One LGBT community or many? Linked fate in LGBT people

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) people continue to experience various forms of oppression and discrimination in North America and throughout the world, despite the social, legal, and political advances that have been launched in an attempt to grant LGBT people basic human rights. Even though LGBT people and communities have been actively engaged in community organizing and social action efforts since the early twentieth century, research on LGBT issues has been, for the most part, conspicuously absent within the very field of psychology that is explicitly focused on community research and action--Community Psychology. The psychological and social impact of oppression, rejection, discrimination, harassment, and violence on LGBT people is reviewed, and recent advances in the areas of LGBT health, public policy, and research are detailed. Recent advances within the field of Community Psychology with regard to LGBT research and action are highlighted, and a call to action is offered to integrate the knowledge and skills within LGBT communities with Community Psychology's models of intervention, prevention, and social change in order to build better theory and intervention for LGBT people and communities.

Lesbian and gay issues are barely visible in the social work literature. This study examined the content of articles on homosexuality that were published in four major social work journals between 1988 and 1997. Articles were coded according to their focus on either HIV/AIDS and the gay community or other issues pertaining to lesbians and gay men. Articles were also coded as client focused, worker focused, or macro focused. Two-thirds of the 77 articles published on homosexuality focused on HIV/AIDS. Most articles reflected a problem-oriented view of gay and lesbian people; few addressed heterosexism or environmental interventions. More literature is needed that focuses on strengths, heterosexist conditions, and social justice for lesbian and gay people.

Experience the birth of the first support group for sexual minorities with developmental disabilities! Reflecting an unprecedented development in the disabled and sexual minority communities, Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgender People with Developmental Disabilities and Mental Retardation: Stories of the Rainbow Support Group describes the founding, achievements, and history of a unique group providing support for people with developmental disabilities or mental retardation (DD/MR) who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender. In this pathbreaking book, group founder John D. Allen describes the Rainbow Support Group's beginnings in 1998 at the New Haven Gay & Lesbian Community Center in Connecticut and the ways in which it has been shattering myths and stereotypes surrounding people with mental retardation ever since. From the author: “Not only are people with DD/MR full human beings with the same needs and desires for intimacy and healthy sexual expression as people without intellectual disabilities, but the group is evidence that some people with DD/MR have an understanding of sexual orientation as well. Acknowledging that people with mental retardation are sexual is a new development in the human service field, but one that is still in the pre-Stonewall days regarding those who are gay. Although people with mental retardation are given unprecedented freedom to make personal vocational decisions, there is an unfounded expectation that they do not have a sexuality—let alone a homosexuality. Members of the Rainbow Support Group discuss the same concerns as other gay people, but in a support system that recognizes their unique perspective.” This insightful book shows how membership in the Rainbow Support Group addresses the very real fears and concerns of its members, including: being forced into heterosexual social situations, since that is the only available option for socialization dealing with being “outed” to peers and staff—since many DD/MR people are not their own legal guardians, this can lead to removal of privileges, various kinds of abuse, and other negative consequences in their day-to-day lives being ridiculed by unsupportive staff being excluded from family functions because of their sexual orientation It also illustrates the purely positive aspects of membership in the group, which provides: a place to learn appropriate ways to meet others, hear messages about safe sex, and feel empowered to advocate for their own intimacy needs an increased chance of finding a like-minded partner (although the group is certainly not a “dating service”) an avenue for members to connect with others like them and with the larger gay community in the area events to participate in, such as holiday parties, field trips, movie nights, and gay pride celebrations The author continues: “What is exciting are the positive outcomes displayed once an individual enters the group. Members quickly develop a sense of ownership and wear rainbow-emblazoned clothing to meetings. Everyone has joined the host community center to begin receiving regular mailings and event discounts. Supervising staff report that members perform better at work, have fewer behavioral issues, and experience a greater feeling of contentment. For people with mental retardation, just to be able to say the words 'gay,' 'lesbian,' 'bisexual,' and 'transgender' in an affirming environment is a cutting-edge breakthrough. What the group has accomplished and will hopefully continue to illuminate is the understanding that people with DD/MR are entitled to a whole life experience, including discovering and enjoying their sexuality.”

