This dissertation explores lesbian experience, or the psychological meaning of being lesbian from the point of view of women who call themselves lesbian. The researcher suspended the binary paradigm of sex and gender, and argued that lesbians' identity development must be understood against the background of how patriarchy understands the category 'woman' through history. Towards this purpose the pOSition of women in the West, as well as contemporary images and literature about lesbians, was reviewed. On the basis of this review questions about lesbian gender construction, lesbian identity development and lesbian individuation were identified. In order to access the psychological meaning of being lesbian, or lesbian experience from the inside out, the dream-series of three lesbians constituted an empirical basis for further exploration. These dream-series were amplified with intensive face-to-face interviews, transcribed, and subjected to a hermeneutic-phenomenological inductive method. Common inter-case concerns were identified and synthesized. In dialogue with the literature reviewed, twenty-two statements of meaning about being lesbian were distilled. These revealed two possible constructions of gender for primary lesbians. In addition, primary lesbians involved in the research demonstrated remarkable flexibility with respect to their gender orientations and gender identifications, were in the process of integrating with and differentiating from different aspects of their masculine and feminine potentials, and developed and negotiated their gender identities in relationship to both their lovers and friends. The explication also revealed that participants identified with archetypal aspects of the father that their fathers' did not express, and desired archetypal aspects of the mother that their mother's did not express. Finally, in so much as the method distinguished ~ sex, sexual identity and sexual orientation from gender, gender identity, gender identification and gender orientation, it may prove useful for exploring gender in heterosexual relating.

Screening and early detection are essential for the management and control of most diseases. It is important for women to practice routine health care that includes both clinical and self examinations. Today, many women go without health care due to barriers which prevent them from obtaining adequate care. The present study was designed to investigate, using the Health Belief Model, whether there is a difference between heterosexual and lesbian women in obtaining gynecological exams. Responses from 23 8 participants, 70 heterosexuals and 168 lesbians, indicated that the Health Belief Model was a significant predictor of whether women complied with recommended guidelines for Pap smears. Further analyses indicated that the most predictive components of the model were self-efficacy and perceived barriers. The more self-efficacy the women reported, the more likely they were to comply; whereas, the more barriers the women reported, the less likely they were to comply. Surprisingly, there were no interactions between sexual orientation and the components of the Health BeliefModel with respect to compliance. Thus, the model predicts compliance in the same way for both lesbian and heterosexual women. The results are consistent with past research indicating that the Health Belief Model is a good predictor of health behavior for some groups. Suggestions for future studies are discussed.

The study contributes to existing, but limited research on the social and academic experiences of lesbian learners in South African secondary schools. A lesbian refers to a woman who is sexually attracted to the same gender as herself. The purpose of this study was to obtain an in-depth understanding of the positive and negative experiences of lesbian youth in South African secondary schools. A qualitative research approach guided by the interpretivist paradigm was followed, as the focus was on the meaning that the individual participants awarded to their experiences and their world. A case study research design was used as it is regarded as a process of in-depth inquiry that generates detailed descriptions of a single unit or bounded system. The findings of this study are in line with existing literature on the experiences of lesbian learners in secondary schools. As in the literature this study indicated that the lesbian learners included in this study are subjected to negative social and academic experiences such as; homophobic verbal, sexual and emotional harassment and abuse, as well as school disengagement. Their positive experiences included a decrease in homophobic harassment and abuse, an increased sense of self worth and confidence, increased visibility, academic achievement and resilience and lower levels of absenteeism, truancy and school dropouts. It was interesting to note that most of the heterosexual learners’ and teachers’ at the schools included in this study’s attitude towards the lesbian learners have changed for the better. Most of the heterosexual learners and teachers seemed to be supportive and accommodative of the lesbian learners even though they still found it difficult to accept their lesbian sexual orientation. Based on the outcome of this study, it is recommended that the learners and teachers at the schools included in this study, be sensitised and capacitated with regard to homosexuality, bisexuality and trans-sexuality. / Mini-dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

