Representation Of Sexual Minorities Research Articles

The role of loneliness in the association between sexual orientation and depressive symptoms among older adults: A prospective cohort study

BackgroundThis study aims to understand the mechanisms contributing to the elevated risk of depression among sexual minority older adults compared to heterosexuals. Specifically, the role of loneliness as a potential mediator is investigated to inform targeted interventions for preventing depression in sexual minority populations. MethodsData from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, focusing on adults aged over 50, were analysed. Sexual orientation (sexual minority or heterosexual) and loneliness scores (UCLA scale) were assessed at wave six (2010−2011), while depressive symptoms (CESD) were assessed at wave seven (2013–14). Linear regression models and mediation analyses, using g-computation formula and adjusted for confounders, were conducted. ResultsThe sample included 6794 participants, with 478 (7.0 %) identifying as sexual minorities. After adjustments, sexual minorities scored higher on depressive symptoms at wave seven (mean difference): 0.23, 95 % CI 0.07 to 0.39) and loneliness at wave six (MD: 0.27, 95 % CI 0.08 to 0.46). Loneliness was positively associated with depressive symptoms (coefficient: 0.27, 95 % CI 0.26 to 0.29). In mediation analyses, loneliness explained 15 % of the association between sexual orientation and subsequent depressive symptoms. LimitationsThe dataset used sexual behaviour rather than desire and identity, potentially skewing representation of sexual minorities. Additionally, transgender older adults were not included due to limited gender diversity reported within the ELSA dataset. ConclusionsLoneliness appears to be a significant modifiable mechanism contributing to the heightened risk of depressive symptoms in sexual minority older adults compared with their heterosexual counterparts.

LGB+ identity and its implications for the policy positions of parliamentary candidates

Abstract Several studies concentrate on the representation of minority groups and the policy goals that members of these groups highlight when becoming candidates for public offices. However, we do not know much about the degree of parliamentary representation of sexual minorities and what ideological profile politicians with an LGB+ identity adopt. We aim at filling this gap by analysing the ideological stances of LGB+ candidates on key policy dimensions. Using data from the 2021 German candidate study, we find that the self-identification as LGB+ contributes significantly to adopting progressive stances on the socio-cultural dimension and more favourable positions on welfare state expansion, regardless of further important factors like party affiliation. Moreover, candidates who consider themselves LGB+ do take on significantly less traditional positions on the socio-cultural dimension compared to the position of their party, indicating that increasing descriptive representation of LGB+ individuals in parliament leads to a strengthening of more progressive voices in parliament and a stronger substantive representation of LGB+ interests.

To conceal or reveal: Identity‐conscious diversity ideologies facilitate sexual minority identity disclosure

AbstractSexual minorities continue to face workplace discrimination, which leads to them experiencing concerns about disclosing their own sexual identities. Despite the benefits of disclosure, relatively little research has examined what organizational factors can work together to foster disclosure of a sexual minority identity. Across five experiments (N = 1662), we examined two main factors: diversity ideologies and information about diversity climate. Sexual minorities were more willing to disclose in organizations with diversity messages conveying that they value group differences (an identity‐conscious ideology) relative to those that downplay differences (an identity‐blind ideology). Identity‐conscious ideologies also increased belonging, perceptions of fair treatment and perceptions of LGBTQ+ representation. Despite expectations that contradictory evidence demonstrating a negative diversity climate might create mistrust and impede disclosure, the benefits of an identity‐conscious ideology persisted in the face of a negative diversity climate. These findings point to the complexities of facilitating visible sexual minority representation in many workplace environments.

Mapping gender and sexual minority representation in cancer research: a scoping review protocol.

Addressing the risk of people from gender and sexual minority (GSM) groups experiencing inequities throughout the cancer continuum requires a robust evidence base. In this scoping review, we aim to map the literature on cancer outcomes among adults from GSM groups and the factors that influence them along the cancer continuum. This mixed-methods scoping review will follow the approach outlined by JBI. We will systematically search electronic databases for literature in collaboration with a health sciences librarian. Two reviewers will screen titles and abstracts to determine eligibility based on inclusion criteria, and then retrieve full text articles for data extraction. Results will be reported following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for scoping reviews. Quantitative data will be qualitized through a narrative interpretation and pooled with qualitative data. We will use meta-aggregation to synthesize findings. This protocol was developed in collaboration with GSM patient and public advisors. We will engage people from GSM groups, community organizations and knowledge users in disseminating results. This review will direct future research efforts by expanding the wider body of research examining cancer disparities across the cancer continuum that GSM groups experience, identifying literature gaps and limitations, and highlighting relevant social determinants of health that influence cancer outcomes for adults from GSM groups.

