Lesbian Issues Research Articles

Technical frames used for the online reporting of lesbian killings in South Africa

South Africa remains one of the most dangerous places for women – lesbians in particular – to live freely and safely, where a culture of patriarchy and a lack of socio-economic opportunity are ubiquitous throughout its communities. While the Internet has given journalists a wider platform to provide insights about issues plaguing lesbians, there is very little information regarding the elements used in these online reports. This is not only due to the lack of language required to contextualise lesbian issues, but also persistent institutional and societal homophobia. This article describes the technical frames used in the online news reporting of four case studies of ‘queercide’. Using a thematic coding sheet, data was collected from 70 online articles purposively selected based on a priori population characteristics. The study found technical elements, such as the length of online reports, credible sources used, and ‘code-driven’ and ‘user-driven’ elements identified in the coded online articles. The conclusion uncovers some clear trends enabling the construction of a Venn-type diagram, which presents insights into how the murder of lesbians (referred to as a sub-section of ‘queercide’ in the article) is being reported by online news media compared to contemporary theoretical discussions on how these cases should be reported on. This article situates queercide within a conceptual framework for future studies, while the findings demonstrate how online articles on the killing of lesbians lack self regulatory and sharing features that would improve their legitimacy in the minds of their readers.

A Quest on the Development of Feminism in America in Riding Freedom and Fingersmith

The feminist movement in America is experiencing rapid development. The early feminist idea about woman's right to vote has developed on other issues, including sexuality and reproductive rights, ideas about universal femininity, the body, gender, and heteronormativity. In its development, feminism is sometimes associated with lesbianism. This linkage occurs because lesbian and feminist criticism grow in response to patriarchal oppression. Raised as an orphan, the two main female characters in Riding Freedom struggle to survive and achieve their freedom and happiness. Charlotte in Riding Freedom obscures her feminist identity to get equal opportunities with men. Susan in Fingersmith fights for her rights, even though she engages in lesbianism. By using these two novels as primary data, and data on the development of feminism in America as secondary data, this study aims to show the evolution of feminism in America, starting from the issue of voting described in The Riding Freedom, to the issue of lesbianism in Fingersmith's novel as the effect of disappointment from man's oppression. Feminist criticism and lesbian criticism are the two theories used in this research. This study finds that American women's struggle to gain equality with men requires a long process. The trauma of men's oppression supports the practice of lesbianism in America.

Embodied Silence, Ambiguous Identities: Queerness and Disruption in Franklin Kameny’s Congressional Testimony

ABSTRACT Franklin Kameny’s 1963 congressional testimony was not the first instance of gay and lesbian issues being subjected to public inquiry, but his invited presence nonetheless represented the first time that an openly gay individual would testify to Congress. This essay argues that his testimony represents a unique form of rhetorical delivery—embodied silence—that combines public visibility and the language of embodiment with that of silence. Embodied silences interpellate audiences into witnessing absence and disrupt understanding a rhetor and/or their words. From Oscar Wilde to ACT UP, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer individuals are regularly conceived within a negotiation of absence, a queer embodiment of the unspoken and unarticulated. Silence’s legacy and continued centrality to publicness, therefore, marks an important conceptual framework for analyzing these rhetorics. Highlighting homophile activism’s unique historicity, this essay argues embodiment and absence are vital to future queer rhetorical theorizing.

The Relationship Between School Counselors’ Role Beliefs and Practice with and on Behalf of LGBTQQI Youth

School counselors completed measures of school counselor activity and role beliefs; competence with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, and intersex (LGBTQQI) issues; and school-based LGBTQQI advocacy and awareness. Hierarchical multiple regression identified that LGBTQQI clinical skill predicts school counselor LGBTQQI advocacy and awareness, adjusting for school counselor demographics, sexual-affective and gender identities, activity beliefs, building level, and LGBTQQI training. We discuss implications for school counselor training and practice.

