This research explored the experiences of lesbian and queer-identified women who are actively grandparenting in the context of a same-sex relationship. Most research investigating the experiences of grandparents takes a heteronormative focus and fails to acknowledge the possibility that grandparenting can take place within the context of a queer family structure. Thus, this study attempted to initiate a discussion among feminist, queer, and gerontological researchers to fill a gap in the literature on grandparenting within a same-sex context. A qualitative study of four lesbian/queer-identified couples was conducted. In semi-structured interviews, couples were interviewed together and asked questions about their involvement in the everyday lives of their grandchildren, how homophobia and heterosexism impacts their relationships with their grandchildren, and how these experiences vary (if at all) with the nature of the grandmothers’ relational ties (e.g., biologically related or non-biologically related). While the sample included some variation in terms of incomes, backgrounds and cultures, all four couples are linked into informal lesbian/ queer community networks and live in large or mid-size urban areas in southern Ontario – a relatively progressive jurisdiction with respect to same sex marriage and human rights legislation. Findings suggest that there are differences in the experiences of lesbian grandmothers based on varying relational ties and that non-biological women are particularly affected by changes in the socio-legal context and by homophobia and heterosexism within the extended family. Non-biologically related grandmothers consider their role as a grandmother to be ‘chosen;’ that is, they made a conscious decision to identify as a grandmother. Non-biologically related grandmothers also did not anticipate becoming grandmothers because they were not biological mothers; thus, the opportunity to become a grandmother contributed to a life course journey that they did not expect to have. By grandparenting openly and honestly within the context of a same-sex relationships, participants strive to prepare their grandchildren for an increasingly diverse Canadian demographic by modeling a healthy and loving ‘non-traditional’ family and by demonstrating the importance of accepting differences. With respect to implications, the findings suggest that supporting non-biological parents and grandparents will be a critical step for service providers and policy makers who are working with LGBTQ families. At the level of direct practice, these family experiences underscore the importance of recognizing and affirming these non-traditional family forms. In many settings, social work practitioners have and can seize opportunities to question, confront and revisit organizational and professional practices that fail to acknowledge them. / Thesis / Master of Social Work (MSW) / This research explored the experiences of lesbian and queer-identified women who are actively grandparenting in the context of a same-sex relationship. Most research investigating the experiences of grandparents takes a heteronormative focus and fails to acknowledge the possibility that grandparenting can take place within the context of a queer family structure. Thus, this study attempted to initiate a discussion among feminist, queer, and gerontological researchers to fill a gap in the literature on grandparenting within a same-sex context. A qualitative study of four lesbian/queer-identified couples was conducted. In semi-structured interviews, couples were interviewed together and asked questions about their involvement in the everyday lives of their grandchildren, how homophobia and heterosexism impacts their relationships with their grandchildren, and how these experiences vary (if at all) with the nature of the grandmothers’ relational ties (e.g., biologically related or non-biologically related). While the sample included some variation in terms of incomes, backgrounds and cultures, all four couples are linked into informal lesbian/ queer community networks and live in large or mid-size urban areas in southern Ontario – a relatively progressive jurisdiction with respect to same sex marriage and human rights legislation. Findings suggest that there are differences in the experiences of lesbian grandmothers based on varying relational ties and that non-biological women are particularly affected by changes in the socio-legal context and by homophobia and heterosexism within the extended family. Non-biologically related grandmothers consider their role as a grandmother to be ‘chosen;’ that is, they made a conscious decision to identify as a grandmother. Non-biologically related grandmothers also did not anticipate becoming grandmothers because they were not biological mothers; thus, the opportunity to become a grandmother contributed to a life course journey that they did not expect to have. By grandparenting openly and honestly within the context of a same-sex relationships, participants strive to prepare their grandchildren for an increasingly diverse Canadian demographic by modeling a healthy and loving ‘non-traditional’ family and by demonstrating the importance of accepting differences. With respect to implications, the findings suggest that supporting non-biological parents and grandparents will be a critical step for service providers and policy makers who are working with LGBTQ families. At the level of direct practice, these family experiences underscore the importance of recognizing and affirming these non-traditional family forms. In many settings, social work practitioners have and can seize opportunities to question, confront and revisit organizational and professional practices that fail to acknowledge them.

