"Femininity? It's the Aesthetic of Subordination": Examining Femmephobia, the Gender Binary, and Experiences of Oppression Among Sexual and Gender Minorities

Exploring perceived gender norms about cannabis among treatment-seeking adults in the era of cannabis legalization in Canada: A qualitative analysis

INTRODUCTION

Prevalence of cannabis use has historically been higher among men than among women, yet the past few decades have seen a significant narrowing of this gender gap. The narrowing gender gap is likely attributable to multiple factors, including global and regional shifts in gender norms related to cannabis, which may be influenced by legalization of recreational cannabis use in many countries, including in Canada where the present study took place. The goal of this study was to explore perceived gender norms about cannabis use and how these norms might influence behavior.

METHODS

We conducted in-depth, one-to-one interviews with a sample of 23 adults in Toronto, Ontario, Canada who had been in treatment for cannabis-related harms. We used the Braun & Clarke method of reflexive thematic analysis and a theoretical framework grounded in Connell's masculinities science and more recent critical femininities scholarship to explore perceived gender norms about cannabis. In particular, we were interested in how perceived norms might influence behavior and how an understanding of changing norms can contribute to developing gender-responsive or gender-transformative interventions for cannabis use disorder (CUD).

RESULTS

Our analysis generated three main themes. Masculine Dominance of Cannabis Use demonstrates the social construction of recreational cannabis use (especially smoking cannabis) as a dominant masculine behavior. Cannabis Use as Deviation from Femininity demonstrates how increased stigma and social harms experienced by women and gender-diverse people is accomplished by framing their cannabis use as inauthentic and deviant. Finally, Rejecting and Reconfiguring Gender Norms about Cannabis suggests challenges to masculine dominance of cannabis use and how cannabis legalization may have catalyzed this process (possibly by increasing visibility of women using cannabis).

CONCLUSIONS

Our results suggest that gender continues to play a meaningful role in determining social cannabis norms, though relationships between gender and cannabis norms are clearly changing, possibly in connection to legalization of non-medical cannabis use. We end by discussing implications for treatment (e.g., norm-based interventions to encourage treatment-seeking among men) and public health (e.g., normalizing women's and gender-diverse people's cannabis use may reduce sociocultural harms associated with cannabis use).

What Do I Have?: Experience of Homosexuality in Childhood

This article explores the childhood experiences of 16 individuals who self-identify as homosexual men living in Santiago (Chile), including both foreign and Chilean nationals, aged 18 to 54, who self-identify as homosexual men. The study highlights the pervasive structural homophobic violence they face from childhood to adulthood. Through in-depth interviews and reflexive thematic analysis, the research emphasizes how heterocisnormative norms and ideals of masculinity severely restrict gender expression and corporality from early ages, significantly impacting their development and identity. The study underscores the critical need to create inclusive and safe spaces that mitigate the impact of violence and promote holistic well-being throughout all stages of life. The research findings reveal a complex interaction between body, identity, and violence, suggesting that inclusion and respect for diversity from childhood are fundamental to the development of more equitable and understanding societies. This work aims to lay the groundwork for future research and policies focused on protecting and promoting the rights of LGBTQ  +  individuals from childhood, highlighting the importance of addressing these issues from a comprehensive perspective.

Lateral Gender-Based Violence in 2SLGBTQ+ Communities: The Stifling of Queer Joy Through Intersectional Oppression, "Pitiful" Sexuality Education, and Media (Mis)Representation

There is a gap in the field of gender-based violence concerning lateral violence within 2SLGBTQ+ communities. This paper helps fill that gap by offering participants' narratives from The Queer Sexual Joy Project, which engaged 100 2SLGBTQ+ youth from Canada and the US, ages 18-35, in focus groups, participatory visual arts-based research, one-on-one interviews, and surveys. The study provides insight into how lateral violence is fueled and expressed through overlapping and intersecting systems of oppression, including fatphobia, transphobia, sexism and misogyny, racism, and ableism. Participants' experiences also highlighted that while lateral violence reduces the potentialities of queer sexual joy, this violence is catalyzed and reproduced through troubling depictions of 2SLGBTQ+ communities in popular media and sexuality education. The paper calls for further research on lateral violence and for increased and diverse representation of 2SLGBTQ+ communities in media and education to help address the disproportionately high rates of gender-based violence in these communities.

State gender variability and body satisfaction among sexual minority men

Prominent theories of gender suggest that gender can be variable, rather than static. For example, a person may experience changes in their masculinity and femininity in daily life, which we refer to as 'state gender variability.' Theory and research suggest that the degree to which masculinity and femininity fluctuate may have implications for body satisfaction. In this study, we analysed intensive longitudinal data to gain nuanced insights into how masculinity and femininity vary in everyday life among a sample of majority cis-gender sexual minority men. We first present a comprehensive descriptive analysis of gender variability. Second, we test whether individual differences in gender variability are associated with body satisfaction. Masculinity and femininity were moderately stable, with substantial within-person variability. Masculinity and femininity tended to be more variable than state body satisfaction and negative affect. Further, variability and instability in masculinity were associated with lower body satisfaction. Conversely, variability in femininity was associated with higher scores on body satisfaction. Our study contributes to a growing literature examining the implications of masculinity and femininity for sexual minority men's body image and opens up new lines of inquiry focused on state gender variability.

