One Where the Kid Actually is “All Right”: The Queering of Iva in Marilyn Hacker's Love,Death, and the Changing of the Seasons

This article explores Marilyn Hacker's 1986 sonnet sequence, Love, Death, and the Changing of the Seasons, for its depiction of lesbian parenting. Hacker moves beyond the simply erotic to focus on a truly subversive act present within the queer community, namely that of child-rearing. Lesbian parenting is a private world, one not subject to the male gaze in the ways that other seemingly private worlds (like sex) are still commodified. The daughter character of Iva exemplifies the construction of self in a queer environment. Children of queer parents have the unique subject position of being “queered” themselves regardless of their ultimate sexual orientation. While this queering would seem to primarily affect their understandings of gender and sexuality, this article argues that such early “othering” serves to deconstruct one's understanding of binaries and social conformity on a large scale, thereby encouraging qualities of acceptance and compassion and increasing the intimate family bond.     

A Land of Milk and Honey? Breastfeeding and Identity in Lesbian Families

ABSTRACT

This article explores the relationship between breastfeeding and identity in lesbian-identified families based on a pilot study of qualitative interviews and a short survey of six lesbian families in Canada and the United States. Although breastfeeding is assumed to be “natural” and a biological function, we problematize the practice as both gendered and heteronormative. In our research we found that breastfeeding has a complex role to play within the construction of one's identity as a mother, of one's gender, and of one's sexual orientation. These women's experiences offer interesting insights into the nebulous boundaries of biology and the ways in which assumptions about what is “natural” are actually social and cultural constructions.     

Outness among LGBTQ Social Work Students in North America: The Contribution of Environmental Supports and Perceptions of Comfort

This study examines various environmental factors that may impact a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) social work student's level of ‘outness’ (disclosure) with regard to their sexual orientation or gender identity. An internet-based survey was conducted, comprised of LGBTQ undergraduate and graduate students from social work programs across North America (n = 1,018). Utilizing Pearson's chi square analysis, significant associations correlated between outness and the following six areas: (1) LGBTQ student perception of other students' overall level of comfort with their sexual orientation or gender identity within the program; (2) the number of faculty that know about their sexual orientation or gender identity; (3) the number of students that know about their sexual orientation or gender identity; (4) how supported they felt with regard to their LGBTQ identity within the program; (5) the percent of faculty that are supportive of LGB and Q issues; and (6) awareness of openly LGBTQ administrators or staff members. Implications for social work education and practice are examined, as are suggestions for continued research.     

Premarital sexual intercourse: A test of the effects of peer group,religiosity, and sexual guilt

Previous research findings have been inconsistent concerning the influence on a person's sexual behavior of the peer group's sexual behavior and approval. Therefore, in this paper the relative importance of one's closest, friends' sexual behavior, their perceived approval for engaging in premarital coitus. age, sex guilt, and conventional religiosity were examined. Respondents were 467 dormitory students from a large mid‐Atlantic university. Results of separate path analyses for men and women showed that the greater the number of close friends thought to be nonvirgins, the greater the likelihood the man was also nonvirgin. Anticipated approval from close friends was not associated with a man being a nonvirgin. For women, both the sexual behavior and the expected degree of approval from close friends was associated with a woman being a nonvirgin. For both sexes, sex guilt was negatively associated with being a nonvirgin, whereas the respondent's age and degree of conventional religiosity were not associated with the sexual behavior. The findings indicate that researchers should specify whether a peer group's standards, or behavior, is being considered.     

Talking about sexual identity with older men

How do social workers begin to talk about sexual identity when conducting assessments with older men? This paper focuses on work with older gay men and highlights the importance of talking about sexual identity in order to prevent it being rendered invisible. While there may be some risks associated with openly identifying as gay, such as homophobic violence, being open about one's sexuality is important for maintaining self-esteem and mental health. Despite the obstacles facing social workers in talking to older men about their sexual identity, it is essential that they do not ignore this aspect of people's lives. Therefore it is important that social workers open themselves up to the possibility that an older man might be gay or bisexual and help construct environments that enable the disclosure of this aspect of his identity.     