The aftermath of Ukraine’s Revolution of Dignity provoked a lot of criticism among the students of LGBT topics. The principles of non-discrimination and protection of LGBT rights are an exemplary manifestation of European values to which Euromaidan declared adherence. The Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union, which was signed after the Revolution, as well as visa-free travel, which was granted to Ukrainian citizens, obliged this country to liberalise LGBT-related laws due to the EUʼs policy on the instrumentalisation of LGBT rights. However, there is a view that this step may cause conflicts in Ukrainian society, which is still predominantly homophobic, and only lead to a superficial change in the condition of LGBT people owing to pressure from the European Union. Some scholars (e.g. Shevtsova [2020], Wannebo [2017]) claim that the instrumentalisation policy has even resulted in a backlash against the LGBT community and worsened the overall situation for them. But has this backlash (if it really happened) entailed a corresponding change in public opinion on LGBT issues? Surprisingly, the dynamics of public attitudes towards the LGBT community and their rights remain unexplored. The paper proposes to fill this gap by a comparative analysis of two cross-sectional surveys on this topic, which were conducted before (in 2013) and after (in 2016) the Revolution of Dignity in several regions of Ukraine. Within the framework of the study, three research questions have been posed: 1. Have Ukrainians’ attitudes towards the LGBT community changed since Euromaidan? 2. How different (e. g. positive) were the attitudes towards LGBT people among Euromaidan supporters? 3. Have the events that happened after the Revolution of Dignity, such as Russia is hybrid war against Ukraine, been able to affect attitudes towards LGBT rights? The results show that there have been modest, albeit statistically significant positive changes in Ukrainians’ attitudes towards the LGBT community since Euromaidan. However, practically no change in terms of support for LGBT rights has been recorded. Our findings are consistent with other relevant nationally representative surveys according to which public perception of LGBT individuals has not worsened. This fact suggests that the instrumentalisation of LGBT rights has not faced any backlash, at least from the general population. Other data in our study indicate that not all proponents of the Revolution of Dignity displayed favourable attitudes towards LGBT people; nevertheless, they held more positive views on the LGBT community and same-sex marriage than those who did not take part in Euromaidan. The respondents who have experienced the impact of the Donbas conflict also demonstrated relatively better attitudes to LGBT individuals and expressed support for their rights. Still, this may be linked to a significant percentage of Euromaidan participants among them.

Mass media play an important role in contributing to public perceptions of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. They also provide the lens through which the LGBT community sees itself. This image has far too often been one delivered with ridicule and antagonism. Throughout much of early media history, LGBT people and issues were simply invisible. Once news and advertising media did start paying attention to these communities, the portrayals were oftentimes negative, leading to stigma and marginalization. Only recently have LGBT issues and people been covered in a serious and thoughtful manner—yet positive portrayals are still not universal. Through an examination of news coverage and advertising over the years, this chapter helps readers understand the impact of societal and cultural changes on this coverage. It concludes with advice on how to make media coverage more inclusive of sexual minorities.

