Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

Introduction: Queering Rural Education, Leia K. Cain, Ty Mcnamee, Darris Means

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

In this editorial introduction, we situate this dual-journal special issue within the current legislative landscape targeting queer and trans people across North America in rural communities. We describe our collaboration with the editorial teams of the Journal of Research in Rural Education and the Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education to illuminate the experiences and perspectives of queer youth and adults in and from rural spaces. We then introduce the articles published in JQTSiE, which are organized into four interrelated themes: (1) Embodied Pedagogies and Spatial Navigation, (2) Institutional Structures and Resistance, (3) Community, Literacy, and Representation, …

Fugitive Formalisms: Strategies Of Dissemblance And Dissent In The Work Of Queer-Identifying Artists, 1970–Present, Rowan Diaz-Toth

Theses and Dissertations

Utilizing case studies of works by Hélio Oiticica, Scott Burton, and Felix Gonzalez-Torres as points of departure, this thesis puts forth a speculative historical framework for reconsidering queer art practices up through the present day in opposition to regimes of visibility and transparency, exploring the subversive, fugitive potential of non-representational formalisms.

The Gsa Leadership Committee: Collective Liberation Through Community Building In Chicago Public Schools, Elizabeth A. Jarpe-Ratner, Corey M. Blake, Emilie L. Clark, Li Lichner, Meaghan L. Tomasiewicz, Nora Benomar, Jose Dominguez Magdaleno, Booker Marshall, Makayla Boyd, D. Little

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

Strong evidence links Gender and Sexuality Alliances (GSAs) to improved outcomes for LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer and questioning and other identities) students. Chicago Public Schools’ (CPS) is known for being a leader in supporting LGBTQ+ students. Despite this, CPS’ size has made it difficult to support all schools in adopting recommended practices. Therefore, in 2020 CPS launched the GSA Leadership Committee (GSALC), which comprises teachers and other school-based staff leaders throughout the district, to support all schools in adopting practices known to support LGBTQ+ students. This paper draws on four years of interviews with group facilitators and focus groups …

Editorial For Issue 20(1), Jeff Moe, Peighton Corley, Aaron Albright

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

[Introduction] Hello and welcome to the community of counselors, advocates, and scholars who read the Journal of LGBTQ Issues in Counseling. In our era of continued political attacks and undermining of gender diverse and sexual orientation diverse people, our editorial board remains committed to creating knowledge that speaks to the inherent worth of LGBTQIQA+ people and related groups. Our histories and communities are dynamic, and we continue to shape standards of care and best practice that not only improve the mental health and well-being of gender diverse and sexual orientation diverse people but help improve the lives of all people …

Reflections Of A Queer Latvia: How The Past Has Shaped Contemporary Activism, Gray Ruffer

Slavic Studies Honors Papers

This thesis aims to create a transhistorical map of queer Riga through the tolerance, treatment, and activist moments in Latvia from the early twentieth century to 2025, with special focus on the divided legal and social attitudes toward LGBT identities in different pockets of Riga. By tracing the role the Russo-Soviet occupations on Latvian soil from 1914-1991 had on the structure of governmental organizations, the treatment of the Latvian language and culture, and the social atmosphere in the capital of Riga, this thesis establishes a Latvian national historical memory through memory narratives that focus themselves in authentic Latvian traditionality, as …

Sparks: A Love Story, Stacey Kramer

MA Projects

In 1953 Robert Rauschenberg and Jasper Johns met through a mutual friend, thus sparking a romantic and creative partnership that would endure until late 1961. At a time when it was illegal to be in a same-sex relationship, these two artists collaborated and inspired each other, and together they changed the course of contemporary art. Breaking free of the Abstract Expressionists, they chartered an artistic path forward and beyond while working from their adjacent studios, sharing intimacies and a similar mindset.  The two artists often channeled a shared sensibility and aesthetic, developing their own symbolic language even as they avoided …

"Just Friends:" The Linguistics Of Queerness In Lady Audley's Secret And Carmilla, Kelley A. Peters

