Despite significant progress in the acceptance and celebration of LGBTQ+ individuals, there is overwhelming evidence that sexual minorities still face disproportionate levels of health inequity compared to their heterosexual peers. Relative to their heterosexual peers, LGBTQ+ emerging adults may encounter unique challenges with discrimination, stigma, and limited social support as they navigate changes in their educational and occupational environments. Additionally, within the broader public health and LGBTQ+ mental health literature, little is known about the mental health service utilization of sexual minority emerging adults. To address these empirical gaps, a sample of 98 LGBTQ+ emerging adults completed self-report measures of heterosexist discrimination experiences, mental health symptoms, LGBTQ+ positive identity, LGBTQ+ community connectedness, and mental health service utilization. The present study found that LGBTQ+ positive identity and LGBTQ+ community connectedness did not attenuate the significant positive relationship between discrimination and negative mental health outcomes. The present study also found that LGBTQ+ positive identity predicted greater likelihood of mental health service utilization, whereas LGBTQ+ community connectedness did not. Finally, exploratory qualitative analyses yielded deeper understanding of relationships between LGBTQ+ positive identity, LGBTQ+ community connectedness, mental health service utilization, and resilience among sexual minority emerging adults. Implications and future directions for empirical research and clinical practice with LGBTQ+ emerging adults are discussed.

Thesis (M. Intl. Affairs)--Ohio University, 2005. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on Apr. 29, 2006). Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-109).

This study is concerned with non-heterosexual women, who are commonly known as lalas in China. The conditions for non-heterosexuals in China have been improving since the beginning of the reform period. But despite that the life of lalas is still full of difficulties because how the government, family and market operate is under heavy influence of heterosexism. Compared with other non-heterosexuals such as gay men, the difficulties faced by lalas receive much less attention not only in society but also in academic communities. To address this important but understudied area, this research focuses on the social exclusion faced by lalas and the anti-exclusion strategies they prefer to use. No study has been done on these issues in a systematic way before. The findings of the study serve to enhance our understanding of lalas and develop effective anti-exclusion strategies preferred by them. Moreover, the discussion of the findings of this study is intended to contribute to knowledge advancement especially in identifying the grey areas of the studies of the welfare mix approaches and the adult worker models. Against this background, this research focuses on two main research questions (What are the patterns of social exclusion faced by lalas in China? What are the strategies preferred by lalas in China?) and two supplementary research questions (What are the implications of the study of social exclusion experience of lalas in China on the study of the welfare mix approaches? What are the implications of the study of the social exclusion experience of lalas in China on the study of adult worker models?) Thanks to the 20 lalas informants, this research project obtains their important views on social exclusion through in-depth interviews. Despite the unfavorable conditions for non-heterosexuals to share views about their life in China, the lalas informants provide valuable information about social exclusion (or inclusion) issues they face in their daily life in the past, present and future (such as discriminations in school, work and difficulties to get along with family members) and the ways they try to deal with these issues (such as making plans on contract marriage, migration and cohabitation). This information, supplemented by those obtained from reviews of formal and informal document, and participant observations, provides insights into the examination of the anti-exclusion strategies (such as the RED, SID and social detachment) preferred by them, and the discussion of the importance of developing welfare mix approaches and the adult worker models based on non-heterosexism Furthermore, the findings show the commonalities and differences between lalas in their response to social exclusion. It is important to note that there is a gap between the anti-exclusion strategies many lalas prefer and what they could actually use. It is equally important to note that some lalas could effectively deal with most of the life difficulties and become an invulnerable at least in some period of life. This discovery is useful both in gaining recognition of the unique life experience of each lala, and exploring the possibilities for lalas to tackle their shared problems in joint efforts.

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS) / The protection of sexual minorities’ civil rights and freedoms is paramount in a democratic state considering that these rights are infringed upon on a daily basis through violent crimes such as corrective rape, murder and physical assault. This study intends to establish whether sexual minorities’ democratic rights are being protected and whether political parties are facilitating this process, and if not, why not? In addition, this study will address the question: what is the role of political parties’ in a democratic state, and how do these roles enable the protection of civil rights, inclusivity, and equality? To answer these questions, I will engage in critical discourse analysis of key documents and speeches from the three largest political parties in South Africa: the African National Congress (ANC), the Democratic Alliance (DA), and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF).

