Somewhere over the Rainbow

Festival decorations are crucial indicators of the carnivalesque atmosphere of events as they capture celebratory experiences in tangible forms. Due to the strong presence of rainbow colors, LGBT+ Pride events provide fertile grounds for the discussion of decorative materials. While the acclaimed symbol of the rainbow is an expression of the LGBT+ community and their campaign for equality, the color combination is contested due to commercializing and appropriating forces. Next to altered color compositions highlighting particular identities and communities within the LGBT+ spectrum, explorations for alternative decorative patterns and visual expressions inform contemporary celebrations of equality during LGBT+ Pride events. In this article, I begin with a conceptual discussion of the carnivalesque notion, its inherent contradictions of subversion and discipline, and their expression in the form of decorative materials. Through an ethnographic study of the commemorative LGBT50 celebration in the context of Hull UK City of Culture 2017, I argue that alternative decorative approaches not only aesthetically influence the event but enable the reclaiming of the subversive atmospheres produced by the carnivalesque environment. Countering disciplining mechanisms of brand-like rainbow strategies, I outline how artistic practices negotiate innovative approaches to frame LGBT+ communities, identities, and celebrations.

A Litany of Saints: Remembering the Early Years of HIV/AIDS Activism in the First Year of a New Pandemic

With the emergence of COVID-19 in the U.S., many LGBTQ people found ourselves reflecting upon the early years of HIV/AIDS and how our communities responded to the lack of robust federal and state response to this preceding public health crisis. As the leaders of the Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center (BSC) in eastern Pennsylvania became a central resource for our community sharing up-to-date information about COVID-19 and organizing vaccine clinics, they also recognized the historic nature of this moment as many elders in our community consistently tried to make sense of the current crisis by contemplating their past AIDS activism and organizing. In March of 2020, BSC staff and archivists received grant funding to conduct an oral history project called "40 Years of Public Health in the LGBTQ Community: Collecting and Curating Local LGBTQ Health Experiences From HIV/AIDS to COVID-19," which recorded both timely commentary on the impact of COVID-19 on LGBTQ people and memories of HIV/AIDS organizing that seemed urgent and relevant to our contemporary moment. Offering excerpts from oral histories collected in 2020, this piece explores how COVID-19 spurred LGBTQ people in the Lehigh Valley to share stories about communal grief, health inequity, political responses to pandemics, and organizing to support the health of minoritized communities.

Community Participation in the National Development Plan Through Primary Health Care

The chapter explores and describes community participation in the National Development Plan through Primary Health Care by using case studies of LGBT organizations in South Africa. Post-Apartheid and democratic South Africa has endorsed community participation as one of the fundamental pillars of the public Primary Health Care approach in its governance structures. This chapter focuses on the current major health issue in South Africa, the HIV epidemic, which is one of the leading causes of death in the country. Particular attention is paid to members of the LGBT community because of their discrimination in public healthcare facilities on grounds of their sexual orientation. The chapter relies on secondary sources of data collection from extant literature, textbooks, journal articles, and internet sources. Challenges to address LGBT community discrimination in HIV testing, prevention, treatment, care, and support were identified and solutions to uphold their human rights were proffered. These solutions are based on the principles of social justice, inclusion, diversity, and equality.

Processes of Socialization to Sexuality and Discrimination in the Web Society

The diffusion of new media, of online communication, and the increasingly evident overlap between online and offline environments generates a specific question for scientific research on how these contents can represent an opportunity for “emancipation” and at the same time new areas in which can experience processes of exclusion, in particular for the LGBT community. In this sense, social media offers transgender people a wide range of tools and applications to create new knowledge, interact with other people, create new meeting opportunities, or trace new relationships and/or new emotional and sexual experiences. This research work aims to investigate the psychological, relational, and social aspects of transgender people who use social media and dating apps as communication spaces and relational environments in order to outline the peculiar aspects of media consumption, regulatory access and processes of stigmatization, and social discriminations by the web.

