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Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons

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Portland State University

Theses/Dissertations

2021

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Articles 1 - 15 of 15

Full-Text Articles in Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies

Letitia Carson In Court: African American Women, Property, And Wages In The Pacific Northwest, Stephanie Marie Vallance Nov 2021

Letitia Carson In Court: African American Women, Property, And Wages In The Pacific Northwest, Stephanie Marie Vallance

Dissertations and Theses

Letitia Carson arrived in Oregon from Missouri in 1845, accompanied by David Carson and their newborn child, a daughter named Martha. The Carsons settled in the Soap Creek Valley and took advantage of Oregon's Provisional Government's donation land claim program, living on 640 acres in the newly formed Benton County with Martha and a second child, a son named Adam, born a few years after arriving in Oregon. Within ten years, however, David would be dead and Letitia would be dispossessed of all property and belongings. A former slave, Letitia had little social standing in the new territory and no …


Gender Deviants: Subverting Regulatory Power In Medical Institutions, Ursa Nuffer-Rodriguez Mx. Oct 2021

Gender Deviants: Subverting Regulatory Power In Medical Institutions, Ursa Nuffer-Rodriguez Mx.

University Honors Theses

Medical and psychiatric institutions have a long history of regulating and pathologizing the bodies of non-normative individuals. The harmful normativity of these institutions is particularly salient for trans* people pursuing gender-affirming medical care, as popular media representations of trans* identity reinforce narratives of certainty and aspirations towards cisgender standards of corporeality which rarely map onto authentic narratives of trans*ness. For the gender deviant subject, who conceives of hirself beyond these hegemonic notions of identity, navigating these institutions often requires a false projection of identity that fits the standard narrative, simply as a means to an end. In doing so, the …


Women's Work: A Feminist Standpoint Theory Study Of Scholarship, Voice, And Resistance In The Academic Generation Of Knowledge, Linnea Angelica Spitzer Jul 2021

Women's Work: A Feminist Standpoint Theory Study Of Scholarship, Voice, And Resistance In The Academic Generation Of Knowledge, Linnea Angelica Spitzer

Dissertations and Theses

More women than ever are earning doctoral degrees and are taking research or teaching positions at universities. However, the number of tenured women in full professorships have not yet achieved parity with the number of men in similar positions. Of the many reasons proposed for the disproportionate representation of women in the higher ranks of academia, one of the most commonly cited is the lower rates of publication by women in scholarly journals, an important criterion for promotion and tenure. However, women faculty are not unproductive. As scholars, they produce research and publish their findings in mainstream academic journals. In …


Transformative Health Care: Integrating The Perspectives And Lived Experiences Of Transgender And Gender Diverse Patients Into Health Care Education And Delivery, Shammarie Raquel Mathis Jul 2021

Transformative Health Care: Integrating The Perspectives And Lived Experiences Of Transgender And Gender Diverse Patients Into Health Care Education And Delivery, Shammarie Raquel Mathis

Dissertations and Theses

Prior research studies have found transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) patients at increased risk for poor physical and mental health as a result of disparities in health care access and treatment. Research has shown that perioperative patient education can improve patient outcomes, as well as promote increased knowledge, preparedness, and recovery post-surgery. For TGNC patients, gender affirming perioperative education classes are especially important for prospective patients as they not only provide comprehensive information about perioperative topics but also serve as a mechanism to promote personal empowerment through knowledge acquisition. The Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) Transgender Health Program (THP) …


The Journey To El Norte: An Analysis Of Gendered Violence On Central American Migrant Trails, Rachel A. Adams Jul 2021

The Journey To El Norte: An Analysis Of Gendered Violence On Central American Migrant Trails, Rachel A. Adams

University Honors Theses

This thesis aims to investigate the violence encountered by Central American women, both at home and when they seek to migrate to the US. We examine the conditions faced by Central American women leading them to take risks as they emigrate from their countries of origin. First, we analyze the violence that women face in their countries of origin. Next, we discuss the violence that women encounter on migrant corridors. Finally, we explore the obstacles that migrant women face when they arrive at the United States border itself. This thesis ultimately aims to provide information to the interdisciplinary field of …


