, and other concerns the black mothers still have regarding their lesbian, gay or bisexual offspring. Each main theme was comprised of several sub-themes. In a nutshell, the study shows that in contrast to the assumption that South African black urban communities are hostile spaces with no visible familial support for lesbian, gay or bisexual youth, in reality, there are examples in urban African communities of parental support for members of sexual minorities. Although all the mothers in this study held Christian beliefs, none subscribed to a ‘same-sex attraction is a sin’ discourse. Instead, most of these mothers regarded their children as special gifts from God, and some saw their children’s alternative sexuality as God’s way of teaching them as mothers about unconditional love. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology: Research Consultation)

Thesis (MEd )--Stellenbosch University, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: During no other time in history have sexual minority individuals been the recipients of so much attention, scrutiny and unprecedented acceptance and inclusion into mainstream culture. However, despite advances and society's ever increasing tolerance toward sexual minorities, many individuals with alternative sexual orientations remain fearful of disclosing their sexuality. Consequently, adolescents often hide their alternative sexual orientation from others or disclose to only a select few. Adolescents with alternative sexual orientations face unique challenges, such as the coming out process, during which they must recognise, explore, define and disclose their orientation in a way that heterosexual individuals need not. Disclosure of an alternative sexual orientation is a struggle for most lesbian, gay and bisexual youth due to fears of discrimination, ostracism and violence from others. Despite a growing body of scientific literature on homosexuality in general, little is known about the disclosure process and its impact on an adolescent. This study seeks to help fill the gaps by giving voice to the adolescent by exploring the experience of disclosure. Furthermore, this study seeks to provide insight and knowledge to mental health professionals to aid adolescent clients throughout the disclosure process. This study's research methodology can be described as qualitative research which is embedded within an interpretive/constructivist paradigm. Purposive sampling was used to select five male and five female research participants. The methods of data collection that were employed comprised semi-structured individual interviews and reflective notes. Furthermore, content analysis was used to analyse the data. The findings of this study suggest that many unique issues besides the normative challenges that lesbian and gay adolescents share with heterosexual adolescents characterise their development. This research study suggests that there are several milestones that are characteristic of lesbian and gay identity development, the negotiation of which may hinder development in other areas. The male and female participants described a similar trajectory to coming out, consistently identifying a feeling of being different during early childhood which resolved into an awareness of same-sex attraction that concluded in their self-labelling as gay or lesbian. The findings of this study suggest that the process of disclosure is continuous and emergent. The reactions of parents ranged from extreme outrage and expulsion from the home to support and acceptance of the fact that their child had disclosed his/her homosexual orientation. From the findings of this study it would appear that the participants' parents were initially ill prepared and unable to support their child during his/her disclosure. The participants voiced various strategies to support an adolescent in the position of disclosing to family. There are several implications of this study's findings for mental health professionals working with lesbian, gay and bisexual adolescents and youth. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die aandag, noukeurige betragting, aanvaarding en ongekende insluiting binne die hoofstroom van die kultuur wat tans deur seksuele minderheidsgroepe ervaar word, is ongekend in die geskiedenis. Ten spyte van vooruitgang en die toenemende verdraagsaamheid teenoor die seksuele minderheid in die samelewing, vrees diegene wat 'n alternatiewe seksuele oriëntasie toon steeds om hulself bloot te stel. Gevolglik hou adolessente dikwels hul alternatiewe seksuele oriëntasie geheim of onthul hulle dit slegs aan 'n uitgesoekte paar persone. Adolessente met 'n alternatiewe seksuele oriëntasie kom op 'n wyse wat nie vir heteroseksuele individue nodig is nie, voor unieke uitdagings soos die openbaarmaking van hul oriëntasie te staan wanneer hulle dit moet erken, verken, definieër en aan die moet lig bring. Die erkenning van 'n alternatiewe seksuele oriëntasie plaas die meeste lesbiese, gay en biseksuele jeugdiges voor 'n stryd vanweë die vrees vir diskriminasie, verstoting en geweld deur andere. Ten spyte van die algemene toenemende hoeveelheid wetenskaplike literatuur oor homoseksualiteit, is daar weinig kennis van die verklaringsproses en die impak daarvan op 'n adolessent. Hierdie studie poog om die ervaring van verklaring te ondersoek om die adolessent se stem te laat hoor en sodoende die kennisgaping te oorbrug. Verder poog die studie ook om insig en kennis aan professionele persone binne die gebied van die geestesgesondheid te bied, om hulle in staat te stel om adolessente kliënte met die verklaringsproses by te staan. Die navorsingsmetodologie wat vir die studie gebruik is, kan as kwalitatiewe navorsing binne 'n interpretiewe/konstruktiwistiese paradigma beskou word. Doelgerigte toetsing is ingespan om vyf manlike en vyf vroulike deelnemers vir die navorsingspoging te werf. Data is met behulp van semigestruktureerde onderhoude en reflektiewe notas ingesamel. Verder is inhoudsanalise gebruik om die data te ontleed. Die bevindings van die studie dui daarop dat die ontwikkeling van gay en lesbiese adolessente benewens die normatiewe uitdagings wat deur hulle sowel as heteroseksuele adolessente aangespreek moet word, ook deur unieke kwessies gekenmerk word. Hierdie navorsingstudie suggereer dat verskeie mylpale kenmerkend is van die ontwikkeling van lesbiese en gay identiteit en dat die bewerkstelliging daarvan ontwikkeling in ander areas kan stuit. Die manlike en vroulike deelnemers aan die studie het langs soortgelyke bane tot die verklaring van hul oriëntasie gekom en het die gewaarwording dat hulle tydens hul vroeë jeug reeds 'n gevoel dat hulle anders was konsekwent geïdentifiseer. Hierdie gevoel het tot 'n bewustheid van die aantrekking van dieselfde geslag ontwikkel en tot self-etikettering as gay of lesbies gelei. Die bevindings van die studie stel voor dat die verklaringsproses voortdurend en opdoemend van aard is. Die reaksies van ouers wissel vanaf uiterste verontwaardiging en verdrywing vanuit die tuiste tot ondersteuning en aanvaarding van die wete dat hul kind sy/haar homoseksuele oriëntasie verklaar het. Die bevindings laat blyk ook dat die ouers van die deelnemers aanvanklik gebrekkig voorbereid was en nie in staat was om hul kind tydens die verklaring te ondersteun nie. Die deelnemers het verskeie strategieë voorgestel vir die ondersteuning van 'n adolessent wat hom/haar op die punt van hierdie verklaring aan die gesin bevind. Die studie se bevindings het ook verskeie implikasies vir professionele persone wat binne die gebied van die geestesgesondheid met lesbiese, homoseksuele en biseksuele adolessente en jeugdiges te doen het.