South African institutions of higher learning remain unfriendly and hostile environments for queer students who reportedly continue to experience homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in these spaces. This qualitative enquiry explored the experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Intersexed (LGBTI) students in accessing healthcare in a contact higher education institution. The findings suggest that LGBTI issues are silenced within the university spaces and this blocks the availability of a targeted and strategic approach to deal with the healthcare issues of queer students. Furthermore, it was found that the healthcare services are heterocentric in nature, mainly targeting heterosexual students and deliberately excluding LGBTI students from accessing these services. In addition, the heteronormative attitudes held by healthcare professionals create added barriers for LGBTI students to access healthcare services. Religiously motivated stigma and discrimination prevented healthcare professionals from providing culturally appropriate healthcare services to LGBTI students, thereby excluding them from accessing these services. This research concludes that university management should take decisive action in supporting a human rights framework in order to protect the rights of LGBTI students. Sensitization training as well as the training curriculum of healthcare professionals should include aspects of sexual orientation and gender identity. / Health Studies / M.A.(Social Behaviour Studies in HIV-AIDS)

Despite legal and policy advancements in South Africa, prejudice, discrimination and victimisation are still a reality for many lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) people in the country. The Psychological Society of South Africa (PsySSA) has embarked on a process to develop lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) affirmative practice guidelines for psychology professionals, when working with these client populations. As a part of the larger objective, this research study highlights LGB people’s experiences of psychotherapy and counselling in South Africa as possible inputs for the mentioned practice guidelines. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with selected participants. The results indicate that some aspects of LGB people’s experiences are similar to those of anyone in psychotherapy or counselling, but also that there are distinct differences. Negative experiences were almost exclusively due to the counsellor being disaffirming of the client's sexual orientation. Self-acceptance and the development of alternative perspectives of sexuality were more prominent outcomes of counselling compared to studies among broader populations. The participants’ feedback on a list of affirmative statements provides a potential basis for future affirmative practice guidelines. / Psychology / M. A. (Clinical Psychology)

This study explored how the well-being of the gays, lesbians and bisexuals (GLBs} in Botswana could be promoted. The health and human rights approach that places dignity before rights was selected as a framework for investigation. The respondents' (n=47) levels of well-being were assessed through a questionnaire with 76 items that included the General Well-Being Schedule. The findings indicated that varying degrees of distress were experienced by 64 % of the GLBs in this study. The GLBs identified a need for HIV/AIDS education and had concerns about their general health, discrimination and vulnerability for violence including sexual attacks. Their levels of well-being were influenced by both positive internal acceptance of their sexual orientation and negative external acceptance by society. Levels of involvement of health professionals was poor, and linkage between health and human rights was proposed to reduce dignity violations and improve the quality of life of the GLBs in Botswana. / Health Studies / M.A. (Nursing Science)

This thesis provides a sociological understanding of how conventional knowledge of sexuality negates the identity formation of black gay men in contemporary South Africa. It investigates the coming out experiences of six black gay men in order to reveal the disjunctures between being black and being gay. The theoretical formation of disjuncture is pursued through examining a number of sociological, historical, psychoanalytical, and feminist approaches to identity, sexuality, and society; featuring specifically the theories of George Herbert Mead, Michel Foucault, and Judith Butler. The chosen research paradigm is symbolic interactionism, postulating both „pragmatist‟ and „empiricist‟ trends that lead to both interactionist and structuralist forms of argumentation. The interactionist approach to sexuality is central to the deconstruction of sexual conventions. It involves conceptualising modern sexuality in the landscapes of African colonial history and the global gay and lesbian movement. The prescribed literature on homosexuality is thus reviewed in conjunction with the South African gay and lesbian struggle, so as to spawn themes and perspectives for conducting life story interviews. The use of the life story interview favours the participants‟ own view of the studied phenomenon, yet aims to depict the structural influence on homosexual identification. Following the qualitative research tradition, the data analysis is based on the interpretation of narratives. It illustrates interpersonal relationships and microscopic experiences that lead to the self-acceptance and self-actualisation of homosexuality. Within these processes, various disjunctures that exist between the cultural sanction of lifestyle and individual choice, between parents and children, between religious belief and personal desires, and between gender identity and sexual orientation are disclosed. The findings are associated with the historical transformation of masculinity in South Africa, sex role performance, and the heterosexualisation of desire. The solution to the proposed research problem is discussed through concepts of socialisation and gender conformity.

