Queer People Research Articles

LGBTQ+ Sociopolitical Engagement: Examining the Role of House Ball Community Involvement and LGBTQ+ Community Connection.

Recent events such as the Black Lives Matter movement, COVID-19, and political elections have highlighted the power of a socially and politically engaged society. One under-researched cultural pillar at the core of sociopolitical resistance for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people of color (POC) has been the House Ball Community, a dynamic subculture made up of intricate social networks. This study uses data collected for the Social Justice Sexuality Project (N = 246) to examine LGBTQ+ community connection and House Ball Community involvement as predictors of LGBTQ+ and intersectional LGBTQ+ sociopolitical engagement. Two continuous variables, community connection and sociopolitical engagement (consisting of separate scales about LGBTQ+ individuals and LGBTQ+ POC), were included in the analysis. Multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to examine the relationships between these variables. While community connection was significantly associated with both scales of sociopolitical engagement, House Ball involvement was only associated with intersectional LGBTQ+ sociopolitical engagement. Relative to community connection, House Ball involvement was more strongly associated with intersectional LGBTQ+ sociopolitical engagement. Findings suggest that House Ball involvement may influence behavior for LGBTQ+ POC. Authors discuss implications for intersectionality in social movements and culturally responsive direct, community, and systems-level social work practice within the current U.S. sociopolitical landscape.

Choosing to Stay: Building a Future for Gender-Diverse People in Saskatchewan through Stories of Hope and Belonging

This paper draws on the first comprehensive study of Two Spirit, trans, nonbinary, and gender-nonconforming (2STNBGN) people in Saskatchewan. Despite challenges, including rising conservatism and targeted political attacks, we temper assumptions that trans and queer people want to leave Saskatchewan for other locations where the 2STNBGN community is assumed to be bigger. Many of our participants described choosing to stay in the province as an intentional way to build community, advocate for support, and cultivate belonging. We further explore a distinctly prairie politic that includes Two Spirit and Indigiqueer projects of belonging to land and community, cross-provincial trans community organizing, and a complicated geography that supersedes binaries between urban and rural. Our research tells us that gender-diverse people on the prairies are enacted through a “grounded relationality,” a context-dependent, binary-resistant expression through place, whether that place is land, city, country, or small-town paint store. Ultimately, our research shows that despite an increasingly chilly political climate toward 2STNBGN people, Saskatchewan still bears witness to trans joy, innovative activism, and an activated trans community that is invested in a future that they are a part of.

Queering the Norms: From Taboo to Acceptance of Queer Themes in the Contemporary Hindi Cinema

The portrayal of queer people in Bollywood films has undergone remarkable change over the course of several decades, which is a reflection of changing perspectives in society as well as progresses in the film industry. The representation of LGBTQ+ people in Indian cinema has evolved from early caricatures and stereotypes to delineations that are more intricate and assertive. This means that the portrayal of these characters has become more multifaceted and subtle. This paper investigates the progression of these portrayals, analysing the impact they have had on cultural attitudes as well as the ongoing path towards true-to-life depiction and acceptability in mainstream Bollywood films.

“We don't show everything”: Queer identity concealment in rural Australia

AbstractRural communities can be perceived as conservative and, therefore, hostile towards queer people who depart from heteronormative renditions of sexual orientation and gender identity. Such perceptions can force rural queer people to conceal their identity, fostering an environment of invisibility and displacement. This study consequently explores why queer people conceal their identity in rural communities. Drawing on a sample of rural queer Australians, this study examines why those who are out (public about their orientation) adopt identity‐concealing strategies. Using semi‐structured in‐depth interviews, the study draws on the experiences of 9 participants from rural towns varying in population size from 50,000 to under 3000. The findings highlight how perceptions of prejudice were based on historical experiences and still emerged through the people, systems and institutions. Such prejudice serves to stigmatise queer identities and motivates the adoption of concealment strategies as a coping mechanism. Four reasons for identity concealment were reported: to avoid exclusion, to avoid accusations of inappropriate behaviour, to avoid confrontation and to enhance perceptions of the queer communities. The findings highlight that there remain beliefs that concealing identity to various extents is necessary within certain rural contexts.

