Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Studies Commons^™

Petals And Pride: A Botanical History Of Queer Expression, Sarah O. Kowal

Graduate Masters Theses

“Petals and Pride” examines the historical use of flowers as enduring symbols of queer expression and persecution across diverse cultures and time periods, paying particular attention to violets, green carnations, roses, lilies, pansies, and lavender. This study begins with the appearance of violets in the works of the Ancient Greek poet Sappho and traces their adoption by the lesbian community of Paris at the turn of the twentieth century. Around this same time, another floral symbol emerged across the English Channel: the green carnation. Popularized by Oscar Wilde, the green carnation functioned in Victorian Britain as an emblem of sexuality …

Living Narrative, Logan W. Cody

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

This unconventional synthesis project uses the frameworks of communication studies and critical theory to explore questions of subjectification and identity. This paper uses a research-based approach to discussing my original piece of art known as autofiction. Simultaneously, this paper tries to use the techniques of art to communicate its meanings to you. I have chosen this style of writing for my research paper precisely because my research (and creative work) deals with narrative, identity, and ideas which cannot be said in words; ideas which have been made impossible to communicate through the official, traditional channels. To that end, in order …

Fostering Lgbtq Spirituality: A Campus Case Study, Tracy Morin

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

The importance of spirituality in the lives and identities of LGBTQ students is sufficiently documented in extant scholarship to encourage campus leaders to consider spiritual support in their efforts to improve campus climate (Birch, 2011; Gold & Stewart, 2011; Love et al., 2005; Means et al., 2016; Pryor et al., 2017), but there is minimal research to gauge whether, where, and how this consideration is being enacted. Even the Campus Pride Index, the nation’s premier resource for ranking the LGBTQ-friendliness of colleges and universities, does not consider support for spirituality in their campus assessment criteria. The purpose of this study …

Don’T Ignore My Voice: A Call To Action By And For Gender-Expansive Youth, Sam Hoyo

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Gender-expansive youth are regularly discriminated against because they do not fit into the socially constructed gender binaries of the schools they attend. Nor, typically, do they have a general sense of personal safety, often feeling socially and academically excluded from their dominant heteronormative school culture. This youth participatory action research mixed method study advocates for the academic success of gender-expansive youth by documenting how gender expansive young people embody damaging educational experiences and to what extent these experiences can also lead to solidarity, resilience, and perseverance. The research findings include that gender expansive youth feel tolerated but not supported by …

A Heavy Burden: Associations Between Sexual Minority Status, Mental Health, And Bmi In Women, Alison E. A. Goldblatt

Graduate Masters Theses

Sexual minority women (SMW) are at increased risk of elevated body mass index (BMI) compared to heterosexual women, which increases their vulnerability to a variety of chronic diseases. This increased risk of elevated BMI is likely due to unique minority stressors faced by sexual minority individuals, such as internalized heterosexism and discrimination. Minority stressors are associated with poorer mental and physical health among SMW, and SMW may engage in unhealthy coping strategies, like binge eating, to cope with these minority stressors. Research suggests that bisexual women, and other women with non-monosexual orientations, face elevated risks to their physical and psychological …

Harmony, Dissonance, Or Harm? The Psychological And Spiritual Promises And Perils Of Gay Christian Celibacy, Darren Jay Freeman-Coppadge

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Identity conflicts between sexuality and spirituality faced by religious lesbian and gay people have been described in literature, along with various methods to resolve such conflicts, including sexual orientation change efforts and identity integration. But a dearth of literature exists regarding celibacy as a means of resolving identity conflict. This study employed grounded theory to investigate the psychological and spiritual wellbeing of 12 current and former gay Christian celibates (GCCs). Results revealed how celibacy could harmonize sexuality and Christian spirituality, benefiting some celibates by providing them peace, satisfaction, and spiritual vibrancy. However, for many others, celibacy instigated dissonance between their …

Whether Or Not 'It Gets Better'…Coping With Parental Heterosexist Rejection, Cara Herbitter

Graduate Masters Theses

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people face the burden of additional stressors as a result of their experiences of stigma and discrimination regarding their sexual minority status. Parental rejection of LGB people in the context of heterosexism serves as a powerful minority stressor associated with poorer mental health (e.g., Bouris et al., 2010; Ryan, Huebner, Diaz, & Sanchez, 2009). Few contemporary theories exist to describe the experience of parental rejection. In addition, the extant empirical research has focused primarily on youth experiences among White and urban LGB samples, signaling the need for research across the lifespan investigating more diverse samples. …

