Intersections Of Sexuality Research Articles

Comfort Levels of Outpatient Health Care Professionals When Asking About Substance Use-Related Sexual Activity: A Pilot Survey.

Screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based intervention for substance use. Health care professionals may not receive SBIRT training or know of substance use's intersection with sexual activity. This pilot survey inquired about SBIRT training history, attitudes, and comfort among outpatient health care professionals, including assessing sexual activity-related use. We conducted a snowball cross-sectional survey of outpatient health care professionals at a large southeastern academic medical center in June 2021 with 4-point Likert questions covering demographics, substance use attitudes, SBIRT training history, and comfort implementing SBIRT. Analysis used descriptive statistics and stratification by demographic and practice characteristics. Seventy-three professionals responded, of whom 82% were White and 66% were female. Forty-seven percent were 30 to 39 years old, 33% were internal medicine professionals, and 59% reported previous SBIRT training. All participants reported believing substance use is a significant health issue. Most reported that they were comfortable or somewhat comfortable assessing patients for substance use (85%), dropping to 60% discussing sexual activity. Advanced practice providers and physicians identified more comfort with rapport building around substance use than other health care respondents. Professionals in infectious diseases and psychiatry reported the greatest comfort assessing substance use with concurrent sexual activity. There are gaps in SBIRT training and beliefs among health care professionals. Although health care workers report that assessing substance use is important, some professionals endorsed more comfort discussing substance use with patients than others, especially when inquiring about sexual activity. Future work could replicate the pilot to inform increasing comfort through training in the intersection of substance use and sexuality.

The teaching body in sexuality education – intersections of age, gender, and sexuality

ABSTRACT This paper illuminates how teachers are influenced by age, gender and sexuality in teaching about sex and relationships. In this analysis grounded in feminist theory, age, gender and sexuality are considered to be enacted as doings. Six interviews with teachers working with sexuality education in K-12 schools in Sweden were chosen from of a larger body of material consisting of 21 interviews with professionals engaged in school-based sexuality education. The six interviewees were selected because they explicitly addressed how teachers’ age, gender and/or sexuality come to matter in the classroom. Findings show how male and female teachers organise their teaching in relation to normative expectations of age, gender and sexuality. In sexuality education, the diverse life-courses of (hetero)sexual women offer a wide range of pedagogic possibilities for female teachers to address issues of sexuality, consent and relationships whereas male teachers are constrained to doing safe(r) forms of masculinity by directing attention away from their bodies and experiences. In understanding these results, I argue that the figure of the tant has been key in forming the pedagogic backdrop to Swedish sexuality education, hence embedding a normative ‘who’ in the ‘how’ to teach sexuality education.

Subversion of Patriarchal Ideology and Alternate Sexuality: A Gendered Anatomization of Vijaydan Detha's “New Life”

This paper explores the intersection of sexuality, gender, and folk culture in the context of Vijaydan Detha's short story “Dohari Zindagi” translated as “New Life”. The paper delves into the ongoing debate between essentialism and social constructivism in understanding sexuality, highlighting the challenges of defining sexuality across different cultures and times. It discusses how Detha's storytelling draws from Rajasthan’s native culture and combines it with contemporary socio-political themes, promoting a more democratic and inclusive mindset through narratives of dissensus and resistance. It argues that Detha's work blurs the lines between traditional folklore and modern storytelling, emphasizing the relevance of these themes across time. Furthermore, the paper references Judith Butler to provide theoretical frameworks for understanding the fluidity and performance of gender and sexuality. It also explores how Detha's narratives challenge normative structures and open up possibilities for reshaping gender identity and subjectivity. It examines Vijaydan Detha's storytelling as a means to subvert patriarchal ideologies, challenge gender norms, and explore alternate sexualities within the context of Indian folk culture. Detha's work is seen as a bridge between traditional folklore and contemporary socio-political discourse, shedding light on the complexities of gender and sexuality in society.

The experience of navigating sexuality for transgender and gender non-conforming people: a meta-ethnographic review

Background The current research builds on a previous review of the literature which explored sexuality during gender transition. There has been increased attention toward TGNC people across academic, political, and healthcare fields since the previous review, as well as shifts in language use and health interventions, justifying a need for more contemporary understandings. Aim The current systematic review explores the experience of sexuality during gender transition. Methods A meta-ethnography was conducted on 16 papers that focused specifically on TGNC people’s experiences of their sexualities. Results The main findings were the intersection of gender and sexuality; the importance of re-writing labels around sexuality, bodies and relationships; (re)negotiating changes in sexual, romantic and/or physical relationships due to transitioning; and changes in a sense of community and belonging. Discussion The results have implications for supporting TGNC people navigating their identities by recognizing the multiple and intersecting levels of influence within which they are situated.

