Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Marginalised Mothers: Lesbian Women Negotiating Heteronormative Healthcare Services, Brenda Hayman, Lesley Wilkes, Elizabeth J. Halcomb, Debra Jackson

Elizabeth Jane Halcomb Professor

Lesbian mothers share mainstream existence with other mothers by virtue of their motherhood, but remain marginalised by their non-heterosexual identity. This paper will draw on the qualitative findings of a recent Australian study that examined the experiences of lesbian mothers. Using a story-sharing method, data were collected using three methods; a demographic data sheet, in-depth semi-structured interviews and journaling. The findings demonstrated that participants experienced various forms of homophobia when interfacing with healthcare services and providers and included exclusion, heterosexual assumption, inappropriate questioning and refusal of services. Strategies used to avoid homophobia included screening and crusading.

Chilling Out In The Country? Interrogating Daylesford As A 'Gay/Lesbian Rural Idyll', Andrew W. Gorman-Murray, Gordon R. Waitt, Christopher R. Gibson

Gordon Waitt

Recent scholarship suggests that the gay/lesbian idyllisation of rural places is an urban construct, constituted through metropolitan sensibilities, communities and imaginaries. We extend this work through examining the construction of Daylesford, Victoria, as a ‘gay/lesbian rural idyll’. Daylesford annually hosts ChillOut, Australia’s largest rural gay/lesbian festival, which underpins its idyllisation. Utilising data drawn from fieldwork conducted at the 2006 festival and commentaries circulated in the gay/lesbian media, we argue that not only is Daylesford idyllised in the Australian gay/lesbian imaginary, but that rurality and urbanity are hybridised in its framing as a ‘gay/lesbian rural idyll’. This is manifested in several …

Places Of Reconciliation: Gay, Lesbian And Transgender Place-Based Belongings In A Regional Australian Centre, Gordon R. Waitt, Andrew W. Gorman-Murray

Gordon Waitt

Place-based belonging is a key concern of geographical work on sexuality. Marginalised through practices of heterosexism and homophobia, gay men, lesbians and other sexual minorities have a heightened awareness of where they belong – of where they can perform sexual difference. Much research here focuses on place-based belonging in metropolitan centres. There is less consideration of how sexual minorities sustain place-based belonging in regional centres, which are also believed to exhibit higher levels of homophobia. Drawing on in-depth interviews, we examine how sexual minorities generate place-based belonging in Townsville. We argue that place-based belonging be understood as an ongoing relational …

Lgb Cultural Phenomena And The Social Work Research Enterprise: Towards A Strengths-Based, Culturally Anchored Methodology, Trevor G. Gates Phd, Brian L. Kelly Phd

Brian L.Kelly