Lesbian Persons Research Articles

Office gossip related to gays and lesbians: An ‘otherness’ perspective

Cross-cultural encounters with diverse individuals, such as gays and lesbians, has resulted in these persons often encountering a sense of otherness. Within the workplace context, there exists a preferable cultural identity of heteronormativity, where heterosexual individuals dominate and represent the ‘we,’ while those who are ‘different,’ including gays and lesbians, represent the ‘cultural other.’ The study that informs this article investigated how Black African gay and lesbian people, as the ‘cultural other,’ experience otherness through workplace gossip, and why gossipers engage in such behavior. Using a qualitative research approach comprising semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 18 Black African gay and lesbian persons, in various South African organizations, thematic analysis was the basis for data analysis. Findings suggest that Black African lesbian women at lower organizational levels experience greater marginalization in the form of gossip compared to Black African gay men. Furthermore, the perception among gay and lesbian participants is that gossip related to the sexual orientation of the other is more rooted in the Black African than the White, Coloured and Indian South African communities. It was also found that intersecting identities (socio-economic class; educational qualifications; geographic location) result in marginalized, lower educated employees from Black African townships gossiping to a greater extent about gay and lesbian people, than those with higher qualifications and socioeconomic profiles residing in suburbs. Organizational cultures where people were rooted in religious beliefs produced more intense office gossip than workplace cultures where managers and peers embraced diversity. We recommend that in embracing cross-cultural management practices, training of employees regarding cross-cultural adjustment and understanding the other, will bring positive outcomes in the workplace environment.

LGBTI + Persons’ Experiences, Expectations, and Suggestions for Improving LGBTI + Healthcare Services in Turkey: A Qualitative Study

This study aimed to explore the experiences, expectations, and suggestions of LGBTI + persons from the health system in Turkey and their views on what kind of a health system they wish to have. Qualitative descriptive research was used as one of the qualitative research methods. Thirteen LGBTI + persons living in different provinces of Turkey were interviewed. While selecting the participants, the maximum diversity sampling method, one of the purposive sampling methods, was employed. Attention was paid to interview participants from different groups among LGBTI + persons (three gay men, five trans men, two trans women, one queer person, one lesbian person and one bisexual person). Thematic analysis was performed for the analysis of individual in-depth interviews. The expectations of the participants were grouped under three themes: (a) institutional functioning, (b) legal regulations, and (c) healthcare professionals. Each theme and 9 sub-themes demonstrate what kind of a health system LGBTI + persons want to have. Some of the common expectations of the participants are having LGBTI + friendly and free healthcare services, adoption of anti-discrimination laws, and receiving healthcare from professionals with LGBTI+-specific healthcare knowledge. Changes to be made by policy makers, hospital administrators and healthcare professionals in line with the results obtained from the research can improve the experiences of LGBTI + persons in terms of receiving a higher quality healthcare service.

African American Gatekeepers or the Black Church?: Using Modified Grounded Theory to Explore the Debate on Black Homophobia

ABSTRACT In a comparison of attitudes concerning same-sex relationships and inclusive policies for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) persons, African Americans are more likely to possess stronger opposition than Whites. The default agent in explaining disapproving attitudes is the Black Church. However, observations from 2017 expert interviews, part of a study on causes of Black homophobia, revealed that varying experts do not affirm the Black Church as the primary actor in sustaining these attitudes. Based on this observation, this study theorizes that attitudes considered homophobic are primarily sustained by actors distinct and separate from the Black Church. This study employs a modified grounded theory to explore themes toward the creation of an expert-driven narrative that disapproval of same-sex relationships and opposition to LGBTI policies are attitudes sustained by Black gatekeepers, as they see same-sex relationships and policy as oppositional to the Black identity and Black sociopolitical progress.

Evolution of Legislation and Crimes Based on Sexual Identity or Orientation in Spain: A Retrospective Observational Study (2011-2021).

Respect for different sexual options and orientations prevents the occurrence of hate crimes against lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGTBI) persons for this reason. Our aim was to review the legislation that protects the rights of LGTBI people and to quantify the victimization rates of hate crimes based on sexual identity and orientation. A retrospective observational study was conducted across all regions of Spain from 2011–2021. The laws on LGTBI rights in each region were identified. Hate crime victimization data on sexual identity and orientation were collected in annual rates per 100,000 inhabitants, annual percentage change and average change during the study period to assess the trend. The regulatory development of laws against discrimination against LGTBI individuals is heterogeneous across regions. Overall, in Spain there is an upward trend in the number of hate crime victimizations motivated by sexual identity or orientation. The effectiveness of data collection, thanks to better training and awareness of police forces regarding hate crimes and the processes of data cleansing and consolidation contributes to a greater visibility of hate crimes against LGTBI people.