Lgbt Student Experiences In Boston Public Schools: A Case Study, David Geyer

Honors College Theses

While the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) community has overcome great obstacles in its fight for equality, the newest challenge has become the poor mental health of the LGBT youth. In this study, the experiences of a recently graduated LGBT Boston Public Schools student were investigated through qualitative research methods. Interviews with the student were analyzed to determine what factors contributed to his overall positive experiences and mental health as a bisexual student attending Boston Public Schools. The showing of support from his mother and peers, along with the presence of a Gay-Straight Alliance club at his school positively affected …

Gay Outlaws: The Alpine County Project Reconsidered, Jacob D. Carter

Graduate Masters Theses

Controversial from the beginning, the Alpine County project (1969-1971), a genuine, albeit unsuccessful, effort put forth by gay radicals to establish a self-governing separatist community in rural California, is a grossly misunderstood event in United States history. Contemporary historical interpretations hold that the project was primarily either a well-conspired hoax devised by Los Angeles Gay Liberation Front (LA-GLF) to attract mainstream media coverage of Gay Liberation, or a misguided effort toward systemic reform. However, evidence indicates that, for gay separatists who supported it, the project was an effort to achieve collective self-determination by creating a geographic haven for a budding …

Two Community Collaborations With Sexual Minority Women’S Ngos In Shanghai & Hong Kong, Connie Chan, Hsin-Ching Wu

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Based on research with sexual minority communities in the United States, Connie Chan, professor of public policy and public affairs, conducted comparative research with community groups in Hong Kong and Shanghai, China. She provided capacity building training and resources directly to the organization which provides outreach and service to sexual minority women and girls in Shanghai, China. Professor Chan also supported Queer Sisters – an NGO that provides advocacy and community outreach to sexual minority girls and women in Hong Kong – by co-creating a needs assessment survey and helping them to interview their membership in Hong Kong.

Connie Chan …

Researching Stonewall Nation: Interdisciplinary Considerations For Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Research, Jacob Carter

Graduate History Conference, UMass Boston

The Alpine County Project, a climactic event in the gay liberation movement when activists took steps to create a self-governing separatist community in a remote region of rural California, is a largely forgotten topic of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender (LGBT) history. Though historical scholarship treated the project marginally within broader conceptual or regional contexts of gay liberation, the project had not been examined comprehensively in its own right. When approaching the topic, the initial historical problem to resolve was determining whether the project was a hoax staged to generate publicity or part of a genuine gay and lesbian separatist movement. …

Discovering My Passion As An Ally: Gaining Awareness Of The History Of The Gay Rights Movement, Meghan R. Callaghan

Critical and Creative Thinking Capstones Collection

Forty years have passed since the civil rights movements in the 1960s and 70s, and even with significant social and political strides made for the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) communities, some parts of life look and feel the same. The negative effects of homophobia still reign large and can be seen in state and national policies and through the harassment and violence towards LGBT youth. As a heterosexual, I want to know the best ways I can support and advocate for LGBT rights, and I wonder if through my privileges as a straight woman, compared to being a …

Poverty In The Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Community, Randy Albelda, M.V. Lee Badgett, Alyssa Schneebaum, Gary J. Gates

Center for Social Policy Publications

In 2007, 12.5% of Americans were officially counted as poor by the United States Census Bureau. People from every region, race, age, and sex are counted among our nation’s poor, where ―poor‖ is defined as living in a family with an income below the federal poverty level. In contrast, lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people are invisible in these poverty statistics. This report undertakes the first analysis of the poor and low-income lesbian, gay, and bisexual population. The social and policy context of LGB life provides many reasons to think that LGB people are at least as likely—and perhaps more …

Now That We Do: Same-Sex Couples And Marriage In Massachusetts, A Demographic And Economic Perspective, Randy Albelda, Michael Ash, M.V. Lee Badgett

Economics Faculty Publication Series

Gay and lesbian couples can now legally marry in Massachusetts. This article examines the demographics of same-sex couples and concludes that gay marriage will have a relatively small but positive long-term aggregate economic impact on the Commonwealth.