Witches As Queer(Ed) Comrades: How Patriarchy, Sexism And Religious Fanaticism Fueled The Early Modern European Witch Hunts, Iris S. De Lis Jul 2021

Witches As Queer(Ed) Comrades: How Patriarchy, Sexism And Religious Fanaticism Fueled The Early Modern European Witch Hunts, Iris S. De Lis

University Honors Theses

Patriarchy, sexism, and religious fanaticism each played a complementary and compounding role in creating the conditions for the brutal campaign of violent terror, torture, and mass murder that we now refer to as the early modern European witch hunts. In this paper I explore, by way of a cross-discipline literature review through a feminist and queer theoretical lens, the ways in which those who were accused of being witches in early modern Europe were rendered queer subjects by dominant organized religion, the state and society--regardless of whether they ever actually identified as witches or practiced witchcraft. The term queer subject …


Teen Dating Violence Prevention For Queer And Questioning Youth, Whitney Reek Jun 2021

Teen Dating Violence Prevention For Queer And Questioning Youth, Whitney Reek

University Honors Theses

Teen dating violence (TDV) is a prevalent problem among queer and questioning youth, yet research on TDV has not addressed how best to serve this population and current prevention programs do not directly target this population. This literature review compiles information on current TDV prevention programs recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); risk factors for TDV among queer and questioning youth; and social factors that indicate what type of prevention methods may be the most helpful for queer and questioning youth. These risk factors and social factors are then compared to the current TDV prevention programs …


Queer: A 25 Year History, A Blooming Identity, Greer Klepacki Jun 2021

Queer: A 25 Year History, A Blooming Identity, Greer Klepacki

University Honors Theses

The term "queer" has a long and complex history that has been previously undocumented in academic works. This thesis will work to unravel and uncover the complexity behind the term itself while also establishing its place in a historical timeline. In doing so, this thesis will illustrate the importance that queer identity has in the LGBTQIA+ community, along with academic, social, and theoretical frameworks. Furthermore, it will showcase the unique opportunity that the term queer has to allow its audience to engage with and understand a more critical and dynamic approach to the past, present, and future of the communities …


Fostering Connectedness Amidst Crisis: Lgbtq Communities In 2020, Daniel Leister-Gray Jun 2021

Fostering Connectedness Amidst Crisis: Lgbtq Communities In 2020, Daniel Leister-Gray

University Honors Theses

The purpose of this thesis was to investigate LGBTQ communities’ responses to the global and national crises that took place in 2020. To accomplish this, the thesis ties together and summarizes relevant multidisciplinary constructs, and highlights specific examples of the actions taken by LGBTQ communities in 2020. The secondary goal was to tell an anecdote providing ecological validity for relevant empirical data. The thesis is informed by LGBTQ psychology, medical sociology, LGBTQ history, modern events, neuroendocrinology, and neuroscience. The paper concludes that LGBTQ communities used activism, internet, and music to embody resilience and solidarity during 2020. The paper aims to …


Evaluation Of Sex Education Curriculum And Policy Related To The Needs Of Lgbtq+ Latinx Youth, Olivia Nayler Jun 2021

Evaluation Of Sex Education Curriculum And Policy Related To The Needs Of Lgbtq+ Latinx Youth, Olivia Nayler

University Honors Theses

Sex education is contentious and inconsistent in the United States but it is extremely necessary to address the health needs of young people and the adults they become. This study aims to evaluate how well comprehensive sex education curricula attend to the needs of high school age LGBTQ+ Latinx students. The curricula Our Whole Lives (OWL) and FLASH were chosen for the study as established sex education curricula based on their assertions of being factual and comprehensive, and for their adaptability in different settings and locations. A content analysis was performed on both curricula. In addition, an analysis of OAR …