An Internet-Based Intervention to Increase the Ability of Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual People to Cope With Adverse Events: Single-Group Feasibility Study.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people are at higher risk of mental health problems due to widespread hetero- and cisnormativity, including negative public attitudes toward the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to combating social exclusion at the societal level, strengthening the coping abilities of young LGBTQ+ people is an important goal. In this transdiagnostic feasibility study, we tested a 6-week internet intervention program designed to increase the ability of nonclinical LGBTQ+ participants to cope with adverse events in their daily lives. The program was based on acceptance and commitment therapy principles. The program consists of 6 web-based modules and low-intensity assistance for homework provided by a single care provider asynchronously. The design was a single-group assignment of 15 self-identified LGB community members who agreed to participate in an open trial with a single group (pre- and postintervention design). Before starting the program, participants found the intervention credible and expressed high satisfaction at the end of the intervention. Treatment adherence, operationalized by the percentage of completed homework assignments (32/36, 88%) was also high. When we compared participants' pre- and postintervention scores, we found a significant decrease in clinical symptoms of depression (Cohen d=0.44, 90% CI 0.09-0.80), social phobia (d=0.39, 90% CI 0.07-0.72), and posttraumatic stress disorder (d=0.30, 90% CI 0.04-0.55). There was also a significant improvement in the level of self-acceptance and behavioral effectiveness (d=0.64, 90% CI 0.28-0.99) and a significant decrease in the tendency to avoid negative internal experiences (d=0.38, 90% CI 0.09-0.66). The level of general anxiety disorder (P=.11; d=0.29, 90% CI -0.10 to 0.68) and alcohol consumption (P=.35; d=-0.06, 90% CI -0.31 to 0.19) were the only 2 outcomes for which the results were not statistically significant. The proposed web-based acceptance and commitment therapy program, designed to help LGBTQ+ participants better manage emotional difficulties and become more resilient, represents a promising therapeutic tool. The program could be further tested with more participants to ensure its efficacy and effectiveness. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05514964; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT05514964.

HIV Stigma, Sexual Identity Stigma and Online Coping Strategy of Gay, Bisexual and Queer People Living with HIV: A Moderated Mediation Study.

Living with HIV/AIDS is more difficult for gay, bisexual, and queer (GBQ) people as they face stigma on both the disease and sexuality, which puts significant stress on coping with stressors, and online platforms have become an alternative coping channel. This study investigated the use of online coping strategies in moderating the HIV stigma mediated by sexual identity stigma on mental health in Malaysia. 123 GBQ people living with HIV between the ages of 20 and 39 participated in the study, responding to the HIV Stigma - Short Form Scale, adapted China MSM Stigma Scale, Online Coping Inventory, and DASS-21. Results were analyzed using OLS, and logistic regression path modeling showed a statistically significant indirect effect of sexual identity stigma mediating HIV stigma on depressive (ab = 0.1362), anxiety (ab = 0.1259), and stress (ab = 0.1636) levels. Problem-focused online coping strategy was found to moderate the indirect association between HIV stigma and depression levels via sexual identity stigma at low (β = 0.2110, SE = 0.0741, p<.05) and moderate levels (β = 0.1168, SE = 0.0465, p<.05). The findings demonstrated the compounding link between HIV and sexual identity stigmas on mental health and how online coping strategies can be used as a helpful coping resource to manage depressive symptoms for this community and mental health practitioners. These findings can be beneficial to generate a better understanding of how double stigmas play a role in mental health and the types of online coping strategies adopted to process the stressors for GBQ individuals living with HIV in Malaysia.

Systemic White supremacy: U.S. state policy, policing, discrimination, and suicidality across race and sexual identity.

