Queer Methods and Queer Practices

Older sexual minority people meet a double stigma in our society related to their sexual identity and chronological age. The present study explores how experiences of discrimination and prejudice, coming out, and personal resiliency influence physical health of older lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults. Respondents were recruited through online advertisements and an online-based survey. The sample included 82 Italian cisgender LGB adults over 65 years: young older adults (65-70 years; 78%) and old-old adults (over 71 years; 22%). Regarding sexual orientation, the sample was composed of sexual minority women (n = 30; 37%) and sexual minority men (n = 52; 63%). ANOVAs' findings showed that sexual minority women described lower levels of physical health compared to sexual minority men. At the same time, old-old adults reported higher experiences of discrimination and prejudice compared to young older adults. Moreover, findings from hierarchical multiple regression analysis described that coming out, higher levels of personal resiliency, and fewer experiences of discrimination were predictors of physical health, regardless of age and sexual minority categories. These findings seem to align with previous studies that underline the relevance of investigating aging well in sexual minority people. Knowledge and awareness of LGBTQ+ issues are necessary for recognizing the unique needs and resources of older LGB people for promoting a healthy aging process.

In this study, the authors examined disparities in general health, substance use, mental health conditions, and acute service use between lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults (ages ≥50 years) and a matched sample of heterosexual adults. Individuals whose electronic health record indicated their sexual orientation as gay, lesbian, or bisexual from the 2015 New York State Office of Mental Health Patient Characteristics Survey were matched with heterosexual individuals, resulting in N=1,659 individuals in each of the two groups. Differences in health status indicators and acute service use were compared in generalized estimating equation models. Compared with matched heterosexual men, older gay and bisexual men had more chronic general medical conditions and mental health issues; they also had fewer inpatient stays related to substance use disorders. Older lesbian and bisexual women had higher rates of tobacco use, alcohol use, and substance use disorders than heterosexual women; moreover, they reported more inpatient stays and emergency department visits related to substance use disorders. This study provides evidence of health disparities among sexual minority older adults within a public mental health system. The results suggest that health disparities persist into older adulthood and that new health concerns emerge with the aging of the sexual minority population. Targeted prevention and intervention programs are needed to effectively engage older LGB adults into treatment for general medical and mental illnesses as well as substance use disorders.

Daily cannabis use, cannabis use disorder, and any medical cannabis use among US adults: Associations within racial, ethnic, and sexual minoritized identities in a changing policy context

Although conversation analysis (CA) has been widely employed in different languages, its application to Greek talk-in-interaction is still quite limited. For this reason, in our introduction we summarise briefly the foundations of CA and present international and Greek CA bibliography on different areas of analysis in a manner that will be accessible to conversation analysts of various interests but also to researchers who are new to the field. We begin by outlining the foundations of CA and then offer a brief background to its development and its relationship to other disciplines. The empirical basis of CA is stressed by focussing on the process of collecting and transcribing data for CA and the method and units of analysis. We also give background information on the main CA areas of analysis (grammar-and-interaction, prosody, narrative analysis, institutional interaction, feminist CA, membership categorisation analysis, multimodal interaction). Finally, we present a brief overview of past studies of Greek talk-in-interaction and conclude with a summary of the articles of the Special Issue. By placing the emphasis on the fine-grained, turn-by-turn analysis, its ethnomethodological underpinnings and the understanding of social action, our aim is to set the tone for this Special Issue and to encourage future study of Greek conversational data and cross-cultural comparisons.

This study aimed to identify Top, Bottom, and Versatile sexual role identities and anal sex behavior profiles using latent class analysis in a sample of 942 sexual minority men living in Bogotá. A Versatile-insertive and receptive class (52.2%) was the most prevalent of the four resulting classes, whereas the least common was a class (1.7%) that did not use labels and had a low probability of anal sex. We examined whether identity and relational factors (i.e., sexual orientation, LGBT collective identity, and partner type) were associated with profiles. Gay identity was associated with versatile and receptive classes and bisexual identity was associated with insertive and versatile classes. LGBT collective identity was associated with the class characterized by Bottom identity and receptive positioning. Partner type was not associated with class membership, but versatile behaviors were more common among encounters with a main partner. Models using data at different timescales offered consistent patterns of behavior between the last encounter and the past three months, though the versatile class in the three-month model split into two classes based on frequency of versatile positioning. Findings highlight the relationship between sexual identity and positioning and can inform interventions for sexual health education and identity development.

