Thesis (M.G.S.)--Miami University, Dept. of Sociology and Gerontology, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF document. Includes bibliographical references (p. 64-68).

Opinions and attitudes towards homosexually oriented people and their lives have changed significantly in the last twenty years. Homosexuality is not considered as a sexual deviation any more, and more and more European cultures allow formal and legal existence of the same-sex couples. In some states of the European Union gays and lesbians can become parents legally - they are allowed full joint adoption. The objective of the theoretical part of the thesis was to approach the issue of homosexuality and homosexually oriented people within the context of selected states of the European Union. The main objective of the research part of the thesis was to find out the attitude of the wide public towards the institute of registered partnership (civil union or civil partnership) in the Czech Republic. The partial objective was to survey the public attitude towards the adoption of a child by a single homosexual and towards the adoption of a child by a homosexual couple (full joint adoption) in the Czech Republic. I also wanted to find out, whether the Czech public tolerate the adoption of a child of a homosexual partner or the artificial insemination of lesbian couples. Quantitative research, polling method and an anonymous questionnaire {--} a technique of the research - were used in the practical part.

In this project I explore the connection between cultural and personal identity in the college classroom. Respondent interviews were conducted using open-ended questions, which began with a broad picture of the role the instructor played in the classroom and then focused more specifically on the issue of sexual orientation and the choices to disclose or not disclose orientation in the classroom. Thematic analysis was used to examine the interviews, upon the completion of the interviews being transcribed. RQ1: Do gay and lesbian instructors disclose their sexual orientation in the classroom? From this question, four themes emerged. These themes were disclosure not relevant, out of the classroom disclosure, students just know, and disclosure in the classroom. RQ2: What reasons do gay and lesbian instructors give for disclosing their sexual orientation in the classroom? Two themes, fears of disclosure and holding back, transpired from this question. RQ3: How do gay and lesbian instructors foster diversity in the classroom related to sexual orientation? Four themes were exposed from the question, and these themes were paradox of diversity, passing, mentoring, and identity not sexuality.

This thesis addresses spiritual violence done to queer people in the sacrament of Communion, or Eucharist, in both Protestant and Roman Catholic churches in the U.S. Rooted in the sexual dimorphic interpretation of Genesis, theologians engendered Christianity with sexism and patriarchy, both of which have since developed into intricate intersections of oppressions. Religious abuse is founded on the tradition of exclusionary practices and is validated through narrow interpretations of Scripture that work to reassert the authority of the experiences of the dominant culture. The resultant culture of oppression manifests itself in ritualized spiritual violence. Queer people are deemed “unworthy” to take ‘the body and blood of the Christ’ and, in fact, are excluded altogether. This “unworthiness” is expressed as spiritual violence against queer people who are shunned and humiliated, internalize hateful messages, and are denied spiritual guidance or life-affirming messages. By “queering” Scripture, or reading the Bible anew through a framework of justice, queer people have begun to sacramentalize their experiences and reclaim their place at the table.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore how LGB college students created meaning out of their coming out process to their parents. I recruited LGB college students who perceived support from their parents during their coming out process and asked the following research question: What are the lived experiences of LGB college students who have experienced support from their parents during the coming out process? Seven White (n = 4), African American (n = 2), and Hispanic (n = 1) college students, three men and four women aged 18-24 years, shared narratives that included time periods before, during, and after their coming out disclosures to their parents. Using an adapted phenomenological analysis, I identified nine major themes: awareness of feeling different, positive relationship with parents prior to coming out, college impacting the coming out process, feeling unsure of how parents would respond to disclosure, parents assuring continued loved and acceptance, parents affirming LGB identity, increased relational depth with parents, increased sense of authenticity, and an appreciation for family's response and support. The findings provide insight into how counselors might work most beneficially with LGB college students and their parents around the coming out process. Opportunities for future research and limitations of the study are discussed.