Although suicide rates are stable or decreasing among White communities, rates are increasing among Black communities, a trend that appears to be disproportionately affecting Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ) people. To understand the structural drivers and mechanisms of these trends, we examined associations between U.S. state-level racist and heterosexist criminal legal policies and policing, discrimination, and suicidality among White and Black, heterosexual and LGBQ, communities. We recruited 5,064 participants in 2021 using online census-driven quota sampling. Structural equation modeling estimated associations from objective indicators of racist and heterosexist criminal legal policies to self-reported police stops, discrimination, and suicidal ideation and behavior. For White heterosexual participants, racist (β = -.22, SE = 0.03, p < .001) and heterosexist (β = -.26, SE = 0.03, p < .001) policies were negatively associated with police stops. For White LGBQ participants, racist and heterosexist policies were not significantly associated with police stops. For Black heterosexual participants, racist (β = .30, SE = 0.11, p = .005), but not heterosexist, policies were positively associated with police stops. For Black LGBQ participants, racist (β = .57, SE = 0.08, p < .001) and heterosexist (β = .65, SE = 0.09, p < .001) policies were positively associated with police stops which, in turn, were positively associated with discrimination and suicidal ideation and behavior. Results provide evidence that racist and heterosexist state policies are linked to policing and interpersonal drivers of suicide inequities and suggest that repealing/preventing oppressive policies should be a suicide prevention imperative. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

청소년소설과 젠더 -한국 청소년문학상 수상작을 중심으로-

This study focuses on the ways in which Korean society's gender norms are reinterpreted by the winners of the Young Adult Literature Awards. First, I examined how the gendered family system in Korean society has been transformed and reconfigured, and how it affects the youth identity. Families in the Young Adult Fiction do not conform to conventional models of normal families and gender role norms. However, I critically examined the direction of family narratives by pointing out that the newly transformed familism limits the imagination of Young Adult Fiction. Next, I examined the representation of adolescent sexuality as a consistent practice. Male adolescents were often portrayed as the protagonists of events, which is problematic from a gender-sensitive perspective, and female adolescent sexuality had largely been addressed in the realm of pregnancy, abortion, and childbirth. However, I expect to see more narratives exploring female sexual self-determination in a new light. Finally, I highlighted issues of queer identity that are not captured by the gender binary. The winners of the Young Adult Literature Prize tend to deal with queer identity issues in friendships, and the recent winners have portrayed queer issues in new ways and formats through a combination of family, travel narratives, and romance narratives. Unlike in the past, when queer people were categorically excluded, minority issues have recently been addressed in terms of human rights education; however, it remains to be seen whether this will generate meaningful reflections in the future.

Factors Influencing Shared Decision-Making Between Healthcare Providers and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer People of Color About Intimate Partner Violence.

Within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community, people of color (POC) disproportionately experience intimate partner violence (IPV). While shared decision-making (SDM)-a model of patient-provider communication-about IPV could benefit LGBTQ POC, its unique challenges merit consideration. This study identifies key factors affecting SDM between LGBTQ POC and healthcare providers surrounding IPV. LGBTQ POC participants (n = 217) in Chicago and San Francisco completed surveys about demographic information, healthcare utilization, and IPV history. Individual interviews and focus groups were then conducted with a Chicago-based subset of participants (n = 46) who identified as LGBTQ IPV survivors of color. Descriptive analyses were conducted of survey responses while focus group and interview transcripts were analyzed and thematically coded. Although 71% of survey participants experienced IPV, only 35% were asked about IPV in healthcare interactions within the previous year. Focus group and interview participants endorsed encounter-, patient-, and provider-centered factors affecting SDM around IPV. When IPV was discussed, patient-provider trust was essential while concordance of identities could either encourage or discourage IPV disclosure. Patients were hesitant to disclose IPV if they had never discussed their LGBTQ identity with their provider or thought providers would ignore their preferences for addressing IPV. Deterrents to SDM included providers denying the prevalence of IPV among LGBTQ individuals or lacking resources to support LGBTQ IPV survivors of color. This study highlights the identity-driven barriers that LGBTQ POC face in discussing IPV with providers. Utilizing SDM to discuss IPV with LGBTQ POC can better address the diverse health needs of this community. However, its success requires that providers acknowledge the diversity of experiences among this population, promote LGBTQ-inclusive practices, and identify resources welcome to LGBTQ POC.

