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

More Than A Feeling: A Mixed-Methods Examination Of Transgender Community Connectedness And Associations With Suicidality, Erin Rook

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Transgender adults experience significantly higher rates of suicidal ideation than the general population. A sense of transgender community connectedness (STCC) may reduce this risk, but predictors of STCC and its association with suicidal ideation are understudied. This cross-sectional mixed methods study examined STCC and past-year suicidal ideation in relation to dimensions of transgender community connectedness (TCC) at each level of the Social Ecological Model using data from a U.S. survey of transgender adults (n = 126). About half (52.4%) felt connected to the transgender community, and 27.0% reported past-year suicidal ideation. Hierarchical logistic regression models for both outcomes showed good …

Reading The Rainbow: Exploring Themes And Identities In Lgbtqia+ Picture Books, Amanda Melilli, Alicia G. Vaandering, James W. Rosenzweig

Library Faculty Presentations

This presentation shares an analysis of over 275 picture books featuring LGBTQIA+ identities, providing evidence that the depiction of queerness in children’s literature is complex and varied. Tools for defining narrative themes and LGBTQIA+ identities will be shared as well as data on queer characters with intersecting identities. By exploring the nuances of LGBTQIA+ representation in picture books, attendees will gain a better understanding of novel research inquiries into representation.

Examining The Risks And Resilience Of Older Adults Living With Hiv/Aids: Qualitative Community-Based Participatory Research Studies In Southern Nevada, Brandon Ranuschio

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Since the height of the HIV pandemic in the 1980s, medical interventions have significantly increased the life expectancy of people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) and made HIV/AIDS a livable, chronic health condition. Because of this, PLWH have been living longer lives and thriving with the help of HIV sector healthcare and service providers. However, with their longer life expectancy, older PLWH have been experiencing other health challenges. One such challenge is the risk of developing HIV-Associated Neurocognitive Disorder (HAND), which is a condition that affects up to 50% of PLWH at some point in their lifetime, with middle-aged and older …

"Hi" "Hi", Anonymous 1

Be Seen Zine Workshop: Exploring Queer Identities and Cultivating Community

No abstract provided.

Lgbtqia+ Youth, Esther Segovia

Be Seen Zine Workshop: Exploring Queer Identities and Cultivating Community

No abstract provided.

Untitled Queer Zine 1, B Alberti

Be Seen Zine Workshop: Exploring Queer Identities and Cultivating Community

No abstract provided.

Best Bisexual, Gia Benevidez

Be Seen Zine Workshop: Exploring Queer Identities and Cultivating Community

No abstract provided.

Untitled Queer Zine 2, Narmaya Gonzalez

Be Seen Zine Workshop: Exploring Queer Identities and Cultivating Community

No abstract provided.

Gay Deceivers, Aristotle Howard

Be Seen Zine Workshop: Exploring Queer Identities and Cultivating Community

No abstract provided.

Untitled Queer Zine 3, Abby Kassai

Be Seen Zine Workshop: Exploring Queer Identities and Cultivating Community

No abstract provided.

Untitled Queer Zine 4, Tayla Penn

Be Seen Zine Workshop: Exploring Queer Identities and Cultivating Community

No abstract provided.

Finding Community In Queer Art, Anonymous 2

Be Seen Zine Workshop: Exploring Queer Identities and Cultivating Community

No abstract provided.

Untitled Queer Zine 4, Anonymous 3

Be Seen Zine Workshop: Exploring Queer Identities and Cultivating Community

No abstract provided.

Good Girl, Faye (Chelsea) Hamada

Be Seen Zine Workshop: Exploring Queer Identities and Cultivating Community

No abstract provided.

Ga(Y)Zing Backward: Queer Desire In Ovid, Shakespeare, And Scaimma, Falynn Blayre Brickler

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

As Ovidian myth is a central influence on queer stories throughout time, I am interested in how the female/sapphic gaze impacts the retellings of these narratives. In this thesis, I analyze the action of the gaze as an expression of desire and discuss its multiple meanings in both text and performance. Through tracing the gaze within the queer/sapphic narratives of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire, I show that the gaze is an intersecting act through which non-normative desire is conveyed. In constructing the gaze as an ephemeral action of queer desire in practice, I …

