LGBTQ Community, Gender Dynamics in

The SAGE Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender LGBTQ Community, Gender Dynamics in Contributors: Andrew Spieldenner Edited by: Kevin L. Nadal Book Title: The SAGE Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender Chapter Title: "LGBTQ Community, Gender Dynamics in" Pub. Date: 2017 Access Date: July 21, 2017 Publishing Company: SAGE Publications, Inc. City: Thousand Oaks, Print ISBN: 9781483384283 Online ISBN: 9781483384269 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483384269.n Print pages: 1076-1078 ©2017 SAGE Publications, Inc.. All Rights Reserved. This PDF has been generated from SAGE Knowledge. Please note that the pagination of the online version will vary from the pagination of the print book. SAGE Contact SAGE Publications at http://www.sagepub.com. SAGE Reference For the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community in the United States, gender has been a central organizing feature. Gay men and lesbians, for instance, experience gender nonconformity more often and in higher degrees in early childhood than their heterosexual counterparts. This can lead to more concern and anxiety about gender performance and affect interactions in places like schools, athletic teams, and other social events. In addition, LGBTQ individuals have historically been considered gender dysfunctional by religious, law enforcement, medical, and psychological institutions in the United States, resulting in persecution, alienation, and even, in some cases, incarceration. The American Psychological Association removed homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders in 1973 and removed any definition of homosexuality as a disorder in 1986. This entry describes how gender continues to play an integral role in the LGBTQ community. The LGBTQ Community The LGBTQ community, as it is known today, became visible in the United States in the early 1970s. Before that, LGBTQ individuals remained largely under the radar because homosexuality was illegal in most states. The Gay Liberation Movement is often cited as originating in the protests at the Stonewall Inn in 1969, when the local community aggressively resisted police intervention. Visibility increased exponentially as LGBTQ communities rose in mostly urban areas and open LGBTQ individuals became prominent national figures in activism (especially, but not limited to, HIV), sports, the creative arts, politics, and business. Gender among the transgender community has been pathologized to a larger extent than perhaps any other segment of the LGBTQ community. Even within the LGBTQ community, there is a dearth of understanding and acceptance of transgender individuals. Often, this is epitomized by tokenization, such as using transgender individuals as performers or public figures without concomitant advocacy, education, and acceptance. The use of LGBTQ as an acronym reflects a shift in gender awareness within the community. The utilization of gay as a term to describe the entire spectrum of sexual minority experience is restrictive, excluding lesbians, bisexual individuals, and transgender individuals. Therefore, the term LGBTQ articulates the diversity and differences among those considered sexual minorities in the United States. External Perceptions of LGBTQ Gender For generations, stereotypes of LGBTQ gender—for example, gay men as effeminate, outrageous, and physically meek and lesbians as masculine, ugly, and aggressive—have existed. These stereotypes are supported by representations of gay men and lesbians within popular media. Such stereotypes of gender feed homophobia and heterosexism and are often used to justify discriminatory public policies, including acting against same-sex relationships and LGBTQ adoption rights. Homophobia and heterosexism about gender performance can lead to more serious interpersonal conflicts. Bullying has come to the spotlight in recent years, most notably bullying due to gender nonconformance. LGBTQ youth are more likely than non-LGBTQ peers to avoid school and other social arenas due to fear of harassment and bullying. In some states, LGBTQ middle Page 2 of 6 The SAGE Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender SAGE Contact SAGE Publications at http://www.sagepub.com. SAGE Reference school students reported missing at least 1 day of school in the past month due to fear. While bullying may be more apparent, microaggressions about gender performance occur constantly. Microaggressions are subtle actions and words that denigrate, intentionally or not, persons due to a particular facet of their identity, such as LGBTQ sexuality or gender nonconformance. In these interactions, language such as “That’s so gay” (connoting “bad” or “stupid”) or even “Don’t walk like a girl” (meaning effeminate and somehow wrong) serves to undermine the targeted individual’s well-being. Nonverbal communication such as making a face or backing away from an LGBTQ or gender nonconforming