Out of the Closet and into the Classroom: Reassessing the Boundaries of Gender and Sexual Minorities in Comparative and International Education

Out of the Closet and into the Classroom: Reassessing the Boundaries of Gender and Sexual Minorities in Comparative and International Education

Tożsamość i jej kreowanie w grach wideo. Przykład postaci LGBT

The presented article covers the subject of creating one’s identity in a virtual reality of video games, in the perspective of LGBT characters and their influence on the exploration of the sexual identity of a gamer. It describes the means by which the user has the ability to experiment with and express their identity, putting an emphasis on the role of immersion and cultural reflection in this process. The fol-lowing presented issues concern the representation of sexual minorities and negative phenomena that are present in the virtual space (such as queerbaiting), which have an impact on both the user, as well as the game industry. It emphasizes the role of the appearance of LGBT characters in this medium, which potentially can positively influence the player and producer communities. In this article I also describe three examples of non-heteronormative characters and their importance to users and developers of the given games.

Turing's children: Representation of sexual minorities in STEM.

We provide nationally representative estimates of sexual minority representation in STEM fields by studying 142,641 men and women in same-sex couples from the 2009-2018 American Community Surveys. These data indicate that men in same-sex couples are 12 percentage points less likely to have completed a bachelor's degree in a STEM field compared to men in different-sex couples. On the other hand, there is no gap observed for women in same-sex couples compared to women in different-sex couples. The STEM degree gap between men in same-sex and different-sex couples is larger than the STEM degree gap between all white and black men but is smaller than the gender gap in STEM degrees. We also document a smaller but statistically significant gap in STEM occupations between men in same-sex and different-sex couples, and we replicate this finding by comparing heterosexual and gay men using independently drawn data from the 2013-2018 National Health Interview Surveys. These differences persist after controlling for demographic characteristics, location, and fertility. Finally, we document that gay male representation in STEM fields (measured using either degrees or occupations) is systematically and positively associated with female representation in those same STEM fields.

Queer Desire in Japanese TV Series

Abstract This article provides an analysis of representations of sexual minorities in Japanese TV series. It outlines how homosexual and queer desire is depicted and how stereotypes and tropes are used in the construction of queer characters in this media format. The article also illuminates the ways in which TV series differentiate between depictions of same-sex romance and opposite-sex romance. The corpus of analysed TV series spans a period of twenty-five years. Thus, the analysis also sheds light on changes in the representation of sexual minorities over time. Examples from recent TV series point to a more positive and sometimes didactic approach towards the topic of homosexuality in Japanese mainstream media.

“Running the Numbers”: Modes of Microcelebrity Labor in Queer Women’s Self-Representation on Instagram and Vine

Microcelebrity, as a set of practices contributing to personalized self-branding, has become an increasingly prominent component of self-representation on social media platforms. While “influencers” who have built lucrative followings through microcelebrity give the appearance of having fun without much exertion, recent studies have uncovered multiple forms of labor involved in their practices of cultural production. In addition, scholars analyzing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) influencers highlight a tension between labor in service of self-commodification and the representation of sexual minorities. This article examines the microcelebrity labor of everyday queer women who aim to increase their social and economic capital by interweaving personal self-representations with entrepreneurial endeavors on Instagram and Vine. Through a close analysis of these platforms’ markets, governance, and infrastructures alongside interviews with queer female users of each platform, attention is given to both platform influences and participants’ experiences of promoting their jobs, side-gigs, hobbies, or passions alongside the rest of their lives. Findings identify three modes of labor specific to participants’ efforts to build a following: (1) intimate affective labor expended in sharing and managing personal disclosures; (2) developmental aesthetic labor as the acquisition and practice of technical skills and bodily displays to achieve a desired appearance or performance; (3) aspiring relational labor in attempts to forge relationships with established influencers or celebrities. Sexual identity was pivotal across these modes of labor, as it enhanced intimacy with followers, provided a niche audience for self-branding, conveyed authenticity through self-revelation, and established a common ground for forging relationships.