Differences in Thinness- and Muscularity-Oriented Eating and Body Image Disturbances and Psychosocial Well-Being in Chinese Sexual Minority Men Reporting Top, Bottom, and Versatile Sexual Self-Labels

In addition to describing sexual partner preferences, sexual self-labels in gay and bisexual (henceforth, sexual minority) men, such as top, bottom, and versatile, are associated with psychological characteristics (e.g., gendered personality traits). No research has explored the association between sexual self-labels and eating and body image disturbances in sexual minority men. Research in sexual minority men from China is particularly valuable and needed due to recent rises in rates of eating and body image disturbances and unique, minority-specific stressors experienced by Chinese sexual minority populations. We adopted an online, cross-sectional study in a sample of sexual minority men from China (N = 403; tops, n = 256, bottoms, n = 95, versatiles, n = 52). Bottoms reported higher thinness internalization, lower muscularity internalization, higher body fat dissatisfaction, and higher psychological distress than tops. Bottoms' weight bias internalization was higher than tops' and versatiles' reports and, compared to versatiles, bottoms also reported higher psychosocial impairment related to eating disorder psychopathology. Compared to versatiles, tops reported higher drive for muscularity and muscularity-oriented disordered eating. Adjusting for age, psychological distress, and psychosocial impairment, tops reported higher muscularity internalization than bottoms and higher drive for muscularity and muscularity-oriented disordered eating than both bottoms and versatiles. Findings suggested unique relations between sexual self-labels and eating and body image disturbances in Chinese sexual minority men. Replication and validation of the temporal order between sexual self-labels and eating and body image disturbances is needed, including assessment of social factors (e.g., femmephobia, minority stress) that may help explain the links between sexual self-labels and eating pathology.

Clinical characteristics among sexual minority and heterosexual women with body dysmorphic disorder

Body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) is a common disorder associated with substantial comorbidity, impairment, and poor quality of life. Research on subcultural variations of BDD is limited but may impact assessment and treatment of the disorder. The current study examined clinical features in a sample of sexual minority (SM; n = 43) and heterosexual (n = 155) women with diagnosed BDD. Participants completed self-report and clinician-administered measures of demographic and clinical characteristics. Results indicated largely similar clinical features across groups with some exceptions: compared to non-SM women, SM women were younger (M = 25.50 vs 31.96 years, p < .001), had better BDD-related insight (M = 14.51 vs 16.26, p = .01), endorsed a greater number of disliked body parts, and were more likely to express preoccupation with body build (OR = 4.6, 95% CI [2.0, 10.9]), chin/jaw (OR = 4.7, 95% CI [2.1, 10.3]), and shoulders (OR = 10.1, 95% CI [2.7, 37.9]), possibly reflecting nuanced beauty ideals within the SM community. There were no significant group differences in other body parts of concern, BDD severity, or depression. Future studies are needed in larger, more inclusive samples to explore the relationship between diverse identities on BDD and its associated features.

Femmephobia Is a Uniquely Powerful Predictor of Anti-Gay Behavior

The current study explored a form of femmephobia (specifically, negative attitudes toward femininity in men) as a predictor of anti-gay behaviors among a sample of heterosexual men (N = 417). Additional predictor variables included hierarchical worldviews (i.e., social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism, narcissism) and prejudicial attitudes (i.e., old-fashioned and modern homonegativity). Femmephobia emerged as a robust predictor, accounting for 23% of the variance in anti-gay behavior, surpassing the explanatory power (15%) of all other considered variables combined. Moreover, social dominance only predicted anti-gay behavior when femmephobia levels were high. Future research on discrimination and violence related to sexual identity and gender expression should incorporate femmephobia as a key predictive factor.

Walking hand in hand: The role of affection-sharing in understanding the social network effect in same-sex, mixed-sex, and gender-diverse relationships

Individuals who perceive greater support or approval for their relationships from friends and family also report greater relationship stability and commitment and better mental and physical health (known as the "social network effect"). These associations have been explained, in part, through three cognitive-affective processes: uncertainty reduction, cognitive balance, and dyadic identity formation. However, we know less about cognitive-behavioral mechanisms that might help explain the social network effect. In this study, we propose and test a model in which physical affection-sharing acts as one such behavioral mechanism. In a sample of 1848 individuals in same-sex (n = 696), mixed-sex (n = 1045), and gender-diverse (n = 107) relationships, we found support for our overall model. Our findings suggest that perceived support for one's relationships is a significant predictor of perceived support for physical affection-sharing, which in turn predicts the frequency of affection-sharing in private and public contexts and, ultimately, relationship well-being. However, we also found that relationship type moderates these associations, highlighting how the experience of sharing affection with one's partner changes for many in marginalized relationships, especially in public. We conclude by discussing how our findings contribute to theories of social support for relationships, underscoring the importance of considering affective, cognitive, and behavioral factors relevant to the process. We also emphasize the understudied role of context in shaping affection-sharing experiences across all relationship types.