Educating Young People about Vulnerability to Sexual Exploitation: Safeguarding Practitioners’ Standpoints at the Intersections of Gender, Sexuality and Risk

Abstract This article discusses findings from a qualitative study designed to evaluate the effectiveness of a Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE) awareness-raising programme targeted at young people. Drawing on data from in-depth interviews with practitioners involved in a multi-agency team established to reduce vulnerability to CSE, we elucidate that, in addition to being directed by professional codes, practitioners’ perceptions and judgements were also influenced by gendered assumptions and underlying anxieties about childhood sexuality. The empirical data presented suggest that attitudes towards young people and intervention decisions are partially steered by cultural values that connect not only to personal morals but also influence decisions made in conjunction with professional risk analytic frameworks. Our analysis indicates that broader investigation of the commingling of personal and professional values in safeguarding contexts is required, alongside the creation of protected spaces for professional reflection and dialogue amongst practitioners to support decision-making.

Women’s experience of obtaining health and social services following intimate partner violence: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer relationships in rural communities

The purpose of this secondary analysis was to explore the intersection of gender, sexuality, and rurality in a person’s experience of seeking health and social services following intimate partner violence (IPV). Data from the primary study, SPEAK: Sharing Personal Experiences of Accessibility and Knowledge of Violence, were used for this secondary analysis. This study reviewed the experience of women who identified as being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ) and lived in a rural community. With an intersectional lens, this study employed an interpretive description approach utilizing a case-study design, and the experiences of LGBTQ women who had experienced IPV seeking health and social services in rural communities were explored. Data collected from demographic questionnaires and one-to-one interviews indicated that gender and sexual identity present challenges when intersecting with rurality and IPV. Identifying as LGBTQ may hinder a woman’s ability to seek help from healthcare and social services. These findings may be useful to inform future practice and policies pertaining to resources and services available for rural LGBTQ women who have experienced IPV when seeking care.

Design research for menopause: a scoping review

More than half the global population experience menopause, of which a significant number are in part-time or full-time employment. Research on labour force participation reports that employment is often interrupted during the menopausal transition due to difficulties accessing timely medical support and social discrimination. These interruptions result in the loss of professional expertise for employers and financial security for employees. To identify the characteristics of and gaps in design research for menopause we conducted a scoping review of the literature. We sourced and analysed 24 articles, mapping them according to their alignment with three conceptual framings of menopause from the sociology of medicine; a medicalized condition requiring pharmacological treatment, a natural life stage that is managed with complementary therapies, and a demedicalized issue where illness and health are framed as always socially situated. We found that the articles on menopause were relatively evenly distributed across the medicalized and demedicalized framings, with fewer developed within a natural framing. Our findings offer design researchers an overview of frameworks that are commonly used in health research and that we see as productive for further multidisciplinary research collaborations for menopause, and for research concerning the intersections of gender, sexualities, ageing and health more broadly.

Online Graduate Social Work Education and Critical Feminist Perspectives: An Educational Framework

ABSTRACT Studies highlight online education’s effectiveness; however, few examine theoretical frameworks for guiding pedagogy in online MSW programs. Patriarchal systems create policy and program inequities in higher education, hindering student achievement. Confronting these inequities is essential in designing successful online MSW programs. This conceptual paper asserts that utilizing a critical feminist perspective promotes nontraditional and minoritized students’ unique needs. Educators can prioritize student success by examining systems of oppression and the intersectionality of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, religion, and disabilities in online environments. Utilizing critical feminist perspectives enhances student experiences by operationalizing inclusivity and and should be measured as student success and engagement in an online graduate course.

EROTIC CAPITALISM IN PADMARAJAN’S THOOVANATHUMBIKAL

Erotic capitalism is a concept that describes the intersection of sexuality and capitalist economic systems. The 1987 Malayalam film "Thoovanathumbikal" explores this theme through its portrayal of a wealthy, sexually liberated man named Jayakrishnan and his relationships with two women, Radha, and Clara. Since of his riches and social standing, Jayakrishnan is able to indulge his cravings without suffering any repercussions, while the women are obliged to have physical intercourse with him since it is necessary for their financial well-being. The film highlights the power dynamics at play in such relationships and raises questions about the commodification of sexuality and the objectification of women in capitalist societies.Through its portrayal of the characters' struggles with love, desire, and economic pressure, "Thoovanathumbikal" offers a critique of the ways in which capitalist systems can perpetuate inequality and exploitation, particularly with regard to women's bodies and sexuality.

