Using a grounded theory approach (Strauss & Corbin, 1990), I
explored the strategies that eight lesbians used in dealing with
heterosexism, or the belief that a heterosexual orientation is
superior to a homosexual or bisexual one. Participants were
between the ages of 25 and 40, and had reached a comfortable
acceptance of their sexual identity. In a l l cases, the women's
ways of responding to and counteracting heterosexism appear to
have become more effective over time. Collaboration with the
women enabled me to present three models of "lesbian
transformations in dealing with heterosexism," each of which
builds on features from the preceding one. In addition, the
information offered by participants has illuminated the nature of
heterosexism, its impact on lesbians' lives, and some of the
factors that make the experience of heterosexist oppression
different for individual lesbians. Finally, the interview
material helped me to draw implications with regard to
counselling lesbians and training counsellors. / Education, Faculty of / Educational and Counselling Psychology, and Special Education (ECPS), Department of / Graduate
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UBC/oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/4145 |
| Date | 05 1900 |
| Creators | Abrams, Eve |
| Source Sets | University of British Columbia |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text, Thesis/Dissertation |
| Format | 7165774 bytes, application/pdf |
| Rights | For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use. |
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