Within occupational therapy (OT) practice there is a lack of person-centered care regarding lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) patients. This increases LGBTQ patients’ risk for stigma, discrimination, isolation, and a fear of disclosure to healthcare professionals. As a result, LGBTQ patients may not receive appropriate or necessary care, and experience health disparities. The aim of the proposed solution, LGBTQ Voices Heard: A Video Storytelling Approach to Increase Cultural Competence, is to provide occupational therapy practitioners and students with a distinct, meaningful, and effective one-time multimedia educational training. The social penetration theory (SPT), cognitive theory of multimedia learning, and brain-based learning theory guided the program design. The SPT endorses storytelling; multiple, progressively intimate video interviews of LGBTQ patients will be presented in the educational training. The short-term intended outcomes are OT participants’ increased knowledge and confidence when working with LGBTQ patients, and the LGBTQ patients who participated in storytelling feeling that their voices were heard. The long-term outcomes are increased LGBTQ cultural competence for OT practitioners and improved quality of care for LGBTQ patients. This program design is applicable to other healthcare disciplines.

The intent of this thesis is to explore writing during the start of the AIDS epidemic in the U.S. States. This time period encompasses the early 1980s to mid-1990s before Protease Inhibitors were FDA approved which was the medical breakthrough drug that helped turn an HIV diagnosis from a death sentence to a chronic condition. This thesis will be an examination of three themes: “Gay White Cis Male Experience of HIV/AIDS”,” Marginalized Identity Experience of HIV/AIDS” and an exploration of two plays written during the height of the AIDS epidemic that were later turned into HBO productions: The Normal Heart and Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes when AIDS was more widely featured in the media. The introductory and concluding paragraphs include details on how my life has been impacted by the those that lived, wrote, fought, and died, during the height of the epidemic.

<p>This study investigates the way that many contemporary LGBTQ2 historical novels encourage cross-temporal identifications - the process wherein people today identify with historical figures - as a means of both evoking empathetic responses to lesbian, queer and trans characters, and countering temporal shame - progressivist tendencies to disidentify with the past. I contend that historical novels by contemporary authors, such as Penny Hayes, Jeanette Winterson, Sarah Waters, Leslie Feinberg and Jackie Kay, demonstrate the power of empathetic identifications with historical figures to destabilize prejudiced beliefs about contemporary LGBTQ2 people. I begin this study by examining the pleasures, dangers and work involved in developing empathetic identifications with others and using (dis )identifications to emancipatory ends. As I argue in my first chapter, recuperating lesser known or out-of-print novels, such as Penny Hayes's lesbian(-feminist) historical novels Grassy Flats and Yellowthroat, is a powerful means of challenging reductive stereotypes about the lesbian-feminist movement and countering temporally-based shame that often leads to a loss of LGBTQ2 history and of theories that still have relevance today. In my second chapter, I discuss how Leslie Feinberg and Jackie Kay's depiction of the continued mistreatment of trans-people as abjected subjects in the post-Stonewall era counters the progressivist myth that the post Stonewall lesbian and gay rights movement has necessarily improved the lives of transpeople; Stone Butch Blues and Trumpet thereby show how historical fiction may challenge apathy and work to inspire political engagement. My third chapter examines how Sarah Waters's depiction of male impersonation in Tipping the Velvet highlights the importance of closely attending to both historical differences and similarities. I argue that this novel shows that historical fiction may use the past to provide insight into issues of contemporary concern, and thereby make difficult political commentaries more likely to be heard and taken seriously.</p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

No / There is a common assumption that a postal questionnaire is an inappropriate research instrument for collecting rich qualitative data. In this article we challenge this and argue that in some circumstances such instruments can be used to yield rich thick descriptions of the kind normally associated with interviewing. We give the example of research into lesbian identities. Our experience led us to question what we call the epistemology of presence and the assumption that presence guarantees authenticity. We also suggest that the ethics of the face-to-face encounter may be different from those occurring at a distance. We conclude by arguing that researchers should be more open to the possibilities that postal questionnaires may be capable of generating authentic qualitative data, and that interviewing should be an explicit choice not the default position in qualitative research.