LGBTQ youth mental health during COVID-19: unmet needs in public health and policy

LGBTQ youth mental health during COVID-19: unmet needs in public health and policy

Evaluation of Reading materials for students in schools

This article aims to compare the content of reading material for students in Indonesia and other countries, for example, reading material containing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) issues. This objective is based on selecting reading material for learning in schools in Indonesia, which is undoubtedly different from that in other countries, for example, the United States. The choice of reading material is chosen by the teacher and is based on its suitability with students’ needs and characteristics. This article uses a comparative study with the literature method. Data are collected from documents in journals, proceedings, books, and articles on the internet related to the topics in this article. The data analysis technique was carried out using content analysis techniques. The collected data were then analysed and compared to determine what students in Indonesia and the United States read. The results show that in the United States, LGBT material has been incorporated into the school curriculum. Meanwhile, in Indonesia, LGBT material is quite challenging to include in the school curriculum because it is considered contrary to the prevailing norms in Indonesia regarding LGBT, even though it can support learning about tolerance.
 
 Keywords: Reading material content, comparative study, LGBT issues.

Teaching Note—Considering Competencies for Social Work Practice and Research With Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals

ABSTRACT This article presents current research on clinical practice with transgender and gender diverse (TGD) persons and introduces clinical social work educators and researchers with TGD-specific counseling competencies from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH) and the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling (ALGBTIC). The article will align these practice competencies with existing social work education competencies and policies to advance clinical social work education and research on best practice with TGD individuals. To demonstrate how the WPATH and ALGBTIC competencies can be used to create teaching modules, there are four class activities offered for possible use. Finally, a critical review of the limitations of the WPATH and ALGBTIC competencies is presented, suggesting a need to adapt or develop “social work-specific” competencies for use in clinical practice education and research with TGD individuals.

History of LGBTQQIA Rising Up in the American Counseling Association: In the Beginning

This article was based on the keynote address by Dr. Mark Pope at the second ALGBTIC national conference held in San Antonio, Texas, on September 17, 2016. In this address, Dr. Pope addressed the beginnings of the Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling (now the Society for Sexual, Affectional, Intersex, and Gender Expansive Identities), a division of the American Counseling Association. Dr. Pope integrated those beginnings within professional counseling with the historic times in which this occurred in American society.

Best Practices in Cross-Cultural Counseling: The Intersection of Spiritual/Religious Identity and Affectional/Sexual Identity

In 2003, Frame reported that over 60% of LGBTQ+ individuals value their spiritual/religious backgrounds. While some religious organizations and states’ conscience clause legislation discriminates against LGBTQ+ individuals, the ACA Code of Ethics and Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling, and Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling, competencies do not allow for discrimination against LGBTQ+ individuals, nor the practice of sexual orientation change efforts (SOCE). In this paper, we present perspectives from a taskforce representing members of ASERVIC and ALGBTIC, including historical context, review of extant literature and recommended best practices.

Kako pristupiti mjerenju seksualne orijentacije, spolnog i rodnog identiteta? Preporuke za istraživanja o temama koje se odnose na LGBTIQ osobe

There has been an increasing interest in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ) issues in social science research in Croatia. Additionally, LGBTIQ people can be sampled in almost any research. However, it is usually assumed that all study participants are heterosexual and cisgender. In consequence, a limited number of categories for LGBTIQ individuals are typically included in questionnaires. Such an approach results in biased sample characteristics, which can both affect the interpretation of results and provoke LGBTIQ participants to refrain from providing answers to certain questions or refuse further participation. In addition, it represents a violation of the scientific research ethical principle of avoiding discrimination or privilege based on sex, gender identity, and expression or sexual orientation. In this paper, recommendations are offered for research that acknowledges LGBTIQ people by including different response options for sexual orientation, sex, and gender identity. These recommendations are based on an overview of different theoretical explanations and approaches in the measurement of gender, sex and sexual orientation in Croatian and international research, as well as on the authors’ experience in professional work with LGBTIQ people. As a possible step towards recognising LGBTIQ identities, introducing questions about sexual orientation and gender identity into research is recommended where those variables could be relevant for the studied subject. Also, since sex is a frequent research variable and commonly used response options “male” and “female” do not apply to a part of the population, adding a response option for self-identification or “something else” is recommended. In addition to item construction examples, explanations of the key concepts important for research including LGBTIQ people are provided.