Problématique : La violence conjugale dans le couple lesbien est un phénomène très répandu et pourtant encore trop largement passé sous silence. On constate un manque d’intérêt pour cette question de la part des différentes communautés concernées, malgré plus récemment un regain d’attention pour le phénomène. Les tabous et les débats qui entourent la violence homoconjugale féminine continuent de l’exclure de la plupart des mouvements luttant contre les violences faites aux femmes. Pourtant, chaque année des femmes souffrent en silence de la violence de leurs conjointes; pourtant, chaque année ces victimes se perdent un peu plus dans l’invisibilité de leur condition. Le sujet de la violence conjugale dans le couple lesbien interpelle à plus d’un titre : à la fois sur la compréhension, mais aussi sur les solutions cliniques offertes. Comment dès lors apporter une réponse idoine à une catégorie de victimes méconnues et non reconnues, très souvent assaillies d’intolérance, de préjugés et d’ignorance de la part de celles et ceux censés les aider? Méthodologie : Des femmes victimes ainsi que des intervenantes de différentes disciplines des sciences humaines, familières avec la thématique de la violence homoconjugale féminine, ont été rencontrées. Avec un guide d’entrevue et des entretiens semi-dirigés, les répondantes ont raconté leur expérience. Selon la perspective sociologique wébérienne, elles ont ouvert sur le sens qu’elles donnaient à la violence vécue ou rapportée. L’analyse des données recueillies a ainsi été scrupuleusement effectuée selon une grille très précise afin de faire ressortir les thèmes et les sous-thèmes les plus emblématiques des discours en présence. La dimension interdisciplinaire a permis d’ouvrir sur une compréhension holistique plus aboutie de la thématique à étudier ainsi que d’être envisagée comme une piste de solution au niveau de l’intervention. Résultats : Il ressort que les formes de violence les plus utilisées par les abuseures sont les violences psychologiques, verbales, sexuelles et, dans une moindre mesure, physiques, dans le but d’assoir un pouvoir, une domination et un contrôle sur la victime. La présence du cycle de la violence conjugale a également été identifiée. Par comparaison avec les femmes victimes de leurs conjoints, les victimes homoconjugales féminines vivent un plus grand isolement et un plus grand stress, principalement en lien avec leur orientation sexuelle, couramment appelé : le stress des minorités sexuelles. De nouvelles formes de violence ont pu être identifiées, notamment la lesbophobie intériorisée. Entre deux femmes, la violence conjugale est banalisée et minimisée, réduite à un simple « crêpage de chignons ». Cette vision porte un tort considérable à la réalité de ce qui se passe dans l’alcôve lesbien, mais surtout constitue une atteinte supplémentaire à la victime. En dernier lieu, il s’avère que la relation d’aide pour les femmes, victimes de leurs conjointes demeure problématique et très insatisfaisante, principalement par le manque de structures adéquates, de formation des intervenantes, de publicisation sur le phénomène de la violence conjugale lesbienne. En outre, les préjugés des différents personnels socio-judiciaires sur le lesbianisme est encore très prégnant et constituent un frein à l’intervention. Conclusion : La violence conjugale dans le couple lesbien est engluée dans une toile d’araignée que tisse l’abuseure qui prend un pouvoir illicite sur sa partenaire avec la complicité du regard néfaste de la société à l’encontre du lesbianisme, du manque d’information et de formations des différents personnels sur cette thématique ainsi que du silence des communautés sur la lutte des violences faites aux femmes. Il y aurait tout lieu de privilégier la mobilisation, l’inclusion, l’éducation, l’information, la formation de tous. Car la violence conjugale lesbienne n’est pas une affaire privée. Elle est l’affaire de tous / Context. Domestic violence in lesbian couples is a widespread and largely ignored phenomenon. There is a lack of interest in this issue on the part of the various communities concerned, despite more recently renewed attention to the phenomenon. The taboos and debates surrounding female homoconjugal violence continue to exclude it from most of the movements fighting violence against women. However, each year, women suffer in silence from their partner's violence and each year these victims lose themselves a little more in the invisibility of their condition. The subject of conjugal violence in the lesbian couple raises many questions both on understanding and on the clinical solutions proposed. How to provide an appropriate response to this category of unrecognized victims who are very often confronted with intolerance, prejudice and ignorance from those who are supposed to help them? Methods. Women victims of domestic violence in a lesbian couple were met as well as practitioners from several disciplines of the humanities familiar with the theme of female homosexual violence. Using an interview guide and semi-structured interviews, we asked them to describe their experiences on this issue. The meaning they give to the violence experienced or reported has been gathered from a Weberian sociological perspective. The data analysis was scrupulously carried out according to a very precise grid in order to bring out the most emblematic themes and sub-themes of their narratives. The interdisciplinary perspective allows us for a more complete holistic understanding of the problem and can also be considered in itself as an avenue of intervention in the context of female homosexual violence Results. It appears that the type of violence abusers most commonly use to exert power, domination or control on the victim is psychological, verbal, sexual and, to a lesser degree, physical to exercise an authority, a domination, and a control on the victim. The conjugal violence cycle was also identified. In comparison to female victims of male partners, female homo-conjugal victims experience greater social isolation and stress, largely related to their sexual orientation, commonly referred to as stress of sexual minorities. New types of domestic violence have also been identified, such as internalized lesbophobia. Violence between two women is trivialized, minimized, and reduced to “cat fights.” This conception considerably detracts from the reality of what is happening in the lesbian alcove. Above all, it constitutes an additional attack on the victim. Finally, it appears that counseling support is very problematic and unsatisfactory for these women because of the lack of adequate support structures, training for practitioners and awareness of lesbian conjugal violence phenomenon. Furthermore, the prejudice from different personal socio-judiciary regarding lesbianism is still taking a stronger hold and can slow down the intervention process. Conclusion. Domestic violence in the lesbian couple is rooted in the spider web that the abuser weaves to take power over his partner with the complicity of society's harmful view of lesbianism, lack of information and professional training on the subject as well as the silence of the communities on violence against women. We must promote the mobilization, inclusion, education, information and training of all on this important issue. Domestic violence between lesbians is not a private matter. This is everyone's problem.

