DMA, University of Cincinnati, 2006, College-Conservatory of Music : Conducting, Choral Emphasis

Gay and lesbian choruses in the United States have actively commissioned new works since they first came into existence. From miniatures to major works, the resultant compositions have come from emerging composers, as well those who are world-renowned. This document was written for the purpose of illuminating three significant works commissioned by American Gay Men's Choruses: Of Rage and Remembrance by John Corigliano, Night Passage by Robert Moran, and Eos by David Conte. Chapter One contains a brief history of the gay choral movement, including the choruses in the United States that banded together to form the Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses, and a preface to the following chapters. Chapters Two through Four examine the three works. Each of these chapters serves as a guide to the specific composition from the conductor's perspective, with the intent of providing a resource to conductors considering performing the works. The intent of this document is to assist conductors in their discovery of the salient points of the music: information about the commissioning, performance forces, textual sources, overall structure, compositional techniques and performance issues. Also included is an appendix that includes libretti and transcript of the author's interview with Robert Moran.

Committee: Dr. John Leman (Advisor) Subjects: Music

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2017, Antioch Seattle: Clinical Psychology

In June 2015 the Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of nationwide legalization of same-sex marriage. While same-sex marriage had previously been legalized in individual states, this ruling effectively increased the population of women legally married to other women. A review of research historically conducted on female same-sex relationships indicated that they were often fraught with heteronormative assumptions and biases, leaving the conclusions questionable at best. This dissertation used Amedeo Giorgi's (2009) qualitative methodology of Descriptive Phenomenology in order to explore the essence of the experience of female same-sex marriage. Ten cisgender women who were legally married to cisgender women were recruited as participants. As a result of open-ended qualitative interviews, the following twelve psychological meanings were determined to be essential to the description of the experience of same-sex marriage: (a) individuality, (b) commitment, (c) communication, (d) enjoying shared time, (e) gratitude for current times, (f) legitimacy and validation, (g) legal security, (h) differences, (i) comfort, (j) support, (k) lack of gender roles, and (l) stigma. The findings from this study supported the need for additional qualitative, open-ended research into female same-sex relationships.

Committee: Dana Waters Psy. D. (Committee Chair); Bill Heusler Psy. D. (Committee Member); Tasmyn Bowes Psy. D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender Studies; Glbt Studies; Personal Relationships; Psychology; Womens Studies

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2024, Geography (Arts and Sciences)

This research aims to expand knowledge on lesbian spaces and how they contribute to a sense of belonging/community in the Cincinnati tri-state area. This research focuses on the experiences of lesbians interviewed using qualitative methods. Eight lesbians were interviewed using semi-structured interviews and then were thematically analyzed. The information collected focuses on lesbian spaces in relation to a sense of community for lesbian women. Additionally, exploration of challenges and area of concerns were also noted. The research investigates lesbian spaces in Cincinnati, while also emphasizing the importance of non-judgmental environments where lesbian women can express themselves. It shows the importance of community for lesbians and highlights the gaps in the city's offerings, including age diversity, alcohol free options, and also intentional spaces made with women's needs in mind. Overall, the study highlights the challenges for lesbians in Cincinnati to find social venues that cater to their diverse preferences.

Committee: Risa Whitson (Advisor); Yeong-Hyun Kim (Committee Member); Edna Wangui (Committee Member) Subjects: Geography; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2016, Higher Education Administration

The purpose of this multiple case narrative study was to understand the experiences of queer (i.e., lesbian, queer, gay) faculty mothers who simultaneously navigated motherhood and academia. Work-family enrichment and queering (queer as a verb, informed by queer theory) were the frameworks for this study. I conducted individual in-depth, semi-structured interviews with seven tenured queer mothers who were also faculty members from doctoral universities. I then constructed participants' narratives by analyzing the data to reveal narrative themes and restorying participants' transcripts focusing on the three-dimensional inquiry space: interaction, continuity, and situation as well as the interrelated tensions: temporality, people, action, certainty, and context. I analyzed narratives specifically considering work-family enrichment aspects of roles, resources, and transfers of those resources as well as for additional emergent codes and themes. From the data, several themes emerged that described the experiences of queer faculty mothers. First, I present findings related to work climate, including as it related to sexual orientation, parenting roles, and tenure and promotion. Next, participants' support systems included colleagues, partners, and students. Third, participants' well-being benefitted from four primary ways in which work and family roles enrich one another that contributed to their enhanced well-being: their ability to prioritize, attempts to balance roles, enjoyment, and commitment to social justice. Finally, participants experienced work-family enrichment. Of the five categories of resources, each was generated and transferred by at least four participants (flexibility – seven participants, skills and perspectives – six participants, social capital – five participants, material resources – four participants, and psychological and physical resources – four participants). I conclude with several implications for practice and research. (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ellen Broido D.Ed. (Advisor); Sarah Rainey Ph.D. (Committee Member); Nicholas Bowman Ph.D. (Committee Member); Christina Lunceford Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Families and Family Life; Glbt Studies; Higher Education; Higher Education Administration; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2008, American Culture Studies/Ethnic Studies

