This paper compares and contrasts the sociopolitical involvement of Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific Islander men within lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) communities of color. We ...hypothesize that being connected to community, and believing in the importance of sexual and racial/ethnic identity would positively impact men's sociopolitical involvement within LGBT communities of color. Findings indicate that, for all groups of men, feeling connected to the LGBT community was one of the most significant predictors of sociopolitical involvement within LGBT communities of color, but the importance of sexual and racial/ethnic identity was not as powerful a predictor for this sample of men. Similarities and differences between and among the groups are discussed with regard to understanding how community and identity is related to the sociopolitical involvement of Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific Islander men within LGBT communities.
As suggested by the work of Richard Florida and others, this article examines whether cities which provide greater protections for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) residents fare better ...economically? To answer this question, the author used a relatively new measure of a city’s laws and policies concerning its LGBT residents and several standard measures related to economic prosperity. The statistical analyses document a relationship between a city’s economic success and its protections and benefits for LGBT residents. The author offers several different reasons why these relationships continue to show up in the literature and the implications for cities, corporations and individuals.
In 1999 the author interviewed 40 Finnish self-identified bisexual people for her master's thesis. The interviews focused on experiences of living as a bisexual in Finland in the late 20th century. ...Most of the interviewees were active in sexual minority subcultures and politics and found it imperative to increase the visibility of bisexuality. Now, after 10 years, the author has interviewed some of these informants again. What do their experiences and thoughts reveal about the change in Finnish sexual culture during the past 10 years? The visibility and equality of sexual minorities has improved considerably since 1999. The law for registered partnership for same-sex couples passed in 2001, it became possible to adopt the child of a same-sex partner in 2009, and there have been various national projects on sexual equality at work and in education. Furthermore, the media often explores sexual minority issues-one could almost say that bisexuality has become a product to be consumed by different audiences. What does this increase in visibility of bisexuality mean for people who identify as bisexual? What kind of contradictions do bisexuals meet when tackling with everyday life? What kind of meaning does the concept of bisexuality have in their lives?
Debates over same-sex marriage have reached the main stage of contemporary U.S. politics. The purpose of this essay is to identify and examine how sexual ideologies in U.S. LGBT communities inform ...and influence relationship construction in general and same-sex marriage in particular. To accomplish this, we first discuss the nature of sexual ideologies. Next, we identify current sexual ideologies in LGBT communities and examine some of their fundamental features and their implications for relationship construction with a focus on same-sex marriage. We conclude with a discussion of what is potentially gained and lost by same-sex matrimonial bonds and explore some of the prospects of relationship construction within LGBT communities in the future.
Introduction West, Isaac
Transforming Citizenships,
12/2013
Book Chapter
This introductory chapter describes the efforts of the Atlanta Police Department (APD) to arrest transgender workers for being “troublesome inhabitants” of Midtown. When transgender persons and other ...community activists pressed the APD to justify their actions, the organization denied any prejudice directed toward trans people. The book centers on this anecdote, examining narratives of people involved in fighting the discriminatory policy. It also explores how legal discourses participate in the figuration of citizens, publics, and politics, the uniting characteristics and boundaries of LGBT communities, the anxieties associated with sharing spaces with strangers, as well as transgender and queer world-making responses to these problematics.
