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Researchers investigating lesbian intimate partner violence (IPV) encourage a movement from the study of prevalence rates to the examination of the complexities of IPV in lesbian relationships (Ristock, 2003). The current study examined power differentials and their associations with reported physical and psychological violence in lesbian relationships. Additionally, the study sought to determine whether power differentials predict physical and psychological violence within the relationship. Secondary data analysis of the National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS; Tjaden & Thoennes, 1998) was used. Overall the sample (N = 80) was primarily White, high school graduates, with an average age of 30. A preliminary exploratory factor analysis of a measure used in the NVAWS revealed two factors'jealousy and control tactics. These factor scores were used in later analyses. Chi-square tests revealed no significant relationships between income, age, race, employment, health status, or education power differentials and the presence of physical and psychological violence (i.e., verbal attack). Significant associations were found between control tactics and age, as well as education differentials. Finally, significant associations were found between control tactics and psychological violence, as well as control tactics and jealousy. Multiple linear regressions(MLR) were used to determine which power differential discrepancy scores and factor scores(i.e., jealousy, control tactics [predictors]) could be used to predict physical and psychological violence (criteria). No significant predictions could be made for physical violence. Presence of jealousy and control tactics was found to be a highly significant predictor, accounting for 20% of the variance in psychological violence. / Master of Science

Yes / Nigeria is one of many countries in Africa that criminalize same-sex relations, and this has been reinforced by law enforcement agencies and the courts. As part of efforts to protect LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) persons from various forms of discrimination and violence, the growing LGBTQ movement sometimes approaches the court for rights enforcement. There is a dearth of cases specifically focused on lesbian rights except for a 2018 case, Pamela Adie v. Corporate Affairs Commission. This limits empirical evidence for assessing the role of the courts but also strengthens the case for an enquiry into how the courts can protect lesbians in Nigeria against discrimination on the grounds of their sexual identity. This chapter analyzes how intersecting categories of gender, sexual orientation, class, and location affect lesbians’ experiences of discrimination. It also explores impediments in laws and the formal justice system that result in discrimination, thereby affecting access to justice. The analysis reveals opportunities for the courts to adopt a proactive approach to interpreting fundamental rights guarantees in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999. Pragmatic recommendations are made for a multi-stakeholder approach and cross-jurisdictional learning.

No description available.

This thesis examines the evolution and adaptive function of female homosexuality. Biological, sociological, evolutionary, socioecological, and sociobiological theories are discussed. To assess the evolution of female homoerotic behavior, primate and human behavior are examined. Because the purpose of this thesis is to investigate the evolution of female same-sex relations, particular emphasis is placed on chimpanzees and bonobos, species in which these relations have been extensively documented. It is proposed that human females form homoerotic relationships to achieve independence from males and maintain alliances. If sufficient resources are present, aggregates of females can control their most significant resource-sex. Sex is utilized to recruit new females, to maintain alliances within the aggregate, and to distribute to males in exchange for strategic resources. This thesis concludes with several suggestions for future research.

Lai Yuen-ki. / Thesis submitted in: October 2003. / Thesis (M.Phil.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves p. 144-146). / Abstracts in English and Chinese. / Chapter Chapter One - --- Introduction --- p.1 / "What is a ""TB""?" --- p.2 / The cultural context of Hong Kong --- p.6 / Research question --- p.8 / Literature review --- p.9 / Background of the study --- p.16 / Persistent display of masculinities --- p.16 / Fluidity of TB/TBG role-play --- p.23 / Methodology --- p.29 / Chapter Chapter Two - --- The lesbian community --- p.33 / "Identity change from ""tomboy"" to ""TB""" --- p.34 / The lesbian community in Hong Kong --- p.39 / Ethnicity --- p.40 / Lesbian pubs --- p.41 / Lesbian service groups --- p.48 / Lesbian websites --- p.51 / Influence of the lesbian community on TBs´ةmasculinities --- p.56 / Common features of TBs' bodies --- p.56 / Identifying as a TB --- p.62 / Diversity within the lesbian community --- p.71 / Identity --- p.71 / Sexuality --- p.73 / Summary --- p.80 / Chapter Chapter Three - --- Negotiation between TBs and the society --- p.83 / The mini-society: the workplace --- p.84 / Insisting masculinity in the workplace --- p.84 / Femininity in the workplace --- p.91 / Naturalization of TBs´ةmasculinities --- p.102 / Negotiation between TBs and the society --- p.102 / The lesbian community as buffer --- p.104 / Summary --- p.106 / Chapter Chapter Four - --- Negotiation between TBs and the lesbian community --- p.108 / The discourse of sex in Hong Kong --- p.109 / Expectations imposed on TBs --- p.111 / TBs' sexual pleasures --- p.112 / Power dynamics in sex --- p.113 / Negotiation between TBs and the lesbian community --- p.116 / Interchanging sex roles --- p.116 / Role conflict --- p.118 / Role-segregation and audience-segregation --- p.121 / Negotiation process: resistance and conformity --- p.122 / Fluid sexual relationship --- p.123 / Using the sex service --- p.124 / Casual sex with a man --- p.128 / Masturbation --- p.130 / Summary --- p.132 / Chapter Chapter Five - --- Conclusion --- p.134 / Personal reflections --- p.134 / An overview --- p.137 / Limitations --- p.139 / Further implications --- p.141 / Bibliography --- p.144

