Gay males have higher than average rates of suicidal ideation, which has been attributed in part to the pressure to conform to societal religious norms. Using the theoretical frameworks of Durkheim and of Pescosolido and Georgianna, the purpose of this quantitative study was to explore the role of religiosity as a factor of suicidal ideation in gay males. In this study, 113 gay males completed an online survey regarding their level of religiosity as measured by the Religious Background and Behaviors Questionnaire, past suicidal ideation as measured by the Suicidal Ideation Measure, and certain predictor variables, including being "out" to family members, family being supportive, age, religious affiliation (current and during childhood), ethnicity, and population of town during childhood. Regression analyses found no direct statistical significance between level of religiosity and suicidal ideation. There was a predictive relationship, however, between level of family support, level of religiosity, and suicidal ideation. These findings support the Pescosolido and Georgianna theory that belongingness reduces suicidal ideation. The implications for positive social change include the need for mental health professionals to highlight the importance of positive support for gay males as a potential buffer to suicidal ideation.

The original purpose of this quantitative study was to compare 5 self-reported sexual minority stress (SMS) factors experienced by lesbian and gay police officers to discover if lesbian or gay police officers experience more SMS, and which factor, if any, is the biggest stressor for either group as measured using subscales of the Daily Heterosexist Experiences Questionnaire (DHEQ). This study partially incorporated minority-stress theory as applied to sexual minorities. This study used subscales from the DHEQ in anonymous, online surveys. Because of the low response rate, the study changed to compare the group of lesbian and gay police officers' self-reports on levels of feelings of vigilance, harassment/discrimination, isolation, vicarious trauma, and victimization as compared to the established population values. The central research question asked if there was a significant difference between lesbian and gay police officers and the established population on self-reported factors of SMS, as measured by the DHEQ. Two-tailed t tests were used to analyze the data. The results showed that lesbian and gay officers reported significantly less SMS as determined by the 5 factors on the DHEQ. The results of this study could provide an impact on how administrators treat lesbian and gay officers and how LGBT policies are created and implemented for internal and external (e.g. LGBT communities) interactions. The results of this study could also provide insight for police psychologists and other mental health practitioners about SMS.

Mixed findings in the research on mental health issues in the lesbian community have resulted in conflicting conclusions as to whether the prevalence rate of generalized anxiety disorders and depression in the lesbian population differs from that of non-lesbians. The variability of findings may be due to factors such as discrimination, coming-out, and self-esteem. Using the minority stress model a framework, the purpose of this quantitative survey study was to examine whether perceptions of discrimination, coming-out, and self-esteem levels predict lesbians' anxiety and depression. Participants anonymously completed online measures of the Outness Inventory, the Schedule of Sexually Discriminatory Events, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. The snowball sample consisted of 105 self-identified lesbian women from the United States. Hierarchical regression was used to test the hypotheses. According to study results, frequency and stressfulness of sexual discrimination, coming-out, and self-esteem levels predicted depression and anxiety, with low self-esteem as the only significant predictor of depression and anxiety. The findings were only partially consistent with the minority stress model because perceived discrimination did not predict depression or anxiety. This study facilitates positive social change by pointing out and focusing on the need for mental health interventions specific to the stresses that lesbians face pertaining to low self-esteem, as that predicts their anxiety and depression.

This qualitative study used narrative analysis of interviews with 10 older lesbians (aged 55 and over) who have made a financial commitment to live in a continuous care retirement center (CCRC) specializing in lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) care. The specific aims were to: 1. Describe what has impacted older lesbians' decisions to live in an LGBT-specific CCRC. 2. Describe factors that both positively and negatively impact older lesbians' perceptions of elder care. The study combined two qualitative strategies (across-case, thematic analysis and narrative analysis) and used a convenience sample. Themes identified in across-case analysis were interpreted in the context of patterns in the narrative analysis. Categories, topics and subtopics were organized temporally. This within and across case strategy facilitated the ability to view the whole as well as individual and identify salient themes and representative stories across cases. Stories of past negative experiences with family (resulting from the participants' sexual orientation) as well as past positive experiences within the gay community were widespread across cases. Presently, the participants are caring for older heterosexual family members and realizing that in their lesbian friendship circles they have experienced this type of care and support and not in their biological family relationships. Additionally, they are increasingly aware of their own aging and realizing that at some point they might not be able to support themselves and each other in ways that preserve their dignity and prevent discrimination, as they generally can now. The participants' past experiences (as well as expectations stemming from them) coupled with present experiences and realizations, have led to the decision to live in an LGBT CCRC. They have concluded that the only way to be assured of dignity and respect in elder care is to decide on the LGBT CCRC. Positive perceptions regarding the decision to live in this elder care option were straightforward and directly reflected the findings for Aim I. It is important to understand older lesbians' elder care decision making because continued lack of knowledge may potentially undermine optimal care delivery of elder lesbians across settings.