The 21st century has witnessed a radical change in the status of sexual minorities, the world over, with this change having a profound impact in the global North, in particular. A series of landmark United Nations, regional and national court decisions, inspired by the increasing effective lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual (LGBT) lobby, are progressively announcing the end of institutionalised discrimination which had been the lot of homosexual persons for centuries in many part of the world. However, while there has been a statutory shift towards the welcoming of homosexual persons in the West and in parts of Latin America, thus gradually recognising the injustice synonymous with discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, African states remain less likely to respect homosexual persons' rights. The Nigerian LGBT experience exemplifies the regressive position in many African states. Not only have laws been enacted that criminalise homosexuality in Nigeria; existing laws have in 2014 been strengthened by newer, ever more stringent anti-homosexuality legislation. The most notable anti-homosexuality law is the Same-Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Act, (SSMPA) 2013, signed into law in January 2014 by then President Goodluck Jonathan. Unlike the anti-sodomy provisions in the criminal and penal codes inherited from the British colonial rulers and the provisions of the Sharia legal codes in operation in some of the states of northern Nigeria, the controversial SSMPA explicitly criminalises same-sex marriage and goes further by also criminalising broader categories of homosexual related conduct throughout the territory of Nigeria. This thesis argues that Nigerian laws criminalising consensual adult homosexual conduct prima facie violate the human rights provision of the Nigerian Constitution and Nigeria’s international law obligations. The thesis takes a holistic view of the major cultural, religious and moral arguments proposed by opponents of sexual minority rights in their efforts to justify the continued discrimination of homosexual persons and same-sex consensual sexual conduct in Nigeria. The study aims to contest the validity of these arguments by presenting a case for the decriminalisation of homosexual acts in Nigeria through such instruments as judicial intervention, legislative enactment, executive action and sexual minorities’ rights activism. This study highlights the fact that people do not choose their sexual orientation and that consensual adult homosexual conduct is no more inherently harmful to others than heterosexual acts. Contrary to the widespread belief in Nigeria that consensual adult homosexual conduct is based on imported Western values, this study underlines that homosexuality has been an undeniable fact of human existence predating colonialism – also in what today is Nigeria. In this regard, by demonstrating the surprising tolerance toward homosexuals in pre-colonial Idomaland, this study further confirms the notion that consensual adult homosexual conduct is not a Western import. In the process, this study sheds new light on pre-colonial attitudes to homosexuality in Idomaland, North Central Nigeria, where no prior field research has been conducted. The study further discredits the religious objection to consensual adult homosexual conduct by adopting a contextual reading of Islam and Christianity, the two dominant religions in Nigeria, thus allowing for the co-existence of religious beliefs and the protection of sexual minorities. This study affirms that the moral objection to consensual adult homosexual acts fails for the very reason that such practices do not cause harm to either society or other individuals. This study fits Isaiah Berlin’s conception of liberty as individual autonomy into the argument for the liberalisation of Nigerian sexual minorities’ environment. The application of Berlin’s concept of negative liberty to the Nigerian homosexual environment supports the affirmation of sexual minority rights as fundamental human rights. / Thesis (LLD)--University of Pretoria, 2018. / Centre for Human Rights / LLD / Unrestricted

Sleep problems are robust suicide risk correlates. According to the interpersonal theory of suicide, thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB) may explain the link between sleep problems and suicide risk. This study examined these relationships among 331 community-dwelling adults identifying as sexual and/or gender minorities. Self-report measures of sleep problems, TB, PB, suicide risk, and anxiety were completed. Bootstrap mediation analyses were conducted to test TB and PB as interacting, individual, and parallel explanatory factors linking sleep problems and suicide risk. Sleep problems were associated with greater TB, PB, and suicide risk. TB and PB, in parallel and individually, accounted for the relationship between sleep problems and suicide risk, beyond age and anxiety. In contrast to the interpersonal theory, the indirect effect of PB was stronger at lower levels of TB and the indirect effect of TB was stronger at lower levels of PB. Exploratory analyses indicated significant differences between sexual minorities, gender minorities, and individuals identifying as both sexual and gender minorities: the indirect effect of sleep problems on suicide risk through PB was descriptively strongest among sexual minorities, and the indirect effect through TB was descriptively stronger among gender minorities and individuals identifying with both minority groups. Findings suggest that intervening upon TB and PB may thwart the trajectory from sleep problems to suicide risk among sexual and gender minorities. Further work is needed to determine whether suicide risk pathways differ across minority groups.