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In the last forty years, U.S. national and statewide LGBT organizations, in pursuit of "equality" through a limited and focused agenda, have made remarkably swift progress moving that agenda forward. However, their agenda has been frequently criticized as prioritizing the interests of White, middle-class gay men and lesbians and ignoring the needs of other LGBT people. In their shadows have emerged numerous grassroots organizations led by queer people of color, transgender people, and low-income LGBT people. These "queer liberation" groups have often been viewed as the left wing of the GRM, but have not been extensively studied. My research investigated how these grassroots liberation organizations can be understood in relation to the equality movement, and whether they actually comprise a separate movement operating alongside, but in tension with, the mainstream gay rights movement. This research used a qualitative content analysis, grounded in black feminism's framework of intersectionality, queer theory, and social movement theories, to examine eight queer liberation organizations. Data streams included interviews with staff at each organization, organizational videos from each group, and the organizations' mission statements. The study used deductive content analysis, informed by a predetermined categorization matrix drawn from social movement theories, and also featured inductive analysis to expand those categories throughout the analysis. This study's findings indicate that a new social movement - distinct from the mainstream equality organizations - does exist. Using criteria informed by leading social movement theories, findings demonstrate that these organizations cannot be understood as part of the mainstream equality movement but must be considered a separate social movement. This "queer liberation movement" has constituents, goals, strategies, and structures that differ sharply from the mainstream equality organizations. This new movement prioritizes queer people in multiple subordinated identity categories, is concerned with rebuilding institutions and structures, rather than with achieving access to them, and is grounded more in "liberation" or "justice" frameworks than "equality." This new movement does not share the equality organizations' priorities (e.g., marriage) and, instead, pursues a different agenda, include challenging the criminal justice and immigration systems, and strengthening the social safety net. Additionally, the study found that this new movement complicates existing social movement theory. For decades, social movement scholars have documented how the redistributive agenda of the early 20th century class-based social movements has been replaced by the demands for access and recognition put forward by the identity-based movements of the 1960s New Left. While the mainstream equality movement can clearly be characterized as an identity-based social movement, the same is not true of the groups in this study. This queer liberation movement, although centered on identity claims, has goals that are redistributive as well as recognition-based. While the emergence of this distinct social movement is significant on its own, of equal significance is the fact that it represents a new post-structuralist model of social movement. This study presents a "four-domain" framework to explain how this movement exists simultaneously inside and outside of other social movements, as a bridge between them, and as its own movement. Implications for research, practice, and policy in social work and allied fields are presented.