Works of feminist utopian literature project longing for and predict political change while confronting current social inequities. Often, they effectively interrogate Western models of citizenship and the institutions which reify them, suggesting alternate models. Here, I define Western citizenship as determined by the maintenance of the nation-state through gendered social roles that restrict women to the private sphere and men to the public. This thesis asserts that feminist utopian literature, like politically conscious music, art, and other forms of feminist praxis, is a politically necessary component of feminist consciousness because it facilitates much-needed visions of a more equitable future for all citizens. Here, patriarchy, separatism, socialism, and radical democracy, as well as attendant difficulties in implementation and ramifications for women, will be considered through the following works: Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s Herland, Sally Miller Gearhart’s The Wanderground, Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Dispossessed, Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower, and Starhawk’s The Fifth Sacred Thing. The thesis also comments on some of the narrative devices and themes of works discussed, such as nonlinear structure, avoidance of closure, altered states of consciousness, and exile. Analysis of these works relies in part on a growing body of speculative fiction criticism while also considering feminist theories of difference and vision. The thesis concludes with recommendations for utilizing feminist utopian literature as a part of feminist pedagogy.

Wet : a Project is a ficto-critical essay, a writer's diary, concerned with language, trauma, the body and image. A complement to Wet, it is greatly informed by Probyn's model of 'belonging' as a writing subject, and psychoanalytic theorisation such as Gibb's analysis of psychosomatic speech, Pines' and Anzieu's conceptualisations of the 'skin ego', Kristeva's account of sensation and its relation to language and Lacan's development of the ego in the mirror stage. In addition, it engages Herman's analysis of trauma and Scarry's account of pain, and their relationships to language, the body and subjectivity. Interspersed with autobiographical accounts, Wet : a Project explores the milieus, spaces and specific geographical sites in which trauma, language, forms of identity, desire, belonging and becoming, emerge or assert their visibility. / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

<p> </p><p>The aim of this study was to describe the experiences and thoughts among midwives when encountering same sex couples at the maternity ward. Further, the aim was to explore the midwives attitudes towards education about special needs among same sex couples and their thoughts about contents and design of such education. The study had a descriptive design using a qualitative method. The data was collected through interviews with 10 midwives in February 2009. The midwives worked at two different maternity wards. At ward A the midwives had participated in education about special needs among same sex couples while the midwives at ward B worked according to traditional manners. The overall result of the study showed that the midwives from both wards had experiences of positive nature when encountering same sex couples. They also had a positive attitude towards education and thoughts about contents and design of such education. Despite their positive experiences the midwives reported several difficulties when encountering same sex couples and also differences between these couples and heterosexual couples. Mainly the midwives at ward A expressed specific difficulties and differences. The difficulties were experienced in the interaction between the midwife and the couple and concerned communication as well as difficulties during examinations. Due to the specific difficulties and differences the midwives at ward A were of the opinion that the care should be adapted to the needs of same sex couples, in order to optimize the overall care.</p><p> </p> / <p>Syftet med studien var att undersöka barnmorskors upplevelser av och tankar kring att bemöta samkönade par på förlossningsavdelning. Vidare syftade studien till att undersöka barnmorskors inställning till utbildning i homokompetens samt vad de önskade att en sådan utbildning skulle innehålla och hur den skulle utformas. Studien hade en kvalitativ ansats med deskriptiv design. Datainsamling har skett genom intervjuer med tio barnmorskor från två olika förlossningsavdelningar under februari 2009. Barnmorskorna på avd. A hade genom utbildning fått homokompetens och arbetade efter särskilda rutiner för att bemöta samkönade par medan de på avd. B hade ett traditionellt arbetssätt. Sammanfattningsvis visade resultatet att barnmorskorna från såväl avd. A och avd. B generellt hade positiva upplevelser av att bemöta samkönade par. Samtidigt hade de en positiv inställning till utbildning och även tankar kring hur en sådan utbildning skulle utformas. Resultatet visade också att barnmorskorna upplevde svårigheter i bemötandet och skillnader mellan samkönade och heterosexuella par. Framförallt lyfte barnmorskorna på avd. A fram specifika svårigheter och skillnader. Svårigheterna upplevdes finnas på flera olika plan i interaktionen mellan barnmorskan och paret och rörde såväl kommunikation som svårigheter vid undersökningar. Barnmorskorna på avd. A ansåg mot bakgrund av de upplevda svårigheterna och skillnaderna att vården särskilt borde anpassas för att optimera bemötandet.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Illinois State University, 2006. / Title from title page screen, viewed on April 27, 2007. Dissertation Committee: C. Anita Tarr (chair), Roberta Seelinger Trites, Jan Christopher Susina. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 197-208) and abstract. Also available in print.

