Thesis (M.A.)--Mount Saint Vincent University, Dalhousie University, and Saint Mary's University, 1999. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 143-151).

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Akron, School of Communication, 2009. / "May, 2009." Title from electronic thesis title page (viewed 9/30/2009) Advisor, Mary E. Triece; Committee members, Carolyn M. Anderson, N. J. Brown; School Director, Carolyn M. Anderson; Dean of the College, James M. Lynn; Dean of the Graduate School, George R. Newkome. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.W.)--Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 50-53).

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.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology / Judith K. Hughey / The purpose of this phenomenological research study was to describe and to understand religio-spirituality in the coming-out process for homosexual, bisexual, and transgender college students. The three research questions were as follows: (1) What have religious affiliations taught traditional college-aged lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) students about homosexuality?; (2) In what ways does a person's religio-spiritual life hinder/enhance the sexual identity development process and the coming-out process for a traditional college-aged student?; and (3) In what ways does the traditional college-aged LGBT student's religio-spirituality change through the process? Following completion of semi-structured interviews of 15 participants, the researcher acknowledged the emergence of nine categories that explain the essence of the coming-out process and its connection with religio-spirituality: (1) a noticeable societal influence on lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) beliefs, (2) an evident family influence on LGBT beliefs, (3) a direct church influence on LGBT beliefs, (4) a difficulty in merging sexuality and religio-spirituality, (5) a feeling of guilt for being an LGBT individual, (6) religio-spirituality affects when and to whom to come-out, (7) many leave the church after coming-out, (8) a feeling of need to protect family still in church after coming-out, and (9) an attempt to maintain a relationship with God or higher being without a relationship in a church or religious institution. These nine conclusions develop the essence of the coming-out process and religio-spirituality. Individuals in the coming-out process find themselves at a divide in their lives and they must decide which path to follow or attempt to make the paths intersect. The coming-out process is often an internal debate of whether they are LGBT, whether to come-out, and whether they should leave a church or change religio-spirituality. In student affairs, administers, counselors, and campus ministers can use data and conclusions from this research to understand the coming-out process and the overlapping nature of religio-spiritual identity and sexual identity. The researcher concludes that these professionals must have an understanding of the stages of growth for LGBT students as they attempt to come-out to friends and family as well as possibly maintain a religio-spiritual identity.

No description available.

Punch-Drunk, a collection of 43 poems, deals with themes involving masculinity, violence, family, religion, and the apocalypse. As such, the collection shows an array of relationships the speaker has with various men, family members, religious figures, and forces of nature, thereby revealing the ways in which humans navigate loss and come to accept hard truths. Therefore, this collection shows the ways in which humans are not static creatures, but instead beings that are continually changing and achieving some kind of growth. By the end, the speakers have gone on personal journeys in which they learn the fact that love is not always constant, figuring out and coming to terms with your gay identity is a complicated ordeal, familial relationships are not always stable, and the world will sometimes crumble at your feet. / MFA

This study uses a constructivist grounded theory approach to investigate the meaning of “coming out” for LGBQ individuals. Analysis of open-ended interviews with 30 LGBQ persons revealed three main themes. First, coming out does not have a universal meaning among LGBQ persons; rather, it varies on the basis of an individual’s experiences, social environment, and personal beliefs and values. Coming out is a transformative process, and an important element in identity formation and maintenance. Second, despite being attracted only to members of the same sex, ten interviewees engaged in a queer apologetic, a kind of identity compromise whereby individuals disclose a bisexual identity that they believe satisfies their personal attractions for only members of the same sex and society’s expectation that they be attracted to members of the opposite sex. Third, both gender conformity (e.g., female=feminine) and gender non-conformity (e.g., female=masculine) present unique challenges to coming out. Because they are assumed to be straight, gender conformists must make a more concerted effort to come out. Gender non-conformists may experience greater ease coming out broadly because they are “assumed gay,” but they also experience greater opposition from family and friends who resist gender non-conformity. This study provides important insight into the meaning of coming out as well the influences of heteronormativity and gender presentation on coming out. Implication and recommendations for future research are included.

No description available.

Although existing literature is rich with descriptions of the process of coming out for lesbian women, the present study is distinctive in its systematic examination of coming out from the perspective of lesbian women who were sexually abused as children. Through the hermeneutic-phenomenological analysis of interviews with selected participants who identified as lesbian women, the objective of this study was to identify and describe participants' perspectives of childhood sexual abuse, coming out experiences, and their perception of how these experiences might interrelate. Within the complex layers that were common to all the participants, the researcher attempted to interpret and make sense of phenomena across all cases, while respecting and recognizing the meanings that each participant brought to the interview. The results of this study were consonant with findings from previous studies that suggested maintaining a lesbian identity is an ongoing task, continually informed by events and relationships that typically occur during the lifespan of an individual. However, in the course of this investigation, the findings pointed to a new understanding—the coming out process becomes more complicated when histories of childhood sexual abuse need to be considered. While family and social factors had powerful influences on coming out for all the participants, the emotional and behavioral strategies that each woman adapted in order to cope with long-term sequelae of CSA, also appeared to have considerable impact on the coming out process as well. / Ph. D.