Queer Realities
Queer and Jewish Under the Crown: A Profile of LGBT Jewish Life in Britain
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Jonathan Friedman
This study addresses the rich history and identity of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Jews in the United Kingdom. My goal is to shed light on the kind of identity which LGBT Jews have constructed for themselves as both LGBT persons and Jews. My thesis is that although the LGBT Jewish community in the United Kingdom is just as diverse as its counterpart in the United States, there are some interesting and important differences, especially when it comes to age, the impact of Orthodoxy, and perceptions of antisemitism. The Jewish community in the UK is proportionately more Orthodox than the one in the US, which often complicates coming out and expressing one’s LGBT identity within more traditional Jewish institutions, although many find a welcoming space within the smaller Reform and Liberal branches of Judaism. Older LGBT Jews who have lived through eras of pervasive legal and social discrimination also convey a different set of historical memories than younger millennials. In many testimonies, regardless of age, concerns remain over the persistence and increase in antisemitism.
Waiting in Medicalized Gender Transition
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Victoria Pitts Taylor
As the sociologist Pierre Bourdieu notes, social institutions regulate in part by working “on and through aspirations, on and through time, by controlling time and the rate of fulfillment of expectations.” Waiting is a common aspect of medicalized gender transition – trans people seeking hormones or surgery are often made to wait for years. This talk explores temporal dimensions of medicalized gender transition – in particular, the waiting lists, waiting periods, setbacks, refusals, and structural delays imposed on trans patients. Can the attachment constituted in long-term waiting be sustaining, or is it a threat to one’s well being? How is waiting managed, accepted, and contested by people who are subjected to it? These questions take on a necropolitical cast in the context of high rates of suicide and violence against trans people. This discussion is part of a broader study that uses critical social theories and an eclectic archive to address waiting as a relation between time, power, and social being. It argues that through regimens of waiting, biopower can enfold people into life-making practices while also rendering them neglected and disposable.
Marginalization Within LGBTQ+ Communities: Strategies for Teaching About Diversity Within Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Communities
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Kristin (K) Scherrer, Adjoa Robinson
Attending to issues of diversity is foundational in higher education. Sexual orientation and gender identity are two important components of human diversity that helping professionals must be knowledgable about. Yet this presents a challenge for educators in regards to how to present information about these identities and do justice to the vast diversity of identities within these communities. In this review, I offer an overview of some of the identities that are often rendered invisible within discussions about sexual orientation and gender identity, with particular focus on bisexual, asexual, gender fluid, and gender queer identities. Example activities and resources to integrate diverse content on sexual orientation and gender identity into practice are provided.
Is Inclusion Achieved for Gender Diverse Students?: Macro and Micro Educational Policies Concerning Gender Identity Negotiation in Greece
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session Martha Petrou
A growing volume of research evidence agrees that the construction of gender identity is a dynamic process. Schools may function as facilitative environments that support gender negotiation, or as rigid heteronormative regimes where gender diverse students are not welcome. The need for inclusion is imperative and many initiatives have been taken to that end. Yet, not all countries advance at the same pace, so an attempt is made to position Greece in the global discourse of gender identity policies. To what extent have we achieved inclusion for our gender diverse students? Which points have already been adressed and on which ones should we focus in the future? In order for these questions to be answered, a review was conducted of the extant literature on gender identity inclusion policies and legislation. I started by searching the relevant literature, then screening for relevant results. Then, I assessed the findings and extracted the specific data required to synthesize a robust reference point for everyone interested in the topic.
