Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Queer Interest Group
Investigating Sexual Racism and Interactions of Grindr App Users • Ming Wei Ang; Justin Tan • This research explores racialized sexual desires of Grindr users in Singapore through 24 semi-structured interviews. Specific to this context, we found a strict racial hierarchy where Chinese users are preferred over Malays and Indians, sustained by the preoccupation with verifying other users’ races, primarily through photos. This adds a previously unexplored dimension of how technical features structure user interactions. We also extend sexual fields theory by showing how minorities challenge the hierarchy within the field.
* Extended Abstract * Amplifying and signal boosting: How transgender engage the politics of voice and listening • Erica Ciszek; Paxton Haven, University of Texas at Austin; Nneka Logan • This paper examines the concepts of amplification and signal boosting by transgender communicators. Through in-depth interviews, we explore the experiences of transgender communicators to elicit how their lives and narratives of the world are made visible to, and demand attention from, others. This study considers the implications of these communication strategies in contemporary representations across a range of organizational contexts.
“I could NOT relate more:” An in-depth analysis of #growingupgay on Twitter • Lyric Mandell, University of Houston; Alysson Romo, University of Houston • This study employs a mixed methodology, specifically thematic and content analysis to uncover how users utilize the hashtag #growingupgay to reference identities and impression management within the LGBTQ+ community; the degree to which users of the hashtag #growingupgay reference heteronormative stereotypes about the LGBTQ+ community; and uncover the most prevalent tones of voice within the hashtag. This study falls within the literature regarding impression management of stigmatized and stereotyped identities within the queer theory and social identity theory theoretical framework.
Impacts of the 2016 Presidential Elections on Transgender and Gender Diverse People • Sarah Price, University of Alabama; Jae Puckett, Michigan State University; Richard Mocarski, University of Nebraska at Kearney • Although some research has been done on the negative health impacts of the 2016 election on LGBTQ people (see Gonzalez et al,. 2018), to the authors’ knowledge little to no research has been done on the effects that the Trump’s election and anti-trans rhetoric has had specifically on TGD people. This study takes a qualitative approach, examining the daily ruminations of TGD people during the 2016 presidential election. From these ruminations, there are clear trends of anxiety and distress due to political events and rhetoric, specifically in relation to the cissexist actions of Trump and his (then upcoming) administration. Through the lens of marginalization stress, this study seeks to explore the manifestations of gender identity and stigmatization in relation to national political discourse.
No Fats, No Fems, No Asians • Andrew Kix Patterson, The University of Memphis • Self-discovery and identity are innate processes in the adolescence of LGBTQ+ youth. These youth depend on media such as television and social media to discover the culturally accepted norms of sexuality and gender identity. With this responsibility on media’s shoulders to provide an accurate and fair representation of minority groups such as the LGBTQ+, this study compares the casting, production and subsequent representation of queer characters in two MTV reality dating shows across two decades. This study investigates literature to find the possible misconceptions for queer and non-queer youth and adults and completes a qualitative content analysis of the shows in question to provide insight on the topic. Exploratory measures into the perpetuated stereotype of feminine, sexually promiscuous and conventionally attractive cis-gendered, gay men are used to understand the casting choices and the identity media are trying to portray.
Say their name: How the News Reports the Death of Transgender Individuals • Rachel Stark, The University of Memphis • Transgender individuals, especially transgender women of color, face the threat of violent death due to their gender identity. The misgendering of transgender individuals by news media and police may contribute to why the exact number of violent transgender death is unknown. This research used a qualitative content analysis of online news articles to explore how, if at all, journalists followed Associated Press Stylebook guidelines on reporting transgender individuals and the intersectionality of transnormative theory, misogynoir, bias, and structured reality in news media. Despite having clear guidelines by the Associated Press, nearly every news outlet misgendered or misrepresented transgender individuals. Journalists should consistently use the guidelines as outlined by the Associated Press to accurately describe transgender individuals, preform additional fact checking surrounding individuals’ deaths, and ensure that correct information about a person’s gender identity is published without connecting a person to their assigned name or gender at birth.
Mobilizing Social Capital Resources among Anti-Gay Marriage Civil Society Groups in Taiwan • Yowei Kang, National Taiwan Ocean University; Kenneth C. C. Yang, The University of Texas at El Paso • Homosexuality has long been a taboo in Taiwan where LGBTQ minority groups are often marginalized. Despite the landmark ruling by Taiwan’s Constitutional Court in 2017, the legalization of gay marriage has polarized its society and stirred strong objection of many anti-gay conservative and religious civil society groups. The strategic alliance of these pro-family religious groups to win a landslide majority in city and county representatives and three anti-LGBTQ referendums in the 2018 local election. Their victory has demonstrated how social capital resources can be mobilized through multi-platform technologies to accomplish the political agendas of civil society groups. This case study of four anti-LGBTQ groups attempts to provide a thorough discussion of how social capital resources can be mobilized through these media platforms to recruit supporters, change public opinions, accumulate financial resources, and obtain petitions for their anti-LGBTQ referendums before and during the 2018 elections. Discussions and implications are provided.
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