Policy Framing and Comparative Discourse Analysis

Abstract Quezon City and the City of Baguio enacted anti-discrimination ordinances to protect lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) persons. The 2014 Quezon City Gender-Fair Ordinance (QCGFO) and the 2017 Anti-Discrimination Ordinance of the City of Baguio (ADOCB) criminalized discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and/or expression. With similar societal contexts, these two cities legislated two different anti-discrimination ordinances. Using comparative discourse analysis, this case study compares their formulation and framing. Data were gathered and evaluated through library research, documents analysis, and key informant interviews. With contextualization and process-tracing, this article also describes discursive policy frames that were utilized in formulating these ordinances. The QCGFO protects the local LGBT+ community, while the ADOCB considers multiple social sectors. These policies may provide potential opportunities to integrate intersectionality in anti-discrimination policy-making. In all, this study offers exploratory insights on policy framing strategies for anti-discriminatory policies in two contextually similar Philippine localities.

Stigma shapes lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer person's mental health and experiences with mental health services in North Macedonia

ABSTRACT Purpose There is a dearth of lesbian gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) mental health research in Southeast Europe. Our study aimed to explore Macedonian LGBTQ+ people's mental health and their experiences with mental health services. Methods We conducted a qualitative study with 71 LGBTQ persons in N. Macedonia in the summer of 2017. Diverse sexual orientations, gender identities, and geography were represented among participants. We used content, thematic, and narrative analyses to understand LGBTQ+ people's mental health and experiences with mental health services. Results LGBTQ+ participants described living a ‘double-life’ and explained that minority stressors challenge their mental health and ability to access mental health services. Participants extensively shared unethical experiences with mental health services. Transgender participants and LGBTQ+ persons living in smaller towns described additional stigmatisation that harmed their mental health and hampered use of services. While, safe and affirming mental health services exist, they are not the norm nor readily accessible to all LGBTQ+ persons. Conclusions Macedonian LGBTQ+ people experience mental health burdens because of societal stigmatisation. Institutional discrimination, lack of accessibility, and poor quality of services challenge LGBTQ+ people's ability to address mental health needs. Structural and community-level interventions are needed to support Macedonian LGBTQ people's mental health.

Social-ecological factors associated with having a regular healthcare provider among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons in Jamaica

ABSTRACT Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people experience a multitude of barriers to healthcare access, particularly in highly stigmatising contexts, such as Jamaica. Access to a regular healthcare source can contribute to uptake of health knowledge and services. Yet social-ecological factors associated with access to a regular healthcare provider among LGBT persons in Jamaica are underexplored. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with LGBT persons in Jamaica to examine socio-demographic and social-ecological factors associated with having a regular healthcare provider. Nearly half (43.6%) of 911 participants reported having a regular healthcare provider. In multivariate analyses, socio-demographic factors (higher age; identifying as a cisgender sexual minority man or woman compared to a transgender woman) were associated with higher odds of having a regular healthcare provider. Socio-demographic (living in Ocho Rios or Montego Bay compared to Kingston), stigma/discrimination (a bad past healthcare experience), and structural factors (insufficient money for housing; reporting medication costs as a barrier; no health insurance) were associated with decreased odds of having a regular healthcare provider. Findings support a multi-level approach to understanding and addressing barriers to having a regular healthcare provider among LGBT people in Jamaica.

Sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression-based violence in Catalan universities: qualitative findings from university students and staff

