scholarly journals Credibility Assessment in Asylum Claims Based on Sexual Orientation by the Greek Asylum Service: A Deep-Rooted Culture of Disbelief

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophia Zisakou
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Legal Reasoning ◽  
Sexual Practices ◽  
Credibility Assessment ◽  
European Guidelines ◽  
Common European Asylum System ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
The One ◽  
Bisexual Identity ◽  
Human Rights Standards

The aim of this article is to describe and analyze the main practices that the Greek Asylum Service applies to assess credibility in asylum claims based on sexual orientation. The analysis is based on a survey of 60 cases (interviews and first instance decisions). According to the results of the survey, the practices used could be divided into two categories. On the one hand, practices that do not conform with refugee law, the Common European Asylum System, and human rights standards, such as questions around sexual practices of the asylum seekers, stereotyped expectations about applicants’ behavior and knowledge, and arbitrary assessments lacking any legal reasoning. On the other hand, practices that, at first sight, comply with international and European guidelines for credibility assessment but are based on an essentialist understanding of lesbian, gay, and bisexual identity. According to the research, applicants are expected to have passed through a hard process of self-realization which has to be accompanied, by default, by feelings of difference, shame, and suffering. In the article, the author critically reflects on the practices applied, concluding that this notion of sexual orientation as innate and defining one’s identity, fails to take into account the intersections of gender, class, ethnicity, and race, and could lead to unjust judgments.

scholarly journals Tożsamościowe wyzwania kobiet sprawujących opiekę nad dzieckiem w związkach jednopłciowych w świetle koncepcji Vivienne Cass

2018 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 217-244
Author(s):  
Jowita Wycisk Jowita Wycisk
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Identity Development ◽  
Identity Formation ◽  
Industrial Society ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Extensive Discussion ◽  
Sexual Orientation Identity ◽  
Parental Identity ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
Bisexual Identity

Development of the contemporary post-industrial society entails the increasing diversity of family life models. People, making individual choices in this field, face new challenges related to identity formation. In the text presented this issue is discussed on the example of women bringing up children in same-sex relationships. The article presents basic information on the same-sex parenting, underlines the importance of the idea of identity integration in psychology and stresses the lack of contiguity between theories of parental identity development and these ones of homosexual and bisexual identity development. An extensive discussion of the Vivienne Cass’s theory of sexual orientation identity development is the basis for the approximation of potential discrepancies in the identity system of non-heterosexual women taking parental roles. Two main factors relevant to the processes of identity formation were distinguished: the order of the development of the sexual orientation identity and parental identity (the planned and reconstructed families differ in this regard) and the way of establishing and maintaining the relationship with the child (other challenges are faced by biological and social mothers). In the summary, questions requiring future empirical exploration were notified.

Gay Straight Communication

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Fasoli
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Hate Speech ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Physical Distance ◽  
Positive Attitudes ◽  
Self Acceptance ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
Private Matter ◽  
The One

Sexual orientation is a private matter that individuals can decide to disclose or conceal. Nevertheless, when interacting with others, people look for cues of sexual orientation. Hence, the person’s face, voice, or non-verbal behavior is taken as a cue revealing sexual orientation. As research on “gaydar” has shown, this detecting ability can sometimes be accurate or stereotype-based. Sometimes gay, lesbian, and bisexual people themselves intentionally communicate their sexual identity explicitly or through more subtle cues. Intentional or not, several cues are taken as communicating sexual orientation with the consequences of shaping interpersonal interactions. Identifying someone as gay or lesbian has several implications. On the one hand, it leads straight men and women to non-verbally behave differently than when interacting with other straight individuals (e.g., more physical distance, more self-touching). On the other hand, it also affects verbal communication (e.g., topics of conversation, questions, and statements). The harshest consequence is hate speech and homophobic language. Research has shown that being labeled as “faggot” or “dyke” not only negatively affects those who are the target of such verbal derogation but also negatively impacts on straight bystanders. Indeed, gay and lesbian targets of homophobic language report a lower level of well-being and self-acceptance, while being exposed to such language increases prejudice toward gay men and lesbians among straight people. In the case of straight men, the use of homophobic language is often associated with identity self-affirmation and self-presentation. Interestingly, a recent trend among gay people has been noticed: they use homophobic labels among them as a form of “reclaimed language,” meaning that these derogatory terms are used with a different intent and reframed in a more positive way. Moreover, communicating sexual orientation can increase self-acceptance, social support, and positive social comparison among gay men and lesbians and can also increase positive attitudes toward gay people, especially when it happens with friends and family members.