Black Womanhood: Raciolinguistic Intersections of Gender, Sexuality & Social Status in the Aftermaths of Colonization

Abstract In this essay, we highlight the colonial invention of oppositional and binary categories as a dominant form of social sorting and meaning-making in our society. We understand language as a tool for the construction, maintenance, and analysis of these categories. Through language, these categorizations often render those who sit at the margins illegible. We center the Black woman as the prototypical “other,” her condition being interpreted neither by conventions of race nor gender, and take Black womanhood as the point of departure for a description of the necessary intersecting and variable analyses of social life. We call for an exploration of social life that considers the raciolinguistic intersections of gender, sexuality, and social class as part and parcel of overarching social formations. In this way, we can advocate for a shift in linguistics and in all social sciences that accounts for the mutability of category. We argue that a raciolinguistic perspective allows for a more nuanced investigation of the compounding intersections of race, gender, sexuality, and social status that often function to erase Black womanhood.

Crip-queer intimacy, alliance and activism: towards holistic sexuality education in Taiwan

ABSTRACT This study investigates the significance of sexuality education for individuals with disabilities in Taiwan. It highlights the importance of understanding sexuality as a fundamental aspect of identity, encompassing intimate relationships and connection to others. Since the implementation of the Gender Equity Education Act in 2004, Taiwan has made efforts to include comprehensive sexuality education in the school curriculum and integrate disabled students into mainstream education. However, disabled individuals still face barriers due to ableism and heteronormativity, which impede their access to sexual and reproductive health services, including sexuality education. To address this issue, we conducted a qualitative investigation using narrative and policy data, drawing on Scott’s phenomenology of nothingness and crip theory to explore the intersection of sexualities and disabilities in educational contexts. Our findings reveal that individuals with disabilities in Taiwan often rely on pornography and other erotic materials as informal sources of sex education. Hand Angels, a volunteer-based group established in 2013, has been actively promoting sexual rights within disability rights organisations, advocating for a comprehensive, sex-positive, pleasure-focused, and rights-based approach to sexuality education. However, there are still gaps in knowledge production and policy implementation, which systematically deny people with disabilities their right to sexual agency.

By a long shot: Power, devaluation and discrimination in a toxic cultural workforce

Drawing on data collected for a comprehensive workforce survey of the audio-visual camera profession in Australia ( n = 582), this article investigates discrimination and devaluation in screen industry workplaces. Employing a mixed method approach, we analyse the intersection of gender, sexuality and ethnicity to show that group differences play an important role in understanding workplace cultures defined by power imbalances. To address the problem of these toxic workplaces, we propose the importance of attending to job precarity and suggest the need for policymakers, guilds and trade unions to work collaboratively to set and enforce standards of workplace equality and respect. JEL Classification: Z13

Critical consciousness from a Palestinian feminist, decolonial perspective: A collective exploratory inquiry

To date, many studies have documented the devastating impact of the Israeli military occupation in Palestine, which deprives Palestinians of all basic and human rights. Yet, the interlocking oppressions that characterize the Israeli occupation—as those of other colonial systems—are mostly overlooked, with little attention being devoted in mainstream literature to the intersections of race, class, gender, and sexuality within the colonial project. With a perspective informed by intersectional feminist studies, decolonial approaches, and liberation psychology, we explored how women in Palestine resist and struggle against the colonial and patriarchal powers present in their lives and, in particular, the role of feminist critical consciousness in this process. Through 21 research-discussions with Palestinian and international but Palestine-experienced feminist activists and researchers, we explored how the concept of critical consciousness (CC) was perceived and encountered within their experiences in the Palestinian context. CC was explored in its two dimensions (critical reflection and critical action), and its liberating power was discussed. This study contributes to a growing body of literature on the relationship between CC and resistance, and their shared impacts on women's liberation and well-being within contexts of settler-colonialism. Implications for research, policies, and clinical practices are discussed.