BackgroundHate crimes have raised in Spain and the gender and sexuality-based conflicts persist worldwide which leads to this problem having an effect on health and wellbeing. Following a focus of transforming Higher Education Institutions, this research analysed the problem that affects undergraduate students in six Spanish universities. The research goal is to improve the life quality of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex university students, breaking the silence that exists around the violence that this group suffer in Catalonia, Spain.MethodsFollowing the Communicative Methodology, this study has identified violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression in the target universities and provided guidelines to improve anti-discrimination protocols. A qualitative method has reached experiences of university students, heads of equality commissions, professors and administrative staff regarding this conflict. Focussing on the qualitative research tools, 30 semi-structured interviews were conducted with university students and staff around issues related to the violence against lesbian, gay, bisexual transgender, queer and intersex students: 1) perception of violence and discrimination, 2) institutional measures, 3) actions against violence. An analysis of exclusionary and transformative dimensions was used to identify emergent themes.ResultsWe have identified two dimensions for the analysis given their impact in contributing or overcoming violence: exclusionary and transformative. A wide range of forms of violence on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression perpetrated at universities have been identified as exclusionary facts and described by participants in the study. Equality commissions have not received reports of violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, and university staff shows certain unfamiliarity regarding the measures and politics to prevent and intervene in cases of violence against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex community. Among the results identified as transformative are the ways through which actions of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex groups against violence and the professors’ commitment to intervene have a relevant impact on student’s wellbeing. An improvement and implementation of anti-discrimination protocols with mandatory applicability has also been documented.ConclusionsFindings highlight the need of collecting more evidence that contributes to the improvement of protocols, measures and politics to protect all the members of the university community. A better understanding of violence based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in HEI’s may guide national and international governments to improve the health and well-being of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex persons.

Discriminalization: Reevaluating Sexuality, Punishment, and Human Rights

After decades of pressing for the decriminalization of same-sex conduct, advocates around the globe have increasingly urged states to use the power and authority of criminal law to address bias against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) persons. In dozens of countries as diverse as Angola, Ecuador, Malta, Mongolia, and Taiwan, lawmakers have criminalized various forms of anti-LGBT conduct and proscribed them with lengthy periods of incarceration. This embrace of criminalization has often been articulated in the language of human rights, using that framework to expand rather than curb the scope of criminal law. In this Article, I look to debates over LGBT rights to analyze what I call discriminalization, or the adoption and application of carceral penalties for discriminatory conduct. I argue that the growing use of discriminalization raises difficult questions about anti-discrimination law and human rights, which necessitate an appreciation of the injuries inflicted by discrimination, the injuries inflicted by carceral punishment, and the complexities of a framework that meaningfully protects human rights when these harms are in tension. The Article explores these questions in three parts. Part I reviews critiques of criminalization, and particularly carceral punishment, as a response to offenses targeting marginalized groups. I draw in particular from racial justice literature and critiques of carceral feminism to map out some of the complexities of using criminal law to demonstrate that targeted violence is being taken seriously. Part II documents some of the ways that LGBT advocates have embraced discriminalization in recent years, focusing on three issues – discrimination in areas such as employment, housing, and the provision of goods and services; demeaning or degrading speech; and so-called “conversion therapy,” or efforts to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Using a data set of LGBT-inclusive anti-discrimination laws in these three areas, I chart how discriminalization has been enshrined in law and practice, and raises questions that extend beyond the LGBT context to anti-discrimination law more generally. Part III asks whether the human rights framework offers any useful tools for those who wish to take stigmatic harm seriously while keeping the creep of the carceral state at bay. I consider dignity-maximizing approaches, abolitionist frameworks, and proportionality as three avenues that human rights advocates might take to mediate this tension. By drawing a distinction between the doctrinal strictures of human rights law and the discretion that human rights advocates utilize in practice in deciding when and how to advance LGBT rights, I propose a modified proportionality approach for advocates that attends to both the specificities of anti-LGBT hostility and the conditions of criminalization in a given context. Such an approach is more flexible, pragmatic, and attuned to grounded notions of justice than the absolutist positions that have thus far guided discriminalization debates. I conclude by acknowledging the limits of such an approach, arguing for a principled retreat from discriminalization and a stronger emphasis on proactive measures to address stigma.

Gender Expression and Its Correlates in a Nationally Representative Sample of the U.S. Adult Population: Findings from the National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior

ABSTRACT We explored the associations of gender expression with childhood gender expression, sexual identity, and demographic characteristics in a representative sample of the U.S. population aged 18 to 65 years (N = 1277), using data from the 2015 National Survey of Sexual Health and Behavior. As expected, gay men were less gender conforming than heterosexual men. However, among women, persons with a bisexual identity were less gender conforming compared to heterosexual and lesbian persons. In multivariate analyses, childhood gender expression trumped the role of sexual identity. In terms of demographic characteristics, gender conformity seemed to be more present among persons with positions with less social status in terms of age, race/ethnicity, education, income, and relationship status. Finally, we found among both men and women, that a large proportion saw themselves as more masculine or feminine than men and women on average, respectively, suggesting that accentuating one’s gender conformity has a psychological function.