Experiencing growth after the diagnosis of a life threatening illness is commonly reported among people living with HIV (PLWH). The links between benefit finding and better adjustment in PLWH have been identified, but it is less clear whether these links vary by ethnicity. Minority stress theory suggests that individuals from minority populations may have unique stress experiences, which can have negative health implications but may also provide opportunity for growth. We hypothesized that the association between benefit finding and psychological adjustment would be stronger for Black (n = 80) than White (n = 87) PLWH. Contrary to predictions, the relationship between benefit finding and better adjustment was significant for White but not Black PLWH. Post-hoc analyses suggested that sexual orientation played role in this relationship. The relationship between benefit finding and psychological adjustment may be complex for Black PLWH, or they may achieve adjustment using other resources.

Individuals with LGBTQ+ identities face discrimination and bigotry, components of their minority status stress, often on a daily basis (Meyer, 2003). Elevated levels of minority stress have been negatively associated with relationship satisfaction (e.g. Rostosky, 2007), such that as minority stress increases, relationship satisfaction often decreases as well. This is an examination of the relationship between general stress, identity-related stress, minority stress, and relationship satisfaction for sexual/gender minority and heterosexual, cisgender individuals who were currently in couple relationships lasting 6 months or longer. All participants completed the Romantic Perceptions Survey, Gender Relations Scale, and Daily Hassles Scale – Short Form. The LGBTQ+ participants also completed the LGBT Minority Stress Measure. I conducted t-test comparisons to examine group differences between heterosexual, cisgender participants and LGBTQ+ participants on relationship satisfaction, identity-related stress, and general stress. The LGBTQ+ and participants exhibited significantly higher levels of relationship satisfaction, general stress, and self-rated identity-related stress than did heterosexual, cisgender participants. I also conducted two hierarchical linear regressions to determine how general stress and identity related stress impacted relationship satisfaction for heterosexual, cisgender participants, and how general stress, identity related stress, and minority stress impacted relationship satisfaction for LGBTQ+ couples. Results of the hierarchical linear regressions were interpreted and found that general and self-rated identity-related stressors in combination predicted relationship satisfaction for LGBTQ+ participants, and general stress alone best predicted relationship satisfaction for heterosexual, cisgender participants. Specific minority status stress did not further contribute to the explanation of relationship satisfaction for LGBTQ+ participants. Results are discussed in terms of implications for research and practice.

Magister Artium (Social Work) - MA(SW) / This project was born after the researcher, a practicing social worker at a psychiatric facility, observed the presence of high rates of anxiety and depressive disorders among transgender patients. These patients were often also abandoned by their family or primary caregivers. This research was part of a larger National Research Foundation (NRF) project in the Western Cape and Gauteng, which explored LGBT older persons’ care needs. It differed from the main project in that it focused on the mental health care challenges experienced by older transgender people. The project was funded by the NRF and the researcher was allocated funding from that project to explore LGBT aging and care in the marginalised areas. LGBT discrimination has been indicated as a key factor in the onset of mental health issues later in adulthood. Older adults are generally at a higher risk of developing mental disorders. The older transgender community with mental health care needs thus often suffers multiple forms of oppression within a heteronormative society. The aim of the research was to determine the mental health care challenges experienced by older transgender people in the Cape Metropole, Western Cape. Objectives to reach this aim included exploring and describing the unique challenges faced by older transgender people, their experiences when accessing mental health care, and describing strategies of addressing their mental health care needs. The research methodology entailed a qualitative approach. Snowball sampling was applied for selecting five older transgender participants and five key informants. Photo voice, a Participatory Action Research (PAR) design, was used. Data collection consisted of in-depth interviewing, focus groups, and photo journaling. Themes were developed from the data utilising Thematic Analysis, aided by Atlas.ti software. Ethics and trustworthiness were certified through guidance by the research supervisor. This research was classified as high risk, since it involved marginalised individuals from the aged LGBT community. Anxiety in the group was anticipated and dealt with by providing further counselling where needed. The findings indicate that older transgender people experience minority stress across all racial and age cohorts. They suffer heightened anxiety when accessing healthcare services, as they anticipate transphobia and oppression. In addition, the intersectional socio-economic status of age and gender identity seems to contribute to building resilience within the participants. Lastly, substance use and social and professional support were identified as coping strategies in the face of on-going discrimination.

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