Premarital sexual experience: A longitudinal study∗

The relative importance of women's sex‐role orientation and their observation of maternal sexual affection in predicting college women's attitudes toward 18 sexual behaviors were examined in this investigation. A sample of 122 single female college students from intact families was administered three questionnaires: the Attitudes Toward Women Scale, the Mother's Expression of Affection Scale, and the Sexual Attitude Questionnaire. Stepwise regression analysis was used to determine the relative contribution of sex‐role orientation and maternal expression of affection to attitudes toward each of the sexual behaviors. Findings revealed that sex‐role orientation was a significant predictor of attitudes toward 14 of the 18 specific items. More egalitarian views of women were associated with more positive attitudes toward engaging in a variety of sexual behaviors and taking steps to ensure one's own contraceptive security. Mother's expression of sexual affection toward her spouse was a significant predictor of only two behavioral items. Greater exposure to an affectionate mother was associated with more positive attitudes toward speaking affectionately to men and behaving assertively in a sexual relationship. Implications of the findings for family practitioners are discussed.     

Genital perceptions and sexual activity in a college population

Anecdotal evidence suggests that perceptions of the genitals—one's own and one's partner's—may be related to enjoyment of sexual activity. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among genital perceptions and performing and receiving oral sex, penile‐vaginal intercourse, and masturbation. Participants were 160 male and 160 female students at a large Midwestern university. Participants completed a questionnaire in which they indicated how well self‐statements describing genital perceptions and reasons for engaging in and not engaging in sexual activity applied to themselves. The results showed significant correlations between genital perceptions and sexual activity, such that higher levels of participation in and enjoyment of sexual activity, especially oral‐genital behavior, were associated with more positive and fewer negative genital perceptions. Men had more positive genital perceptions than did women for both their own and their sexual partner's genitals. These results are consistent with cultural sexual stereotypes and have implications for sex education and clinical work.     

Feminist and queer criminology: A vital place for theorizing LGBTQ youth

Creating safe environments for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer and/or questioning (LGBTQ) youth has become a significant public health concern. Despite the disparities in the risk factors associated with identifying as a member of the LGBTQ community, the theoretical frameworks for understanding these issues, particularly within criminology, have been limited. The purpose of this work is to review the historical treatment of gender and sexual orientation within criminology. More specifically, this work reviews how gender was introduced into criminology through the work of feminist criminology, followed by the need for theorization that further analyzed sexual orientation. This then became the focus of queer criminology. After tracing the historical development of gender and sexual orientation, the author uses the theoretical foundations of both to show how it applies to recognizing the issues faced by LGBTQ youth. Finally, the author discusses why consideration of these frameworks is paramount in understanding the issues faced by LGBTQ youth, as well as how such consideration and understanding can help mend the existing gap in providing safer environments for LGBTQ youth.     

User‐generated online queer media and the politics of queer visibility

In this article, we review sociological research on the politics of queer self‐presentation and visibility in user‐generated online media, such as personal homepages, blogs, YouTube vlogs, and queer‐specific social networking sites. Using an intersectional lens to attend to multiple axes of identity, the review offers a deeper understanding of how online queer media impact self‐presentation and visibility, while also privileging certain racial, sexual, and gender identities and practices over others. Online platforms can serve as spaces of resistance wherein queer people not only make themselves visible but also redefine dominant conceptions of identity, as well as the boundaries between public and private life. However, our review also finds that online spaces of queer self‐presentation often become another space for the reinforcement of dominant norms pertaining to various axes of one's identity. Given that the advent of user‐generated media and the Internet has facilitated the mobilization of queer people worldwide, an understanding of queer self‐presentation in online media demonstrates how new iterations of sex, gender, and sexuality are constructed in a technological era by queer‐identified people themselves, and how people can both resist and reify dominant social hierarchies across boundaries of space and time.     

