Gender and Sexuality Commons^™

Male Disposability, Law, And Feminism, Edward Cantu

Faculty Works

This article explores scientific evidence that societies care more about the welfare and safety of females than that of males, and that this dynamic of "male disposability" is deeply entrenched in culture, and thus in law. The recognition and integration of male disposability theory would mean an evolutionary leap in modern theorizing about gender and the law, but it is ignored. Why? Feminist theory dominates current academic gender discourse. Far from appreciating the explanatory power of male disposability theory, feminist theorists are often invested in theorizing gendered problems in ways that mischannel compassion away from men and toward women. The …

Gender-Diverse State Legislative Candidates In The United States: Identity Used Strategically On Campaign Websites, Nicholas Mossman

Honors Theses

In this honors thesis, I evaluate how transgender, nonbinary, and other gender-diverse state legislative candidates in the United States use their campaign websites to communicate messages related to gender identity to voters, and the potential effects of communication on electoral success. I used a dataset of eighty-nine candidates between 2014 and 2024, and coded fifty-four candidate websites to measure how candidates describe their personal identity and communicate about issues related to gender identity, like LGBTQ+ nondiscrimination and gender-affirming care. While existing research evaluates how voters respond to LGBTQ+ candidates, this thesis examines how candidates potentially attract voters through their campaign …

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. …

Transformative Paths: Advancing Inclusive Healthcare Education, Morgan Young

Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects Class of 2026

Transgender individuals continue to experience significant healthcare disparities, provider bias, discrimination, and barriers to accessing affirming healthcare services (White Hughto et al., 2015; World Professional Association for Transgender Health [WPATH], 2022). Despite increasing awareness of these disparities, healthcare education often lacks comprehensive training related to gender-affirming care (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2021; Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion [ODPHP], n.d.; White Hughto et al., 2015). A concurrent scoping review was conducted to answer the research question: Among healthcare providers, how do educational strategies grounded in transgender perspectives and lived experiences affect provider competence in transgender healthcare? The review …

"If I Knew Then What I Know Now": Analyzing Online Narratives Of Regretful Parents, Marina Binti Mohd Hamdan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This exploratory study seeks to understand the extent to which parenthood affects individual self-actualization by identifying the trade-offs, compromises, and sacrifices that parents make within the context of family life. Using a thematic analysis of 221 archived posts from the Reddit community r/regretfulparents, this study examines how social pressures surrounding parenthood may be related to experiences of parental regret. Specifically, it identifies two domains: pressures to be parents, including social norms, familial coercion, and interpersonal conflict, and pressures of parenting, including issues of labor, number of children, and challenging children. Across these domains, this study explores how tensions between personal …

Embarrassment As A Signal: Feminist Affects And The Commodification Of Love, Bianca L. Schmitt

Laurier Undergraduate Journal of the Arts

No abstract provided.

"The Guyana Chronicle's" Gender Portrayals When Covering Intimate Partner Violence And Suicide, Raiya Shaw

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Guyana, a geographically South American yet culturally Caribbean country, has the highest suicide rate in the Western hemisphere and has maintained one of the highest suicide rates globally for over a decade. Despite this public health crisis, limited research exists examining the issue. High rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) exist concurrently with the country’s high suicide rates, yet limited research exists examining these issues together. Considering the effect of the media on public perception and belief structures, this reflexive thematic analysis explores how gender is presented in articles regarding IPV and suicide from Guyana’s government-managed newspaper The Guyana Chronicle. …

Social Media, Masculine Body Ideals, And The Drive For Muscularity: A Serial Mediation Model Across Sexual Identities, Sean P. Mcdaniel

Theses and Dissertations

Body image concerns among men are increasingly prevalent yet remain understudied compared to women’s experiences. Drawing on objectification theory, the present study examines the relationship between social media influence and men’s drive for muscularity through a serial mediation model. Specifically, the present study investigates whether the internalization of masculine body ideals and engagement in body surveillance behaviors mediate the link between social media influence and the drive for muscularity. Furthermore, the present study model attempts to explore how these processes differ across sexual identities, given evidence that sexual minority men face distinct sociocultural pressures regarding appearance. Adult male-identifying social media …