Conversation analysis is a distinctive approach to research on language and communication that originated with Emanuel Schegloff, Harvey Sacks, and Gail Jefferson. It assumes a systematic order in the minute details of talk as it is used in situ. That orderliness is understood to be the result of shared ways of reasoning and means of doing things. Conversation analytic studies aim to identify and describe how people produce and interpret social interaction. For example, the interpretation and response to the question, “How are you” differs depending on whether it is asked by a doctor in a medical consultation or a friend during a casual conversation. Overwhelmingly, data are naturalistic audio (for telephone-mediated talk) or video recordings (for copresent interactions). The recordings are transcribed using conventions first established by Gail Jefferson. They have been further developed since to better capture features such as crying and multimodality. Specialized notations are used to highlight features of talk such as breathiness, intonation, short silences, and simultaneous speech. Analyses typically examine how everyday actions are done over sequences of two or more turns of talk. Greetings, requests, and complaints are actions that have names; others don’t. Studies may examine a range of linguistic, embodied, and environmental phenomena used in coordinated action. Research has been conducted in a broad range of mundane and institutional settings. Medical interaction is one area where conversation analysis has been most applied, but others include psychotherapy and classroom interaction. A conversation analytic perspective on identity is also distinctive. Typically, approaches to intergroup communication presuppose a priori the importance of social identities such as age, gender, and ethnicity. They are theorized as independent variables that impact language behaviors in predictable and measurable ways. This view strongly resonates with common sense and underpins popular questions about gender-, race- or age-based differences in language use. In contrast, a conversation analytic approach examines social identities only when they are observably and demonstrably relevant to what participants are doing and saying. The relevance of an identity category rests on it being clearly consequential for what is happening in a particular stretch of talk. Conversation analysis approaches identity as a type of membership categorization. The term “member” has ethnomethodological roots that recognizes a person is a member from a cultural group. Categories can be invoked, used and negotiated in the flow of interaction. Membership categorization analysis shows there is a systematic organization to category work in talk. Using conversation analysis and membership categorization analysis, discursive psychology studies how social identity categorizations have relevance to the business at hand. For example, referring to your wife as a “girl” or a “married woman” invokes different inferences about socially acceptable behavior.

Tying HIV prevention to sexual identity has been an effective public health strategy. However, HIV infection among young Latino/a and African Americans continues to mount. “On the down low,” a youth term for secretive or undercover, has become a code for the furtive same-sex sexual practices of young men who reject Gay or bisexual identities. This phenomenon received the attention of African Americans but Latino communities have largely, ignored it. Based on ethnographic observations in a Hip Hop club in New York City, and on postings in cyberspace, this paper documents the presence of Latino youth in “down low” networks. It asks whether the historical and political construction of ethno-racial identities in forms emerging sexual practices and identities, begging a review of established HIV prevention efforts.

Research shows that successful development of sexual identity is essential for healthy and well-adjusted ageing. Gay and bisexual (GB) older people have experienced cumulative events throughout their lives that may have affected the development of their identity. In addition, the few previous studies show an alarming lack of community connectedness among older GB people in Portugal. This study assessed the factors that have contributed to the development of sexual identity in Portuguese GB older adults throughout their lives, using an inductive qualitative cross-sectional approach based on Life Course Theory. Twenty-two semi-structured interviews were carried out with older (60+ years) GB people living in the community and using the lifeline technique. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis with a codebook approach. Results suggest a multifactorial contribution of factors throughout the life cycle that have affected the development of GB older people’s sexual identity. These include historical–cultural factors (e.g., sexual repression and traditionalism of the dictatorship), psychosocial factors (e.g., cumulative sexual stigma), relational factors (e.g., relational clandestinity) and intrapersonal factors (e.g., concealment of sexual orientation). The existence of the Internalized Sexual Minority Disconnectedness phenomenon and its contribution to the formation of the sexual identity of older GB adults were also verified. These results reveal important clues about the development of older GB people in Portugal and the factors that may be affecting the current invisibility of these people in the social and health-related context. Relevant implications for the clinical context are also discussed.

This study assessed the current climate of marriage and family therapy (MFT) training programs concerning the integration of lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identities and the creation of inclusive training environments by surveying MFT core faculty members (n = 56) on their programs’ policies, curriculum, clinic procedures, and overall training in this area. Results showed that while many faculty members believed their program does a good job integrating LGB identities and training students for work with LGB clients, many indicated there are still areas in need of improvement. Recommendations for these improvements center on increasing inclusiveness and affirmations of LGB identities at the program environment level.