English

Many queer studies scholars have debated the legitimacy of queer coding within Victorian literature, such as Marc Milton Ducusin, who wrote Queer Doubles: The Victorian Sensation Novel and English Sexology, and Sharon Marcus, the author of Between Women: Friendship, Desire, and Marriage in Victorian England. These authors analyze real-life and fictional behaviors of those within Victorian England to argue that queerness is present in certain Victorian works. However, these arguments do not adequately address the linguistic significance of the queer coding present in these works, and they specifically ignore the label of “friend” and its many meanings in Victorian …

Pride And Portrayal: The Effects Of Gender Identity And Generational Cohort On Lgbtq+ Perceptions Of Media Coverage, Dang H. Le

Communication Theses - Archive

Public debates over LGBTQ+ issues have intensified in the United States in recent years, placing news media at the center of conflicts over representation, fairness, and credibility. While a substantial body of research has analyzed how LGBTQ+ people are portrayed in news coverage, far less attention has been paid to how LGBTQ+ audiences themselves evaluate that coverage. Understanding these perceptions is increasingly important as declining trust in journalism intersects with political polarization and ongoing policy debates surrounding LGBTQ+ rights. This study examines how generational cohorts and gender identity shape LGBTQ+ audiences’ perceptions of news coverage quality, perceived media hostility, and …

Legislative Debate-Attributed Suicidality Among Lgbtq+ Adults: The Buffering Effect Of Community Belongingness, Keith J. Watts, Shawndaya S. Thrasher, Laneshia R. Conner, Nicole Campbell, Louis G. Baser, Dekeitra Griffin, Sydney P. Howard, Missy Spears, Justin X. Moore

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

Background: In recent years, the sociopolitical landscape in the United States has shifted due to an increase in state-level legislation regarding LGBTQ+ rights, a trend that has been particularly pronounced in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. While the mental health impacts of enacted laws are increasingly documented, a critical gap remains in understanding the psychological toll of the legislative debates themselves—the prolonged periods of public discourse surrounding the restriction of rights. Methods: Utilizing data from the 2025 Queer Kentucky Survey (N = 817), this exploratory study examined the association between LGBTQ+ community belongingness and acute suicidality attributed specifically to anti-LGBTQ+ legislative …

Asynchronous Lgbtq+ Affirming Counseling Training With Early Career Counselors: A Mixed Methods Program Evaluation, Amber L. Pope, Kelli Hartzell, Matt B. Siroty, Jeff Moe, Noelle St. Germain-Sehr, Bianca R. Augustine, Amanda St. Germain-Sehr, Tai Lexumé

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

A growing body of research shows that training in LGBTQ+ affirming counseling (LGBTQ+ AC) positively impacts counselors’ perceived knowledge and skills in providing mental health services to LGBTQ+ communities. Existing program evaluations of LGBTQ+ AC, however, have primarily used synchronous delivery formats and cultural competency models for the training design. This study is part of an action research agenda to develop an introductory training in LGBTQ+ AC, using asynchronous online delivery and cultural humility as the conceptual framework for the training design. We used a fixed convergent parallel mixed methods quasi-experimental design to examine the impact of our LGBTQ+ AC …

"Oh, You've Come To Visit The Yard?": Phenotypic Capital, Intragroup Marginalization, And The Gated Sanctuary In Black Lgbtq+ Communities, Keith J. Watts, Shawndaya S. Thrasher, Nicole Campbell, Laneshia R. Conner, Julian K. Glover, Janet K. Otachi, Dekeitra Griffin

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

Identity-based communities that share common characteristics, beliefs, and experiences (e.g., Black LGBTQ+ communities) have historically been conceptualized as protective bubbles that buffer Black LGBTQ+ individuals against the deleterious effects of systemic racism and cisheterosexism. However, this monolithic narrative often masks the internal power dynamics that divide belonging. This study explores the exclusionary dynamics embedded within these safe spaces, examining how internal hierarchies of skin tone, socioeconomic status, and gender performance function as proximal stressors. Guided by a critical constructivist paradigm, this study utilized Reflexive Thematic Analysis to analyze open-ended survey responses from 74 Black LGBTQ+ adults. Data were drawn from …

Editorial For Issue 20(2), Jeff Moe, Peighton Corley, Aaron Albright

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

[Introduction] Hello to the readers of the Journal of LGBTQ Issues in Counseling. Like many counselors, counselors-in-training, scholars, and other individuals you may be coming to the journal looking for insights into your counseling work. Along with publishing original research that creates space for exploring LGBTQ+ lifeways from an open and affirmative perspective, the manuscripts published in the journal have always been grounded in application.