Injury To Insight: Exploring The Influence Of Media On Acl Rehabilitation Experiences Of Female Soccer Players, Chynna Ho-Young Cadogan, Jill Tracey

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Participation in soccer inherently carries a risk of injury, with female athletes facing a significantly higher susceptibility to anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries (Campbell et al., 2014; Le et al., 2025; Silvers-Granelli, 2021). The increasing participation in women’s soccer, coupled with the growing demand for its consumption through spectatorship, has contributed to a rise in ACL injuries, and increase in media coverage on this phenomenon (Parsons et al., 2021). Understanding how media narratives surrounding ACL injuries and recovery may influence rehabilitation experiences can educate coaches, mental performance consultants, athletic therapists, and female soccer players to better understand and navigate ACL …

Understanding Homicide Dynamics: The Role Of Victim-Offender Relationships And The Event Circumstances Across Demographic Groups, Avdi S. Avdija, Christian W. Gallagher, Devere D. Woods Jr., Arif Akgul

Sociology & Criminal Justice Faculty Publications

This study investigates how the victim-offender relationship relates to the circumstances under which homicides occur, with the main focus on variations within gender, race, and age categories. To achieve these research objectives, we analyzed over forty years of data from the FBI's Supplementary Homicide Reports (1976-2017), reported by the U.S. Law Enforcement Agencies. The findings that emerged in this study show that offenders are more likely to kill victims of the same gender when taking into account the victim-offender relationships. Furthermore, this study shows that black offenders are more likely to kill acquaintances and intimate partners whereas white offender demonstrated …

Military Women In Sci-Fi Films: Breaking Barriers Since 1902, Introduction, Stacy Fowler, Deborah A. Deacon

Law Librarian Scholarship

From its beginnings, science fiction has been about humanity's battle for dominion over "the other," whether that means aliens, giant monsters, or nature herself. Especially in the male-centric military, that same designation of "other" is often assigned to women. Yet in the realm of science fiction, women in the military can attain what is often elusive in the real world—full participation and equality.

Chapters correspond to broad topics prevalent in science fictions films: Conquest, Evolving, Peril, Prey, Ethereal, and Exploration. The book focuses on portrayals of military women in science fiction films, exploring how they are able to excel in …

Barriers To Healthcare For Traditionally-Aged Lgbq+ College Students, Parker Long

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Seeking and receiving high-quality healthcare are key components of healthy living. Greater access to high-quality healthcare is associated with higher quality of life (Bunker, 2001). Despite the many benefits of quality healthcare, many people face barriers to accessing quality healthcare, resulting in poorer physical and mental health outcomes (Jatrana & Crampton, 2021). Individuals who identify as LGBQ+ face serious health disparities as a marginalized group. The current research was designed to examine and address these specific barriers to accessing high-quality healthcare among LGBQ+ traditionally-aged college students in order to inform ways to improve access to care. Specifically, this study investigated …

The Psychiatric Burden Of Hidradenitis Suppurativa: A Trinetx Analysis Of Sex-Specific Disparities In Mental Health And Medication Use, Emily Sheetz, Julia Feord, Collette Sholi, Parker Adams, Tamas Gal, Susan G. Kornstein, Arturo Saavedra

Department of Medicine Faculty Publications

Background:

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin condition associated with physical and psychological burden. Prior research has shown increased rates of depression and anxiety among individuals with HS; however, sex-based disparities in the prevalence of these mental health conditions in patients with HS remain underexplored.

Objective:

To evaluate sex-based differences in the prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and the prescribing of antidepressants and anxiolytics among patients with HS.

Methods:

Using the TriNetX database, we identified patients over the age of 18 who had a recorded diagnosis of HS. Propensity score matching based on …

Hosts, Scouts, And Female Indentured Sexual Servitude In Contemporary Japan, Caroline Norma, Seiya Morita

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

This article sweeps away glossy abstractions obscuring the indenturing of women in sexual servitude in Japan. These abstractions were generated by anthropologists writing in English in the first two decades of the 21^st century who inverted the relationship between perpetrator and victim to suggest that female customers exploited hosts. To overturn this view and expose the ‘gendered reality that [i]s really going on’ in Japan, this article differently explains from a feminist perspective how present-day host and scout businesses indenture Japanese women in sexual servitude. This role is one of both procuring victims as well as keeping young women …

