abstract: Current research on anti-gay attitudes has focused heavily on heterosexuals versus non-heterosexuals, with very little research delving into the differences within these “non-heterosexual” groups. The author conducted an exploratory analysis of how the intersectional effect of gender and sexual orientation affect perceptions of target groups’ gender and sexuality, which in turn might explain different levels of prejudice toward LGBT subgroups. Based on previous studies, the author hypothesized that participants would believe that a gay male has a more fixed sexuality than a lesbian, leading in turn to higher levels of moral outrage. This study further aims to extend the literature to perceptions of bisexual and transgender individuals by testing competing hypotheses. Participants might feel less moral outrage toward these groups than other LGBT subgroups because they believe their sexuality is even less fixed than lesbians’. Alternatively, participants might feel more moral outrage toward bisexual and transgender targets (versus other LGBT groups) because of the uncomfortable feeling of uncertainty about these groups’ sexuality and/or gender. Overall, participants demonstrated an interactive effect of gender and sexuality on factors including perceived sexual orientation, perceived biological sex, perceived gender identity, perceived sexual fixedness, and moral outrage rather than gender having a main effect on perceptions of gender and sexual orientation having a main effect on perceptions of sexuality. Furthermore, perceptions of sexual fixedness mediated the effect of gender on moral outrage for heterosexual target groups, but not gay targets. Gender certainty mediated the effect of gender on moral outrage for pre-op transgender target groups, but not heterosexuals. This work is important to inform future research on the topics of the intersection of sexuality and gender, especially to extend the limited literature on perceptions of bisexual and transgender individuals. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Psychology 2016

This article delves into the murky waters of homophobic victimisation within the post-Apartheid South African society. It draws attention specifically to a sub-group within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community by critically examining the phenomenon of ‘corrective’ rape that has befallen them in the recent past years. The article seeks to achieve a critical examination of ‘corrective’ rape in South Africa a threefold manner. Firstly, and as a point of departure, the article takes a look at some of the prominent cases of ‘corrective’ rape that have not only captured the attention of the nation, but also that of the international community. It looks not only at the sensational stories published by media but also at the response of the criminal justice system to the cases that have surfaced before it. In so doing the article aims to establish that ‘corrective’ rape is a reality for lesbian women in South Africa. Once the reality of ‘corrective’ rape has been established, the article seeks to then answer the questions as to whether or not ‘corrective’ rape can be and should be categorised as a ‘hate crime’ offense. These two questions are addressed in a comparative manner, by examining the definition of ‘hate crime’ and the definitional characteristics of the latter. These are then applied to ‘corrective’ rape within the South African context in an attempt to establish whether or not the latter is truly a ‘hate crime’ and should be seen and dealt with as such by the South African legal system. In this part of the examination, the by-question of whether or not the South African legal framework should recognise ‘hate crime’ offenses as a separate category crime filters through. However, the latter question is only addressed as the article progresses. From the theoretical, the article returns to the current reality to not only comprehensively discuss the national and international legal measures that have been put in place to protect lesbian women from homophobic victimisation but also to discuss the reasons why these legal measures are allegedly failing South African lesbian women – this regardless of the heart and soul that has been poured into the South African constitutional jurisprudence. The aim of this part of the examination is to establish what, if anything at all, can still be done to offer better protection to lesbian women all across the nation, regardless of their social class. Having completed all three of the above and in the penultimate, the article makes recommendations that touch on both the law and human rights education policies of the nation. The main focus of the author’s submissions is on reform as well as education and awareness. These recommendations are made in the hopes that in the nation’s endeavor to provide better protection for the most vulnerable in our society these will be progressive steps. The article then concludes with final thoughts as to what has been learnt and established in each substantive chapter. Copyright / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Centre for Human Rights / unrestricted

Among the minorities underserved by today׳s healthcare system, the lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) population may be the least studied, and the least understood by healthcare providers. High-quality evidence is often lacking regarding optimal preventive care measures, both in medical areas that (to date) fail to identify differences in need between LGB and heterosexual patients, and in those more prevalent in or more specific (or both) to sexual minorities. Issues of substance abuse, sexual health and sexually transmitted diseases, obesity and other eating disorders, cardiovascular prevention, cancer prevention and screening, depression and other psychological disorders, social isolation and personal and intimate partner violence are all as or more important to address in LGB patients as they are in the general American population. Although many barriers to the delivery of quality healthcare to these patients exist, support from governmental, professional and private organizations can assist both patients and providers in overcoming these barriers.