Healing Together: The Lonely Intersection of Faith and Sexuality

Healing Together: The Lonely Intersection of Faith and Sexuality

Queering singlehood: Examining the intersection of sexuality and relationship status from a queer lens

AbstractThis paper uses a queer theoretical lens to redefine family boundaries and structures by exploring LGBTQIA+ and single adults' relationships through the interconnectedness of their marginalized histories. Queer theory both centers LGBTQIA+ lives and deconstructs normativities. The overlapping history of singlehood and LGBTQIA+ will be explored using examples including romantic friendships, same‐sex couples and legal marriage, family of choice, and relationship anarchy. These examples explore how LGBTQIA+ people have often been considered single or choose new interpretations of singlehood (e.g., solo polyamory). The paper also explores how single people have often been considered outside the heterosexual norm. Thus, how these lived experiences deconstruct heteronormativity and can deconstruct mononormativity, amatonormativity, and homonormativity is examined. Understanding and acknowledging family lives beyond these normativities will build toward a more inclusive family and relationship science.

Intersectionality of sexuality, ethnicity, and ‘(non-)native-speakerness’: a narrative inquiry of a gay Kurdish ESL teacher in Canada

This study uses narrative inquiry as a research method and intersectionality as an analytical tool to explore how a ‘non-native’ gay ESL teacher of Kurdish ethnic background working in Canada (re-)constructs and negotiates his identities and how these identities shape (and are shaped by) his pedagogy and practice. Data was collected through written responses to prompts about the participant’s professional and social background, a one-hour follow-up interview, as well as text and voice messages. The results revealed that tensions and a feeling of self-doubt lie at the intersections of the participant’s identities. These feelings manifest in his teaching practice in the form of hesitation to raise queer and ethnic/racial issues and struggles in navigating heteronormative and racialized spaces. This study’s findings add further nuance and insights to the burgeoning literature on language teacher identity.

Differently Chinese, Differently Queer: Queer Chineseness as Heuristic and Transnational Queer Imaginary

Abstract This article uses a duoethnographic approach to trouble the notions of queerness and Chineseness. Writing from two different social locations as transnational queer Chinese women based in the United States—one a Singaporean queer Chinese woman, another a Mainland queer Chinese woman—we critically interrogate and reflect on our life and fieldwork experiences at the intersection of race, gender, sexuality, nationality, age, and class. We focus on transregional differences as well as inter-Asian connectivity to decenter the dominant Euro-American framework of queer theory, which assumes a universal, white queer position. Centering difference, misunderstanding, struggle, and tension in our writing, we reflexively unravel the (un)intelligibility and (im)possibilities of queer Chinese womanhood to complicate the notions of queerness and Chineseness. Joining current conversations on queer Asia, we explore the notion of queer Chineseness as a heuristic tool and a space for queer imaginary.

Sexuality, Disability, and Aging: Queer Temporalities of the Phallus

Sexuality, Disability, and Aging: Queer Temporalities of the Phallus

Quare vernacular discourse: vulnerability, mentorship, and coming out on YouTube

ABSTRACT This essay argues that coming out narratives shared by Black queer youth on YouTube can be understood as a quare vernacular discourse that captures their rhetorical moves, illuminates their material realities, and participates in Black queer worldmaking. Recognizing that much remains uncharted about how Black queer youth use social media, I extend quare vernacular discourse to examine the material intersections of race and sexuality, and expand quare theory to include these otherwise hidden rhetorics. First, I work from 27 coming out narratives on YouTube to argue that narrators use their stories to articulate how they navigate quare material vulnerability. Second, I contend that narrators’ quare vernacular discourse illuminates how Black queer boys and young men are motivated to share their stories, helping to sustain a quare vernacular community. Expanding quare possibilities and adding to an online communal knowledge pool, narrators, much like mentors, use their stories to guide vulnerable Black queer youth who may have few role models or no support structures.

Lebanese, Indian and Anglo LGBTQ + young Australians’ experiences at school and university: an analysis from the middle

ABSTRACT This article explores LGBTQ + young adults’ schooling and university experiences at the intersection of ethnicity and sexuality in Australia. Using the lenses of sexual citizenship and belonging, a sociomaterial polytextual analysis of the ‘middle’ was conducted with data from qualitative in-depth narrative and photo-elicitation interviews among Lebanese, Indian and Anglo LGBTQ + young adults. The analysis found that while participants had encountered bullying and prejudicial attitudes based on sexuality, gender and ethnicity, many of them had positive experiences at school and viewed university as facilitators of opportunity and discovery. The findings suggest that educational institutions are neither inherently safe nor unsafe; rather, they are important spaces whereby the sociomaterial entanglements of identity, sexual citizenship and belonging are negotiated. Crucially, they demonstrate that minority sexuality, ethnicity and gender themselves are not immutable barriers to participation, and call for strategic investment into spaces that support both student safety and critical discussion.