Teaching on the Edge: The Psychology of Sexual Orientation

1997 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janis S. Bohan
Keyword(s):  
Social Psychology ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
American Psychological Association ◽  
Active Role ◽  
American Psychological ◽  
Educational Activities ◽  
Psychology Of Women ◽  
Psychological Experiences ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
Bisexual Identity

The American Psychological Association has charged its members with taking an active role in reducing the stigma attached to lesbian, gay, and bisexual identity in our society. One means of fulfilling this charge is for psychologists to undertake educational activities that present lesbian, gay, and bisexual experience in a thoughtful, scholarly, and informative manner. This article describes the development and conduct of a course titled The Psychology of Sexual Orientation, whose intent is to provide just such a substantive look at the psychological experiences of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals. Elements of the course may also be incorporated into other courses, such as social psychology, the psychology of women, the psychology of gender, or courses focusing on diversity.

scholarly journals “Stepping up the ladder in safety”: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of how LGB clients experience their therapists’ sexual orientation

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 211-223
Author(s):  
Tsabika Bafiti ◽  
Maria Viou ◽  
Prodromos Tarasis
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Therapeutic Process ◽  
Relevant Literature ◽  
Phenomenological Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
The One ◽  
Systemic Family Therapy

Relevant literature has explored the issue of disclosure of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual (LGB) therapists to heterosexual or LGB clients. But how do homosexual or bisexual clients understand and experience their therapist’s heterosexual orientation, known or assumed, in relation to the therapeutic alliance and the therapeutic process? In this qualitative study, we used the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis to examine eight semi-structured interviews with LGB clients in a family-oriented therapy in Greece. Analysis revealed two themes of higher order, each having three subordinate themes depicting the client’s experience of the therapist’s sexual orientation: 1. Focus on the therapist’s sexual orientation: (a) as a hypothesis (b) as a factor of acceptance (c) as a factor of professional capability and 2. Focus on other therapist features: (a) gender (b) personality traits (c) practice of professional role. The therapist’s sexual orientation or the one perceived by the client was not a neutral issue in therapy and the cultivation of the therapeutic relationship but was only one part of the process. The way all these issues were processed and approached by clients was related to their personal history and phase of therapy. Suggestions for future research include conducting a research on clients from different therapeutic perspectives since it was carried out only on participants in long-term systemic family therapy.

Differential Effects of Social Support by Sexual Orientation: A Study of Depression Symptoms Among Older Canadians in the CLSA

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 251-261
Author(s):  
Arne Stinchcombe ◽  
Nicole G. Hammond ◽  
Kimberley Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Protective Role ◽  
National Study ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Positive Social Interaction ◽  
Tangible Support ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
Bisexual Identity

This study examined differences in symptoms of mental illness, specifically depression, by sexual orientation and examined the protective role of social support among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) older Canadians. Data were drawn from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, a national study of adults aged 45–85 years at baseline ( n = 46,157). We examined whether the effect of sexual orientation on depression symptoms was moderated by four types of social support: emotional/informational support, affectionate support, tangible support, and positive social interaction. LGB identification was associated with increased depression symptoms relative to heterosexual participants. After adjustment for covariates, bisexual identity remained a significant predictor of depression symptoms. Low emotional/informational social support was associated with increased depression symptoms, an effect that was most pronounced for lesbian and gay participants. The findings contribute to the growing body of research on the mental health of older LGB people.

Born this way: Sexual orientation beliefs and their correlates in lesbian and bisexual women.

2017 ◽  
Vol 64 (5) ◽  
pp. 560-573 ◽  
Author(s):  
James S. Morandini ◽  
Alexander Blaszczynski ◽  
Daniel S. J. Costa ◽  
Alexandra Godwin ◽  
Ilan Dar-Nimrod
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Bisexual Women ◽  
And Bisexual ◽  
Sexual Orientation Beliefs

Courts and Federalism: Judicial Doctrine in the United States, Australia, and Canada

2007 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 247-249
Author(s):  
Anna Esselment
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Legal Reasoning ◽  
The United States ◽  
Judicial Decision ◽  
Judicial Decision Making ◽  
Division Of Powers ◽  
Independent Variable ◽  
Judicial Doctrine ◽  
The One ◽  
Central Claim

Courts and Federalism: Judicial Doctrine in the United States, Australia, and Canada, Gerald Baier, Vancouver and Toronto: UBC Press, 2006, pp. 207.Is everything old new again? Gerald Baier's insightful book brings back into the mainstream a long neglected examination of federalism from the perspective of judicial review. His analysis of the courts' impact on the development of federalism involves a detailed study of division of powers jurisprudence in the United States, Australia, and Canada. In each of these countries, Baier argues, the decisions of the highest courts continue to affect the shape of federalism, but his central claim turns on how these decisions are made. For Baier, judicial doctrine plays a significant role in influencing the reasoning of the courts and must be considered an independent variable worthy of study in its own right. Many scholars have debated the significance of doctrine on judicial decision making. However, Baier takes issue with scholars who, on the one hand, have characterized doctrine as a tool of objectivity and certainty, and those, on the other hand, who view doctrine as entirely political in nature (27). For Baier, doctrine is neither of these but it is “distinctly legal in character” and it is this legal reasoning that shapes outcomes (27).

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