Finding, Founding, And Forging: Queer Formulations Of Family In Nineteenth-Century British Novels, Brian Hicks

Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation examines how nineteenth-century British novels imagine and negotiate queer formulations of family at moments when biological kinship, marriage, and inheritance were increasingly formalized as social and legal imperatives. Reading canonical texts by Austen, Shelley, Wilde, Brontë, and Hardy, alongside the proto-modern and modernist work of Joseph Conrad and Virginia Woolf, I argue that these novels resist consanguinity as the sole basis of family and instead theorize queer kinship as something found, founded, or forged through affinity, care, and shared orientation rather than blood or reproduction. Drawing on queer theory, feminist criticism, phenomenology, and Foucauldian accounts of power and …

Impact Of Gender-Affirming Hormone Therapy On Dry Eye, Keith E. Arnold, Michael J. Foster, Tomasz A. Tabernacki, Chase A. Turner, Peter A. Netland, Kirtishri Mishra

Department of Ophthalmology Faculty Publications

Purpose

To determine whether gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT) influences tear system health in transgender individuals.

Methods

This retrospective cohort observational study analyzed data from transgender men and women ages ≥18-years between 2004 and 2024 via electronic medical record (EMR) data. Following propensity score matching, subjects on hormone therapy included 23,623 transgender men, 15,933 transgender women, and an equal number in each matched control group.

Results

Among transgender men and women, respectively, tear system disorders occurred in 0.90% and 0.94% of those using GAHT and 0.90% and 1.17% of those not using GAHT (p = 0.211, p = 0.072). There was …

Drag’S Impact On Drag Lives, José L. Oropeza Iii

Anthós

Drag’s Impact On Drag Lives

In light of recent political developments where Drag and Trans identities are being punished, why do people still participate in Drag? If there are repercussion to face for being a Drag Queen, then surely it must affect their lives for the better for them to continue the practice.

Through an autoethnographic approach to researching the Portland, OR Drag community, I collected transcripts of conversations with local Queens, took notes of community interactions, and put myself in Drag for the first time as a Queer man to better understand the Drag community and why they Drag. …

Out In The Arena: Examining The Lgbtq+ Experience In Ihsa, Katharine C. Didier

Murray State Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated factors influencing Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) LGBTQ+ riders’ perceptions of inclusion, safety, and belonging, with the hypothesis that teams with diversity and inclusion policies would be perceived as more accepting. An online survey was developed to gather information from self-identified LGBTQ+ IHSA students. Questions covered demographics, team environment, and perceived inclusivity within their equestrian programs. Question types included multiple choice, Likert-type, short answer, and open-ended. IHSA coaches were asked to share the survey link with team members. Students were able to respond anonymously. The survey was open for 8 weeks. Reminders were sent out at 3 …

Spell Of Forty Small Failings, Erin B. Ehren

Theses and Dissertations

Spell of Forty Small Failings is a collection of images and writings that draws from an unruly range of literary forms, academic disciplines, and religious cannons in order to address the Divine—all that which exists on account of the phenomena of what it is to see and be seen: to hear and be heard: to touch and be touched: to know and be known, and through that knowing proceed beyond mediation. I wrote this thesis for me in the hopes that all along I was writing for you.