Queer People in Business: An Exploration of their Lived Experiences in their Workplace

The Philippines is known to have a high level of queer social acceptance, indicating higher inclusivity and equality. However, in the business sector, queer people often face unique challenges as they navigate their careers in the business world. Consequently, these queer employees pay a high price for defying gender and sexual stereotypes in their workplace. Through a phenomenological lens, this paper aims to comprehensively explore the experiences of these queer individuals in the business sector and the strategies they employ to navigate these difficulties. This study purposively selected seven participants of different work backgrounds to participate in in-depth interviews. The identities of these participants were kept confidential concerning the ethical considerations. After gathering the data, the researchers used thematic analysis to provide a deep understanding of the lived experiences of queer individuals in the business sector, encompassing issues such as discrimination, unfair treatment, and gender stereotyping. Major findings of the study revealed that while the participants perceived their workplace as inclusive, they had their fair share of negative experiences that hampered their mobility in their work environments. Furthermore, despite their negative experiences, these participants learned different coping strategies to manage their emotions and keep abreast with their work. Thus, the paper recommends that organizations with queer employees actively engage in symposiums and seminars to foster an inclusive workplace environment for all, as creating a safe and supportive workplace is essential for attracting and retaining employees, enabling them to thrive and contribute more effectively to the organization.

Compassionately fat: An autotheoretical exploration of queer bodies

ABSTRACT The concept that queer scholars hold a shared responsibility for all queer people forms the driving inspiration for this exploration at the juncture of queerness and fatness. We advocate that cultivating compassion can be a way for queer fat people to engage in new relations with their embodiment that reflect the tenets of fat social justice. Drawing from fat activists of color and fat studies scholars, our relationships with our bodies are political. Within queer men’s communities, hegemonic constructs of queer men’s bodies privilege muscular bodies that are lean with very little fat. In this article, we advocate for compassion as an approach to queer fat activism. Compassion is a social construction and social beliefs, values, and knowledge shape not only how compassion is practiced and enacted but also who is able to receive compassion. We cannot ignore how cis-heteronormativity and fatphobia influences the way compassion is understood and practiced. In this dual autotheoretical work, we will explore the meanings of compassion within the context of fat activism as queer men. Our approach combines practices of self-narration with critical theory, and thus unites the authors’ bodily experiences through creative means with philosophy. We relate, through storytelling, our experiences of queerness and (non)compassion with fat studies scholarship for the purpose of advocacy and social transformation.

Cognitive Reappraisal and Expressive Suppression among Queer Youth and Its Implications on Interpersonal Relationships

Queer people go through a lot emotionally in today's society because the term "LGBT" has a stigma, which can have a big impact on their social well-being. Aim: The present study aims to find out emotion regulation among queer young adults and its implications on their social interactions. There was little research on LGBTQ young people that included these two study factors. The major goal of this study is to learn how queer young adults manage their emotions daily and how each strategy influences their social interactions as a whole. Method: A total of 131 participants from the age group 18 to 25 years have responded, which was drawn using the snowball sampling method from various parts of India. Two already developed and tested questionnaires on emotion regulation and social relationships were used in the study. Results: It was found that cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression had a significant impact on how queer young adults interacted with one another in social situations. Expressive Suppression had a very low negative influence on social interactions whereas Cognitive Reappraisal had a very low positive impact.

Depression and thoughts of self-harm or suicide among gender and sexually diverse people in a regional Australian community.