We’Re The Aunties Now: Intersections Of Mourning Practices, Intergenerational Trauma, And Matrilineal Responsibility In Oneida Life, Marena Bridges

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation examines how Oneida and broader Haudenosaunee mourning practices, as I have lived and understood them, shape grief, healing, and matrilineal responsibility in my family. Using Indigenous autoethnography and storywork, I first present a crafted narrative, then return to that narrative through reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis identifies patterned meanings in how grief is structured, shared, and carried across closely stacked deaths in the maternal line. Mourning practices function as community infrastructure that organizes time, redistributes labor, transmits knowledge, and sustains continuing bonds with the dead. At the same time, repeated loss produces a form of matriarchal ascension, concentrating …

Interpersonal Reckoning: The Liminal Space Between Rupture And Repair In Counselor Education, Phoenix E. Rosewood

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

The purpose of this study is to understand and explore the phenomenon of the rupture, reckoning, and when possible, the repair process with racial, ethnic, and cultural (REC) microaggressions in counselor education. Participants (n = 14) included counselor educators who had either enacted a REC microaggression and attempted repair, or had been the recipient of an REC rupture and a meaningful attempt at repair. This study utilized a thematic analysis as a methodological framework in interpreting the data with the perspective of borderlands theory, critical embodied phenomenology, relational cultural theory and relational neuroscience analytical frameworks to account for and explain …

The Effect Of Paternal Engagement On The Sexual Self-Concept Of Black Female Adolescents, Amelia Flynn

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Black women in the U.S. continue to experience disproportionately high rates of unintended pregnancies, with a 64% rate reported in 2011 (Finer & Zolna, 2016). Positive sexual self-concept (SSC) is linked to healthier sexual behaviors, yet research on SSC development has largely overlooked the role of fathers and systemic influences, particularly within Black families. Grounded in an ecological framework, this study examines the impact of father-daughter engagement on SSC among Black female adolescents, considering paternal residential status and socioeconomic class as key contextual factors. The study revealed that when middle class father-daughter engagement is high, daughters’ sexual self-esteem is lower. …

The Phenomenon Of Church Growth Through Authenticity: How African American Gen Z Christians Are Sharing The Gospel Of Jesus Christ Without The Program Structure Of The Black Baptist Church, Devin E. West

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation examines the perspectives of Black Generation Z Christians regarding factors within the Black Baptist church that may limit their full engagement. In this study, the Black Baptist church refers to congregations with predominantly Black membership led by Black pastors. Generation Z, born between 1997 and 2012, is forming its religious identity within a rapidly changing cultural and institutional environment. Historically, the Black Church has served as a central institution in African American communities, functioning as a place of worship as well as a source of social support, leadership development, identity formation, and justice advocacy (Lincoln & Mamiya, 1990). …

Bi+ Cismale Experiences With Straight Cismale Friends, Taylor M. Hardock

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Minority Stress Theory (2006) posits that individuals with a marginalized sexual identity have unique challenges and stressors. Bisexual+, or bi+, individuals have particular stressors related to not holding a monosexual identity, including specific mental health challenges. Research has shown that friendship can have many positive benefits on individuals, though the literature looking at friendship among bi+ identifying people is very limited. This qualitative study investigates the experiences of friendship between bi+ and straight cis men, especially as they may relate to minority stress and experiences of resilience and community belongingness. A thematic analysis was utilized to understand the personal experiences …

Impact Of Therapeutically Applied Role-Playing Games (Ta-Rpg) For Individuals At The Intersection Of Sexual And Gender Minorities (Sgm) And Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd), Alexander S. Gelernter

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who also identify as sexual and gender minorities (SGM) may experience intersecting challenges related to communication, social belonging, masking, identity development, and access to affirming clinical spaces. Although role-play and therapeutically applied role-playing games (TA-RPGs) have been described as promising experiential approaches, limited research has examined how ASD/SGM individuals themselves understand role-playing games (RPGs) or evaluate their possible therapeutic use. This qualitative study explored how young adults with ASD level 1 who identify as SGM describe their experiences with RPGs and how they appraise the potential usefulness, risks, and conditions of TA-RPG. Five participants …