individual is also a microaggression. Such perceptions about gender nonconformity can lead to violence. Homophobic violence remains a concern globally, in particular the high rates of violence against transgender and gender nonconforming persons. In the United States, incidents of violence against transgender and gender nonconforming individuals include public stripping, beatings, immolation, and even murder. Because law enforcement across the country does not track gender data in a consistent manner, it is difficult to capture the full picture. Such external perceptions and beliefs about gender in the LGBTQ community can be traumatic for LGBTQ individuals, resulting in debilitating wounds. However, there is a dearth of resources to address these. Clinical psychology can play an integral role in coping with sexuality and gender nonconformance. Gender Within the LGBTQ Community While external perceptions affect LGBTQ persons, there is a wide range of beliefs about gender within the LGBTQ community. When considering same-sex relationships, gender becomes instrumental in creating difference. Feminists have advocated for understanding the difference between gender and sex. Often, this is simplified as gender is how one acts and sex is biology. In practice, this separation is more complex, as sexual variation is not as binary as once thought. For decades, the notions of “butch/femme” or “active/passive” were pervasive within the LGBTQ community. This pairing indicated that one partner was more masculine and the other more feminine (regardless of biological sex). These kinds of gendered performances are coded by culture and socioeconomic class; that is, members of similar groups understand specific ways of being masculine or feminine. Non–group members may also observe and react to the gendered performance but may not respond appropriately. In-group members will recognize the gender performance. Masculinity is complicated within the LGBTQ community. Some gay and bisexual men are heteronormative in their beliefs about gender. In this case, they expect other gay and bisexual men to “act like real men” and will disparage more effeminate gay and bisexual men. Masculinity is always coded by culture and socioeconomic class. Some gay and bisexual men utilize this knowledge to portray masculinity as meant to communicate a different cultural background or socioeconomic class. Definitions of masculinity also change, as evidenced in the shift from a muscular, shaved body to a scruffy, less muscular look as a sign of masculinity in the gay community. Other gay and bisexual men believe that masculinity is something to play with, and they purposefully deploy different kinds of masculinity depending on their intent. This includes gay Page 3 of 6 The SAGE Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender SAGE Contact SAGE Publications at http://www.sagepub.com. SAGE Reference and bisexual men who are flamboyant or effeminate. Some, such as the Radical Faeries, organize a network of communities that actively choose to resist gender norms and have created sanctuaries on the west and east coast of the United States, as well as in Australia and Italy. Among lesbian and bisexual women too, masculinity is complex. More masculine women were once referred to as “butch” or “tomboy” and often were associated with partnering with a feminine woman, also known as a “femme.” As with other gender performances, masculinity is coded through culture and socioeconomic class; therefore, individuals may choose to act out their masculinity as a person from another culture or socioeconomic class. Femininity among lesbian and bisexual women has had multiple views. Within the LGBTQ community, feminine women are often seen as privileged through heteronormativity, and feminine lesbian and bisexual women struggle to differentiate their sexuality from that of their heterosexual counterparts. On the other hand, feminine lesbian and bisexual women can also be subversive in the utilization of heteronormative trappings, often by partnering with masculine women. Transgender individuals learn gender codes at early ages and are forced to strategize about how, when, and where to comply or resist societal gender codes. As such, transgender persons have a wide gender vocabulary and a range of options along the spectrum of genders. Transgender persons have challenged and advanced the general knowledge about gender in the LGBTQ community. Transgender individuals differ widely in their gendering, including whether or how far to pursue surgical gender shifting. Transgender partner choice is also not prescribed; that is, people who identify as transgender women do not necessarily partner with heterosexual men. Instead, transgender individuals have a wide range of sexuality. Within the LGBTQ community, gender consists of a complex assemblage of acts, cultural codes, nuanced reading, and performances made visible through interaction. LGBTQ people utilize a wide range of tactics and