Case Study for Counseling Same Sex Couples Through the Fertility Process

Fertility and reproductive technologies are increasingly important topics for counseling LGBT+ individuals. As legislation improves, lesbian couples have additional opportunities to expand their families. Professional counselors may be aware of the various fertility methods (e.g., artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization), but may lack understanding of the specific differences inherent in the process for two females. Lesbians also face barriers present in a heteronormative society. This chapter describes a counseling relationship with a lesbian couple who are working through the fertility process. When performing counseling work, using the multicultural and social justice competencies allows the counselor to provide ethical practice. The counselors use Relational-Cultural Theory, a feminist theory, to help Jane and Kelsey set goals consistent with the tenets of the theory. Additionally, the counseling team and couple work through the unique barriers a lesbian couple faces when experiencing the fertility process in a heteronormative society.

Patricia Highsmith's Queer Disruption: Subverting Gay Tragedy in the 1950s

<p>Published in a time when tragedy was pervasive in gay literature, Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel The Price of Salt, published later as Carol, was the first lesbian novel with a happy ending. It was unusual for depicting lesbians as sympathetic, ordinary women, whose sexuality did not consign them to a life of misery. The novel criticises how 1950s American society worked to suppress lesbianism and women’s agency. It also refuses to let that suppression succeed by giving its lesbian couple a future together. My thesis assesses the extent to which the novel broke the conventions of gay literature, and how Highsmith was able to publish such a radical text in the conservative 1950s. The Talented Mr Ripley, a crime novel published in 1955, is more representative of both Highsmith’s work and 1950s homophobia. Tom Ripley is coded as gay through a number of often pejorative stereotypes, though the novel never confirms his sexuality. This makes it appear far more conventional than The Price of Salt. And yet, it treats Tom sympathetically and gives him a happy ending. Underneath the surface level homophobia is a story of gay survival and success, and once again Highsmith subverts the tradition of gay tragedy. However, because homophobic tropes are central to its narrative, it remains difficult to call Ripley a radical text. In placing the two novels side by side, my thesis draws out the complexity of Highsmith’s relationship with the gay canon. I find commonalities in the novels based on Highsmith’s interest in disrupting conventional morality. She achieves this disruption by humanising outsiders such as gays and lesbians, and constructing narratives in which they are able to find the freedom and happiness that the literature of the period usually denied them.</p>

Patricia Highsmith's Queer Disruption: Subverting Gay Tragedy in the 1950s

<p>Published in a time when tragedy was pervasive in gay literature, Patricia Highsmith’s 1952 novel The Price of Salt, published later as Carol, was the first lesbian novel with a happy ending. It was unusual for depicting lesbians as sympathetic, ordinary women, whose sexuality did not consign them to a life of misery. The novel criticises how 1950s American society worked to suppress lesbianism and women’s agency. It also refuses to let that suppression succeed by giving its lesbian couple a future together. My thesis assesses the extent to which the novel broke the conventions of gay literature, and how Highsmith was able to publish such a radical text in the conservative 1950s. The Talented Mr Ripley, a crime novel published in 1955, is more representative of both Highsmith’s work and 1950s homophobia. Tom Ripley is coded as gay through a number of often pejorative stereotypes, though the novel never confirms his sexuality. This makes it appear far more conventional than The Price of Salt. And yet, it treats Tom sympathetically and gives him a happy ending. Underneath the surface level homophobia is a story of gay survival and success, and once again Highsmith subverts the tradition of gay tragedy. However, because homophobic tropes are central to its narrative, it remains difficult to call Ripley a radical text. In placing the two novels side by side, my thesis draws out the complexity of Highsmith’s relationship with the gay canon. I find commonalities in the novels based on Highsmith’s interest in disrupting conventional morality. She achieves this disruption by humanising outsiders such as gays and lesbians, and constructing narratives in which they are able to find the freedom and happiness that the literature of the period usually denied them.</p>

Keberadaan Lesbian di Kota Syariat: Faktor dan Interaksi Subjek

This study aims to describe the way lesbians interact with the environment where the majority of them are Muslims and the factors that influence a person to become a lesbian. The method used is a qualitative method with a case study approach. The informants of this study were four lesbians who lived in the city of Banda Aceh. The results of this study indicate that there are several things that underlie social interactions that shape lesbian behavior in an environment where the majority of Muslims are Muslims, that is family factors, fun, and trauma. The way lesbians adapt and run a partner relationship is the same as for heterosexual couples in general. However, for a more intimate relationship, this lesbian couple avoids their daily activities, then changes their appearance like men so that people don't suspect them. Abstrak Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mendeskripsikan tentang cara lesbian berinteraksi dengan lingkungan sekitar yang mayoritasnya umat muslim serta faktor yang mempengaruhi seseorang menjadi seorang lesbian. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan studi kasus. Informan penelitian ini berjumlah empat orang lesbian yang tinggal di Kota Banda Aceh. Hasil penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa ada beberapa hal yang mendasari interaksi sosial membentuk perilaku lesbian dalam lingkungan sekitar yang mayoritasnya umat muslim yaitu faktor keluarga, keisengan dan trauma. Adapun cara lesbian beradaptasi dan menjalankan hubungan pasangan adalah sama dengan pasangan heteroseksual pada umumnya. Namun, untuk hubungan yang lebih intim pasangan lesbian ini menghindari daerah kegiatannya sehari-hari, kemudian mengubah penampilan seperti lelaki agar masyarakat tidak menaruh ke curigaan terhadap mereka.