In The Image Of… Towards A Trans Talmud, Laurence Myers Reese

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

In the Image of... (towards a Trans Talmud) is a body of work by artist Laurence Myers Reese that works to examine Jewish paradigms of gender through the transgender lens. Reading the archive diagonally, he examines historical Jewish writings, from poet and Rabbi Kalonymous Ben Kalonymous to “false Messiah” Shabbatai Tzvi. Contextualizing contemporary Jewish with notable exhibitions from the Jewish Museum New York and Spertus Museum, Chicago, In the Image of… draws from artists, writers, and Rabbis who use a gendered lens to interrogate Judaism. These include Yael Kanarek, who has worked to re-gender the entire Torah, Rena Yehuda Newman, …

Lesbian Visibility And Censorship In Early Twentieth Century New York City, Aimee Clouse

Undergraduate Research Symposium Posters

On the brisk night of February 9th, 1927, New York City Police crammed the casts of two Broadway plays, one of which Edouard Bourdet's The Captive, into the back of a paddy wagon. These arrests and the legislation that enabled them were just one step taken by institutions to hide lesbians from the public. The eclectic nature of New York City in the early twentieth century fostered a growing scene of gender and sexual expression unlike anywhere else in the United States. Here, lesbians found freedom to express their sexuality and explore a growing subculture.

Trends In Scientific Output On The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, And Transgender (Lgbt) Community Research: A Bibliometric Analysis Of The Literature, David An, Kavita Batra

School of Medicine Faculty Research

Introduction: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) represent a diverse group with special needs due to the unusual developmental experiences and social inequalities. This paper aims to explore and outline a future research direction in LGBT issues through tracing our historical understanding of this population from an aspect of scientific research. Methods: LGBT-related peer-reviewed documents were retrieved from the PubMed database and the study period was set from the inception to 2021. Python-based methods were then performed to analyze the publication metadata and extract the most prominent research topics based on the abstract contents. Key points covered in the study …

Propensity Score Analysis Assessing The Burden Of Non-Communicable Diseases Among The Transgender Population In The United States Using The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (2017–2019), Jennifer R. Pharr, Kavita Batra

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Research to assess the burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) among the transgender population needs to be prioritized given the high prevalence of chronic conditions and associated risk factors in this group. Previous cross-sectional studies utilized unmatched samples with a significant covariate imbalance resulting in a selection bias. Therefore, this cross-sectional study attempts to assess and compare the burden of NCDs among propensity score-matched transgender and cisgender population groups. This study analyzed Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data (2017–2019) using complex weighting procedures to generate nationally representative samples. Logistic regression was fit to estimate propensity scores. Transgender and cisgender groups were …

Examining The Experiences Of Lgbtq Dpt Students: A Critical Ethnography, Catherine Turner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of LGBTQ Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students at a large public university in the south-western United States, as it relates to the culture and climate of the program and campus. The LGBTQ community faces its own unique health disparities. Research in medicine suggests improving the diversity of the healthcare profession is a vital component in improving access to care, and this requires the creation of inclusive and supportive educational environments for LGBTQ identifying healthcare students. However, minimal research exists examining the experiences of LGBTQ physical therapy students.

The study …

Disrupting Gender Normativity Through A Social Learning Framework, Ashley Shank

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Through a social learning theoretical framework, this thesis seeks to understand the mechanisms by which gender normativity is perpetuated, as well as how it may result in the marginalization of transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) youth. Additionally, ways in which TGNC youth navigate oppression and how discrimination against TGNC youth may be reduced through disruption of gender normativity are explored. Using qualitative methods that include the analyzation of community meeting transcripts as well as townhall meetings with TGNC/queer community members, the present study will attempt to answer the following research questions through a social learning theoretical framework: 1. How can …

Are Binge Drinking Disparities By Sexual Identity Lower In U.S. States With Nondiscrimination Statutes That Include Sexual Orientation?, Naomi Greene, Renee M. Johnson, Joanne Rosen, Danielle German, Joanna E. Cohen

Journal of Health Disparities Research and Practice

Purpose Studies examining binge drinking disparities by sexual identity focus on intra- and inter-personal minority stressors experienced by lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) populations. State-level statutes are powerful tools that can reduce health disparities. We examined how state-level nondiscrimination statutes that include sexual orientation as a protected ground (i.e., inclusive statutes) are associated with binge drinking disparities between LGB and straight adults. Methods We combined data from the 2015-2018 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the Movement Advancement Project (MAP), and administrative data sources for information on binge drinking, sexual identity, nondiscrimination statutes, and individual and state-level factors. We included …

What Does Queerness Look Like When No One Is Looking?, Reginald Stewart, Laurence Reece

Undergraduate Research Symposium Performances & Exhibitions

This project investigates the affects of the pandemic on queer artists and their work. Through a series of interviews and conversations undergraduate researcher Grey Stewart, and graduate mentor Laurence Myers Reese talk with artists about their experiences in making art related to identity and the effects of the pandemic on their practice. The project includes audio and written interviews with artists and will result in the fall with an exhibition at the Barrick Museum of Art. This presentation discusses the in progress findings of the research.