Gay, Lesbian, and Transgender Issues in Psychiatry

This review is intended to give an overview of psychiatric considerations for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population. The history of LGBT-related diagnoses in the DSM is discussed along with the epidemiology of various mental disorders in the LGBT population, with several diagnoses having a higher incidence including depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, self-harm, and suicidal ideation or attempt. To explain these discrepancies, several theories and models are explored, specifically the minority stress model and adverse childhood events. Additionally, recommendations for clinical psychiatric practice are explored including affirmative therapy and transgender-affirming cognitive behavioral therapy, two interventions specifically studied in the LGBT population as well as overall goals of treatment when treating patients struggling with their gender identity. This review contains 5 tables, and 35 references. Key Words: adverse childhood events, affirmative therapy, bisexual, gay, lesbian, LGBT, minority stress, transgender, transgender-affirming cognitive behavioral therapy

Association for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Issues in Counseling’s Best Practices in Addressing Conscience Clause Legislation in Counselor Education and Supervision

The amount of various, state-level legislation allowing the denial of counseling services to individuals with values that conflict with those of the professional counselor continues to increase. Such laws are in direct conflict with the values, principles, and ethical standards of the counseling profession. These “conscience clause” legislations are of concern due to the ability of the counseling profession to safeguard and protect the welfare of clients seeking counseling services. Potently, however, much of the focus of conscience clause legislation centers around the legal sanctioning of bias and refusal to provide services to affectional and gender minority clients, and the intersection of sexual/affectional orientation to spiritual and religious values. Provided is a review of these laws and the way they clash with the counseling profession. To assist profession counselors in navigating appropriate ethical behavior, specific counseling-appropriate and lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer affirming recommendations are provided. Each layer of professional counseling, direct work with clients, supervision, and counselor education, is addressed.

Rethinking Japanese Feminisms ed. by Julia C. Bullock, Ayako Kano, and James Welker

Reviewed by: Rethinking Japanese Feminisms ed. by Julia C. Bullock, Ayako Kano, and James Welker Marnie S. Anderson (bio) Rethinking Japanese Feminisms. Edited by Julia C. Bullock, Ayako Kano, and James Welker. University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, 2018. viii, 301 pages. $65.00. Rethinking Japanese Feminisms is a groundbreaking volume that emerged out of a conference on the same topic at Emory University in 2013. Consisting of 14 chapters plus a marvelous conclusion by Ayako Kano, the volume appears slightly longer than most of its kind, yet the essays are on the short side. The editors have divided the book into four parts, each centering on a set of themes and paired with a concise introduction. The contributors, who come from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds including literature, history, anthropology, sociology, and feminist studies, take on topics ranging from the activism and translation work of socialist feminist Yamakawa Kikue (1890–1980), to the opportunities available to postwar women teaching ikebana (flower arranging) and working in ryokan (traditional Japanese inns), to reflections on the legacy of the ūman ribu (women's liberation) movement of the 1970s. The book joins other recent collections on women and gender in Japan including Gender, Nation and State in Modern Japan (2014), Modern Girls on the Go (2013), and Recreating Japanese Men (2011). What makes Rethinking Japanese Feminisms stand out is its sustained attention to feminisms; feminism hovers in the background of many studies of women and gender, but here it is foregrounded. The plural feminisms is crucial as the editors and contributors do not adhere to a single definition of feminism. Rather, they embrace debate and contestation as they sort through "our interpretations of the past, our engagement with the present, and our outlook for the future" (p. 8). Part 1 focuses on activism and begins with Elyssa Faison's chapter on Yamakawa Kikue's work as an activist and bureaucrat rather than a theorist [End Page 121] as Yamakawa normally appears in English. Faison highlights Yamakawa's understanding of women's rights as a crucial part of proletarian rights, distinguishing Yamakawa from her contemporaries in the suffrage movement. Yamakawa, Faison explains, "refused to trade off considerations of class for those of gender, or vice versa" (p. 16). Hillary Maxon examines the first Mothers' Congress of 1954, a moment when Maxon argues that members contended with the legacy of the Asia-Pacific War. They "rebuked the state-constructed ideal of martial motherhood … and reimagined an empowered, pacifist, and politically engaged motherhood" (p. 39). James Welker traces the emergence of lesbian feminism in Japan, especially in the 1990s. He finds that the ūman ribu movement of the 1970s and 1980s enabled the rise of lesbian feminism even as the movement itself did not address—and sometimes actively suppressed—lesbian issues. Tomomi Yamaguchi's chapter takes on the last two decades and analyzes the backlash to the mainstreaming of feminism in the early 2000s. It is a tour de force and, therefore, I offer a few additional comments on it. Yamaguchi interviews the people who were at the center of the backlash against feminism and asks what motivated them. Her analysis focuses on the publications of two religious groups: Shinsei Bukkyō ("New-born" Buddhism) and the Tōitsu Kyōkai (the Unification Church, known derisively as the "Moonies" in the United States). She finds that much of what feminists had assumed about the activists was wrong. Antifeminist conservative activists did not take marching orders from a central conservative organization: rather, "Leadership came from small-scale organizations with deeply committed members" (p. 75). What's more, some activists were not opposed so much to gender equality ordinances as to ideas about sexuality and sex education. Yamaguchi suggests that feminists would do well to learn from what has happened with attempts to mandate feminist policies and to avoid using the language of "women's active participation in society" which has been "co-opted by conservatives" (p. 80). Part 2 on education and the labor force begins with Julia Bullock's essay on educator Koizumi Ikuko (1892–1964) and the latter's 1930s treatise on coeducation that was "radical for its time, and remarkable for its anticipation of Occupation...

