Introduction to the special issue: Preaching to the choir 2018: An international LGBTQ psychology conference

Abstract: In some respects, this special issue has been more than 10 years in the making. In 2008 and 2010, Nicola Curtin, Peter Hegarty and Abigail Stewart organised two LGBTQ Psychology Summer Research Institutes at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbour (Curtin, Hegarty, & Stewart, 2012). They invited leading scholars in the area to serve as mentors and up to 50 additional graduate students and early career academics. The institutes were intended to provide support for the fledgling area of LGBTQ Psychological research. One of their self-described ‘loftier’ goals was to create an ‘invisible college’ that would facilitate collaborations and connections between emerging and established scholars in order to address the under-representation of LGBTQ issues within the psychological literature at the time (Curtin et al., 2012). The institutes were a success, supported by data analysed from post-event surveys, but also by the fact that many of the students who participated went on to build successful careers, despite doing so in a time period of extreme academic austerity and a dearth of academic positions (i.e., 2008 onward). The first evidence of academic collaborations came from a special issue of Psychology & Sexuality published in 2012 (Volume 3, Issue 3) comprised of entirely of collaborations that grew from the institutes. In fact, one of the first author’s first publications that did not involve a supervisor was featured in this special issue, and it was a collaboration with another graduate student at the time, Daragh McDermott, who is now one of the co-editors of Psychology & Sexuality (McDermott & Blair, 2012). Today, roughly 15% of the current editorial board members for Psychology & Sexuality were participants in one of the original institutes, with the majority having participated as students… CONTINUE READING

Cross-cultural perspectives of LGBTQ psychology from five different countries: current state and recommendations

Abstract: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer psychology (LGBTQ psychology) is a branch of psychology that promotes inclusiveness in theory and practice across the science of psychology, affirming the lives of people with different sexual orientations and forms of gender expression in a non-heterosexist and non-cisgenderist perspective. This article highlights the historical development of LGBTQ psychology in the context of different realities for LGBTQ people in five different countries (Russia, Greece, Colombia, South Africa and the province of Quebec, Canada). Key experts on LGBTQ concerns report distinctive challenges they have faced when promoting LGBTQ rights and developing LGBTQ psychology (e.g. the pathologization and criminalisation of sexual diversity, neglect on the part of authorities, and rejection from religious groups). Human and mental health sciences have played an important role in the blossoming of LGBTQ psychology. Cross-cultural narratives show that the recognition of lesbian and gay rights comes before the recognition of the rights of bi, trans, queer and questioning people. Various forms of homonegativity and transphobia still coexist even in countries that have established protections and rights recognition for LGBTQ people. We provide 15 strategies to help psychological organisations and psychologists around the world promote the development of LGBTQ psychology.

Outcomes associated with employee and organisational LGBT value discrepancies

Abstract: While the congruence between the global values of an employee and those of their organisation is frequently studied, less research has examined outcomes associated with discrepancies pertaining to the value of LGBT rights and equality. Further, research on LGBT-supportive workplace climates tends to focus on the consequences for LGBT employees. While these studies are important, person-organisation LGBT value incongruence likely has consequences for employees across the spectrums of sexual orientation and gender identity. The present study sought to examine the potential deleterious correlates of person-organisation LGBT value incongruence in a sample of 180 employees in the United States, encompassing both LGBT- and non-LGBT-identifying individuals. We tested the association between person-organisation LGBT value incongruence and several personal and workplace correlates, including turnover intentions, perceived organisational support, counterproductive workplace behaviours, and mental health symptomology. Findings revealed that greater LGBT value incongruence was related to increased turnover intentions and decreased perceived organisational support but was unrelated to counterproductive workplace behaviours, depression, and anxiety. Further, perceived organisational support mediated the link between LGBT value incongruence and turnover intentions. Results suggest that organisational policies and practices demonstrating commitment towards the LGBT community may be beneficial for employees in general, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identification.

Heterosexual men’s attitudes towards homosexuality and ingroup distinctiveness: the role of perceived men’s feminisation

Abstract: The present research tested the hypothesis that perceived men’s feminisation can decrease heterosexual men’s positive attitudes towards homosexuality because of their increased motivation to psychologically differentiate heterosexual men from gay men – i.e. in order to restore ingroup distinctiveness. Study 1 (N = 173) manipulated perceptions of men’s feminisation and showed that prompting participants with bogus evidence that men are becoming feminine decreased positive attitudes towards homosexuality. Furthermore, the extent to which heterosexual men reported increased psychological differentiation from gay men (both at the interpersonal and the intergroup levels) mediated the impact of perceived men’s feminisation on attitudes towards homosexuality. Study 2 (N = 178) used a fully experimental approach and manipulated perceived biological differences between heterosexual and gay men in order to threaten or grant ingroup distinctiveness. The results revealed that perceived men’s feminisation decreased positive attitudes towards homosexuality in the distinctiveness threat condition (i.e. when gay men were described as biologically similar to straight men), but increased positive attitudes both when ingroup distinctiveness was granted (i.e. when gay men were described as biologically different from straight men) and when it was not relevant (i.e. when the similarity of all human beings was salient). We discuss the relevance of these findings for masculinity norms, attitudes towards homosexuality, and the ingroup distinctiveness literature.

