Abstract The paper illustrates how language serves a purpose to the gay and lesbian community to assist them in recognizing themselves as a group in a world of opposition and ridicule of their status. The paper quotes several words and descriptively explains how the word is utilized in gay society. The paper then summarizes the situation with examples on how language has been used negatively with the resultant necessity for this group to formulate their own vocabulary.
From the Paper "This usage appears to have grown out of political activism. The need to combat homophobic oppression - including internalized homophobia - was perceived, and a concrete way of doing this was to hold a public parade in which pride in one's alternative sexual orientation was expressed. Out of this activity, the word "pride" acquired a whole new meaning - a meaning that is useful for this community in overcoming the societal prejudices it has to deal with."
Tags: homophobic, gay, pride, lesbian, language, word
Abstract This paper discuses issues relevant to the identification and counseling of gay and lesbian high school students. It looks at the importance of counselors and teachers understanding the unique stressors of gay and lesbian students and an often unsupportive, unacccepting, hostile school environment. The paper conducts a research study of high school gay or lesbian students who have been subject to harassment, violence and verbal abuse.
Abstract In this article, the writer focuses on the effect the gay and lesbian population has had on hotel management and marketing. By reviewing and analyzing various articles and reports on this topic, the writer demonstrates why the gay and lesbian population is a heavily marketed group within the travel industry. Likewise, the writer reviews why a hotel manager should market to the gay and lesbian traveling population. Finally, the paper also touches briefly on how effective marketing to this population can occur.
Outline:
Introduction
What Gay and Lesbian Travelers Want in a Hotel
Why Market to Gay and Lesbian Travelers?
How to Market to the Gay and Lesbian Population
What Others are Doing
From the Paper "One of the most significant developments in the travel industry, particularly as it applies to hotel management and marketing, is the recent trend aimed at attracting gay and lesbian clients. This trend developed as marketing research showed that gay and lesbian people are more likely to travel, and have more disposable income to spend when traveling, than the general population does. Thus, this group of individuals, who for decades was regarded as a niche travel population that only gay or lesbian-only travel marketing niche catered to, is now a mainstream market within the travel industry as a whole."
Abstract This paper discusses the phenomenon that while gays and lesbians are an integral part of the work force today and their numbers are growing, they still exhibit symptoms of minority stress at the workplace. The paper defines minority stress and studies the reasons behind this persistent problem. It looks briefly at what can be done to reduce minority stress for gays and lesbians.
From the Paper "While it is easy to bring a lawsuit against a firm that engages in discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, it is not exactly the route that most workers would opt for. For this reason, it is important to discuss the issue of sexual orientation openly and make it clear that none would be discriminated against on this basis. Some firms train their employees to handle diversity in the form of religious and ethnic backgrounds. The same needs to be done to handle issues arising out of sexual orientation. Gays and lesbians must also be allowed to openly discuss their problems in complete confidence with the HR department. This could help in reducing minority stress and might help gays and lesbians interact better with their colleagues."
Abstract The paper describes how homosexual-parent families are very much a part of society. The writer argues that there are many misconceptions about these families, but through examining professional literature and looking at the facts, those misconceptions are debunked. The writer proposes that gay and lesbian parents are no different from heterosexual parents in their commitment and ability to raise healthy, well-adjusted children. The writer concludes that accepting the presence of gay and lesbian parents and providing them with the rights and support they need will be a big step towards improving the well-being of these parents and the children that they raise.
From the Paper "The American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association does not recognize homosexuality as a mental disorder, and urge all mental health professionals to counter "the stigma of mental illness that had long been associated with homosexual orientation" (American Psychological Association 2005). Likewise, it has not been shown that gays become bad parents due to a lack of parenting skills or a lack of time. Because gender roles are not clear-cut in homosexual relationships, gays and lesbians are actually able to divide household and family labor relatively evenly, and report higher levels of domestic satisfaction (Johnson and O'Connor 2002)."