Friendship versus Faith: How Latter-day Saint College Students Manage the Conflicts between Their Beliefs about Homosexuality and Their Friendships with Gay and Lesbian Persons

ABSTRACT In this article, we investigate the experiences of Latter-day Saint college students as they navigate and negotiate the complexities associated with maintaining their beliefs about homosexuality while, at the same time, engaging in friendships with gay and lesbian persons. Based on analyzes of 30 interviews, we show that these students face conflicts of: culture versus faith; politics versus faith; and friendship versus faith. We then focus our investigation on four distinct managements strategies that these students use to respond to conflicts of friendship versus faith, including: avoidance; hate the sin, love the sinner; agency; and differential moral responsibility. We situate these findings in relation to the broader literature, especially that of contact theory, and we explore the implications of our research for how cultural and social differences can be navigated and negotiated at both the micro and macro levels.

Violence in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Communities: Preliminary Findings from New Mexico

Abstract Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) persons' experiences of violence continue to be inadequately addressed. We present secondary data analysis of violence experienced by...

Equality and Quality: The Relationship Between Magnet® Status and Healthcare Organizational Commitment to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Equality

Introduction: Discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) persons in the healthcare system is pervasive. The Human Rights Campaign (HRC) conducts a major study annually in which participating healthcare organizations (n = 626) are scored on their treatment of LGBTQ employees and clients published as its Healthcare Equality Index. Higher scores earned on the HEI correspond to more equitable treatment of LGBTQ persons, a mark of distinction. Similarly, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) recognizes nursing excellence in healthcare organizations by designating them as Magnet institutions (n = 477), indicating alignment of the organization’s nursing strategic goals with improvement in patient outcomes.Methods: A secondary data analysis was conducted to determine if a relationship existed between an organization’s HEI score and ANCC Magnet recognition.Results: Results supported a statistically significant association between HEI score and Magnet® status (p = .0336).Discussion: Nurses, social workers, and other healthcare professionals should advocate for LGBTQ clients and colleagues and contribute to LGBTQ-related research, which is needed to enhance care delivery to LGBTQ persons across professions. Future research should focus on health outcomes resulting from interprofessional collaborations aimed at improving LGBTQ care and strategies to reduce discrimination against LGBTQ clients and employees.

Affective responses to non-sexual imagery depicting gay men and lesbian women

ABSTRACTWhen examining negative attitudes and behaviors directed toward gay men and lesbian women (i.e., homonegativity), researchers tend to use measures that require participants to respond to belief statements. This methodology is problematic for two reasons: 1) it focuses on the social categories “gay men” and “lesbian women” and ignores the practices of relational intimacy engaged in by gay and lesbian persons (practices that, arguably, are at the crux of homonegativity); and 2) it overlooks the affective responses that sexual minorities evoke in heterosexual people. These issues were tackled in the current study. Specifically, heterosexual participants (N = 241) were asked to report their affective state using six basic emotions while viewing photos depicting male-male, female-female, and heterosexual couples. Findings demonstrated that participants, regardless of gender, reacted most negatively to images of female-female couples engaging in everyday intimacies. Theoretical explanations for these findings are explored.

Beyond the Superordinate Categories of “Gay Men” and “Lesbian Women”: Identification of Gay and Lesbian Subgroups

ABSTRACT Nation-wide opinion polls and social scientific studies indicate that evaluations of gay men and lesbian women have become increasingly favourable. These positive trends do not explain the widespread discrimination experiences being reported. To assist researchers in investigating attitudes towards gay and lesbian persons, the current research examines whether there are multiple “types” that are identifiable and salient. Two Canadian studies (Ns = 67 and 206) were conducted to establish the presence of gay and lesbian subgroups. Using subgroups generated by Study 1 participants, community and student sub-samples selected those they perceive to exist. Results indicated that, for gay men, the subgroups Drag Queen and Flamboyant emerged, as did Butch for lesbian women. Amongst students, Closeted and Feminine also emerged for gay men, as well as Feminist and Tomboy for lesbian women. These findings have implications for contemporary research on gay- and lesbian-related attitudes and the methodology used to assess them.