have vastly different beliefs about gender. The LGBTQ community’s movement regarding gender seems less about categories and more about possibilities. Beyond Categories: Queer, Trans*, and Gender Nonconforming In the 1990s, queer politics and identity emerged as an organizing tool in the HIV epidemic. While at first a derogative term, queer came to exemplify a resistance to societal norms and values about a wide range of subjects including sexuality. Activists, academics, and community members chose to identify as queer to signify their disavowal of ideas such as what is good, what is proper, and what is acceptable. Queer politics were central in the expansion and undoing of gender norms. Within the LGBTQ community, the movement for transgender rights has expanded policy, education, and knowledge on gender. Like other identity movements, transgender rights activists have recognized the importance of names. To accommodate the range of possibilities for transgender individuals, the transgender rights movement uses trans* or just trans as a means of self-definition. Focus on the transgender community has also enriched knowledge on gender nonconforming individuals as a whole. Gender nonconforming individuals can be of any sexuality, but they Page 4 of 6 The SAGE Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender SAGE Contact SAGE Publications at http://www.sagepub.com. SAGE Reference resist the socially valued standard for gender performance (i.e., masculine for men, feminine for women). This has resulted in an examination of how all gender nonconforming individuals experience discrimination, as well as processes of adjustment. Research Directions Psychological research on gender in the LGBTQ community looks at both perceptions external to the community and the dynamics within the community. These have included the examination of discrimination, violence, social roles, conformity, development, adjustment, health, and the intersections of race, culture, and nationality with gender in the LGBTQ community. Psychologists have extensively looked at the impact of HIV/AIDS, especially among gay and bisexual men. Research on transgender populations has increased since 2010, with more promising research on the horizon. In addition, there remains a dearth of research that utilizes intersectional identity as the center; instead, much of the research focuses on race or gender, socioeconomic class, sexuality, or some subset of these identities. Accordingly, it is crucial for future research to examine intersectionalities in all aspects of the LGBTQ community in order to address all the dynamics that occur. See alsoHIV/AIDS; Internalized Heterosexism; Transgender People in LGBTQ Community, Experiences of women sex work sex trafficking transsexualism sexism sexual harassment women against violence against women Andrew Spieldenner http://dx.doi.org/10.4135/9781483384269.n 10.4135/9781483384269.n Further Readings Butler, J. (2006). Gender trouble: Feminism and the subversion of identity. New York, NY: Routledge. Clarke, V., Ellis, S. J., Peel. E., & Riggs, D. W. (Eds.). (2010). Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer psychology: An introduction. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. Diaz, R. M. (1997). Latino gay men and HIV: Culture, sexuality, and risk behavior. New York, NY: Routledge. Golden, C. (1996). What’s in a name? Sexual self-identification among women. In R. C. SavinWilliams & K. M. Cohen (Eds.), The lives of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals: Children to adults (pp. 229–249). Fort Worth, TX: Harcourt Brace. Herek, G. M. (1996). “Some of my best friends”: Intergroup contact, concealable stigma, and heterosexuals’ attitudes toward gay men and lesbians. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 412–424. Hill, S. E., & Flom, R. (2007). 18- and 24-month-olds’ discrimination of gender-consistent and inconsistent activities. Infant Behavior and Development, 30, 168–173. Nadal, K. L. (2013). That’s so gay! Microaggressions and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association Books. Page 5 of 6 The SAGE Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender SAGE Contact SAGE Publications at http://www.sagepub.com. SAGE Reference Parent, M. C., DeBlaere, C., & Moradi, B. (2013). Approaches to research on intersectionality: Perspectives on gender, LGBT, and racial/ethnic identities. Sex Roles, 68, 639–645. Stryker, S. (2008). Transgender history. Berkeley, CA: Seal Press. Toomey, R. B., Ryan, C., Diaz, R. M., Card, N. A., & Russell, S. T. (2010). Gender nonconforming lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth: School victimization and young adult social adjustment. Developmental Psychology, 46(6), 1580–1589. Yep, G. A., Lovaas, K., & Elia, J. P. (Eds.). (2003). Queer theory and communication: From disciplining queers to queering the discipline(s). Binghamton, NY: Harrington Park Press. Page 6 of 6 The SAGE Encyclopedia of Psychology and Gender