There is a paucity of data regarding depression and thoughts of self-harm or suicide among gender and sexually diverse (GSD) people living within Australian regional/rural locations. This study aims to elucidate these issues and fill a critical gap. The sample included 91 GSD people from a regional community in South-West Queensland utilising the PHQ-9 to determine presence/severity of depression and self-harm/suicide ideation. These data were drawn from a larger health and wellbeing survey. Raw mean scores were calculated to determine prevalence/severity of clinical symptoms. Bayesian ordinal regression models were employed to analyse between-subgroup differences in depression and self-harm/suicide ideation. Overall, 80.2% of GSD sample experienced depression (35.2% severe, 45.1% mild/moderate) and 41.8% experienced self-harm/suicide ideation in the past two-weeks. Trans and nonbinary people experienced higher levels of depressions than sexually diverse cisgender people. Pansexual and bisexual people experienced higher levels of depression than gay people. Trans people experienced higher prevalence of self-harm/suicide ideation than cisgender and nonbinary people, with no differences between sexuality subgroups. These findings contribute to deeper and more nuanced insights regarding clinically salient depressive and self-harm/suicide ideation symptoms among trans, nonbinary, bisexual, pansexual and queer people in regional Australian communities, with the aim to ultimately reduce mental health prevalence, improve mental health outcomes and health promotion among GSD people. SO WHAT?: The current findings revealed GSD people experience high prevalence of depression and self-harm/suicide ideation indicating tailored mental health awareness-raising, training and health promotion is warranted to enhance psychological support.

Queer social reproduction in the precarious city: replenishing LGBTQ households in London

This paper explores the practices and labours undertaken by queer people to reproduce shared households in London, and the uneven power relations, histories and economic conditions mediating this replenishment. Through bringing feminist geographical engagements with social reproduction into conversation with queer geographies of urban space, the article argues for greater attention to the hard work of social reproduction undertaken by queer shared households, and to the value of this empirical area for broader understandings of reproductive labour amidst deepening economic precarity.

Haunting justice: queer bodies, ghosts, and the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia

This article was named the winner of the 2022 Enloe Award. The committee commented: Using a queer hauntological approach to read queer bodies in the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the seemingly innocuous language of judges, legal counsels, and witnesses, the author illuminates the ways in which queer lives are made absent in international law and in experiences of war, peace, and justice. By rendering queer lives as “ghosts,” the author shows how the “straight, binary, and cisgender subject,” be it victim or perpetrator, is maintained in international criminal justice. Going beyond critique by centering a queer archive created by queer people about their experiences of the war, the article stood out to the committee as an important contribution to international law and beyond. By rendering queer lives “intelligible and grievable and as lives that matter,” it continues Cynthia Enloe’s legacy of finding sex and gender where it has been hidden. Ultimately, the author does not call for the inclusion or assimilation of queer experiences into liberal international criminal justice discourses, which co-opt and empty radical politics. Successfully showing how “haunting” represents a radical call for “alternative worlds,” the article provides an original challenge to move beyond mere inclusion. The committee commends the author for their careful scholarship and deep theorization.

Queering John of the Cross: Sanjuanist Contributions to the Fight against Phobias towards Queer People

This article aims to approach Sanjuanist mysticism from a queer perspective. It is not a monolithic apology to queer people, nor a treatise on mystical interpretation, but an effort to recognize and validate the spiritual experience of LGBTIQ+ people. It takes some mystical passages from St. John of the Cross that help to read the experience of queer life in a mystical key. With this, the potential of mysticism to combat those phobic, segregating, and unjust ideologies that mistreat so many people because of their sexual orientation and gender identity dissidence is manifested. Although it is problematic, talking about this is an act of epistemic, sociocultural, and religious justice.