　　　1 January 2010 was a milestone for the survivors and victims of same-sex domestic violence in Hong Kong. After a hard fought legislative battle, the Domestic and Cohabitation Relationships Violence Ordinance (DCRVO) was extended to cover cohabitation relationships irrespective of sexual orientation. 　　　With the inclusion of same-sex cohabitants in the legislation, gay survivors are provided the same legal protection as different sex couples. It is believed that equality has been achieved for gay victims, in theory at least. Indeed, the topic of same-sex domestic violence seemed to vanish from the public sphere as soon as the Ordinance was enacted. Nevertheless, considering the cultural and social obstacles experienced by gay victims of domestic violence, e.g. social perception of homosexuality and the fear of being ‘outed’ by reporting the incidents, coupled with a lack of supplementary support services available to people with alternative sexual orientations, it is uncertain how effective this amendment will be to Hong Kong sexual minorities in practice. Therefore, the primary research question for this thesis is to what extent the DCRVO is effective in protecting in practice. 　　　This research question will be answered by a combination of qualitative and quantitative empirical research methods. This paper focuses on three areas particularly - the awareness amongst the gay community in Hong Kong of the legislation; the availability of same-sex domestic violence support services; and the subsequent complementary policies provided by the government. This study argues that without adequate complementary policies, the DCRVO will always remain to be a piece of work in progress, and not the ultimate solution for gay victims in Hong Kong. / published_or_final_version / Law / Master / Master of Philosophy

My dissertation offers a new look at how women authors used popular genres to negotiate their economic, artistic, and sexual autonomy, as well as their national and imperial identities, in the context of the changes brought by modernity. As medical science and popular media attempted to delineate women’s sexual natures, Sylvia Townsend Warner, Winifred Holtby, Kate O’Brien, and Molly Keane created narratives which challenged not only psychoanalytic proscriptions about the need for sexual satisfaction, but traditional ideas about women’s inherent modesty. They absorbed, revised, and occasionally rejected outright the discourses of sexology in order to advocate a more diffuse sensuality; for these writers, adventure, travel, independence, creativity, and love between women provided satisfactions as rich as those ascribed to normative heterosexuality. I identify a history of queer sexuality in both Irish and English contexts, one which does not conform to emergent lesbian identity while still exceeding the limits of heteronormativity. / text

Research to date in South Africa has explored the coming out narratives of lesbian and gay people. Most of this research suggests these people experience their parents’ reactions as largely negative. This negativity is attributed to the patriarchal culture and religious beliefs which insist on compulsory heterosexuality that dominate African discourse in South Africa. However, thus far, little work has been done focusing specifically on the perceptions of the parents of lesbian, gay or bisexual offspring, and on the parents’ own coming out about their children’s alternative sexual orientation. In this qualitative study, I explored the lived experiences of black mothers of lesbian, gay or bisexual children from diverse backgrounds with the aim of capturing their own voices and gaining an understanding of their journeys, from the moment that each discovered that her child belongs to a sexual minority to her acceptance of the child’s alternative sexuality. I conducted semi-structured interviews with six black South African mothers of lesbian, gay or bisexual offspring in order to learn about these mothers’ experiences. I analysed the interview transcripts using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis. I identified three main themes, namely the mothers’ journeys; responses to the study’s research questions, and other concerns the black mothers still have regarding their lesbian, gay or bisexual offspring. Each main theme was comprised of several sub-themes. In a nutshell, the study shows that in contrast to the assumption that South African black urban communities are hostile spaces with no visible familial support for lesbian, gay or bisexual youth, in reality, there are examples in urban African communities of parental support for members of sexual minorities. Although all the mothers in this study held Christian beliefs, none subscribed to a ‘same-sex attraction is a sin’ discourse. Instead, most of these mothers regarded their children as special gifts from God, and some saw their children’s alternative sexuality as God’s way of teaching them as mothers about unconditional love. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology: Research Consultation)