This dissertation interrogates the intersections that may occur between media, culture, and politics through a case study of the audiences surrounding the popular television drama The L Word. While much of the press discourse related to the series is positive, often labeling it as groundbreaking television, the viewer response is much more diverse. Many individuals are deeply invested in the show and the ability to witness visual images of queer women in mainstream popular culture. However, other viewers are unsatisfied, if not angered, by The L Word's representations and storylines. I investigated these varied responses and the ways in which audiences have made use of the series. My methodology was mainly comprised of participatory ethnography, but was also complimented by an online survey, which generated over 100 responses. These were placed in conversation with a historical narrative of queer women's social and political interactions with popular culture, the economic framework that has been labeled the gay marketplace, and a theoretical framework comprised of several scholars. Employing Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick's theories of the closet, I argued that queer individuals may have deep investments in visual representations because of the unique nature of their oppression, which is centered on invisibility. Jose Esteban Munoz's work on disidentification presented a possible rationale for audiences that continue to interact with the show, despite its unsatisfactory aspects. Finally, Henry Jenkins' theories of convergence culture provided an understanding of how the Internet and new media influences audience interaction and use value, and his theories on fan communities' extensions into political arenas helped support my contention that the actions of The L Word's viewers may even hold implications for the wider queer women's social and political movements. These ethnographic, historical, economic, and theoretical frameworks, when taken together, helped explain audience (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ellen Berry (Committee Chair); Bill Albertini (Committee Member); Jonathan Chambers (Committee Member); Susan Peet (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Cultural Anthropology; Gender; History; Mass Media; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2024, Comparative Studies

This dissertation applies a queer methodological approach to the folkloric analysis of LGBTQ communities. Lesbian queer communities are an effective space in which folklorists can study how the policing the boundaries of legitimate identity and practice threatens vernacular growth. Gathered at a time of increasing lesbian visibility and organizing for community spaces between 2019 and 2024, my ethnographic data examines three sites to demonstrate how queer people find each other and form communities: lesbian meme pages, Slammers (Columbus, Ohio's lesbian bar), and dyke kitsch. I focus on the process of identity formation, foregrounding both the importance of dyke desire and the fluidity of what that the category can look like. Focusing on what I call “zones of social reproduction,” I explore how lesbian queer communities refuse atomization while simultaneously allowing for expanding and shifting queer identities. Contemporary lesbian queer communities are engaging in vernacular identity practices to develop a conception of lesbian that moves beyond a shared biology to view trans and lesbian traditions as always already intertwined, revealing how marginalized communities flourish in when in solidarity.

Committee: Katherine Borland (Advisor); Merrill Kaplan (Committee Chair); Dorothy Noyes (Committee Member) Subjects: Folklore; Gender Studies

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2018, Theatre

Reality Theatre provides a rich example of a professional theatre company which operated in a Midwestern city and directly engaged with both the local gay and lesbian community and performed primarily gay and lesbian plays, challenging the trend of what Judith Halberstam terms metronormativity in queer studies. Reality's Tribes represents a series of community-based performances which were explicitly created by, for, and about Columbus, Ohio's local gay and lesbian community. Tribes was a performance created collectively by the members of Reality Theatre and included sketch comedy, vignettes, monologues, and songs written in direct response to happenings in the local gay and lesbian community as well as the larger political arena. The series of performances which were adapted and restaged eight times over the course of fourteen years was directly rooted in the gay and lesbian community of Columbus, Ohio. This thesis examines Tribes through the lenses of Jan Cohen-Cruz's conception of community-based theatre and the theatre as a space of gay and lesbian community building. Reality Theatre carved out a space in Columbus' theatrical landscape which presumed the gay and lesbian viewpoint to be the norm and reimagined mainstream pop culture forms to fit it. The company used camp, queer humor, and the privileging of gay and lesbian perspectives as community-building strategies. Informed by the queer and feminist performance criticism of Jill Dolan, Tim Miller and David Roman, I advocate for a critical allyship for community-based gay and lesbian theatre in order to combat the heteronormative and metronormative forces which erase the history of gay and lesbian theatre and the communities with whom they engage.