Front Matter: Trotter Review, Vol. 16, Issue 1

Trotter Review

Front Matter: Publication Information and Contents for Trotter Review, Vol. 16, Issue 1

Homosexuality And The Black Community, A Church Minister’S Perspective: Interview With Rev. Irene Monroe, Anne W. Gathuo

Trotter Review

In this interview, Rev. Irene Monroe points out that the issue of “Black homophobia” is a complicated one that can only be explained by examining racism and all the pertinent economic, social and cultural dynamics that emanate from the discrimination of the Black race in the United States. According to Monroe, the failure of Black communities to embrace their gay and lesbian sons and daughters stems partly from their lack of understanding of the racial dynamics affecting Black Gay and Lesbian people, as well as the rhetoric of the Black Evangelist right which is heavily influenced by White racist thought.

The “Who,“ “What,” “Where” And “How” Of The “Down Low”: A Personally‐Inspired Book Review Of Keith Boykin’S Beyond The Down Low: Sex, Lies And Denial In Black America, William H. Alexander

Trotter Review

In this review of Keith Boykin’s book on the Down Low, William H. Alexander draws generously from his own personal experience. According to Alexander, Boykin’s book is a wake up call and challenge to the Black community to stop wasting their time blaming and developing strategies that reject, exclude and oppress, but instead focus on their spirituality and humanity so that lives can be saved.

Homosexual And Racial Identity Conflicts And Depression Among African‐American Gay Males, William H. Alexander

Trotter Review

What does it mean to be male, Black and homosexual in the United States? In this study of 191 such men, William H. Alexander examines whether racial identity conflict and homosexual identity conflict contribute to depression in Black gay men. Alexander reports that being Black, a Black male, and a homosexual puts one in a vulnerable position that requires that he cope with a variety of stereotypes from every society with which he interacts. This pressure contributes to depression in this population.

Sorting It All Out: Book Review Of Delroy Constantine‐Simms’S The Greatest Taboo: Homosexuality In Black Communities, Anne W. Gathuo

Trotter Review

With contributors from an impressive array of scholars and journalists, The Greatest Taboo: Homosexuality in Black Communities, edited by Delroy Constantine‐Simms, attempts to tackle a wide variety of issues pertaining to homosexuality in Black communities in various parts of the world. While the book cannot claim to have satisfactorily explained all the issues, a fair attempt has been made. Certainly the book succeeds in illustrating the complexity of Black homosexuality.

Homosexuality And The Black Community, A Church Minister’S Perspective: Interview With Rev. Richard Richardson, Castellano Turner

Trotter Review

In this interview, Rev. Richard Richardson asserts that the Black church has always been the foundation on which the Black community has built its values. While not condoning the “sin” of homosexuality, Richardson maintains that the church does not turn away homosexuals and instead embraces them and attempts to teach them what God wants of them.

Gay Marriage And The Black Community, A Policy Maker’S Perspective: Interview With State Senator Dianne Wilkerson, Castellano Turner

Trotter Review

A vocal supporter of gay marriage, Senator Dianne Wilkerson explains in this interview that her support stems from her own reality as a Black person, a child of the Civil Rights movement, and her personal experiences with discrimination stemming from her skin color. As a policy maker, Wilkerson asserts her unwillingness to subject other human beings to the same treatment that she has been subjected to, because of their sexual orientation.

Introduction, Castellano Turner

Trotter Review

In addition to reporting research and providing analysis, the Trotter Review has always been a forum for presenting a range of perspectives on timely public issues in the Black community. In the fall of 2003 the Institute staff discussed the possibility of publishing a special issue of the Reviewdevoted to exploring the topic of “homosexuality and the Black community.”

Outside/In: Crossing Queer And Latino Boundaries, Luis Aponte Pares

Community Studies Faculty Publication Series

In this essay, I posit that to fully grasp the degree to which Latinos have latinized New York City's landscapes, the role Latino queers play in this process merits examination. Latino queers have begun to challenge queer institutions. They also aim to be coproducers of a queer imaginary and appropriate places of queer culture, thus Latinizing queer culture. They also claim a role in the coproduction of a Latino imaginary. By adding sexual orientation to this identity, queers indeed "queer," mariconear, decenter heteronormative Latino culture, perhaps producing a new "conception of 'identity,' which lives with and through, not despite, difference," …

The Aids Epidemic: A Prism Distorting Social And Legal Principles, Alec Gray

New England Journal of Public Policy

The AIDS epidemic is affecting American society in far-reaching and unexpected ways. It touches our institutions, our value systems, and our private lives. Social issues seem to change and become distorted by the epidemic 's prismlike effect. This article examines some of the major public health issues raised by the epidemic, ranging from testing to contact tracing and quarantine. It argues that while the civil rights of individuals may have to be sacrificed to stem the spread of the disease, those rights should not be abandoned unless a clear benefit to the public health would result.