Abstract This paper explores the current position of the gay and lesbian population in American society. The writer attempts to explore the culture and understand how spaces and territories are established. The writer also discusses the differences in social lives of gays and lesbians.
From the Paper "America's gay and lesbian populations have come a long way in recent decades. They are far less apt to remain in the closet than in days gone by and they are much more open about their lifestyle than they had been in the past. The gay and lesbian community worked hard to carve out niches in urban society including hang outs, social functions and other rights of passage that are an automatic given for the straights of the nation.
?The late 1980s and early 1990s saw a growing sensitization on the part of mainstream society to the issues of gay and lesbian liberation(Voigt, 1999). Though the questions of gays in the military and gay marriage remain controversial, a number of gay issues been resolved, even on the civic level."
Tags: liberation, closet, homosexual, marriage, AIDS
Abstract Despite seeming unrelated, the search by adoptees for their biological families and the revelation of a nonstandard sexual identity by gays and lesbians to their families actually involve similar psychological components and elucidate similar cultural stereotypes about kinship. In both circumstances, individuals risk discovering weaknesses within assumed American definitions of family. This essays discusses the difficulties encountered by adoptees and gays and lesbians in coming to terms with their nontraditional status. It emphasizes the role of gender and cultural assumptions by looking at the views of authors such as Judith Modell and Kath Weston.
From the Paper "Interestingly, both adoptees and gays and lesbians frequently rely on their mothers rather than their fathers for support. In Modell's research, adoptees searched more frequently for their biological mothers than for their biological fathers, and they often expected more support from their adoptive mothers than from their adoptive fathers (1998: 158-9, 165-6). ?"Mother" called up conventions about acting like a child to a parent? (Modell 1998: 166), showing the influence of traditionally assumed kinship ties felt by adoptees. Gays and lesbians also had assumptions about the roles their mothers would play in their coming out. Weston explains, "when people attempted to predict the outcome of disclosure, their judgments generally reflected cultural assumptions about gender, power, and specific categories of kinship relations" (1991: 52). As a result of these assumptions, many people felt that a mother's "feelings" would make her more understanding than a father's "reason" (1991: 53)."
Abstract Gay and lesbian marriage has become a controversial debate in contemporary society. There are heated arguments for and against the legalization of marriage between couples of the same sex. This paper explains that the underlying assumption for those in favor of gay marriages is that the central aspects of love, relationship, and understanding should override all other issues. However, this paper argues that the situation is not quite that simple. There are numerous factors that militate against the acceptance of gay marriage as an institution in modern society. The paper points out that gay marriages have the potential to create serious problems with regard to a range of very important social and cultural issues that make marriages of this nature untenable in modern society.
From the Paper "The argument that I wish to propose is not based on any of these perceptions or views. The central argument against the institution of gay and lesbian marriage has nothing to do with assumptions and judgments about homosexuality, and neither do I wish to deprive people of their intrinsic and inalienable democratic rights. Rather the objection to same-sex marriage is simply based on the fact that it contributes to the downfall of society; more particularly the institution of the family - the foundation of society - and subsequently will impact negatively on the development of children within the society. Therefore, the argument against gay marriage that I propose is based purely on practical and societal considerations."
Abstract This paper looks at the growing acceptance of gay and lesbian relationships in society, as well as homosexual marriages. The author focuses specifically on Toronto's Metropolitan Community Church, led by the Reverend Brent Hawkes, which offers the gay community vast support for the lifestyle, and performs controversial marriage ceremonies.
Tags: brent, church, community, hawkes, metropolitan, reverend, toronto
Abstract The writer maintains that gays and lesbians are not allowed to get married because of their gender preferences. Some of the fierce advocates of the concept of marriage do not believe that gays and lesbians should be allowed to get married or adopt children. The writer looks at the aspect of children being brought up by a gay couple and studies the question of such a marriage. This paper looks at the argument of legalizing gay marriages and discusses the hypocrisy and prejudices involved in this matter.
