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Deaf Lesbian IdentityCherasaro, Noël E. 25 July 2018 (has links)
Deaf lesbians are a population that is underrepresented in the academic literature. Through the use of narrative inquiry, the researcher conducted in-depth interviews with a woman who self-identified as Deaf and lesbian. She shared her experiences growing up as a woman who is Deaf and later in her life, realized she is lesbian. The researcher juxtaposed her experiences as a hearing, lesbian woman and an ally to the Deaf community to better illuminate the Deaf lesbian experiences. The research delved into how these dual minority identities have affected the Deaf lesbian participant as she makes her way in the world of the dual majority cultures of hearing and heteronormative.
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Perverse Desire and Lesbian Identity in Lydia Kwa's This Place Called AbsenceChang, Kai-ying 23 June 2006 (has links)
This thesis aims to explore lesbian desire and sexual identity in Lydia Kwa¡¦s This Place Called Absence, beginning with the textual subversion of heterosexual norm, evolving through the author¡¦s mapping of butch/femme desire and concluding with the protagonist¡¦s formation of self-identity. Chapter One discusses how the text subverts the heterosexual norm through the erotic chaos created by queer characters. I will apply Judith Butler¡¦s notions of heterosexual matrix and gender performativity to look into the textual strategies of subversion. The appropriation of gender is not only a strategy of queer politics, but also the primary means by which lesbians articulate desire. To illuminate Kwa¡¦s mapping of lesbian desire, I apply Teresa de Lauretis¡¦s theory of lesbian fetishism in Chapter Two to examine how butches and femmes in the novel express their desire through manipulating gender signs. The masculinity fetishes are prone to social misunderstanding as penis envy and thereby arouse male hostility. The anxiety of lesbian characters with the paternal phallus will be the focus of the second part of the chapter. Chapter Three looks into how the protagonist establishes positive self-identity through reversing social stigma to empowering self-image in queer coalition. The queer coalition comprising gays and lesbians, nevertheless, cedes its place to equalitarian women¡¦s community at the end of the novel. The problems of the concept of universal women for lesbians will be discussed in the latter part of the chapter from the perspectives of Butler and de Lauretis. After probing into textual details, I will argue that the protagonist, in spite of her desire for female solidarity, ultimately identifies with queer coalition. In conclusion, I will regard the novel as a lesbian counter-discourse by summarizing its strategies of displacement, resignification and reversal of the heterosexual symbolic and foreground the multiplicity of desire and differences among lesbians against the reification of heterosexual symbolic.
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Identity Formation Among Lesbians Reviewing Cass' Theory Twenty Years Later with an Emphasis on Media InfluencesJanuary 2011 (has links)
abstract: The current study sought to reevaluate Cass' Theory of sexual identity formation in terms of lesbian identity development over the past twenty years and how media acts as mediation in lesbian identity development. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with only nine useable transcripts analyzed for this thesis. This study is an explanatory investigation into linear stage theory, specifically Cass' theory, as well as the impact of media as a mediator during lesbian identity development. This study had three objectives 1) to gain an understanding of the theory and its components related to lesbian identity development 2) to understand the lesbian identity formation process and 3) to understand the impact and influence if any, media has had on lesbian self-reported identity development. Qualitative methods were used to obtain information and analyze the responses. Results indicate that the participants in this study believed that the coming out process was important. This study's results showed that several of the participants entered each stage of the theory, while others did not. Media had little influence on the identity development, and the participants had mixed reviews of medias portrayal of lesbians. Implications for practice and further research are discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / IRB Approval / M.S.W. Social Work 2011
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The dynamics of multiple dimensions of identity for lesbian college studentsAbes, Elisa S. 29 January 2004 (has links)
No description available.
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Homosexuality : the disclosure process during adolescenceRobertson, Veronica L. 12 1900 (has links)
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.
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