Coming out when a partner dies? Challenges faced by older women who grieve a same-sex partner

Abstract: In a constructivist framework, bereavement experiences are seen as following individualised trajectories. Older individuals who lose a same-sex partner often face additional layers of complexity. At times, they must contend with disenfranchised grief, when, for example, their loss is not recognised.

From an intersectional perspective, older women grieving a same-sex partner are thought to face specific challenges, but research about their experience is scarce. To explore the particularities of their social location, we held 18 semi-directive interviews with 10 women over the age of 65 from the Greater Montreal area, in the province of Quebec, Canada. A thematic analysis of the data was conducted.

Our results show that older women in same-sex relationships can face difficulties related to the need to name their sexual identity when their partner dies. Following their loss, they may struggle to be and remain visible as a widow. They may also face obstacles, both external and internal, in securing the support they need. We contextualise our results with descriptions of our participant’s varied narratives. The diversity of trajectories is considered in light of the complex interactions between age, sex, sexual identity, and their impact on our participants’ visibility.

LGBTQ+ students in higher education: an evaluation of website data and accessible, ongoing resources in Ontario universities

Abstract: Students who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and/or queer (LGBTQ+) are at high risk of being harassed and discriminated. As such, they are in need of a welcoming and inclusive campus environment, and specific resources to support them. A review of the current literature describes how heavily campus environment is linked to LGBTQ+ student mental health, and the importance of the availability of resources. Current literature is analysed for specific issues facing LGBTQ+ students, demonstrating their need for positive environments and LGBTQ+ specific resources. Whereas many institutions may claim that they support LGBTQ+ students, enactment of this support is examined by describing the way universities speak about LGBTQ+ students and communities, the resources made available to them, and how easily accessible those resources are to their students, specifically online. This study reveals that there are few ongoing, accessible resources for LGBTQ+ students in Ontario, Canada, and that there is a profound lack of focus on resources for mental health, which are very much needed. The results of the study uncover the need for institutions to provide more ongoing resources to students, and to make those resources clearly accessible through website searches.

Use of ‘gay dating apps’ and its relationship with individual well-being and sense of community in men who have sex with men

Abstract: There is growing literature and empirical work that is investigating if and how mobile phone and tablet dating apps are influencing the lives of their users. An online questionnaire-based study was developed to investigate how men who have sex with men (MSM) use ‘gay dating apps’ (GDAs), and how such use may relate to different aspects of their lives on an individual and on a collective level. The study included data from 191 MSM living in the UK with varying levels of GDAs use and reasons for using them. Beyond some descriptive information on use of GDAs, the findings showed that, overall, high users of GDAs report a lower sense of community, higher levels of loneliness and lower levels of satisfaction with life. Still, there is some evidence that those MSM who use GDAs mainly for sexual encounters report higher levels of self-esteem and of satisfaction with life compared to those who use GDAs mainly for other reasons. It appears that such GDAs cater effectively for those looking for sexual partners, but may have negative implications for those who look for other types of relationships and interactions.

The cost of being transgender: where socio-economic status, global health care systems, and gender identity intersect

Abstract: Around the globe, trans and gender diverse people have a wide range of access to health care, psychological as well as physical, that is unique to their home country’s context. Some of the contributing factors are nations’ health care systems, laws and policies surrounding discrimination, adequate resources, and under-trained health care professionals. Unfortunately, inability or difficulty in accessing transition related health care and support leads to negative impacts on mental health. In this article, the authors describe the unique contexts related to transgender health care in Canada, Japan, South Africa, and the United States. We focus specifically on the financial cost of transition for trans and gender diverse people, including gender affirming surgeries as well as mental and health care more broadly. We discuss the role of mental health professionals as advocates for gender affirming care and the fundamental human right to health care. We include discussions of therapy, assessment, medical care such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and surgeries, and additional invisible costs. We highlight the importance for all mental health professionals to be aware of the impacts to trans and gender diverse people’s mental health when their fundamental health care needs are not met. Furthermore, we provide recommendations for how mental health professionals can advocate for their clients’ access to transition related care.

All flowers bloom differently: an interpretative phenomenological analysis of the experiences of adult transgender women

Abstract: Many studies focus on trans identity development in young individuals and on the stressors they face, but leave out the particularities of transitioning as an adult, particularly as a transwoman. This study remedies this gap by conducting qualitative interviews on a sample of six transwomen, in the UK, analysed using IPA. While young individuals typically experience a period of dissonance, followed by exploration and finally transition, adults may undergo a different sequence of self-discovery. The current research found that older transwomen generally grew up feeling different, but that their lack of exposure to other trans individuals and the anticipation of negative reactions delayed their transition and led them to engage in over compensatory behaviour. The participants began exploring their identity with the spread of the internet, by seeking new relationships that could bolster their need for coherence, while temporarily neglecting individuals that may have be non-verifying. The respondents thereafter came out to the majority of their ecosystem, forcing them to redefine their relationships and place in society. Physically transitioning improved most of the participants’ mental wellbeing, through a newfound sense of authenticity and coherence, although this was generally mitigated by the consistency of support offered by family and friends.