Beyond ‘safety’: teachers and school staff approaches to LGBTI-inclusion in Tasmanian schools

ABSTRACT Australian and international research consistently indicates that inclusive school cultures improve the educational outcomes and health and wellbeing of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) students. Little is known, however, about how Tasmanian school staff are supporting LGBTI students or the needs of teachers and school staff in creating and sustaining inclusive school environments. To address this knowledge gap, this paper reports on findings from a qualitative inquiry conducted with teachers and school staff. Drawing on Szalacha’s (2004. “Educating Teachers on LGBTQ Issues.” Journal of Gay & Lesbian Issues in Education 1 (4): 67–79. doi:10.1300/J367v01n04_07.) three paradigms of LGBTI-inclusive education practices, this study found that teachers and school staff employ Safety and Equity approaches in an education system where there is little time or resources given to knowing and understanding relevant policy focused on supporting LGBTI students. We argue that the school staff’s perception of school and departmental policy influences how they understand what is expected and what is possible in supporting LGBTI students. Findings from this study point to the need for inclusive education policies that inform and support teachers and foster potential for more critical approaches to equity and diversity.

Integrated Behavioral Health and Counseling Gender and Sexual Minority Populations

abstractCounselors are increasingly expected to operate within an integrated behavioral health framework across systems of care. This critical literature review provides an overview of the integrated behavioral health paradigm, including the practice of interprofessional collaboration, with specific application to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer (LGBTQ), and other gender and sexual minority issues. Implications for practice and research are discussed, along with a focus on concrete recommendations for application practicing interprofessionally with and on behalf of LGBTQ clients.

Exploring the relationships among practitioners’ consultation skills, competence to counsel lesbian, gay, and bisexual clients, and attitudes toward transgender people

Consultation is an intervention that can diffuse expertise in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) issues throughout systems of care. Practitioners (N = 145) were surveyed on their lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) counseling competence, attitudes toward transgender people, and consultation skills. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis identified that consultation competence significantly influenced (p ≤ .01) LGB counseling skills over and above LGB knowledge and awareness, attitudes toward transgender people, and participant demographic characteristics. The domains of LGB competence and attitudes toward transgender people were also significantly correlated within the participant sample. Implications for practice, training, and future research are discussed.

Sexuality, therapeutic culture, and family ties in the United States after 1973.

In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association voted to remove homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (2nd ed.; DSM-II; American Psychiatric Association, 1968). Clinicians subsequently began conducting psychotherapy with gays and lesbians not in order to change their sexuality but to address the psychological effects of homophobia and associated problems. Family-related issues such as the impact of coming out to relatives became an important dimension of psychotherapy that normalized same-sex desire, identity, and relationships, even amid contemporary invocations of family values as grounds for opposing gays and lesbians' political claims. This article examines family therapy's gradual recognition of gay and lesbian families as emblematic of the historically changing relationship among psychotherapy, sexuality, and family during the 1970s to 1990s. Although early family therapists of the 1950s and 1960s were largely unconcerned with treating homosexuality as a psychiatric problem, they also generally did not recognize same-sex relationships as a possible configuration of family life because their models presumed a heterosexual nuclear family. By the 1980s and 1990s, many family therapists came to see sexuality as a dimension of family life that might shape the issues for which couples and families sought treatment but that did not warrant treatment itself. Homosexuality's depathologization in 1973 thus signaled the opening, not the closing, of lesbian and gay issues in family therapy because the cultural trends and social movements that led to homosexuality's removal from the DSM-II would, by the 1990s, also contribute to expanding family therapists' notion of "family." (PsycINFO Database Record