How To Escape 130 Years Of Being Unnatural, Incompetent, And Unviable: American Women Presidential Candidates Take To Social Media, Izabella Becherer Jun 2021

How To Escape 130 Years Of Being Unnatural, Incompetent, And Unviable: American Women Presidential Candidates Take To Social Media, Izabella Becherer

University Honors Theses

For 130 years, American media coverage on women in presidential races remains unchanged despite the drastic difference in women's rights. While male candidates receive commentary on their policy, women often fall into discussions about their hair, their hemline, or their husband. Three core narratives about women then stem from their media characterization: unnatural, incompetent, and unviable. Unnatural, in that women, by nature, are not meant to be in political office. Incompetent, implying women are not smart enough for political office. Unviable, arguing that America is not ready to elect a female or females are "unelectable". The key to escaping this …


Situating Hiv/Aids Humanitarian Film In The National Cinema Culture Of Mozambique: Historical, Contemporary And Feminist Perspectives, Sebastián Andrés Suárez Hode Jun 2021

Situating Hiv/Aids Humanitarian Film In The National Cinema Culture Of Mozambique: Historical, Contemporary And Feminist Perspectives, Sebastián Andrés Suárez Hode

University Honors Theses

The HIV/AIDS epidemic in Mozambique has enabled a new wave of humanitarian cinema to develop as it seeks to educate and empower a population that has been adversely affected by the epidemic. Colonial-era patriarchal systems that persist have resulted in Mozambican women being disproportionately impacted by the virus, and humanitarian projects in turn use film as a vehicle for the exploration of Mozambican women’s subjectivities. Thus, these films have made for an especially feminist reconditioning of Mozambican national cinema culture. This essay will explore HIV/AIDS humanitarian cinema’s place within the larger discourse of Mozambican national cinema and will demonstrate how …


Reclaiming The "I": Memoir Writing As Feminist Activism, Michela Sottura Jun 2021

Reclaiming The "I": Memoir Writing As Feminist Activism, Michela Sottura

University Honors Theses

When I set out to write about my body and what happened to me, I knew I was going to have to sit with parts of myself I had long silenced, overlooked, maybe even abandoned. When I first took a class on women's memoir writing I was struck by the power of the stories we read. I felt like a door had been opened for me, as I witnessed the importance of sharing one's personal lived history. Reading the words of women with different identities and experiences than mine taught me how memoir can inspire, challenge, educate, rewrite, heal, and …


"The Caucasian Persuasion Here In The 'Dale": Othering, White Normality, And Post-Racialism In Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Isaiah Lee Jun 2021

"The Caucasian Persuasion Here In The 'Dale": Othering, White Normality, And Post-Racialism In Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Isaiah Lee

University Honors Theses

This thesis engages the construction of race within the television landscape of Buffy the Vampire Slayer to investigate how well-meaning, progressive media either reinvents or repudiates racial stereotype. This paper also examines the figure of the Other, as it is evoked in horror, and utilizes Hazel Carby's conception of the fantasized black subject to analyze the setting and characters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer with an eye towards the inherent assumptions the show makes about race. Ultimately, I argue that Buffy's representation of race assumes a white normality, flattening its non-white characters under the guise of inherent difference, even …


Gender Role As A Mediating Factor In Gender Pay Equity Analysis, Jillian Ann Girard Jan 2021

Gender Role As A Mediating Factor In Gender Pay Equity Analysis, Jillian Ann Girard

Dissertations and Theses

The gender wage gap has been persistent despite the introduction of new laws designed to address the disparity. One of the challenges in addressing this inequity is the lack of complete understanding of the driving factors of the pay gap. One yet unexplored factor is the impact of the gender role, which is a social role based on sex/gender which provides a structure and expectations for social relationships. The purpose of this research was to explore the relationship between gender role, biological sex, and base pay. A matched, cross-sectional sample drawn from large U.S. cities was utilized to test the …