Understanding one’s sexual orientation plays a significant role in contributing to one’s sexual identity and developing a coherent sense of self. Misconceptions and prevailing prejudices make it difficult for bisexual individuals to navigate their sexual identities in many societies. Disclosure of one’s identity is accompanied by certain risks depending on how the information is received. However, disclosing one’s identity can also be positive, especially as it assists in fostering relationships. This article derives from a descriptive study involving 14 semi-structured interviews with young adults aged 18–24 who identified as bisexual. Data were subjected to a reflexive thematic analysis. Themes of invalidation, belongingness and reclaiming through ‘inviting in’ were identified. By processing the feelings of invalidation regarding their bisexual identities which were placed upon them by their respective cultural groups, and society in general, participants were able to develop a sense of agency and reclaim their power. Findings highlight the need for further research on bisexuality, particularly in South Africa, and the need to understand how bisexual identity development occurs in interaction with other sexual and gender identities.

Abstract‘Sexual identity’ has been defined by Savin-Williams (1995b) as ‘… the enduring sense of oneself as a sexual being which fits a culturally created category and accounts for one’s sexual fantasies, attractions and behaviours’ (p. 166). This paper considers some of the ways that an individual arrives at his or her own unique sexual identity. It explores some of the implications for young people of developing a gay, lesbian or bisexual sexual identity and discusses the possible role that educational psychologists (or similar practitioners) may have in challenging some of the causes of the psychological damage endured by gay, lesbian and bisexual young people.

In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS church), beliefs about same-sex sexual attraction are carefully differentiated from beliefs about same-sex sexual behavior and identity, leading some to reject a lesbian, gay, bisexual, or queer (LGBQ) identity label in favor of declining a sexual identity or describing themselves as experiencing same-sex attraction (SSA). Using data from 1,128 sexual minority Mormons recruited from both politically conservative and liberal circles, we examined the relationship between rejecting an LGBQ identity and religiousness, attitudes toward sexuality, and health outcomes. We found that Mormons who reject an LGBQ identity were significantly more religious and less content with their sexuality but had similar health outcomes relative to LGBQ Mormons. We posit that these differences are best understood by differences in group affiliation and support, intersectional experiences with minority stressors, and the lack of generalizability of LGBQ constructs to those who reject an LGBQ identity.

Distinctive European social psychological perspectives on lesbian and gay identity reflect an emphasis on thoroughly social understandings and on multiple identities, often examined using qualitative research methods. Potential areas for future study include the relationship between lesbian, gay and bisexual identities and emerging European identity/identities. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