Obstacles and Challenges in Counselling Gays and Lesbians in Malaysia

Counselling service is regarded as a fundamental service essential for the human beings to achieve their goals. As professionals, counsellors may face difficulties in addressing professional issues and ethical dilemmas in their professional practice to handle sexuality cases. This study is conducted to achieve the main objective of addressing counsellor’s obstacles and challenges in counselling gay and lesbian clients in Malaysia. In order to obtain the information, this study used in-depth interview method through a purposive sampling technique. The study involved eight study participants consisting registered counsellors that have conducted counselling sessions with gay and lesbian clients. The data were analysed by studying the transcription of recording interview and identifying the themes emerged based on the objective of the study. The findings demonstrated five emerging themes pertaining to the obstacles and challenges of counsellors in counselling gay and lesbian clients: (i) expertise limitation (ii) transparency issue, (iii) client’s referred issues, (iv) counsellor’s value and (v) the absence of reference model. The results of this study are expected to provide knowledge and understanding to all parties on gay and lesbian issues in Malaysia, thus helping counsellors to understand, be more prepared and improve counselling services in a better and competent way. In conclusion, such studies were further elaborated in detail on the specific way of handling and guiding gay and lesbian counselling to be a source of reference to other counsellors.

What factors influence comfort with same-sex sexuality among undergraduate social work students? Evidence from Taiwan

This study examined bachelor of social work students’ attitudes and multiple variables to explore what factors affect students’ attitudes towards gay people in Taiwan. Generally, students felt comfortable with gay people. Heterosexual and male students showed a consistent tendency to feel less comfortable with gay people. Close referents who were same-sex-oriented or accepted gay people had positive influences on students’ comfort with gay people. Importantly, performing well in college-level education on gay and lesbian issues significantly affected students’ attitudes. The new findings have implications for social work educators in terms of designing educational environments and course activities.

Curry’s Study on the Quality of Public Library Reference Service to LGBTQ Youth

A Review of: Curry, A. (2005). If I ask, will they answer? Evaluating public library reference service to gay and lesbian youth. Reference & User Services Quarterly, 45(1), 65-75. Retrieved from https://www.jstor.org/journal/refuseserq
 Abstract 
 Objective - To assess the quality of service provided by reference staff in public libraries when presented with a request for LGBTQ information by a young person.
 Design - Unobtrusive observation without informed consent. Setting - Public library branches in the greater Vancouver area, British Columbia, Canada.
 Subjects - Reference librarians.
 Methods - A 19-year-old posing as a high school student approached reference desk staff at 20 public library branches. The student proxy, “Angela”, was instructed to ask for books on forming a gay-straight alliance at her school and, if there was a full reference interview, to also ask for recommendations of novels that the group might read. She recorded the reactions, both verbal and nonverbal, using Reference and User Services Association guidelines as a template. Library administrators were aware of the potential visits and permitted the research, but the reference desk staff were not aware of a potential visit by the student proxy. The researcher claimed that her method, while deceptive, was necessary to obtain authentic reactions from the library staff.
 Main Results - Most reference librarians approached by Angela made adequate attempts to assist her, although a few library staff reacted negatively to her query. Half of the librarians reacted positively to the patron’s request, with most of the others providing neutral responses. Very few of the librarians actually taught the patron how to use the library’s catalog to search for materials, and most of the librarians were unable to find appropriate materials due to not knowing the appropriate search terms. Only three library staff showed overt disapproval of the search topic, such as frowning or rushing to finish the reference interview quickly, with most remaining objective or supportive. Because of the service she received, Angela stated that eight of the 20 libraries were welcoming enough that she thought she would return.
 Conclusion - The wide range of responses received by Angela indicated that there was room for improvement in educating public library staff on gay and lesbian issues and materials, especially for gay and lesbian youth.