Rejection Sensitivity And The Intent To Seek Medical Help Among Gender Minority Individuals, Kellyann Garthe

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: As members of a marginalized and socially devalued group, gender minority (GM) individuals regularly experience rejection in healthcare experiences. These rejecting experiences lead to barriers to healthcare access and health disparities. Consequently, GM individuals’ may develop anxious and avoidant attitudes toward their healthcare needs. When considering healthcare, an individual’s inherent attitude informs their intent to seek medical help (ISMH), defined as the attitude that influences one’s decision to seek medical help. When an individual has a hyper-sensitive reaction to perceived rejection, this is termed rejection sensitivity (RS).

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to determine if the independent …

Memory And Stereotypes For Lesbian/Gay Characters, Amber Rose Williams

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Stereotype-consistency bias refers to the idea that people tend to remember stereotypical information about others better than non-stereotypical information (Fyock & Stangor, 1994). Limited research has examined how people may use stereotype-consistency bias when recalling information about LGBT characters in narratives (Bellezza & Bower, 1981; Clark & Woll, 1981; McGann & Goodwin, 2007; Snyder & Uranowitz, 1978). This line of research suggests that, instead of genuinely remembering stereotypical information better, participants tended to guess stereotypical answers to questions they do not know. In contrast to those studies, the experiment I conducted for this thesis suggests that heterosexual young adults tend …

Catholic Family Ties: Sustaining And Supporting Hiv-Positive Canadian Gay Men’S Faith, Mental Health, And Wellbeing, Renato M. Liboro

Psychology Faculty Research

Research has documented that sexual minorities and people living with HIV/AIDS have successfully used religious coping to help them overcome life challenges related to their sexual orientation and HIV status, including religious struggles surrounding their faith brought about by stigma and discrimination that have historically been promoted by organized religion. Research has also documented how sexual minorities and people living with HIV/AIDS have utilized family support as a vital resource for effectively coping with life challenges associated with homophobia, heterosexism, and HIV stigma, which have historically been perpetuated in certain family and faith dynamics. The aim of the community-engaged, qualitative …

Exercise As A Mitigator Of Poor Mental Health Among Lesbian, Gay, And Bisexual Adults, Jennifer R. Pharr, Jason D. Flatt, Lung-Chang Chien, Axenya Kachen, Babayemi O. Olakunde

Environmental & Global Health Faculty Research

Introduction: There is a positive association between exercise and improved mental health in the general population. Although there is a greater burden of psychological distress among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people, little is known about the association between exercise and mental health in this population. The authors explored the association between exercise and poor mental health reported by LGB adults in the United States. Methods: Our analyses used data from the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. Multiple regression analyses were used to determine the association between exercising and mental health days adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Results: Data …

Queering Utopia: Act Up And The Disruption Of Heteronormativity, Nicholas Lepp

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The existing literature on queer utopianism tends to analyze static aesthetic artifacts as opposed to diachronic social movements designed to create material policy changes. This opens room for various criticisms of queer utopianism regarding it being too wishful and devolving into political and social forms of queer dystopia. In order to remedy this concern, this thesis seeks to investigate how queer utopic thought can be used to create long-lasting change. To answer this question, this thesis is broadly divided into two sections—one theoretical and one practical. My theoretical section delves into an analysis of the after-effects of queer utopic cuts …

Identi-Tea Podcast: An Original Play, Karsyn Wilson

Calvert Undergraduate Research Awards

Creative Works Winner for 2019:

Identi-Tea Podcast is an original play based on the word-for-word interviews of three LGBTQ+ students of color from UNLV who explore all the various facets of their identities formatted in the style of a podcast. In various moments during the play, audience members are prompted by the actors to critically engage with the ideas presented.

Sex And Gender Diversity Is Growing Across The Us, Georgiann Davis

Sociology Faculty Research

Christine Hallquist, a transgender woman from Vermont, in 2018 made history as the first openly trans person to ever win the nomination of a major political party for governor. Sex and gender diverse people were once only able to be their authentic selves in gay and lesbian spaces. Today, from Danica Roem in Virginia to Betsy Driver in New Jersey to Hallquist in Vermont, they are running and winning major political posts throughout the United States.