Obesity in the United States has increased dramatically during the past 40 years. Women are more at risk than men to be obese; and, a lesbian sexual identity further increases a woman's likelihood of being overweight or obese. This dissertation includes the following components: 1) a review of factors influencing overweight and obesity in lesbians, 2) an ethnographic inquiry examining how lesbian culture and a lesbian sexual identity contribute to a woman's body weight, and 3) the development of a lesbian-specific tool based on factors identified during the ethnography that predicts eating, physical activity, and weight status. The literature review, informed by the Social Ecological Model, investigated potentially contributing factors of overweight and obesity in lesbians. This review revealed a small body of literature dedicated to lesbians' physical activity and eating behaviors; additionally, weight-influencing social-cultural elements of lesbian communities were identified. This body of literature suggests that specific personal, social, and environmental factors negatively influence lesbians' weight, although there is not much known about this community's PA and eating behaviors, as overall behavior-specific findings, were equivocal. However, the following gaps in the literature were identified: lesbians' self-efficacy in PA and healthy eating, and effects on these behaviors as determined by their membership in lesbian subcultures. An ethnographic inquiry examined how a lesbian sexual identity contributes to body weight, attempted to fill a need in the current literature, and was driven by the following questions: 1) How does this lesbian social community serve as a context for its lesbian members to understand body weight? 2) What is the relationship between women's lesbian identities and their body weight? 3) What sub-cultural customs exist that permit or prohibit healthy eating and physical activity by women in this lesbian community? Participant observation, the primary method of data collection, uncovered the following themes: 1) Valuing Weight, 2) Coping and Socializing Behavior, and 3) Living within an Inconsistent Environment. Social Cognitive Theory assisted in interpreting how and why lesbians create innovative ways to appreciate diverse body weights and provided directives for measurement domains when investigating overweight in this community. Informed by the previous projects, the Lesbian Overweight and Obesity Questionnaire (The LOOQ) was developed as a tool to measure potential influences on PA, fat intake, and dietary consumption, which assist in predicting body mass index (BMI) within the lesbian community. Internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and predictive validity demonstrated encouraging results; all but two (i.e., 2/27) subscales demonstrated adequate to high internal consistency (Cronbach's Alphas= 0.61-0.97) and reliable test-retest scores (r=0.61-0.92). The LOOQ displayed predictive validity with subscale scores predicting outcome behaviors, which predicted BMI scores. / Ph. D.

This study explores how 30 long-term lesbian couples, who have lived together 15 or more years, conceptualize and practice equality within their partnerships. Verbal pictures of each couple provide a sense of who they are, how they met, and what is important to them. Dialogue about the egalitarian nature of their relationships and how they practice equality permeates this analysis. These couples practice an interdependent power based on a high degree of mutuality and joint responsibility for the relationship. They share many common values, particularly the value of equality. By comparing and contrasting the personally constructed equalities of these couples, the socially constructed meanings of equality become visible. Equality is not something they see themselves striving to achieve; instead, equality is a result of how they practice money and power. / Ph. D.