This thesis examines gay student organizing to understand the role of college students in the burgeoning lesbian and gay movement of the 1970s. Although students are widely recognized as participants in gay activism in this period, few studies have attempted to explore their particular role. The Gay Academic Union (GAU) at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, FL, is presented as a case study, using archival and oral history research. Lesbian and gay students participated in the construction of a new political strategy based on visibility and community, which positioned “coming out” as its central metaphor. During the early to mid-1970s, students were especially well positioned to play a role in the gay movement, which relied on small, local organizations to spread gay politics throughout the nation. However, in the wake of the Anita Bryant-led effort to repeal Miami-Dade’s gay rights ordinance in 1977, the growth of national gay organizations and a national media discourse on homosexuality began to eclipse the type of organizing at which college students had excelled. By extending the narrative of gay organizing in the 1970s outside of urban centers, the story of the GAU at Florida Atlantic demonstrates that college students played a crucial part in disseminating the new forms of gay identity and culture associated with the gay movement.

The aim of this study was to describe the experiences and thoughts among midwives when encountering same sex couples at the maternity ward. Further, the aim was to explore the midwives attitudes towards education about special needs among same sex couples and their thoughts about contents and design of such education. The study had a descriptive design using a qualitative method. The data was collected through interviews with 10 midwives in February 2009. The midwives worked at two different maternity wards. At ward A the midwives had participated in education about special needs among same sex couples while the midwives at ward B worked according to traditional manners. The overall result of the study showed that the midwives from both wards had experiences of positive nature when encountering same sex couples. They also had a positive attitude towards education and thoughts about contents and design of such education. Despite their positive experiences the midwives reported several difficulties when encountering same sex couples and also differences between these couples and heterosexual couples. Mainly the midwives at ward A expressed specific difficulties and differences. The difficulties were experienced in the interaction between the midwife and the couple and concerned communication as well as difficulties during examinations. Due to the specific difficulties and differences the midwives at ward A were of the opinion that the care should be adapted to the needs of same sex couples, in order to optimize the overall care. / Syftet med studien var att undersöka barnmorskors upplevelser av och tankar kring att bemöta samkönade par på förlossningsavdelning. Vidare syftade studien till att undersöka barnmorskors inställning till utbildning i homokompetens samt vad de önskade att en sådan utbildning skulle innehålla och hur den skulle utformas. Studien hade en kvalitativ ansats med deskriptiv design. Datainsamling har skett genom intervjuer med tio barnmorskor från två olika förlossningsavdelningar under februari 2009. Barnmorskorna på avd. A hade genom utbildning fått homokompetens och arbetade efter särskilda rutiner för att bemöta samkönade par medan de på avd. B hade ett traditionellt arbetssätt. Sammanfattningsvis visade resultatet att barnmorskorna från såväl avd. A och avd. B generellt hade positiva upplevelser av att bemöta samkönade par. Samtidigt hade de en positiv inställning till utbildning och även tankar kring hur en sådan utbildning skulle utformas. Resultatet visade också att barnmorskorna upplevde svårigheter i bemötandet och skillnader mellan samkönade och heterosexuella par. Framförallt lyfte barnmorskorna på avd. A fram specifika svårigheter och skillnader. Svårigheterna upplevdes finnas på flera olika plan i interaktionen mellan barnmorskan och paret och rörde såväl kommunikation som svårigheter vid undersökningar. Barnmorskorna på avd. A ansåg mot bakgrund av de upplevda svårigheterna och skillnaderna att vården särskilt borde anpassas för att optimera bemötandet.