We all contain multitudes of identifiable characteristics, which contribute to our ever-evolving individual and collective identities. These identities function in a variety of ways to reflect and shape our beliefs, actions, sense of self, and relationships to others. Yet, given the plethora of unique and fluid identities within each of us, it is to be expected that not all of them will fit harmoniously together. Sometimes multiple identities are determined--either by oneself or by broader social influences--to be at odds. An example of this dissonance, and the focus of this dissertation, is individuals who identify as both gay and Republican. The American political landscape seems to grow more inhospitable with each passing year, as the two dominant parties work to promote a politics of polarization. This is not surprising since Democrats and Republicans have much to lose by compromising on issues, as compromise requires concessions and would demonstrate moderation, thereby opening the door for other political actors to pull some power from the left and right. Thus, the parties push away from one another, dividing citizens along clear party lines. One current divisive issue is LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer) equality, which has garnered significant support from the Democratic Party and considerable opposition from the Republican Party. This is not to say that all Democrats or all Republicans agree with their respective party's position, but the fact remains that at this point in American political history, a clear divide is depicted between the dominant political parties on issues regarding sexual minorities. Nevertheless, some LGBTQ individuals--particularly gay men--continue to identify with the Republican Party, despite its vocal opposition to their sexual identity. These gay Republicans offer a compelling glimpse into an American political system in which compromise is rarely achieved at the party level but is expected of anyone who seeks membership in those parties. That is, individuals who identify with a political party are assumed to accept the entirety of that party's platform, even if that means compromising on some issues. Of course, this creates tension for gay Republicans, who experience marginalization from both communities on the basis of their identification with the other. To better understand the gay Republican experience, this qualitative study draws on in-depth interviews with nine such individuals. Through a process of interpretive analysis, interviews were transcribed and coded to reveal key themes related to political identity, sexual identity, and the ways in which these identities exist congruently. Participants are revealed to harbor a diverse array of perspectives and experiences, thereby collectively challenging the popular notion that one cannot identify as both gay and Republican at this time--2014 to 2015--in American history. Findings are explored with respect to the theoretical concepts of virtual insider status and agonistic pluralism, and hold implications for the ways in which all individuals experience and negotiate identities. Specifically, because of their firsthand experience attempting to pass as virtual insiders within a political party that opposes their equality, most participants have adopted an agonistic, rather than antagonistic, approach to politics. Moreover, they resist popular notions that sexual orientation--or any single identity trait--is a solid base on which to build one's political identity. Ultimately, gay Republicans are shown to be uniquely situated as poster children for participation within an American political sphere based on concession, in which all citizens seem to be working against their interests in one way or another. / A Dissertation submitted to the School of Communication in partial fulfillment of the Doctor of Philosophy. / Spring Semester, 2015. / April 10, 2015. / Gay, Identity, LGBTQ, Politics, Republican / Includes bibliographical references. / Donna M. Nudd, Professor Directing Dissertation; Joseph Hellweg, University Representative; Jennifer M. Proffitt, Committee Member; Stephen McDowell, Committee Member.

No description available.

This study is aligned with the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM; 2011) recommendation for research to promote understanding of sexual minority health disparities. Specifically, the present study draws from two frameworks describing how stigma may manifest in negative health outcomes. First, Hatzenbueler’s (2009) model suggests mental health outcomes are influenced by group characteristics and stigma related stressors (e.g. prejudice, discrimination) that are mediated by psychological processes (e.g. coping strategies, cognitive processes) as well as group-specific processes (e.g. expectations of rejection, internalized stigma). Second, Frost’s (2011) model describes how stigma manifests as the experience of stigma (stress) as well as how intervening variables (e.g. coping strategies, meaning making) moderate health outcomes of stigma. Extending such work, this study adds to the literature explaining disparities among sexual minorities by examining multiple indicators of sexual stigma simultaneously, as they differently link to health outcomes of stress and self-reported health through psychosocial mechanisms of social support, self-compassion, and self-esteem. Moreover, this study will gauge if centrality of identity and level of “outness” plays a role in sexual minority health. Sample research questions addressed include: 1) Do different types of sexual stigma link with specific health outcomes and impaired psychosocial mechanisms? 2) Which psychosocial mechanisms are more strongly linked to health outcomes among sexual minorities? We collected data from 380 participants that self-identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual through an online survey. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses examining sexual stigma, psychosocial resource mechanisms and health outcomes uncovered that public (p<.05) and self-stigma (p<.05) related to decreased social support, whereas discrimination (p.05) and self-stigma (p<.01) related to decreased self-compassion, and while discrimination (p<.01) and concealment (p<.05) related to decreased self-esteem. Moreover, discrimination related to both worse self-reported health (p<.05) and stress symptoms (p<.01). When psychosocial mechanisms were added sequentially to the model of health outcomes, results revealed that only decreased social support predicted worse self-reported health (p<.05). However, low levels of self-compassion (p<.001) and self-esteem (p<.001) predicted increased stress symptoms, contributing an additional 34% of explained variance in stress beyond stigma. Thus, findings revealed that differing types of sexual stigma matter for particular mechanisms that ultimately link to health outcomes, underscoring the strength in particular of sexually-based discrimination in health. Moreover, stress symptoms appeared particularly vulnerable with 53% of stress variance explained by sexual stigma, decreased resources, and identity factors such as centrality. This study also provided initial support for considering the resource of self-compassion as a mechanism in sexual minority health, which has not been examined previously in relation to sexual minorities, and which might be a target for intervention to improve health.