What’s in a name? Exploring use of the word queer as a term of identification within the college-aged LGBT community

ABSTRACT

The language one uses for self-identification can be instrumental in the development and integration of one’s sense of self. This is particularly true regarding gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation. This seems to be particularly marked with use of the term “queer.” This research project explored terms that college-aged people use for self and other reference, especially use of the word queer. The results from this study provide empirical evidence that college-aged people have reclaimed the word queer as acceptable for gender or sexual orientation identification, although it is not the most frequent term used for their own self-identification.     

The Problem,Policy, and Political Streams of the Employment Non-Discrimination Act of 2009: Implications for Social Work Practice

Protection from employment discrimination has been a long battle waged by the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community and allies. The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) of 2009 could provide comprehensive federal protection from employment discrimination based upon sexual orientation. In this article, John Kingdon's framework for policy analysis is used to explore the federal ENDA.     

What sexual minority youths want in a program to assist with disclosure to their family

Disclosing one's sexual orientation to family members can be a difficult process for sexual minority youths (SMY). There are many decisions to make and factors to consider, such as whom to tell first and how family members may react. SMY are in need of resources to help them through this process, including programs that help them to make decisions about safe disclosure. Through interviews and open-ended surveys with 48 participants, the authors found that overall, SMY want a program that helps them connect with others. There were no strong preferences for facilitators' gender, and participants differed in opinions on facilitators' sexual orientation. However, most agreed that they would like a program that provides education and the opportunity to hear from and share stories with others.     

The Authenticity of Self: Conceptualization,Personal Experience,and Practice

Scholars across the social sciences often use the concept of authenticity to refer to such different things as sincerity, truthfulness, originality, and the feeling and practice of being true to one's self or others. Whereas the concept of authenticity refers to all of these things, a careful employment of this concept requires a clear understanding of it. By reviewing theory and empirical research on authenticity, we aim at a more precise conceptualization of authenticity. We argue that authenticity is about being true to one's self. When one is true to one's self, one experiences authenticity. This conceptualization views authenticity as a self‐reflective and emotional experience. In order to understand authenticity, a researcher must then take into consideration at least two things: people's emotional experiences of being true or untrue to one's self and people's ideas about what their true self is.     

Development and Validation of the Endorsement of the Hookup Culture Index

Although researchers have examined the predictors and outcomes of the behavioral aspect of “hooking up,” typically defined as casual, commitment-free sexual encounters, research has not yet examined the extent to which young people endorse the culture associated with hooking up. Based on the argument that there is a set of understood rules and assumptions associated with hooking up, this article describes the development of an instrument to measure college students' endorsement of the hookup culture. Results from two studies found that five factors represent endorsement of the hookup culture: (a) a belief that hooking up is harmless and best without emotional commitment, (b) a belief that hooking up is fun, (c) a belief that hooking up will enhance one's status in one's peer group, (d) a belief that hooking up allows one to assert control over one's sexuality, and (e) a belief that hooking up is a reflection of one's sexual freedom. The index also had acceptable internal reliability, and performed well on the tests of construct validity. Taken together, the results suggest that the Endorsement of the Hookup Culture Index is suitable for use by researchers interested in the social phenomenon of hooking up.     

Working Models of Marriage: An Application of Attachment Theory

Working models of marriage (WMM) is a unique application of attachment theory because it applies to beliefs about being a spouse and about another's ability to be one's spouse. It varies from generic working models of the self and other by its reflection of one's assumptions about marriage as a unique relationship form. Unmarried, young adults (n = 1,490) completed a survey that focused on family-of-origin, attachment, marital beliefs, and marital intentions constructs. Results indicated that two WMM dimensions were significantly predicted by the variables and that individuals grouped into four WMM classifications based on the two dimensions were likewise different among the variables. Implications for relationship confidence and for conceptual refinement are discussed.     