Committee: Beth Kattelman PhD (Advisor); Jennifer Schlueter PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Glbt Studies; Performing Arts; Theater; Theater History; Theater Studies

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, 2007, Counselor Education (Education)

This study analyzed 170 issues of Lesbian Connection (LC)over a period of 30 years between October 1974 and November/December 2004 to determine what issues appeared to be of importance to subscribers participating in the discussion forum. The study sought to determine whether those issues were related to sociopolitical activities within and outside the cultural discourse of the time; whether those issues had changed over time; and the meanings, contradictions, and effects of those changes. The analysis was comprised of 4,633 items and letters that fell into eleven categories. These categories, listed from most discussed category to least discussed category over the 30 years of analysis were: Health and Mental Health; Discrimination and Fear; Relationships and Sexuality; Defining Lesbian; Growing Pains; Isolation; Separatism; Networking; Minority Lesbians; Children, Families, and Parenting; and Religion and Spirituality. The findings suggest that lesbians are clearly impacted by the sociopolitical environment from both within and outside the cultural discourse of the time. Yet, sociopolitical issues that one might assume are important to lesbians such as HIV/AIDS or marital rights were relatively unimportant; none of these issues were among the 25 most discussed items. While some issues were fluid and changing, others were stagnant and caused much division in the lesbian community over time. Issues often arose when new generations of lesbians began to challenge the ideologies of older lesbians. This constant push-pull environment created a number of lesbian subcultures, making it difficult for lesbians to form a united community. This study illustrated one way of using a "counterpoint analysis." While recognizing the essentialism of standpoint theory and the vagueness of queer theory in understanding Lesbian, findings were analyzed from both perspectives. The content and narrative analyses assumed an essential lesbian knowledge, while the semiotic analysis called int (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Tracy Leinbaugh (Advisor) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Bowling Green State University, 2004, English/Rhetoric and Writing

This dissertation examines out lesbian teachers in the college composition classroom from a viewpoint of feminist teacher research and “queer geography”. Employing composition history, the ideological erasure of lesbian teacher subjectivities in the composition classroom is outlined. Case studies of lesbian teachers and students in lesbian teachers' composition classrooms indicate in a preliminary way that students' choice of writing topics, student writing and student subject positions are affected by the presence of out lesbian composition teachers.

Committee: Lovie Carter (Advisor); Rachel Vannatta (Other); Donna Nelson-Beene (Other); Valerie Rohy (Other) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2008, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2008, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Arts, The Ohio State University, 2008, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

MARCH, University of Cincinnati, 2024, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

Abstract Over the past few decades, support for the LGBT+ community has undoubtedly increased. However, a strange phenomenon has occurred simultaneously: the disappearance of lesbian bars. In the 1980s, around 200 lesbian bars existed in the United States. As of now, there are only 27, and many are feeling the financial pressure to close their doors. The factors that have contributed to the dramatic decrease in spaces for women who love women are disputed, especially as acceptance for members of the LGBT+ community has grown. While lesbian bars have closed up shop, bars and clubs centering gay men have remained prevalent. Why have bars that cater towards non-men decreased so dramatically while bars that primarily cater to men continue to thrive? The club scene has always been important to LGBT+ history. It has provided an environment of safety and community. In the 1950s and 1960s, bars known to cater to LGBT+ patrons were raided, and thus gay bars became political spaces. At first, it seems odd that bars would be places affected by politics, but the prejudice that LGBT+ people have experienced caused a need for a place where LGBT+ people could get together and discuss their experiences and how to achieve wholehearted equality. Transforming a space in a city that does not have a lesbian bar into a thriving place for queer women to meet and be together would dramatically improve the lives of LGBT+ people in that city. Using architecture as a way to continue a legacy of the LGBT+ community would emphasize the importance of inclusion in whichever city it is built in and prove that architecture has the power to change a community.

Committee: Vincent Sansalone M.Arch. (Committee Member); Rebecca Williamson Ph.D. (Committee Chair) Subjects: Architecture

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2023, English (Arts and Sciences)

Throughout the 19th century the non-heteronormative sexuality of the female vampiric figure within fiction was posed as a threat against the ‘safe' heterosexual community. However, through the 20th century the female vampire became a figure used by feminist authors to instead illustrate the threat of the institution of marriage. Both Mary Wilkin Freeman's “Luella Miller” (1903) and Angela Carter's “Lady of the House of Love” (1979) show vampiric figures who attempt heterosexual marriages, which then leads to their inevitable downfall. Both of these vampiric figures meet their end through their attempt at assimilation, emphasizing the dangers of marriage. These feminist reworkings also twist the power that these vampires hold, as within 19th century representations their physical power was located within their carnivorous nature. However, these 20th century vampiric figures predatory habits are their weakness, refuting the patriarchal connections between the consumption of meat and power. Further, the hyper-dependent state of these vampiric women highlights rather than disregards the draining nature of the care-work they require. Both Carter and Freeman's deviations from the previously sexualized female vampiric figure pose heterosexuality, specifically heterosexual marriage, as the ultimate threat.