Representation of sexual minorities in the Japanese media

Representation of sexual minorities in the Japanese media

Portraying the Multitudes: Representation of Identities of Sexual Minorities on Indonesia-Based Feminist Web Magazine Magdalene.co

Abstract
 This paper aims to interrogate the representation of identities of sexual minorities, also known as LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Queer), on Magdalene.co, an Indonesia-based feminist web magazine which provides a slanted guide to women and issues and offers and engages with fresh perspectives beyond traditional gender and cultural confines. The representation of sexual minorities is observed through a selection of six published articles written by editorial members and from contributors’ submissions, varying in age, gender, self-identification as sexual minorities, and degree of anonymity. The articles are analysed via discourse analysis, primarily based on discourse theory by Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. Also, incorporated into the analysis are Adrienne Rich’s theory of politics of location to look at bodies of sexual minorities, and Gilbert Herdt’s(2009) concept of sexual panic to look at the increasing religious-conservatism in Indonesia in contrast to the sexuality of sexual minorities. Through this research, I aim to examine the ways in which the representation of sexual minorities in the media opens a space of resistance against heteronormative public discourse.

Audiences out of the box: Diasporic sexual minorities viewing representations of sexual diversity

Much has been written about the representation of sexual minorities in the media, but the meanings of such representations for audiences have hardly been explored to date. Moreover, most of this writing only addresses Western representations and White, Western audiences, so the current picture is limited and culturally specific. This article draws on in-depth interviews with (children of) migrants living in Belgium, discussing their readings of representations of sexual diversity. In media from their country of origin, but also in Belgian and Western media, they identify many of the ‘old’ problems discussed in the literature on lesbian, gay and bisexual and transgender representation: invisibility, negativity and stereotyping. While they are also critical about the lack of diversity in the media, particularly in terms of non-White, non-Western representations, they generally ‘make do’ with what is available This research shows how patterns of representation are all but even across the world, and how strongly the meanings and implications of these representations depend on the readings of audiences, situated in particular cultural, social and media contexts.

La representación de la homosexualidad en el cine de la dictadura franquista

The representation of sexual minorities has become one of the most prolific interests of contemporary film studies. As yet, not so much is known of the Spanish case, despite recent contributions. This article studies the strategies of repression of homosexuality in Spanish films under Franco, and analyses the complexities of these studies. It focuses on censorship and introduces archival work. Later, a number of comedies are studied in order to analyse the strategies of homosexual representation in cinema.

Representasi Homoseksualitas dalam Film Indonesia Kontemporer

This paper examines the emergence of non-normative sexual orientations in contemporary Indonesian films. Unlike the representation of sexuality in New Order Indonesian films, which centred on the female reproductive role and presented the nation as constructed of heterosexual families rather than individual citizens, a number of 200()s Indonesian films can be seen as negotiations of new understandings of sexual diversity and individual subjectivity. These films represent a challenge to monolithic and essentialist constructions of sexuality in Indonesia, and portray characters and situations in ways that seem to fulfil the five selection criteria which Griffin and Benshoff (2006) apply to the definition of 'queer' cinema. As such, they are indicative of a paradigm shift in Indonesian cinema, which needs to be studied in association with broader patterns of social and political change. The paper describes three categories in the representation of sexual minorities in contemporary Indonesian films. The first category is represented by films such as Arisanl and , Gie, which portray characters and situations deal with male homosexual subjectivity or homoeroticism. The second category concerns films of this type that portray female characters, such as Detik Terakhirand TentangDia. In the third category are films which depict waria (male to female transgender characters) and transsexuals, represented by Panggil Aku Puspa and Realita Cinta dan Rock n Roll. The paper examines these films in the light of Boellstorff's (2005) study of gay and lesbi communities and subjectivities in Indonesia, as a way of situating them in a larger cultural picture. It suggests that the makers of these films are attempting to change the perception of their audiences about non-normative sexualities, and investigates the strategic devices used by the film makers to subvert censorship codes and social taboos in a country where homosexual behaviour is accommodated, but homosexual identities remain outside the range of socially and culturally-sanctioned subjectivities.