Fan-ning the flame

While promoting recent seasons of supernatural Western horror series Wynonna Earp (2016), cable channel Syfy released several fan-style videos championing the show’s resident lesbian couple: the protagonist’s sister, Waverly, and police officer Nicole Haught (celebrated via the portmanteau “WayHaught”). In 2019, a network “shipping” its own queer characters in service of fans contrasts starkly with the televisual landscape twenty, or even ten, years prior, when viewers invested in lesbian characters and/or same-sex couples relied on subtext and fan paratexts to fuel their enthusiasm for mostly unacknowledged or thwarted relationships between female characters. In this article, I engage in a two-part interrogation of the representation of lesbian romance on cult television shows in the last twenty-five years, with a focus on Wynonna Earp and its historical antecedents—supernatural, sci-fi, and fantasy shows featuring women and their female companion(s) (whether close friends or lovers). This includes a historiography of the development of lesbian fan communities around certain shows from the late 1990s and early 2000s, as well as an analysis of the narrative stakes and character development in both historical and contemporary shows, like Earp, in order to interrogate their representations of subtext or main text romantic pairings.

From Barbara to Bia: Art, policy and science dialoguing with rights and health of lesbians in Brazil

Issue Discrimination and homophobia are latent and can affect health. Chico Buarque composed at least three songs about lesbian love: Barbara (with Ruy Guerra - 1972), Sea and Moon (1980) and Blues for Bia (2017). Problem Beginning with the view that art can manifest itself as narrative, this paper analyzes the alignment of the content of the three songs mentioned above with Brazilian policies ensuring LGBT rights and the trend of studies on lesbian health in Brazil from 1970 to 2019. The results can assist the promotion of discussions in other places. We performed 1) a search of governmental policies aimed at protecting the rights of the LGBT population; 2) a systematic search for studies on lesbian health in PUBMED; 3) a musical analysis of the songs. Results The 1970s was marked by a military government when the love addressed in the song 'Barbara' was closeted and sad. The song (composed in a minor tone) uses half-step intervals, generating melancholy feelings. In the 1980s, still under a dictatorial government, several social movements initiated a militant stance for the LGBT movement and the song “Sea and Moon” addressed the suicide of a lesbian couple. We found no government actions in this period or studies conducted in Brazil in the PUBMED database up to 1998. Government policies emerged in the 2000s, especially through the program entitled 'Brazil without Homophobia' in 2004. Other policies followed and intensified in the 2010s. The number of studies increased from seven up to the year 2009 to 105 from 2010 onward. “Blues for Bia” addresses sexual freedom with lightheartedness. Lessons The increase in policies for the rights of the LGBT population was aligned with a trend in studies on lesbian health and with the three songs analyzed. Songs began with sad, negative tones until finally arriving at issues of autonomy and freedom, suggesting the importance of the maintenance of these actions that can alleviate problems related to LGBT rights and health. Key messages Policies for LGBT rights and studies on lesbian health have increased in Brazil since 2000s, especially after 2010. The tone of the songs studied changed from pain to lightness, in line with increase of the research and policies, emphasizing the importance of such actions.

Case Study for Counseling Same Sex Couples Through the Fertility Process

Fertility and reproductive technologies are increasingly important topics for counseling LGBT+ individuals. As legislation improves, lesbian couples have additional opportunities to expand their families. Professional counselors may be aware of the various fertility methods (e.g., artificial insemination, in vitro fertilization), but may lack understanding of the specific differences inherent in the process for two females. Lesbians also face barriers present in a heteronormative society. This chapter describes a counseling relationship with a lesbian couple who are working through the fertility process. When performing counseling work, using the multicultural and social justice competencies allows the counselor to provide ethical practice. The counselors use Relational-Cultural Theory, a feminist theory, to help Jane and Kelsey set goals consistent with the tenets of the theory. Additionally, the counseling team and couple work through the unique barriers a lesbian couple faces when experiencing the fertility process in a heteronormative society.

An Intersectional Love Story

As a lesbian couple working in academia, you might imagine that the authors have similar experiences. However, once you add race and ethnicity to the mix, the equation changes beyond measure. This chapter will focus on the different paths that two lesbians take to leadership positions in academia. Often referring to ourselves as “professionally gay,” the authors tell their stories from “slightly” different lenses: the White woman with a PhD who moved to a rural town for a tenure-track position and the Black woman with a Master's degree who took positions such as “assistant to the administrative assistant.”