Due to social stigma, millions of sexual minorities have concealed their true sexual identities by entering into heterosexual relationships and marriages. Eventually, some transition to same-sex relationships and are able to live authentic lives. This latter group had identified as genuinely heterosexual, never questioning their sexuality until a particular time in their lives when same-sex desires spontaneously appeared. The experiences of transitioning from heterosexual to same-sex partners are not well known, particularly for women who have been legally married to both men and women. Diamond's dynamical systems theory for same-sex sexuality and McCarn and Fassinger's lesbian identity formation model provided the theoretical framework for this qualitative narrative study investigating the life stories of 15 female participants recruited from social media, who had experienced a transition from heterosexual marriage to same-sex marriage. Face-to-face interviews were conducted and data were coded and analyzed to identify emergent categories. The findings revealed that the women experienced shifts in private and public sexual identities over time. Despite external obstacles and personal concerns in transitioning from heterosexual to same-sex relationships, all the women had more positive experiences in their same-sex marriages than they did in their heterosexual marriages. Understanding these women's life stories will allow mental health professionals to better understand and address the needs of this population in more clinical and applied settings. This study will also help educate the general public about women who experience shifts in the desired gender of their relationship.

This non-experimental, quantitative study explored the effects of the Buddhist-derived practices of mindfulness and loving-kindness meditations on the wellness of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people. LGB people are at higher risk of mental illness and increased social isolation due to minority stress; Buddhist-derived mindfulness practices mediate these effects in other groups. Lazarus and Folkman's transactional model of stress and coping was the theoretical model explaining how positive cognitive appraisal induced by meditation can mediate effects of stress. This study examined whether mental health scores on the Emotional Symptoms Checklist (ESC), social attitudes measured on the Unjust World Views Scale, and self-perception measured by the Remoralization Scale improved individually and collectively after LGB participants engaged in 1 of 3 meditation conditions: mindfulness practice, loving-kindness practice, or a relaxation control group. ANOVA analyses revealed no significant improvements in participants' scores on the 3 measures as a result of either one of the meditation conditions or the control group. An unexpected finding emerged between participants who reported a history of depression and those who did not; ESC scores among those with depression significantly improved after the meditation or relaxation interlude regardless of group assignment, possibly due to disruption of ruminative thought processes. Future studies could build upon this study by training participants to meditate using more interactive means than online videos used here. The mental health needs of LGB people remain urgent, and further explorations of promising techniques such as mindfulness are the foundation of future social change.

Planned parenthood within the lesbian and gay communities attracts considerable attention internationally among researchers, the media, and law and policy-makers. This Australian study situates the phenomenon�also known as the �gayby boom��within the contemporary Australian socio-legal setting and the more international historical and political contexts of Gay and Women�s Liberation. It investigates how beliefs about nature, kinship, the sexed and reproductive body and political ideologies of family intersect in lesbians and gay men�s decision-making and stories of living their lives as parents. Two fields of intellectual enquiry are generative: the interest in families of choice and family practices within sociology and the post-modern anthropological critique of Western kinship in the era of assisted reproduction. This is a qualitative study informed by a critical humanist approach. It is based on in-depth and key informant interviews conducted with 20 lesbians and 15 gay men (parents, �donor/dads� and prospective parents) as well as 7 people engaged in legal, health or therapeutic support to prospective and current parents. Also incorporated into the analysis are a range of other primary sources, including a substantial media debate, submissions to an assisted reproduction law reform process and primary documents supplied by participants such as parenting agreements and letters. The study argues for the need to look beyond unitary concepts such as families of choice when theorising lesbian and gay parenthood. It is important to consider the historical, political and biographical conditions that make some notions of relatedness and decisions about having children seem more feasible, and indeed, natural than others. It explores how various notions of biological relatedness remain important in the formation of parent/child relationships, and the extent to which lesbians and gay men rely on strategic appeals to choice and biology in enacting families. Continuing constraints on who is eligible for clinically assisted reproductive technology in Australia lead to imaginative and harmonious, yet also fraught reproductive relationships.

Homophobia and prejudice against the lesbian community have been argued to be consequences of lack of education within academic and non-academic spaces. This study introduces a pedagogical model of gendered lesbian identity that can act as a tool for educators to understand lesbian experiences, and thus contribute to addressing issues related to homophobia and prejudices in the classrooms and beyond. Based on thematic analysis of data generated by a qualitative online survey of 29 participants, this study argues that notions of social norms, individual agency, and importance of advocacy are critical points of emphases in the proposed educational model. Although the model may be seen as a pilot study, its experiential and theoretical foundation should make it a novel and simple pedagogical tool in teaching lesbian identity.