Issues of discrimination in …

Epidemiology And Health Policy Imperatives For Aids, Katherine Hill Chavigny, Sarah L. Turner, Anne K. Kibrick

New England Journal of Public Policy

The purpose of this article is to describe the statistics and epidemiological facts about the most virulent epidemic of our age, acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The discussion argues for broadened public policy to promote the surveillance of communities in order to enhance the effectiveness of data gathering for epidemiological reasoning, analysis, and control measures. To accomplish these goals, the essential characteristics of epidemiology are defined. The use of deductive and inductive reasoning is applied to describe and analyze known facts concerning the AIDS epidemic. Hypotheses are suggested from current amorphous and continually changing information to assist in further explanations of …

The Big One: Literature Discovers Aids, Shaun O'Connell

New England Journal of Public Policy

Among the works discussed in this essay: An Intimate Desire to Survive, by Bill Becker; Epitaphs for the Plague Dead, by Robert Boucheron; A Cry in the Desert, by Jed A. Bryan; The World Can Break Your Heart, by Daniel Curzon; Safe Sex, by Harvey Fierstein; "The Castro," in Cities on a Hill: A Journey Through Contemporary American Culture, by Frances FitzGerald; As Is, by William M. Hoffman; Plague: A Novel About Healing, by Toby Johnson; The Normal Heart, by Larry Kramer; To All the Girls I've Loved Before: An AIDS …

Neuropsychiatric Complications Of Hiv Infection: Public Policy Implications, Alexandra Beckett, Theo Manschreck

New England Journal of Public Policy

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infects the central nervous system (CNS), causing symptoms in most persons with AIDS-related complex (ARC) and AIDS, and in a significant proportion of those classified as asymptomatic seropositive. The most common clinical syndrome secondary to CNS infection is known as HIV encephalopathy. When sufficiently disabling, HIV encephalopathy is known as AIDS dementia, and must be reported to the Centers for Disease Control as a case of AIDS.

AIDS dementia is a complex of cognitive, affective, behavioral, and motor symptoms which varies widely in its presentation. In some persons, cognitive impairment predominates, manifesting in a loss …

Understanding The Psychological Impact Of Aids: The Other Epidemic, Marshall Forstein

New England Journal of Public Policy

HIV has created two epidemics, one of disease, the other the consequence of the psychological response to that disease. Thus far, behavioral change is the only effective means of interrupting the transmission of HIV. The underlying psychological dimensions of the societal and individual responses to AIDS are discussed, with suggestions for how both rational thinking and irrational fears and anxiety contribute to the development of public policy. Examples are given of how short-term solutions to reduce anxiety may actually create long-term problems, potentially increasing the risk of transmission of HIV. Specific psychological mechanisms that contribute to the epidemic of fear …

Ethical Issues In Aids Research, Michael A. Grodin, Paula V. Kaminow, Raphael Sassower

New England Journal of Public Policy

There is a need for carefully controlled and scientifically rigorous research studies of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). The morbidity and mortality associated with AIDS patients and the public health concerns for control of this epidemic have distorted the usual process of research. The Institutional Review Board at Boston City Hospital is suggested as an appropriate mechanism for clarifying the distinctions between research and innovative therapies and for assuring the protection of this vulnerable population of research subjects. This article addresses ethical concerns relating to the time frame of research, drug and antibody testing, vaccine trials, and questions of justice …

We Were There, Irene Burns

New England Journal of Public Policy

Irene Burns and Robin Macdonald are friends. Neither knew Mitchell Holsman or Gretta Wren. And neither did Mitchell or Gretta know each other. All four live and work in New York City — Irene as a telecommunications consultant; Robin as a paralegal; Gretta as an office administrator; and Mitchell as a fashion designer — and all four were friends of John Krieter. It was the love inspired by that friendship that brought them together to care for him. He died of AIDS on January 24, 1988.