From the Paper "Gay people are not allowed to be married because the community feels that they cannot bring up children they way that non-gay parents could. We are all aware of the day to day sorrows and joys, pains and achievement that we all face as human beings, as friends and as parents. To judge the capability of a parent by the structure of their family is not only wrong it goes beyond and above all the researched that have been done on successful parenthood. It does not matter what the structure of the family is as long as it is built with emotions of devotion, obligation, selflessness, and love in the family. Not a single research or study has proven that a gay or lesbian couple cannot provide the same kind of harmony and love in the structure as a non-gay couple (David, 2003)."
Abstract This paper studies the sexual revolution of the 1960s, which laid the groundwork for changes that were to influence fundamental ideas about intimate behavior in the late 20th century. Yet, while delivering the message of "sexual freedom," the Revolution failed to address specifically homosexual concerns, and thus failed to include a whole portion of the sexually active population of America. The author also studies the simultaneous political organizing of the gay and lesbian communities in America and Australia. The paper conclude that the rights of gays and lesbians were not protected until the 1970s, when laws began to change.
From the Paper "The organizations had their roots in the 1950s, when Senator Joseph McCarthy carried out the most famous modern witch-hunt in America. McCarthy strove to persecute homosexuals since many of the gay civil rights' founders were formerly Communist radicals - notably Harry Hay, who was a Communist Party leader of 20 years and who made the first call for a gay civil rights movement in 1948. [Heidendry, 103] In response to the climate of persecution, in 1950 Hay founded the "Mattachine Society" in Los Angeles, and in 1953 W. Dorr Legg founded "One, Inc." Both these groups were determined to "aid in the social integration and rehabilitation of the sexual variant" - fancy parlance for making homosexuality acceptable in the eyes of most Americans. [ibid, 103] In 1955, the first lesbian activist group, "the Daughters of Bilitis," was founded in San Francisco by Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin. [ibid., 105] The FBI harassed all three groups and accused them of being communist fronts, while the Post Office was barred from circulating the literature of "One, Inc." by the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. [ibid., 104]"
Tags: homosexual, lesbian, San, Francisco, U.S., American, Australia
Abstract An examination of the development of Queer Legal Theory in the 21st Century. This paper considers the benefit of forming alliances with previously well established theories such as: Critical Race Theory and Feminist Legal Theory. The recent development of gay and lesbian communities within mainstream society has contributed to the dismantling of invisibility and isolation. Within these communities, gays and lesbians have begun to seek legal reform in attempts to end the discrimination and oppression aimed at their communities. While QLT provides great promise independently, the potential exists for even greater reform through the joint efforts of Feminist, Critical Race and Queer Legal Theories working together to acknowledge their common oppressors and achieve their common goals.
From the Paper "Within the realm of social sciences there exists a multitude of theories concerning nearly every aspect of human life and interaction. The purpose of these often conflicting or overlapping theories is to provide guidelines for critically examining specific issues of interest. Theories serve to organize and simply information and to guide our perceptions through the process of investigation. Within the domain of law and society, theories help to identify the roots of social conditions, define common goals, and to aid in the understanding of how the law impacts specific social groups and vice versa. Often minority groups develop theories that aim to explain their social condition and which propose methods of law reform targeted at improving their condition. Historically these groups have been isolated, oppressed and discriminated against in both the social and legal spheres. Over time the walls of isolation break down allowing individuals to join others and form sub-cultures and communities. It is with the development of such communities that minority groups begin their uphill battles against oppression and discrimination. The most well known theories originating in this manner are Feminist Theory and Critical Race Theory."