Gay and bisexual men in the United States and South Korea have some of the highest HIV rates in their countries, and both have the fewest sex education programs and policies for gay and bisexual males in secondary and postsecondary school systems. Consequently, many South Koreans do not view HIV as a South Korean problem, and with American gay and bisexual men living in this type of environment, their HIV sexual protection knowledge and practices may be compromised. The purpose of this study was to gain more understanding and insight into the sex education experiences and sexual practices of gay and bisexual American men living in a large city in South Korea, to determine how they perceived their sex education experiences from the American school system. The theoretical framework was based on Husserl and Heidegger's theory of intentionality. A phenomenological method was employed, utilizing a purposeful and criterion sample of 6 gay and bisexual American men who experienced sex education in the American school system and reported testing HIV negative on their last HIV tests. Data were analyzed and coded to identify categories and themes. The findings revealed that the participants who experienced heterosexual-focused sex education did not find it useful to them as gay men. The implications of these findings for positive social change are to inform policy makers and education leaders of how gay and bisexual American men perceived their sex education experiences and of the value of providing diverse, comprehensive sex education in the school system as it relates to knowledge about HIV and HIV prevention, not only for gay and bisexual males but for all American students as a tool to reduce or prevent new HIV cases.

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This thesis analyzes Transgender experience and dynamics in the Pagan community of Central Florida. Religion plays an important role as part of social structure for many people in the United States. It can also be a source of strife and conflict between culture groups and within cultures. In the US, predominant religious traditions stem from monotheistic Abrahamic faiths (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam); however, Wicca, a Neo-Pagan polytheistic religion, is practiced by a small but growing number of people. Based on nearly one year of ethnographic engagement with the Central Florida Wiccan community, this study presents an analysis of participants experiences in Wicca, especially as it refers to the experiences of Trans Wiccan practitioners and their religious communities. I argue that the theology underlying Pagan religious beliefs and practices, alongside shared experiences of othering and liminality, encourages the maintenance of an open, accepting and encouraging atmosphere towards LGBTQ+, and particularly Trans, Wicca practitioners.

The understanding of the experiences of queer Arab Americans and the ways in which they navigate cross cultural expectations of gender and sexuality is limited in the anthropology or social sciences scholarship. The available scholarship focuses primarily on queerness in juxtaposition to Islam, which is not relatable to all Arab Americans as they are a religiously diverse group. Through an intersectional approach, this research, conducted from April 2020 to May 2021, explores the lived experiences of queer Arab Americans from across the United States (U.S.) while seeking to identify potential commonalities that could encompass a more general queer Arab American experience in an attempt to broaden the understanding of an underrepresented population. Over the course of four months from June to September 2020, I conducted 16 semi-structured interviews that explored how participants navigated their worlds as queer Arab Americans. I conducted media analysis to contextualize the primary data. The narrative data were transcribed, coded, and analyzed to identify significant themes and subthemes, and capture the diversity of explanations. The findings in this study were divided into two article manuscripts. The first article examines participants' experiences through their interpersonal connections with their families of origin and communities. I argue that, although religion plays a role in anti-LGBTQ+ attitudes, Arab families are predominantly anti-LGBTQ+ to prevent social ostracization from their communities. Additionally, a lack of public representation for queer Arab Americans creates hardship and delay in coming to terms with their gender identities and sexualities and perpetuates this population's invisibility. Ultimately, acceptance by an inclusive community strengthened individuals' confidence in their identities and helped alleviate the effects of rejection and isolation felt by the participants. The second article examines the positionality of queer Arab Americans resulting from cultural othering due to historically strained U.S. relations with the Arab world. As a result, participants felt invalidated and alienated by people from both Arab and American communities, however they felt their existences as queer Arabs defied the opposition aimed at them. Additionally, they perceived American stereotyping of the Arab world hypocritical as the Queer community is still marginalized and without nationwide legal protections in the U.S.

Previous research suggests that suicide is more prevalent among those in the LGBTQ+ community (Abelson et al., 2006), and they are also more likely to experience bullying and psychological symptoms while less likely to have adequate social support. Although many studies have examined risk factors for suicidality, the current study aimed to compare the impact of the risk factors among those in the LGBTQ+ community with those who are not. Further, this study examined the role of identity in conjunction with these other risk and protective factors. College students (N = 501) completed an anonymous online survey battery. Suicidality was significantly correlated with microaggressions, childhood bullying, internalized symptoms, identity distress, and negatively correlated with social support. Close to a third of the sample (31%) identified as LGBTQ+, which was higher than anticipated and may be reflective of recent changes in young people being more open to exploring their gender and sexuality than in the past. Those who identified as LGBTQ+ experienced greater suicidality and other risk factors, including identity distress, suggesting that despite the fact that identifying as LGBTQ+ is becoming more common, the risk factors for negative adjustment still remain.