Jenny Seibickes (M. A.) anglistischer Beitrag, „‚The Straight Mind‘: Monique Wittig, Heteronormativität, Patriarchat und falscher Universalismus“ verdichtet die intensive, kritische Auseinandersetzung der Verfasserin mit Monique Wittigs theoretischem Werk (namentlich The Straight Mind von 1992), mit ihren Bemühungen um eine Dekonstruktion der heteronormativen Gesellschafts- und Geschlechterordnung und ihrer ‚natürlichen‘ Legitimationsfiguren. Im Zentrum der Argumentation stehen dabei zum einen die Folgen, welche nach Wittig diese vielmehr willkürliche Aufteilung in zwei Geschlechterkategorien für Frauen/das ‚Weibliche‘ und für Männer/das ‚Männliche‘ generiert hat – Unterdrückung und Verfälschung des Realen auf weiblicher Seite, diskriminierende Universalisierung zum vermeintlich Neutralen auf der männlichen. Zum andern diskutiert der Beitrag kritisch Wittigs ästhetisch-politisches Gegenkonzept einer gleichzeitigen Revolution von Sprache/Literatur und Gesellschaft.

People who are Queer Muslim Arab Americans have unique experiences, as their multiple identities often clash head-on with cultural expectations of their respective communities. To fully grasp the concept of someone who identifies as such, this thesis explores each minority identity individually, and then examines the interactions of all three identities. The Double Jeopardy and Intersectional Invisibility theories of multiple minority identities are explored in relation to people who are Queer Muslim Arab Americans. Scenarios are outlined in which each theory seems more relevant. Finally, community needs of Queer Muslim Arab Americans are discussed, with a focus on the opportunities that are available to mental health providers and community psychologists to make a positive impact on this multiple minority community.

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Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Curriculum and Instruction / Jeong Hee Kim / Sexual orientation is only one facet of diversity (Banks et al., 2005), but teacher preparation may not adequately address sexual prejudice (Lamb, 2013). Sexual prejudice arises when heterosexuality is assumed to be the default for all students. School environments reinforce heteronormativity (Dean, 2010; Foucault, 1990; Himmelstein & Bruckner, 2011) such that when hate speech or physical violence occur against the non-hetersexual or the transgender student, teachers may not be prepared to respond appropriately. Prejudice toward gender or sexually variant students may not be adequately addressed in teacher preparation to challenge the reproduction of heteronormativity in school environments. A mixed method approach was followed to address the beliefs and attitudes of pre-service (undergraduate) and in-service (graduate) teachers toward sexual minorities through an online survey and face-to-face interviews. Group means of the PREJUDICE scale for each independent variable were analyzed for statistical significance. The total variance of the PREJUDICE scale was accounted for by personal characteristics only (political, 38%; religious, 9%; non-heterosexual friends, 18%; and family members, 5%; participant sexual orientation, 8%; and finishing the survey, 6%). Neither demographic nor educational characteristics accounted for statistically significant differences in group means of the PREJUDICE scale. College-level coursework completed in multicultural education did not significantly account for any of the total variance in PREJUDICE scores. Significantly lower levels of sexual prejudice were associated with having non-heterosexual friends and family members or being non-heterosexual, and there were no significant effects from educational interventions. However, one-on-one interviews provided stories of direct experience with sexual minority youth in K-12 classrooms. A majority of qualitative participants had questioned their conservative backgrounds and the familial/societal messages they had received regarding gender and sexual variance. Their questioning was strengthened by having non-heterosexual friends and family members. In addition, several participants had worked directly with sexual minority youth in their own school buildings and classrooms. Had this study been limited to a survey, the lived experiences of these pre-service and in-service teachers would have been lost. Having friends and family members who are non-heterosexual transcended their socialization and facilitated their development as social justice allies.

The HBTQ-society is not a homogeneous group; it contains a range of different sub-groups. QX is Sweden’s biggest magazine aimed at members of the HBTQ-society. The purpose of this study is to analyze if the magazine is more directed towards gay men or women – both by examining how many men versus women appear in QX, but also by looking at the different ways in which the articles are more relevant to either men or women, such as by tone, language or choice of subjects. In this study, we have analyzed twelve issues of QX, from January 2012 to December 2012, in order to get the most current results as possible. We used a quantitative content analysis when examining the division of men and women, and a qualitative analysis to investigate the direction towards each gender in the texts. Identification and power have been significant theories with which to analyse the results. The study clearly shows that QX is more aimed towards homosexual men rather than women, despite its claim to be gender neutral. During 2012, 66 % men and 34 % women appeared in QX. It was also discovered that more articles were aimed at gay men rather than women. The results support the theory that lesbian women could feel excluded from the HBTQ-society by reading QX. Since role models are crucial in the process of identification – and gay women access less of them than gay men – lesbians have a disadvantage in finding representation and identification in QX, which is unequal and therefore a problem.