This thesis describes the creation of the gay and lesbian community in Dallas, the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States. Employing more than seventy-five sources, this work chronicles the important contributions the gay men and lesbians of Dallas have made in the struggle for gay civil rights. This thesis adds to the studies of gay and lesbian history by focusing on a region of the United States that has been underrepresented, the South. In addition, this work addresses the conflicts that arise within the community between men and women.

Historically non-heterosexual individuals have faced prejudice and discrimination in daily life. Non-heterosexuals experience oppression and discrimination that affect personal development on all levels. An increased awareness of sexual identity development could create more inclusive sexual identity models, better understanding for counselor educators, and better training for counselors on issues of sexual identity. The purpose of this study was to explore the life experiences that influence sexual identity in women who love women. This study required that subjects attach meaning to sexual identity formation. Qualitative research methodologies were used in the study. Participants were selected for this study in a thoughtful and purposeful manner and within specified parameters. Data were collected through two face-to-face interviews with the participants; member checking and peer debriefing offered consistency through the use of a semi-structured interview guide. Phenomenological approach and constant comparison was used for data analysis. From the data collected, four themes emerged: I was Just Different, Information Seeking, View of Self as a Woman Within the Context of Culture, and Contextual Relationships. Findings of this study did not support a stage model of sexual identity development. Instead, this study supported the view that sexual identity is fluid and strongly related to relationships with peer groups. All participants reported that sexual identity formation was a painful process.

<p>Identity tensions in religious organizations has become a popular research area in organizational communication within recent decades. This study endeavors to investigate lesbian identity tension within the evangelical, college-based organization Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru) with the guiding research question: How do lesbian former members of Cru and former Cru staff discursively navigate identity tensions regarding homosexuality within the organization? Through surveys of six lesbian former members of Cru and eight former Cru staff, this essay demonstrates a nuanced perspective of identity tension between homosexuality and Christianity in the United States and highlights common themes from all participants: anxiety, frustration, fear, shame, and regret. Utilizing structuration theory and feminism as overarching theoretical frameworks to shape the discussion on sexuality, race, identity, and concertive control, the unique narratives of the participants’ surveys and interviews provide new insights on the struggles of LGBTQ individuals within the de facto anti-gay organization, Campus Crusade for Christ (Cru). Interspersed throughout the work are autoethnographic vignettes from the author that serve as complementary narratives to demonstrate emotion as epistemology. This study provides a brand-new application of popular organizational communication theories to an underrepresented population (lesbians) in an understudied organization (Cru) to contribute to the ongoing research on identity tension in religious organizations.</p>

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 years between 1989 and 1993 witnessed a sea change in the fabric of contemporary artistic practice, with a sudden embrace of previously marginalized identities on the part of museums, galleries and other institutions. This dissertation traces how sexuality, race and gender came to be placed at the center of discussions of contemporary art, and examines the ways in which artists responded to the sudden embrace of marginal identities on the part of museums and other art institutions in the early 1990s by harnessing the potential of this newly increased visibility, and also by developing strategies to offset the spectacularization of their identities. In particular, I focus on the collision between this new institutional desire for difference and the emergence of a notion of queerness that is specifically anti-identitarian and thus in conflict with the imperative to produce art about one’s identity. The dissertation is structured around four exhibitions that each played a crucial role in establishing this reorganization of the art world. This sequence of exhibitions narrates the larger structural shift through gradual steps, but each chapter also serves as a case study, since distinct notions of power emerge from the individual exhibitions. Tied into these divergent, sometimes incompatible understandings of power were competing understandings of the ways in which identity could be engaged politically and aesthetically. In particular, I focus on how a melancholic approach to queer subjectivity was materialized in art at the time, on the resurgence of documentary practices, on psychoanalytically inflected artistic interventions into museum spaces, and on the emergence of new forms of artistic critique.

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.

Thesis advisor: Christina Klein / With the recent rise in popularity of Korean media, more audiences than ever before have been exposed to portrayals of Korean women. Most female protagonists in Korean dramas adhere to Confucian gender norms: they are primarily concerned with romance and fail to drive their own narratives. This paper analyzes feminist characters who instead bend or expand conservative gender conventions in order to normalize different lifestyles for all women. In seeking out progressive portrayals, this paper focuses specifically on depictions of unmarried, elderly, and lesbian women in Korean entertainment. By honing in on women who do not fit the mold of traditional or acceptable femininity, this paper argues for more realistic representations of women in modern Korean society. / Thesis (BA) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. College of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Departmental Honors. / Discipline: English.

Please note: creative writing theses are permanently embargoed in OpenBU. No public access is forecasted for these. To request private access, please click on the locked Download file link and fill out the appropriate web form. / A collection of short stories / 2031-01-01T00:00:00Z

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.

The lived experiences of African American lesbians who attended historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) have not received sufficient empirical attention; therefore, this study was conducted to understand and describe their experiences. The study followed a qualitative phenomenological approach. The multidimensional identity model, developed by Reyolds and Pope, was used as the framework through which to understand the participants' experiences. Semistructured, 40 to 60-minute interviews were conducted with 6 women who identified as African American lesbians and attended HBCUs. Initial hand and subsequent NVivo coding of interview data led to the development of the following 7 themes: (a) either African American women or African American lesbian, (b) fear of rejection, (c) chosen kin, (d) no benefit of being an African American lesbian at an HBCU, (e) love for the African American community, (f) women who love women, and (g) the road not taken. The findings suggest African American lesbians often shift between identities, depending on the situation or setting. The results of the study provide suggestions for counselors and counselor educators who will be able to increase their understanding of the unique needs of individuals who identify with at least 3 marginalized communities. African American lesbians who attend HBCUs may benefit from this inquiry as HBCUs can use the information in this study to help create and sustain a more inclusive campus environment. Additional implications for social change and future research are included at the end of the study.