Gender stereotypes and contact with gay men and lesbians: The mediational role of sexism and homonegativity

AbstractThis study is grounded in Allport's intergroup contact theory and Herek's sexual prejudice theory. We aimed at (a) investigating the mediational role of sexism and homonegativity on the relation between gender, age, and contact with gay and lesbian people with gender stereotypes about gay men and lesbians; and (b) replicating and corroborating the direct associations found in previous research among these variables. The present research used secondary data from a survey conducted by the Italian National Institute of Statistics and comprehending a representative sample of 5,863 Italian adults. The results from path analysis indicated that both homonegativity and sexism partially mediated the effect of gender and age on gender stereotypes, whereas they totally mediated the effect of contact with gay and lesbian persons. Findings suggest that reducing sexist and homonegative attitudes and increasing contact with gay and lesbian people may reduce stereotypical beliefs about homosexual people.

Mapping Twitter hate speech towards social and sexual minorities: a lexicon-based approach to semantic content analysis

ABSTRACT Though there are currently no statistics offering a global overview of online hate speech, both social networking platforms and organisations that combat hate speech have recognised that prevention strategies are needed to address this negative online phenomenon. While most cases of online hate speech target individuals on the basis of ethnicity and nationality, incitements to hatred on the basis of religion, class, gender and sexual orientation are increasing. This paper reports the findings of the ‘Italian Hate Map’ project, which used a lexicon-based method of semantic content analysis to extract 2,659,879 Tweets (from 879,428 Twitter profiles) over a period of 7 months; 412,716 of these Tweets contained negative terms directed at one of the six target groups. In the geolocalized Tweets, women were the most insulted group, having received 71,006 hateful Tweets (60.4% of the negative geolocalized tweets), followed by immigrants (12,281 tweets, 10.4%), gay and lesbian persons (12,140 tweets, 10.3%), Muslims (7,465 tweets, 6.4%), Jews (7,465 tweets, 6.4%) and disabled persons (7,230 tweets, 6.1%). The findings provide a real-time snapshot of community behaviours and attitudes against social, ethnic, sexual and gender minority groups that can be used to inform intolerance prevention campaigns on both local and national levels.

Power to Become Children of God: Remembering in-the-Life with a Johannine (Dis)Position1

abstract Honoring the contributions of Shaykh Dr. Ibrahim Abdurramah Farajajé and Joseph Beam, this article advances an in-the-life approach to selected scriptures from the Gospel of John as a means to affirm that Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT), and same gender loving persons are among those who can chose to access, in the words of John 1:12, the power to become children of God. In its critique of the hypocritical erotophobia of African American Christian communities toward its queer members, this article proposes that Farajajé and Beam’s writings can undergird the agency to live into God-with-us-ness. Characters from John’s gospel are put into context with contemporary Black LGBTQ and same-gender-loving experience to gesture toward possibilities for resilient self-acceptance, dignity, and flourishing.

Correlates of Homophobic Attitudes in Lebanon: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study

ABSTRACTTo assess homophobic attitudes toward gay and lesbian persons and examine how those negative attitudes contributed to risk factors that may impact gay and lesbian persons among a sample of Lebanese individuals. A cross-sectional study, conducted between March and July 2017, enrolled 400 participants aged between 15 and 80 years. 129 (32.3%) of the participants had severe homophobic attitudes. An increase in intense homophobia would significantly increase the odds of emotion focused engagement and decrease the problem focused engagement (Beta = 1.05 and Beta = −1.19, respectively). A stepwise linear regression, using the total homophobia score as the dependent variable showed that knowing someone gay (Beta = −12.97), university education level (Beta = −14.93), high monthly income (Beta = −4.33), and higher problem-focused engagement subscale (Beta = −0.54) would significantly decrease the total homophobic score. Our study supports the prevalence of homophobia among people in Lebanon. Understanding the correlation factors and predict discriminative attitudes can be of great help for policymakers when it comes to approaching the problem of homophobia with evidence-based solutions.

Major Health Law and Policy Positions Among 2020 Democratic Presidential Candidates.

Assuring the nation’s health promises to be among the premier political objectives underlying the 2020 U.S. Presidential election. A diverse field of 23 leading Democratic-declared Presidential candidates (ages 37-77 years) are prioritizing health issues. Assessing candidates’ positions since the inception of their campaigns, we have identified 10 primary health law and policy platforms as of June 1, 2019 (see Table 1 and research methodology). Candidates’ dominant themes center on universal health care, climate change, and reproductive rights. Many also address policies on mental health coverage, gun violence prevention, and Affordable Care Act (ACA) reforms. Just over half of candidates are opining on regulated substances (e.g., opioids, cannabis), health interests and rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) persons, and lowering of prescription drug prices. The candidates’ varying ideas on these issues deviate significantly from the current administration and, at times, from each other.