Among sexual minorities, public stigma and discrimination are common experiences that can lead to self-stigma and the internalization of heterosexism. Szymansky, Kashubeck-West, and Meyer (2008) summarized previous literature, reporting that internalized heterosexism is correlated with stunted sexual identity formation, nondisclosure of sexual orientation, lower self-esteem, less social support, depression, and psychosocial distress. Importantly, it is not necessary to experience enacted stigma (i.e., discrimination) first-hand for it to have an impact on sexual minorities (Herek, 2007). All individuals, collectively, are aware of the stigmatized ways particular groups are treated, and this awareness become personally relevant once individuals hold the stigmatized identity (Link, 2001). Coping strategies and resources may therefore be of utmost importance to protecting the wellbeing of sexual minorities. This study examined self-compassion as one such resource that may serve to mitigate the negative effects of sexual stigma of the self, in particular the internalization of public stigma. Indeed, previous research suggests self-compassion may be an effective and healthy coping strategy (Allen and Leary, 2010), correlated with increased well-being, positive psychological functioning (Neff, 2003), happiness, optimism, positive affect, and wisdom, and decreased negative affect and neuroticism (Neff, Rude, & Kirkpatrick, 2007). Sexual minorities, by using mechanisms of self-compassion, may reduce the likelihood of endorsing stigma toward themselves and anticipating discrimination. Thus, we hypothesized that increased self-compassion would be linked with reduced self-stigma, internalized heterosexism, and anticipated discrimination. A large-scale and online survey of gays, lesbians, and bisexuals (n = 254; 59% female) revealed that as self-compassion increased, self-reports of self-stigma (r=-.27, p<.001), internalized heterosexism ( r=-.238; p <.001), and anticipated discrimination (r=-.14, p<.001) decreased. These findings and results of a self-compassion experimental induction study will be discussed to highlight self-compassion as a potential buffer against harmful realities of internalizing sexual minority stigma.

When dealing with issues related to their stigmatized identity, individuals may face a trade-off when deciding whether to seek social support directly. They may suffer short-term consequences in order to receive social support, or may avoid short-term consequences but suffer long-term consequences of decreased psychological well-being due to limited opportunities for social support (Kaiser & Miller, 2004; Swim & Thomas, 2006). Indeed, those who perceive stigma may avoid seeking support directly and seek social support in indirect ways (e.g., hinting, seeking support without disclosing) due to fear of rejection (Williams & Mickelson, 2008). Further, indirect support seeking is related to a lack of social support while direct support seeking is related to supportive network responses (Williams & Mickelson, 2008). The present study sought to examine one mechanism that might explain decisions to seek support directly versus indirectly. Overall, self-compassion is the extent that an individual exhibits self-kindness, recognition of a common humanity, and mindfulness. Previous research has linked self-compassion to increased well-being and positive psychological functioning (Neff, Rude, & Kirkpatrick, 2007; Neff, 2003). Thus, we hypothesized that higher levels of self-compassion would be positively related to direct support seeking and negatively related to fear of rejection, perceived stigma, and indirect support seeking. We collected data from 440 (59% female) sexual minorities through participation in an online survey. Bivariate correlations revealed that self-compassion was positively related to direct support seeking (r = .211; p < .01) and negatively related to fear of rejection (r = -.199; p < .01), perceived stigma (r = -.146; p < .05) and indirect support seeking (r = -.303; p < .001). Self-compassion may serve as a protective mechanism among sexual minorities by enhancing support exchanges.

Whereas sex is a classification that is expected to remain consistent and stable over time, gender is more fluid and changes depending on one's culture, within culture, and in relation to the other gender. Our society suggests that all individuals fall neatly into one of two sex and gender categories; however there exists an entire community of individuals who, in fact, do not. Transgender individuals "express their gender in non-traditional ways and find their sense of self as female, male, or other to be in conflict with their assigned gender role" (Burdge, 2007, p.244). Disclosing as transgendered is a process of emergence that is not only an internal psychological process but is also a "relational and systemic dynamic that intimately involves family, friends, loved ones, and all social relationships" (Lev, 2005, p. 11). In this study, the disclosure experiences of male to female transgender individuals as well as the changes and adjustments that occurred in their relationships were explored through individual interviews. Thematic coding was used to analyze the data and identify themes in the disclosure experiences. Considering the experience from a systemic perspective, participants discussed the mutual impact of their disclosure on family, friends, acquaintances as well as greater systems including the medical field, mental health field, and other community agencies. / Master of Science