Committee: Paul Jones (Advisor); Julie White (Committee Member); Edmond Chang (Committee Member) Subjects: Gender Studies; Literature; Womens Studies

MA, University of Cincinnati, 2023, Education, Criminal Justice, and Human Services: Counseling, Mental Health

Alcohol use disorders (AUDs) among lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) populations continue to persist. The need for treatment for alcohol use disorders among the LGB population is greater than the general population, and utilization among LGB individuals is well below the indicated treatment need due in part to the existence of interpersonal and structural barriers. Moreover, the impact of untreated AUD on the mental health and welfare of LGB individuals can be detrimental to overall quality of life and, thus, warrants further investigation and intervention. Therefore, it is critical to better understand the interpersonal and structural factors that influence treatment utilization among the LGB population. The current study aims to examine predisposing factors, including sexual orientation identity, perceived public discrimination, and perceived interpersonal discrimination, as well as enabling factors, including perceived healthcare discrimination as it relates to treatment utilization for alcohol use disorders among the LGB population. These relationships were analyzed using hierarchical logistic regression and secondary data from a subsample of the 2012–2013 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions-III which included individuals aged 18 years and older who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual (n = 1,152). Findings indicate that increased experiences of public and interpersonal discrimination were associated with a higher likelihood of encountering healthcare discrimination in treatment usage. Moreover, healthcare discrimination was a predictor of higher AUD treatment utilization among this population. The results of this study suggest that the measured variables influence AUD treatment use among LGB individuals and highlight a need for additional exploration. The findings of the study also offer implications for clinicians to mitigate the effects of discrimination on healthcare outcomes.

Committee: Michael Brubaker Ph.D. (Committee Chair); George Richardson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Shauna Acquavita Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Mental Health

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 2022, Popular Culture

This thesis explores the potential of a queer country music space; specifically how it exists, who exists within it, and how it may expand further. Country music has historically been associated with concepts of authenticity while also being known for its use and celebration of excessively gaudy and glamorized aesthetics. I explain how, within country music, the use of a performance persona combines these seemingly contradictory characteristics, rendering them simultaneously true. This is relevant as I argue that these personas can be interpreted as postmodern expressions of camp, and can be considered as a method of existing within country music in a way that respects an explicitly queer origin and existence. Chapter one provides necessary background information on queerness in country music's history, also clarifying how exactly I define camp as a concept. Chapter two is a case study of Dolly Parton's persona, how she's constructed it and what implications it holds for a queer country music space as a gender-based performance that can be read as an example of postmodern camp. This chapter also elaborates on Parton's similarities with drag queens, referencing popular social media celebrity Trixie Mattel to elaborate on their shared queer perspective of gender. Chapter three is a case study of a more recent addition to country music, Orville Peck, and his practice of disidentification of Old West and cowboy aesthetics as an act of postmodern camp. My final conclusion considers potential of the Internet to facilitate growth of an explicitly queer country space, one which does not have to be accepted by the mainstream but can exist on it's own as a subgenre.

Committee: Becca Cragin Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Jeremy Wallach Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kristen Rudisill Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: American Studies; Gender Studies; Glbt Studies

Master of Arts (MA), Ohio University, 2021, Film Studies (Fine Arts)

Scholarship regarding mythic narrative structures use predominately male-centered narratives to analyze male-centered heteronormative films in American popular cinema. In such mythic narratives, women are usually a destination for nurture, or a trophy for the male conqueror. This, in turn, condenses scholarship to analyze films within the structures of male-centered, heteronormative, mythic narratives. Consequently, this leaves women-centered mythic structures vastly understudied and underutilized when analyzing films that pertain to women's cinema and queer cinema. The objective of my thesis is to infuse women-centered mythology with cinematic discourse. In particular, my thesis seeks to reclaim and reshape the myth of Lilith to be used as a narrative structure to analyze women-centered films in queer cinema in ways that examine both the sexual oppression and sexual pleasure of lesbian sexuality.