Sustaining Heteronormativity in Marriage: How Chinese Newspapers Frame Heterosexual Marriage Undertaken by Chinese Queer People

ABSTRACT Family members often cite broader societal discourses and norms when forcing Chinese queer people to engage in heterosexual marriage (referred to as HMQ; heterosexual marriage undertaken by Chinese queer people). It is unclear what these social norms entail and how the norms are maintained. This paper examines 89 Chinese newspaper articles to uncover the societal discourses driving families to pressure queer people into heterosexual marriage. We identified three framings: (1) Highlighting problems of formality marriage (the marriage between two queer people) and gay’s wife marriage (the marriage between a queer man and a heterosexual woman); (2) portraying people involved in formality marriage and gay’s wife marriage as suffering from heteronormative pressure to engage in marriage; and (3) presenting formality marriage in a collaboration frame and gay’s wife marriage in a deception frame. These framings suggest heteronormativity in marriage is upheld in societal discourses about HMQ and sustained by two hierarchies created in Chinese newspaper articles: one degrading queer marriage practices, which made heterosexual marriage undertaken by queer people inferior to ideal heterosexual marriage; another stratifying queer marriage practices, which made the marriage between a queer man and a heterosexual woman less acceptable than the marriage between two queer people.

The God of the Ostracised: The use of Lived Religion Theory in advancing Queer Spirituality

The South African Constitution and the law have ensured noticeable progress in acknowledging the LGBTQI community’s rights. Consequently, there is now a legal framework that protects LGBTQI people, and any discriminatory behaviour and utterances can be prosecuted by law. The struggle now lies within the religious sector, where limited progress has been made. This paper focuses on the progress made within the Christian religion in terms of creating policies and regulations to protect LGBTQI community members’ safety. We focus on same-sex relationships by arguing that even today, such relationships are not openly accepted by the Church. Using lived religion theory, we revisit Ntombana et al.’s (2020) findings and argue that queer people are closer to God and more spiritual than the homophobic Christians who attend daily Christian fellowship meetings. As queer people are in the minority and oppressed by the church system, we use Tutu and Boesak’s theology to argue that they are closer to God than homophobic Christians. We highlight that during the COVID-19 lockdown, the Christian community suffered, while the queer community flourished because their spirituality is not based on the Church’s orthodox tradition but on their relationship with God.

Masquerading Resistance: The Parasitic Tactics of the Mandrake Ball

Abstract: This article examines the Mandrake Society’s annual Halloween Balls, which began in 1970 as a response to the mass arrest of nine queer people as they left a gay bar in St. Louis on November 1, 1969. While acknowledging the organization’s assimilatory politics, I read the Mandrake Balls as acts of parasitic resistance, which Anna Watkins Fisher characterizes as resistance that appears slow and within existent structures. Drawing from historical accounts and the organization’s newsletters, I illustrate how the Mandrake Balls opposed the law by exploiting the liminal temporal and spatial affordances of the city’s rich history of masquerade (including Halloween and Mardi Gras) and hotel ballrooms.

Older LGBTQ People and Religious Abuse: Implications for the UK Regulation of Care Provision in Later Life

Research suggests health, social care, and social work professionals who are highly religious, and adhere closely to traditional doctrine, are more likely to take a negative view of LGBTQ people. This includes those who provide services to older people. Negative attitudes towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and/or queer (LGBTQ) people can translate into poor care and even abuse. This commentary discusses recent literature on older LGBTQ people’s experiences of religious abuse. It highlights the concerns among many older LGBTQ people about care from religious based providers where religion becomes a factor leading to abuse, associated with microaggressions, psychological abuse, harassment, discriminatory abuse, neglect, and poor care. Even though only a minority of religious care providers may hold negative attitudes towards LGBTQ people, and even fewer may allow this to inform poor/abusive practice, this is nonetheless an area of concern and merits further investigation. All care providers, including those with strongly held religious beliefs, should deliver equally good, affirmative, non-abusive care to older LGBTQ people, and to LGBTQ people of all ages.&lt;strong&gt;Key words&lt;/strong&gt;LGBTQ; religious care providers; abuse; adult protection; equality and human rights; law