The Final Boys' Club: Conceptualizing A Final Boy Of 1980s Horror, Ej Newton

Masters Theses

Carol J Clover’s (2015) Final Girl, the female slasher protagonist who survives to the end of the movie, has become a staple of horror scholarship, providing insight into the function of gender within the genre as well as our cultural beliefs surrounding femininity. Given the attention paid to horror’s leading ladies, however, another fascinating figure has gone unexplored: the Final Boy. This project analyzes nine horror films from the 1980s with young male protagonists in order to conceptualize and critique this previously unidentified trope. Utilizing McKerrow’s (1989) critical rhetoric as a guide, this research not only provides a thorough definition …

Resistance And Innovation: The Cultural Work Of Popular Romance Novels, Chelsee M. Niebergall

Dartmouth College Master’s Theses

Popular romance fiction is the highest-grossing genre in contemporary publishing, yet it remains one of the least examined in academic scholarship. As this thesis argues, while texts of this genre have been marginalized and stigmatized for their perceived lack of literary sophistication, they prove to be some of the most radical in terms of cultural impact. Their dismissal is not incidental but symptomatic of the very systems of oppression the romance novels work to disrupt. This thesis will examine these radical texts and uncover the cultural work they perform on their readers by using an analytical framework newly developed here, …

Lgbtq People's Experiences With Crime, Victimization, And The Criminal Legal System, Vanessa R. Panfil

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

The ebb and flow of social control efforts aimed at LGBTQ people necessitate a thorough investigation into their experiences. This review of the literature is organized around four key themes that characterize LGBTQ people's experiences with crime, criminalization, victimization, and the criminal legal system—including police, courts, and carceral facilities. LGBTQ people experience excessive rates of arrest and incarceration and have higher rates of victimization, which illustrate disproportionality. Their experiences differ from those of their cisgender and heterosexual counterparts and are conditioned by age, race, class, gender, and sexual orientation, illustrating intersectionality. The two primary, interrelated mechanisms driving LGBTQ criminalization and …

“I Don’T Always See A Future For Me Here”: Oppressive Political Pressures On Lgbtq+ College Students’ Well-Being, Jodi Linley, Olivia M. Copeland, Kathleen J. Buell, Cindy Ann Kilgo, Megan Pendleton, Alex C. Lange, N F. Tennessen

Journal of Queer and Trans Studies in Education

In recent decades, colleges have broadly supported LGBTQ+ students. Now, institutions have shuttered LGBTQ+ initiatives in response to political pressures, with little consideration for the effects on students. This study answers the question, what current policy factors do LGBTQ+ college students describe as affecting their well-being, and in what ways? We analyzed 426 responses from a multi-institution study of LGBTQ+ students. By and large, students feel anxious and fearful as they navigate the current climate. Our analysis illustrated numerous factors, from the President and his administration to states and general emboldened violence, and the real and potential consequences of those …

When To Bite Back: Queerness, Resistance, And Reclamation Of The Monstrous Identity In Andrew Joseph White’S Hell Followed With Us, Aster J. Mehigan Mx.

English

Who gets the right to define morality? Who gets to define what is monstrous? Frankenstein’s Creature, the vampires of Lost Boys, The Craft’s head witch Nancy Downs; these characters follow a pattern through the decades of those alienated from society, in this case being written with queer subtext, being deemed as monstrous. These queer monsters become the villains of the story, causing chaos, death and destruction in their wake, seeking revenge against a world that ostracizes them. The 2022 dystopian YA horror of Hell Followed With Us by Andrew Joseph White challenges the villanized monstrous identity through its transgender protagonist …

Editorial For Issue 20(3): Special Issue: Developmental Trajectories In Lgbtqiqa+ Lifeways, Jeff Moe, Aaron Albright

Counseling & Human Services Faculty Publications

[Introduction] Hello and welcome to the community of counselors, advocates, and scholars who read the Journal of LGBTQ Issues in Counseling. Over the course of the past 20 years, affirmative counseling with and on behalf of LGBTQIQA+ people has developed into a profession-wide expectation as opposed to a specialty area. The synergy of consistent and prolonged social and professional activism with research and practice led the leaders of organizations like the American School Counselors’ Association (ASCA) and the American Counseling Association (ACA) to adopt LGBTQ+ affirmation as the ethical and professional perspective of the counseling field. The leaders of the …

Inclusive Psychology Pedagogy Is Linked To Increased Belonging And Reduced Prejudice Toward Consensually Non-Monogamous Relationships, Rose Bern, Rachel Dinero, Kate Linenbach, Amy Moors