Committee: Erin Schlumpf S. (Advisor); Ofer Eliaz (Committee Member); Brian Collins (Committee Member) Subjects: Film Studies; Folklore; Womens Studies

Psy. D., Antioch University, 2021, Antioch New England: Clinical Psychology

This qualitative research study was designed to explore lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) young adults' views about how being a member of supportive and affirming religious places of worship and social groups influenced their self-acceptance, as well as their ability to integrate their religious and sexual minority identities. In this study, six in-person interviews were completed with participants who (a) were 18-24 years old; (b) identified as lesbian, gay, or bisexual; (c) were members of supportive Jewish and Christian religious groups; and (d) identified as cisgender. The data from the interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis to tell cohesive stories about the perceptions of LGB young adults on the influence of supportive religious group membership. I found that all six participants reported that finding their religious supportive groups had a significant positive impact on their ability to integrate their religious and sexual identities. All six participants also reported that being a member of the affirming religious group allowed them to keep their identity, overall, as a unified whole. The results of my study have positive implications for clinicians working with the LGB population, parents of LGB people, friends of LGB people, LGB advocacy work within the religious community, and for religious groups and places of worship who want to increase membership of minority individuals.

Committee: Kathi Borden PhD (Committee Chair); Barbara Belcher-Timme PsyD (Committee Member); Judy Solman PsyD (Committee Member) Subjects: Clinical Psychology; Glbt Studies; Religion

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Women's, Gender and Sexuality Studies

Camp is a critical sensibility and a queer reading practice that allows women to simultaneously critique, resist, and enjoy stereotypes and conventional norms. It is both a performative strategy and a mode of reception that transforms resistance into pleasure. Scholarship on feminist camp recognizes a tradition of women using camp to engage with gender politics and play with femininity. Most of the scholarship focuses on women's camp in mainstream and popular culture and how they talk back to the patriarchy. Little work has been done on feminist camp outside of popular culture or on how women use camp to talk back to feminism. My dissertation adds to conversations about feminist camp by exploring a new facet of camp that talks back to feminism and challenges a feminist audience. I examine the work of three contemporary feminist and queer independent filmmakers: Anna Biller, Cheryl Dunye, and Bruce LaBruce to explore the different ways they subvert cinematic conventions to interrupt narrative, play with stereotypes, and create opportunities for pleasure as well as critique. I argue that these filmmakers operationalize a feminist camp gaze and open up space for a feminist camp spectatorship that engages critically with ideas about identity, sex, and feminism. In addition, I consider the ways in which other types of feminist cultural production, including sketch comedy and web series, use camp strategies to deploy a feminist camp gaze to push back against sexism and other forms of oppression while also parodying feminism, ultimately creating space for resistance, pleasure, and self-reflection.

Committee: Linda Mizejewski (Advisor); Shannon Winnubst (Committee Member); Treva Lindsey (Committee Member) Subjects: Film Studies; Gender Studies; Womens Studies

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Psychology

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals experience disproportionately high rates of mental illness relative to heterosexuals (Gilman et al., 2001). Minority stress theory has linked this phenomenon with the numerous sexual orientation-specific stressors that LGB individuals experience (e.g., sexual orientation disclosure; Meyer, 2003). However, no studies to date have examined how these factors may contribute to psychopathology development in a sample of high-risk individuals. Moreover, few studies have investigated how trajectories of illness differ between sexual minority and heterosexual youth, and whether emotional processes affect symptom progression differently in each group. Thus, the objective of this investigation was to understand minority stress and affective processes in a high-risk sample of youth. I used data from a longitudinal study of 685 youth (aged 6-12 years at baseline) who presented to an outpatient psychiatric clinic for mood symptoms. Participants and their parents completed psychopathology assessments over eight years, and a subset of the broader sample were re-contacted to complete another assessment for the purposes of this dissertation (n = 34). Across two studies, I examined the relationship between sexual orientation, psychopathology (diagnoses, symptoms), and affective processes (emotion regulation, emotional context sensitivity). I found support for my prediction that sexual minorities would exhibit more psychopathology than heterosexuals, especially on measures of internalizing psychopathology (e.g., anxiety, depression). Moreover, this study showed for the first time that sexual minority youth diverge from their heterosexual peers with regard to anxiety and mood symptoms as early as 8.8 years of age, and that these divergence points differ depending on the type of psychopathology (i.e., mood earlier than anxiety) and informant (i.e., parent reports show divergence later than child reports). With regard to minority stress, I fou (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mary Fristad Ph.D. (Advisor); Michael Vasey Ph.D. (Committee Member); Daniel Strunk Ph.D. (Committee Member); John Pachankis Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Behavioral Sciences; Clinical Psychology; Mental Health; Psychology