The growth of Queer Sociology has produced a body of research focused on LGBTQ identity formation, while less has been discovered about subsets of this community, including later-life lesbians who were previously partnered in long-term heterosexual relationships with cisgender men. Several theories, including the Cass Theory of Sexual Orientation Identity Formation and Fassinger's Theory, provide a model which LGBTQ people may progress through as they develop their sexual orientation identity. These models provide insight towards the development of a lesbian identification later in life. Through sixteen in-depth interviews with lesbians in the United States who did not identify as lesbian until after age thirty-five, I examine the social barriers that impact these women's identity formation processes, and examine how sexual orientation identity development theories help us understand this process. My findings reveal that heteronormativity, compulsory heterosexuality, lack of representation, gendered expectations, and the pursuit of success all acted as societal barriers that delayed these women in their sexual orientation identity development. Thus, we see that Cass' recognition of the importance of the sociocultural environment is vital. However, the theory's commitment to linearity is still questionable, and her theory may not provide enough flexibility for the fluidity of sexual orientation. Alternatively, Fassinger's theory provides more space for sexual orientation to exist as a process of continuous development. / Master of Science / The field of Sociology expanded to research LGBTQ experiences and identities in the 1980's and 90's, forming the study of Queer Sociology. Since this formation, smaller subsets of the community have yet to be explored. This includes women who came to a lesbian identification later in life (after the age of thirty-five) who were previously partnered in long-term heterosexual relationships with cisgender men. These women are known as later life lesbians. Within the field of Queer Sociology, several theories have been developed to provide a process which LGBTQ people may progress through as they develop their sexual orientation identity. This includes the Cass Theory of Sexual Orientation Identity Formation and Fassinger's Theory. These models can be used to provide insight into the sexual orientation identity development of later life lesbians. Through sixteen interviews with later life lesbians, I examine the social factors that impact these women's sexual identity formation processes, and examine how sexual orientation identity development theories help us understand this process. My findings reveal that the societal expectation of heterosexuality, lack of queer representation, gendered expectations, and the pursuit of success all acted as societal barriers that delayed these women in their sexual orientation identity development. Based on these social factors, we see that Cass' recognition of the importance of the social and cultural environment is vital. However, Cass also commits to a linear development of sexual orientation identity, which remains questionable. Additionally, her theory may not provide enough flexibility for the fluidity of sexual orientation. Alternatively, Fassinger's theory provides more space for sexual orientation to exist as a process of continuous development.

Religion, and in particular Christianity, is a salient part of American culture and informs policy decisions and family life. However, within the past two decades, emerging adults have become less likely to maintain a religious affiliation and attend religious services, suggesting a decline in the country's involvement with organized religious institutions. Non-heterosexual individuals are half as likely as their heterosexual counterparts to report a religious identity. The following study contextualizes these demographic findings and considers their potential impact on family life, and more specifically the interplay of religiosity with sexual identity development. Using a Constructivist Grounded Theory methodology, the current study presents data from eleven in- depth qualitative interviews with self-identified Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Queer (LGBQ) individuals between the ages of 20 and 25. Results are presented through three models. The first model illustrates the overlap of family and religious life, and their influence on sexual identity development. The second model depicts a three stage process through which participants made sense and meaning of the religious and familial discourses of their childhood: conflict, catalyst, and resolution. Particular attention is given to the final stage, resolution, and to the extraneous environmental factors that influenced how participants explained and made meaning of resolution. Finally, the third model described how participants constructed a LGBQ Christian identity, and how they perceive the acceptance of their identities by families and religious communities. This research contributes to existing literature by (a) examining the influence of a Christian upbringing on sexual identity development, (b) considering how individuals overcome conflict to integrate two seemingly exclusive identities, and (c) presenting how the adoption of a LGBQ Christian identity decenters heteronormativity and queers family relationships. / Master of Science

"The 24th of July" is a fictional novel set in the present day. The story centers around Michelle, an eighteen year old girl from Warm Springs, Idaho, who fears the sexual games she has played with her cousin Edna have tainted her for a Temple marriage. She meets Duke, a charismatic fundamentalist polygamist, who believes polygamy is part of the plan for eternal salvation as set down by the original doctrine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the prophet Joseph Smith. Michelle sees Duke as her chance to put her relationship with Edna in the past and obtain the rewards waiting for her in the celestial heaven by marrying him and having babies. But life as a polygamist wife is more difficult than she anticipated and it is further complicated by the fact that she and Cheron, Duke's second wife, fall in love. When Duke discovers the nature of their relationship, both are forced into making choices that will change their entire way of life.