Experiences of Gay and Lesbian Teachers and Parents with Coming Out in a School Setting

Abstract

The present study was conducted to learn more about the experiences of gay and lesbian parents and teachers, particularly about experiences relevant to disclosure of their homosexuality at school. Thirty-four teachers and nineteen parents responded to an anonymous questionnaire. Teachers were more likely to disclose their sexual orientation to fellow teachers than to principals, and to women than to men. Responses to disclosure were generally but not universally positive. Reasons for nondisclosure included fear of losing one's job and of exposure to others. Few parents had come out at their child's school, primarily due to fear of discrimination towards their child.     

Rethinking Role Residual: Retired Police Officers and the Inertia of Habitus

In this paper, we bring conceptual clarity to the literature on “role residual.” Based on the extant literature and our own research involving police retirees, we first delineate three empirical variants of role residual: emotional, cognitive, and behavioral. We then make the case that a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon requires a theoretical framework capable of conceptualizing role residual in a way that is consistent with a broader theory of practice. To that end, we use Bourdieu's work to argue that role residual comprises states of being or behavior that occur at the intersection of (a) schemas and dispositions inscribed in the habitus as a result of one's prior role‐specific orientation to the field, and (b) a configuration of proximate conditions in the present that is sufficiently similar to what one would have experienced while in one's prior role.     

Male Responsibility in Sexual Activity and Family Planning: Perspectives of a College Mental Health Professional

Abstract

Social movements of the previous two decades have forced a reevaluation of the traditional male role in sexual activity and family planning. Men are now expected to be active, responsible participants in decisions and actions concerning contraception, child care, pregnancy, partner satisfaction, and emotional bonding. While a number of rational “shoulds” have been advanced as guidelines for healthy, responsible male functioning, the actual behavior exercised is often a function of more irrational or conflicted motivations. The focus of this paper is an examination of motivations underlying maladaptive decisions by college males in the areas of sexual intercourse, contraception, and partner pleasure. The motivations involved in decisions to engage in sexual intercourse are classified and discussed along interpersonal and intrapersonal dimensions. The motivations involved in the use or nonuse of contraceptives are classified and discussed through use of Horney's interpersonal nomenclature. The motivations involved in the failure to give pleasure to one's partner are classified and discussed through use of sexual character types adapted by the author from Millon's personality typology. A societal influence on male lovemaking is also addressed. Concluding remarks address the difficulty of precisely defining male responsibility in sexual activity and family planning.     

Children's response to the medical visit for allegations of sexual abuse: maternal perceptions and predicting variables

This study examined maternal perceptions of their child's response to the medical evaluation for alleged sexual abuse. A total of 50 mothers were interviewed 6 months after a visit to a Child Protection Clinic for a medical evaluation of alleged sexual abuse. The mothers answered a questionnaire on their child's reactions to the medical visit. More than 60% of children were perceived as being reassured about physical integrity. The degree of psychological distress was independent of perpetrator's identity and severity of the abuse. Mothers considered that a hypothetical second visit would generate in their child a level of anxiety that increased with perceived intensity of fear of the examination and decreased with perceived kindness of the physician. These results suggest that the physician's behaviour during the medical evaluation for alleged sexual abuse has an influence on the child's degree of distress that is independent of type and severity of abuse. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Black Edens,country Eves: Listening,performance, and black queer longing in country music

ABSTRACT

This article explores Black queer country music listening, performance, and fandom as a source of pleasure, nostalgia, and longing for Black listeners. Country music can be a space for alliance and community, as well as a way of accessing sometimes repressed cultural and personal histories of violence: lynching and other forms of racial terror, gender surveillance and disciplining, and continued racial and economic segregation. For many Black country music listeners and performers, the experience of being a closeted fan also fosters an experience of ideological hailing, as well as queer world-making. Royster suggests that through Black queer country music fandom and performance, fans construct risky and soulful identities. The article uses Tina Turner's solo album, Tina Turns the Country On! (1974) as an example of country music's power as a tool for resistance to racial, sexual, and class disciplining.