Current Challenges in the Management of LGBT Suicide

In recent times, the interrelationship between policing and sexuality has been reworked in significant ways. No longer solely a site for the reproduction of queer deviancy, pathology and criminality, policing now serves as a method for the production of respectable and innocent sexual and gender identities that are seen as deserving of visibility, recognition and protection. Through an investigation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT)-police relations in the Australian state of Victoria from 1994 until the present, this research documents the incorporation of limited formations of sexual and gender diversity into regimes of policing and punishment. I conceptualise this as a process of bringing LGBT rights ‘into the fold of the state’ (Agathangelou, Bassichis & Spira 2008: 122). This thesis forwards the claim that modes of inclusion are always connected to forms of exclusion. Moving away from the idea of inclusion as inherently positive and desirable, I critically interrogate some of the possible costs, compromises, risks and benefits associated with the incorporation of LGBT rights into criminal justice frameworks. This study provokes concerns over the renewed legitimation and justification for regimes of policing and punishment that are gained on the backs of claims to LGBT protection. Using a qualitative methodology, informed by critical discourse analysis and genealogical methods, I examine a variety of texts in the archive that are generated by mainstream and LGBT media, government agencies, LGBT organisations, activist campaigns and other individuals. I provide three case studies to illustrate some of the different ways in which sexual and gender non-conformity are policed: the Tasty nightclub raid (1994); the participation of the Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police in Pride March (2002); and hate crime sentencing reform (2009). In each case study I highlight dominant articulations of queerness used to garner popular support for anti-homophobic causes that, as I show, are imbricated in the politics of respectability, victimhood, consumption, and self-responsibility, whether resisting or affirming these categories (or sometimes both or neither). I investigate how police legitimacy may be enabled or constrained in their dealings with LGBT people by unpacking some of the techniques used to reproduce and fortify institutional legitimacy and create a positive police image within the LGBT community. I suggest that for police, their legitimacy has become increasingly bound up with appearing responsive to LGBT concerns.

Before the Bride Really Wore Pink

This body of work examines lived experiences of LGBT people within three sub-themes: sex and relationships education (SRE) and sexual health; homophobic, biphobic and transphobic (HBT) bullying; understandings and experiences of LGBT ‘community’. I have identified a persistent invisibility of LGBT identities in school-based SRE and NHS healthcare provision, and argue that heteronormativity and heterosexism impact on sexual decision-making and sexual wellbeing. In particular, they foster fears about health services, specific concerns about confidentiality and/or disclosure, and fears about judgement or discrimination during health-related encounters. In work in school and youth work settings I have linked curriculum invisibility to experiences of homophobia, suggesting that there is more at play than individual experiences of ‘bullying’. I have highlighted the complexity of language use related to homophobia and bullying, and demonstrated that some school responses can (appear to) ‘abnormalise’ LGBT identities, for instance in referrals to counselling that young LGBT people can interpret as apportioning ‘blame’. I have also pointed to tensions between governmental efforts to address HBT bullying and, until recently, their lack of support for school-based SRE. In exploring constructions of LGBT ‘community’, I have demonstrated the complexity of experiences, and argued that use of the (singular) term ‘LGBT community’ risks minimising or misunderstanding such diversity, which has implications for service planning and provision. Across my work, I stress the importance of adopting a sociological approach to what are often psychologised subjects, demonstrated in my illustrations of people’s ongoing (LGBT) identity management. In doing so, I show how legislative developments do not always lead to improved experiences for LGBT people. However, I seek to influence policy and practice in a way that does not over-state LGBT people’s perceived ‘vulnerabilities’ or ‘at riskness’, and that does not portray (particularly young) LGBT people as inherent ‘victims’ in need of ‘support’.

A Systematic Review of Inflammatory Bowel Disease Epidemiology and Health Outcomes in Sexual and Gender Minority Individuals

LGBT people face challenges when accessing resources and social support. However, LGBT people have a history of resilience and within-community strategies for accessing resources, including healthcare services that exist outside the context of institutional programs designed specifically to meet their needs. This chapter will begin with a brief overview of several key theoretical concepts that inform our discussion of community-led responses to trauma. We will then address challenges faced by LGBT people who have diverse identities, including LGBT youth , elders, LGBT people of faith, and LGBT people living in rural areas. This will be followed by an in-depth discussion of past and present community-based strategies that LGBT people use to meet their needs, with an emphasis on the diversity that exists within LGBT communities. A recurring theme will be the need for better research and services that center on transgender people, LGBT elders, low-income and rural-dwelling LGBT people, and LGBT people of color. The chapter will conclude with strategies clinicians can use to support both their LGBT patients and LGBT community responses to trauma.

