Browsing by Subject "Homosexuality and education"
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Item Heterosexism within educational institutions: coping efforts of lesbian, gay, and bisexual students in West Texas(Texas Tech University, 1998-12) Mahan, Virginia J.This investigation illuminates the lived experiences of selfidentified lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB/lesbigay) college students in West Texas, particularly with regard to heterosexism withineducational institutions. In addition, this work explores the strategies participants used to cope with the heterosexism they encountered in their daily interactions with others, as well as how these strategies were constructed, maintained, and internally revised over time. Accounts of participants' lived experiences indicate that from the elementary to the university levels, the Texas educational institutions in this investigation contributed, both actively and passively, to their many psychosocial stressors, as well as their marginalization. Some Texas educators were either unaware of or chose not to abide by the gay-affirmative philosophies of various professional organizations in education, failing both to provide equity with regard to sexual orientation and to establish a gayaffirmative environment devoid of physical and verbal harassment. For example, early in their school careers, a number of participants were punished and labeled as homosexual because they engaged in what educators and fellow classmates considered to be inappropriate gender behavior, particularly non-normative play. Having been labeled as homosexual, these participants were nonetheless unable to obtain judgment-free and accurate information regarding lesbigays from either parents or school personnel. By allowing epithets to be used for homosexuality while otherwise disallowing profanity and racism, school personnel not only tacitly condoned marginalization of lesbigays, but failed to furnish a gay-affirmative environment. Moreover, participants experienced a diminished sense of security and faced persistent danger to their physical and/or psychological safety. According to participants, only rarely did Texas educators intervene when, as frequently occurred, LGB students were targeted for verbal and physical harassment. In response to the aforementioned psychosocial stressors, participants reported a wide variety of coping efforts, both adaptive and maladaptive. Behavioral strategies targeting the problem situation far outnumbered emotion-focused coping. While many coping efforts were idiosyncratic, five or more participants reported assertiveness, counseling, cultural inversion/pride, direct action, social support, and use of the Internet as helpful. Moreover, ignoring, social withdrawal, and suicide attempts were each considered detrimental by four participants.Item The relationship between religious fundamentalism and moral development on homophobia in college undergraduates(Texas Tech University, 1998-08) Gould, Lera JuneHomophobia and heterosexism pervade the culture of the United States and are demonstrated by behaviors ranging from the use of pejorative terms to the serious crimes of assault, arson, and murder. The growing number of hate crimes against gay men and lesbians demonstrates the need for information on the attitudes and beliefs of heterosexuals about homosexuality. Fundamentalist religious believers have been vocal in their condemnation of homosexuality; thus, religious fundamentalism and gay rights have become political issues with proponents on both sides convinced that they are fighting for the constitutional rights of the individual. Although research has demonstrated that college students exhibit significant levels of homophobia, no studies have examined the relationship between homophobia and religious beliefs and moral development. The purpose of this study was two-fold: first, to determine if religious fundamentalism scores and moral development scores of college students were predictive of their homophobia scores; and second, to determine if a single, one hour lecture on homosexuality was significant in changing the attitudes of students who scored high in homophobia. To accomplish this, 429 participants were selected from three regional, church-affiliated universities and from a large state university. Data were collected using a demographic sheet, Herek's Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale, the Copeland Fundamentalism Scale, and Rest's Defining Issues Test. Statistical analysis of the data demonstrated that homophobia and fundamentalism were correlated at a moderate level. Regression analysis showed that fundamentalism was a predictor of homophobia. A single, one-hour lecture on homosexuality was found to be significant in lowering homophobia scores. Post hoc analyses indicated a significant relationship between the demographic variables of religious denomination and religious self-description and homophobia. These data are consistent with the results of previous research. Further analyses found the sample in this study responded similarly to samples in previous research. Limitations of the study include group size and geographic location which limit generalizabiIity of the results. Although the one hour format proved significant in attitude change, suggestions for improvement are included. Further research is suggested in religiously-affiliated colleges and universities with larger student populations and other denominational affiliations and in public universities.