Abstract This paper explains that the number of children adopted by gay men and lesbian parents has increased as more state laws have relaxed the prohibition on these types of adoptions and as more social workers and agencies now are willing to accommodate and intervene for them. The author points out that this changing trend has lead to critical concerns about sexual orientation, the probability of molestation, teasing and harassment of the child, which have created a dilemma for the social workers between the need for adoptive families and the principles of his or her profession. The paper relates that research suggests that the adopted children of gay and lesbian parents develop normal or straight relationships with their peers and satisfying relationships with adults of both sexes; therefore, social workers should support this type of adoption as guided by their professional code of ethics.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
History of Adoption
Reasons for Accepting Adoption by Gay or Lesbian Parents
Issues and Concerns
Conclusion
From the Paper "The revolutions of the 1960s and 1970s further influenced and modified adoption practices. These revolutions were the women's liberation, civil rights movement, sexual revolution, the adoptee's liberty movement, and the birth fathers' rights, birth control, legalized abortion and a dominant single parenthood culture. One consequence was that social workers were encouraged to adjust their role as educators for adoptive parents in helping them recognize and cope with raising adopted children as against raising natural children. Adoptive parents now demand more information on the child they take and whose future is entrusted to them."
Abstract This paper examines the issue of discrimination against gays and lesbians. The primary focus of this discrimination is the workplace, and the experience of gays and Lesbians is compared to challenges faced by other minority and ethnic groups in the past. Timely and relevant peer-reviewed and scholarly literature to develop an appropriate background for the issues involved is presented. A discussion of controlling legislation and a description of various types of discrimination that can take place in the workplace is followed by an assessment of current and future trends regarding the discrimination gays and Lesbians encounter. A summary of the research is presented in the conclusion.
Outline:
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Controlling Legislation
Types of Discrimination
Conclusion
Works Cited
From the Paper " The move to reverse the long-standing practices of discriminating against anyone in general and gays and lesbians in particular can be traced to the years immediately following the end of World War II, during the era of the Red Scare. During this scary period in America's duck-and-cover history, it was easy to be fearful of almost anything and everything and homosexuals were no exception. "Although immoral conduct was grounds for dismissing homosexuals from the civil service by Theodore Roosevelt's administration," Lewis (2001) reports, "federal employment of homosexuals did not become a political issue until the Cold War, when heightened American fears about national security led to increased restrictions on all federal employees" (539)."
Abstract This paper is an in-depth study of the topic of identity formation and how a non-traditional sexual orientation, such as being gay or lesbian, changes the development of one's identity. The paper examines the complex process of choosing a non-traditional sexual orientation. This includes the detailing of the many stages that the individual must face, and the many years that are often involved in the search for one's identity. The author looks at many different factors in society that affect the search for identity, including family life, friends, work and employment situations, age, environment and how they can have a negative or positive affect on the individual's lifestyle choice. The role of the social worker in helping the person deal with the problems that the individual faces in both their personal and professional life is also examined in great detail.
From the Paper "Considering general social and cultural attitudes about homosexuality, and the persistent view that the gay or lesbian identity is "abnormal", social workers must always be aware that many parents of homosexual individuals will feel a degree of shame at producing and rearing a "faulty" homosexual child. This is closely linked to the pressure of societal attitudes and concern with how others perceive their parenting, resulting in many parents becoming labeled with a similar socially stigmatized identity to that of their homosexual child. The social worker's role is to understand that many of these parents are likely to be concerned with feelings of guilt and self-blame, such as "Where did I go wrong"? or "If I had done this differently, then ... ", rather than with attempting to understand and empathize with their child's situation (Armesto, 2001). A great deal of this reaction is rooted in the family's racial, ethnic, religious, or cultural backgrounds, which often increase the family's anxiety and stigma with their disapproving and "sinful" view of gays and lesbians and the mythical beliefs that they promote as the causes of homosexuality. On the issue of self-acceptance, many studies indicate that it is the individual's network of friends, rather than the family, that plays the most significant role in gay and lesbian identity formation, indicating that the empathic understanding and support that is offered by members of the same sexual minority group, who have "walked the way", is a particularly influential and valued source of social support."