In his autoethnography, Tony Adams writes that coming out is “ever-present” and “never ends” because in a heteronormative society new interactions with new people require new disclosures of same-sex attraction.1 Yachao Li and Jennifer Samp take readers on a deep dive into the task of managing communication about lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) identity in Navigating Remarkable Communication Experiences of Sexual Minorites. Li and Samp provide a detailed and nuanced exploration of how LGB people manage the communication of their sexual orientation that builds on a foundation of well-executed empirical studies to support the construction of their theory of coming out message production (COMP). The book also offers practical suggestions for improving the experiences of LGB people as they manage communication about their sexual orientation.There have been many calls for more studies of the communication experiences of sexual and gender minority individuals.2 Li and Samp have answered these calls by conducting a series of studies on how LGB people navigate revealing and concealing their sexual orientation. Four chapters of the book are dedicated to detailed reporting of mixed-methods, empirical studies conducted by the authors. Each of these studies examines “message content (what people say and do) and message features (how people say and do it)” when managing the disclosure of LGB identity and how these messages affect LGB people and/or their relationships (3).Chapter 2 presents a study of LGB people's initial coming-out disclosures (first time they told someone else about their sexual orientation) and examines links between aspects of these initial coming out messages, depressive symptoms, and psychological stress. These data reveal four scripts used by those initially disclosing their LGB identity. Further, higher amounts of elaboration and emotional expression in these disclosures was associated with better psychological well-being. It is important to note that this chapter establishes a descriptive understanding of coming out messages and shows links between how people communicate during coming out and psychological well-being.Chapter 3 focuses on the messages of LGB people who come out to their heterosexual partner in a mixed-orientation romantic relationship. This study is innovative because it focuses on the experiences of the LGB person in mixed-orientation relationships whereas much of the research and clinical attention in such situations has focused on the heterosexual partner's coping. The chapter describes what factors influenced LGB people's decisions to come out to a heterosexual partner, such as risk-benefits analyses and desires to satisfy personal goals, as well as strategies that participants used in these disclosures including preparing and rehearsing what they were going to say and being direct when coming out. The chapter is an excellent example of the ways that Li and Samp examine understudied aspects of the communication experiences of LGB people but employ well-established communication theories, in this case, communication privacy management theory and the revelation risk model, to do so.Li and Samp examine management of communication about LGB sexual identities within couples in chapter 4. Chapter 4 examines couples’ discussions about the degree to which they wish to reveal their relationship, and therefore their LGB orientation, to others known as “coming out talk.” Li and Samp identified four themes among participants’ coming out talk showing that couples not only coordinated with one another about revealing information about their relationship and sexual orientations, but that many couples also created long-term disclosure plans for doing so. An especially important finding is that relational development and LGB disclosure were linked. As couples’ relationships grew, their coming out talk became more planned and strategic. Further, the data reveal that coming out talk is ultimately beneficial for couples and associated with greater relational satisfaction.Li and Samp shift focus from how LGB people reveal their sexual orientation to how they conceal it in chapter 5. In particular, chapter 5 presents a study on strategic concealment of LGB identity from friends. Although I was initially perplexed as to why Li and Samp chose to focus on concealment from friends instead of concealment from families given that previous research shows that families are often among the most challenging personal relationships for LGB people,3 after reflection I came to realize the decision to focus on friends was astute for several reasons. First, friendships are generally understudied and focusing on friends allowed Li and Samp to highlight that many LGB people struggle with concerns about acceptance across their different types of personal relationships. Second, focusing on friends allow Li and Samp to consider size and quality of LGB people's social network. Finally, the focus on friends was bolstered by Li and Samp more closely considering some demographic factors among LGB people, including race, age, and education level, than in previous studies in the book and considering differences among lesbian, gay, and bisexual participants. Although there were no significant differences by race, younger and bisexual people tended to conceal their identity from friends more than did people who were older and lesbian or gay. Further, those with fewer close friends, lower education levels, and higher internalized homophobia engaged in more LGB identity concealment than those who had more close friends, higher educational levels, and less internalized homophobia.The four chapters that present empirical studies lead effectively into chapter 6, which presents Li and Samp's COMP theory. The clarity of the theory explanation and the strong links that Li and Samp make among their theory, the empirical evidence already presented in previous chapters, and established communication theories of disclosure make the book an excellent way to show students how theory building is done. Thus, I recommend the book as a resource for Communication Theory courses at the advanced undergraduate and graduate levels. In addition to presenting their compelling COMP theory, Li and Samp also include chapter 7, which focuses on the practical implications of their research for improving the experiences of LGB people as they communicate about their sexual orientation. This chapter is an excellent resource not only for LGB people, but also for clinicians and practitioners who work with LGB populations. Although I would have preferred the title of the book be less broad (“communication experiences”) and more descriptive of the book's focus on coming out messages, this volume is a significant contribution to the literature on messages and message processes in interpersonal relationships and LGB communication.

Our qualitative study explored the ways in which bisexual mothers came to identify as such and how they structured their relationships and parenting within hetero-patriarchal society. The experiences of seven self-identified White bisexual women (aged from 28 to 56-years-old) from across England and the Republic of Ireland were investigated through semi-structured interviews. Participants’ children were aged 8 months to 28 years old at the time of their interviews. A thematic narrative analysis highlighted the following issues that participants had encountered in constructing their self-identity: prioritizing children; connecting and disconnecting with others and finessing self-definition; questioning societal relationship expectations. Nevertheless, participants varied considerably in how each of the themes identified were reflected in their lives, in particular depending upon each participant’s interpretation of her local social context. Both motherhood and self-identifying as bisexual gave a sense of meaning and purpose to participants’ life stories, although participants sometimes foregrounded their commitment to their children even at a personal cost to their bisexual identity. Using three different theoretical perspectives from feminist theory, queer theory and life course theory, the narratives analysed revealed ways in which bisexual motherhood not only had been influenced both intentionally and unintentionally by heteronormative expectations but also had directly and indirectly challenged these expectations.