Pink consumption areas: research accomplishments and future perspectives

Pink consumption areas are a collection of places that were created and/or stand out for their openness towards the LGBT community. Research of pink consumption first arose in the 1990s and took place in an urban context almost without exception, and was largely geographically limited to Anglo-America and Western Europe. Night clubs have been identified as the starting points of pink consumption, but pink consumer spaces are becoming increasingly diversified with the liberalisation of social relations in the Western world. However, entertainment remains the dominant domain and the most research attention has been focused on this area. Purchasing systems, including consumption management called rainbow washing, has also been well studied, though studies on culture and health related to this area are strongly lacking. Research of pink consumption spaces shares a common methodology with this issue. A central issue is the lack of a public list of LGBT persons, which makes it virtually impossible to have any form of probability sampling. Accordingly, qualitative research based on the interview method, focus group discussions, and geosemiotic analyses are more frequently used than quantitative research.

The Digital Athena: Contemporary commentaries and Greek mythology explored through 3D printing

<p>Greek myth and art acted as tools to think with, and a lens through which to explore complex topics, like a form of social media. In particular, coins were a form of propaganda to communicate the wealth and power of the city-states they originated from as they circulated from person to person. Using these media as a starting point, how can the application of 3D printing technologies explore the infusion of ancient forms with contemporary commentaries to promote discussion? The digital reconstruction of artifacts is a topic that has been researched by various groups all over the globe. The exploration of Greek myth through objects infused with contemporary issues is currently unexplored in this medium. Using the Stratasys J750 3D printer - a multi-material, full-colour 3D printer - a series of coins inspired by ancient Greek currency and myth was created to present commentaries on the adversities surrounding individuals in the LGBT+ community. Using the J750 as the medium for expression allows for complete control and precision of the models to create complex, high-resolution iconography. A hard, translucent material was used to print the coins, with coloured 3D visuals embedded into the coins for viewing in close contact by the audience. These coins as commentaries present an avenue for broader understanding by drawing perspectives not only from sources concerned with the contemporary LGBT+ community but also from sources exploring ancient homosexuality and the perception and regulation of it in antiquity. By displaying what are usually points of contention between anti- and pro-LGBT+ parties, this visual medium opens up a discussion to both parties, suggesting heritage can play a vital interpretative role in the contemporary world.</p>

The Digital Athena: Contemporary commentaries and Greek mythology explored through 3D printing

<p>Greek myth and art acted as tools to think with, and a lens through which to explore complex topics, like a form of social media. In particular, coins were a form of propaganda to communicate the wealth and power of the city-states they originated from as they circulated from person to person. Using these media as a starting point, how can the application of 3D printing technologies explore the infusion of ancient forms with contemporary commentaries to promote discussion? The digital reconstruction of artifacts is a topic that has been researched by various groups all over the globe. The exploration of Greek myth through objects infused with contemporary issues is currently unexplored in this medium. Using the Stratasys J750 3D printer - a multi-material, full-colour 3D printer - a series of coins inspired by ancient Greek currency and myth was created to present commentaries on the adversities surrounding individuals in the LGBT+ community. Using the J750 as the medium for expression allows for complete control and precision of the models to create complex, high-resolution iconography. A hard, translucent material was used to print the coins, with coloured 3D visuals embedded into the coins for viewing in close contact by the audience. These coins as commentaries present an avenue for broader understanding by drawing perspectives not only from sources concerned with the contemporary LGBT+ community but also from sources exploring ancient homosexuality and the perception and regulation of it in antiquity. By displaying what are usually points of contention between anti- and pro-LGBT+ parties, this visual medium opens up a discussion to both parties, suggesting heritage can play a vital interpretative role in the contemporary world.</p>

Protecting difference: A discussion on transphobic and homophobic hate crime in the Irish context

Ireland has been applauded internationally for its legislative progress in supporting the rights of (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) LGBT+ citizens. Yet much of the positive change within the social and political context of sexuality and gender expression has been achieved by campaign groups, operating outside government boundaries. Notwithstanding these advances, LGBT+ people continue to face discrimination, abuse and violence. Concerns surrounding acts of aggression towards transgender and gay people call for an ongoing dialogue between legislators, policymakers, and practitioners to explore ways in which safety can be ensured. This article draws from an emerging body of scholarship and research to question the effectiveness of current social policy and legislation in Ireland. It offers a discourse on hate crime related to transphobia and homophobia, while challenging the existing political thinking. Multi-agency collaborative working is suggested as key to fostering solutions together with changes in legal paradigms, and the continued formation of policy aimed at safeguarding the LGBT+ community.