This qualitative study examined how lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people in rural areas of the poor and multiethnic state of New Mexico access secular (professional and lay) and sacred (indigenous and Christian) mental health care resources. In-depth, semistructured interviews were used to document the help-seeking processes of 38 rural LGBT people. Obtaining assistance was complicated by the ideal of self-reliance and the view of mental illness as a sign of weakness. Financial considerations and a lack of and community-based LGBT social networks also exerted substantial influence on help seeking. Many LGBT people would strategically remain silent about their sexuality or gender status and rely on their family ties to access the range of secular and sacred resources that are most commonly available in medically underserved rural communities. Although persons from sexual and gender minority groups often experience positive outcomes as a result of help seeking, some LGBT people remain vulnerable to anti-LGBT sentiments that persist within secular and sacred sectors of rural health care systems.

Upgrading <em>The L Word: Generation Q</em>

When The Boys in the Band premiered in 1968, Off-Broadway it was the first time that gay people had the chance to be depicted explicitly as a community, without any straight-pleasing filter on stage in the US. This play is indeed to be regarded as a watershed in gay culture, anticipating the 1969 Stonewall riots and representing a sort of double consciousness embodied by the gay people, which are interiorly divided between their identity and culture and their belonging to a nation (the American one) that despises them. The gay people tend, thus, to see themselves through straight eyes and measure their behavior through the hegemonic values. In Mark Crowley’s play Alan, a straight pulled-together white man with an “auffully good family” plays the part of an uninvited onlooker at an all-gay birthday party. The encounter between Alan and the other members of the group triggers a sequence of reactions and counter-reactions that I intend to explore as a metaphor of the shrill collision between the gay community and the state. In truth, I read the very presence of Alan as a projection of the normative power of the state onto gay people’s life. Even though he finds himself to be the ‘sexual minority’, in fact, he does not renounce to exercise his socially granted hegemony on those whom he perceives as repulsing. He meticulously selects the men to bond with, who happen to be most adherent to an alleged heteronormativity - masculine, professional and married, taking for granted the heterosexuality of those he interacts with. When Alan decides to talk with Hank, a straight-acting Math teacher wearing a wedding band, he not only embodies the misconceptions based on the stereotypes that mirror the majoritarian perception of gayness, as a compendium of indecency, extravagance and de-masculinization, but he also delineates a hierarchy of respectability, excluding definite behaviors and aesthetics. The party resembles an unveiled Panopticon where the subaltern can detect the origin of the normative gaze. Although this visible set-up may suggest a subversion of power dynamics, in which Alan gets recognized and subdued by the environment, he manages to reproduce his power. As a consequence of his presence, the participants of the party start self-regulating their behaviors. They stop dancing, they mutually censor themselves by limiting each other’s effeminate acting or they avoid to clarify their sexual orientation. The living room becomes a hostile place and the characters recede into the closet, where the gay men feel vulnerable and insecure, and their friendly bonds are turned into reciprocal tension and competition. Considering Michael’s house as a shelter, and the intrusion of Alan as the extension of a norm created and endorsed by the state, I aim at analyzing the relation between the gay community and the state through a critical lens which I borrow from Michel Foucault’s ‘panopticism’ and biopolitical theory. I read the home as a heterotopia, a space that at the same time “represents, challenges, and overturns” reality, becoming a tool of contestation of an inhabited space.

This study sought to understand the social and individual factors that predict loneliness among older lesbian and gay people in Australia. A sample of 508 gay men and 241 lesbian women, aged 60 and over, completed a survey including measures of loneliness, internalized homonegativity, sexual orientation discrimination, and connectedness to lesbian and gay communities. A multivariable linear regression predicting loneliness was conducted. Not being in an intimate relationship and having less connection to lesbian and gay communities were significant predictors of loneliness for both older lesbian women and gay men. For the men, younger age, internalized homonegativity and more frequent lifetime experiences of sexual orientation discrimination also appeared to predict greater likelihood of loneliness. More frequent recent experiences of sexual orientation discrimination predicted loneliness for the women. The findings confirmed loneliness as an issue of concern among older lesbian and gay people and identified factors amenable to intervention to address loneliness.