Psychology Faculty Articles and Research

Students enrolled in an elective psychology course entitled Relationship Science, which emphasized inclusive curricula focused on relationship diversity, completed pre- and postcourse assessments of attitudes toward consensually nonmonogamous (CNM) relationships, relationship skills (e.g., constructive communication), and classroom belonging. Given the established literature on lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+-inclusive pedagogy, attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer+ individuals were also measured. Comparisons of pre- and postcourse assessments revealed significant reductions in stigma toward individuals engaged in CNM, alongside increased acceptance of CNM relationships more broadly. Students also reported increases in relationship skills and classroom belonging over the course of the …

Queering Poetry Workshops, Dobby Morse

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

To what extent do participants report that a poetry workshop builds connections between poets and strengthen their confidence in writing? What do participants want or expect from a poetry workshop?

Through this project I hope to attend and host poetry workshops with an emphasis on the queer community. I will collaborate with campus and community organizations like Queer Humboldt and other organizations that are interested in exploring queer experiences through writing, connection, and meditation. This project will serve as a how-to guide for those seeking to conduct their own workshops.

Examining Marginalized Sexual Identity Development Through Perry’S Scheme Of Cognitive Development, Miranda Bejda

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

Existing models of LGBTQ+ sexual identity development are critiqued for their linearity and lack of inclusion for diverse experiences and sexual identities. There is a call for a more robust understanding of the cognitive aspect of sexual identity development. The purpose of this dissertation is to further the understanding of how people think about their sexual identity through the developmental process using Perry’s scheme of cognitive development as a framework. Through semi-structured interviews, I analyze the LGBTQ+ sexual identity development process (Stage 1), how Perry’s scheme applies to LGBTQ+ sexual identity development (Stage 2), and propose a Perry-informed model of …

Transgender Representation In Japanese Video Games And Their Corresponding American Fandoms, Aj Abad

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis explores transgender and gender non-conforming characters within Japanese media and their corresponding American fandoms. In this thesis, I use a methodology named trans negotiated readings, stemming from Stuart Hall’s theory of dominant codes and negotiated readings. Through focusing on two characters from two different Japanese media—Arashi Narukami from Ensemble Stars!! and Mizuki Akiyama from Project Sekai: Colorful Stage Feat. Hatsune Miku, I uncover some of the dominant codes encoded the original source material. After, I also examine their corresponding American fandoms, uncovering the negotiated readings from the fanbase. This thesis attempts to show different cultures’ interpretation of transgender …

Building Eden Where We Can, Ireland Thomas

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

Building Eden Where We Can is a nonfiction memoir told in vignettes that come together to build a wider story. Through these vignettes, we are shown a narrator who is simultaneously surviving an abusive family, navigating a rare diagnosis, and coming to terms with their queerness. By braiding narratives and maintaining these various threads, this collection examines the intersections of sickness and religion, tradition and freedom, as well as fear and love. The lattermost dichotomy is represented in the narrator’s ultimate choice to leave behind a life of fear in the mother figure’s safe cage. In exchange, they receive a …

It's All The Same, Lauren A. Bedevia

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

It’s All the Same is a collection of short stories that center around lesbian characters. The stories explore themes such as ambition, morality, karma, mental health, exploitation, and relationships. The collection opens with “Forget Her Inc.,” a short story that juggles an ensemble cast of lesbians and examines whether memory eraser therapy is an ethical practice for treating a broken heart. “It’s All the Same,” the titular story, uses lyricism to present the parallels between two women in terms of family dynamics, interests, and attachment styles; the story explores a loving friendship between a lesbian and a straight woman.

“Fun …

The Revelations, Lily Mckenna

Graduate Studies Theses and Dissertations 2026

The Revelations is a self-actualization in the form of a poetry collection. The speaker’s realization that reality is relative arrives through a Title IX case against an abusive boyfriend and former bandmate. Poems such as “Complainant / Respondent” use rigid legal structures to investigate the fluidity of truth and perception and how they can be manipulated. With her band on hiatus and the case propelling her into a new world, the speaker starts running DIY shows alongside a cast of characters with a shared love of music. She interrogates their realities in the character studies “On The Relative Reality Of…,” …