Suicidal Ideation Disparities Among Transgender and Gender Diverse Compared to Cisgender Community Health Patients

BACKGROUND

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) individuals experience more severe psychological distress and may be at higher risk for suicide compared to cisgender individuals. The existing literature largely consists of small-sample studies that do not assess subgroup differences.

OBJECTIVE

To examine rates of self-reported suicidal ideation among four TGD groups compared to cisgender individuals.

DESIGN

Data were extracted from the electronic health records of patients receiving primary care at a community health center specializing in sexual and gender minority health. A logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between sociodemographic variables and the presence of current suicidal ideation.

PARTICIPANTS

29,988 patients receiving care at a community health center in Northeastern US between 2015 and 2018.

MAIN MEASURES

Demographic questionnaire, 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire KEY RESULTS: Younger age, sexual and gender minority identity, and public/grants-based insurance were associated with significantly higher odds of suicidal ideation. Relative to cisgender men, transgender men (OR=2.08; 95% CI=1.29-3.36; p=.003), transgender women (OR=3.08; 95% CI=2.05-4.63; p<.001), nonbinary (NB) individuals assigned male at birth (AMAB; OR=3.55; 95% CI=1.86-6.77; p<001), and NB individuals assigned female at birth (AFAB; OR=2.49; 95% CI=1.52-4.07; p<001) all endorsed significantly higher odds of current suicidal ideation, controlling for age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and insurance status. Larger proportions of transgender women (23.6%) and NB AMAB individuals (26.7%) reported suicidal ideation not only compared to cisgender men (6.1%) and women (6.6%), but also compared to transgender men (17.4%; χ2[5, n=25,959]=906.454, p<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

TGD patients were at significantly increased risk of suicidal ideation, even after accounting for age, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and insurance status. Findings suggest distinct risk profiles by assigned sex at birth. Consistent assessment of and intervention for suicidal ideation should be prioritized in settings that serve TGD patients.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m overly campy”: The socio-cultural subjugation of femininity within gay socio-sexual applications

The prevalence of femmephobic attitudes amongst gay, bisexual, and queer (GBQ) men is well-reported, yet under-discussed employing femme theory. Femmephobia, or the socio-cultural regulation of femininity, is common within GBQ online socio-sexual applications, yet more research is needed to analyze the different ways femmephobia takes place within GBQ socio-sexual applications predominately used by GBQ men. This study analyzes qualitative data from semi-structured interviews with 79 participants who described their experiences using socio-sexual applications and interacting with online outreach and health information workers. Participants described the different ways femmephobia and the regulation of femininity manifests within GBQ socio-sexual applications and how such forms of regulation relate to self-presentation and the privileging of masculinity within GBQ socio-sexual applications. Participants further described how femmephobia and the denigration of femininity intersected with anti-Asian racism online.

The differential effects of state and trait masculinity and femininity on body satisfaction among sexual minority men

Masculine men are more likely to idealise being tall, muscular, and lean. Feminine men, on the other hand, are more likely to idealise leanness. At the trait level, masculinity and femininity have been linked with an unhealthy striving for these idealised traits and body dissatisfaction. However, it is unclear how feeling masculine or feminine in the moment might be associated with body satisfaction. Is feeling masculine and/or feminine associated with a boost in body satisfaction? In the first large-scale experience sampling study of masculinity and femininity (n_observations=25,133; N_participants=530), we find that state masculinity and femininity, but not trait, are associated with increased body satisfaction among sexual minority men. We also find a gender congruence effect whereby the positive associations between state masculinity/femininity on body satisfaction are more pronounced when these feelings align with trait levels of masculinity/femininity. Exploratory analyses revealed a moderating effect of eating disorder history. The associations between masculinity and femininity on body satisfaction were amplified for people who had been diagnosed with an eating disorder. This study presents the first evidence that the links between masculinity and femininity and body satisfaction can be delineated based on whether they are measured as traits or states.

On guard: Public versus private affection-sharing experiences in same-sex, gender-diverse, and mixed-sex relationships

This study compared public versus private affection-sharing experiences of individuals in mixed-sex (N = 1018), same-sex (N = 561), and gender-diverse (N = 96) relationships. Private affection-sharing was similar across groups, except those in mixed-sex relationships reported somewhat less comfort doing so. Despite having a stronger desire to engage in public affection-sharing, those in same-sex and gender-diverse relationships shared public affection less frequently, were less comfortable doing so, refrained from doing so more often, and experienced much higher levels of vigilance related to public affection-sharing, compared to those in mixed-sex relationships. Heightened PDA-related vigilance may have health consequences, as higher levels were associated with worse psychological and physical well-being in all groups. However, individuals in same-sex relationships showed weaker associations between vigilance and well-being than those in mixed-sex relationships, suggesting possible resilience. Still, engaging in vigilance may take its toll, potentially serving as a mechanism through which minority stress works its effects. When we controlled for PDA-related vigilance, psychological and physical well-being levels in same-sex relationships increased relative to mixed-sex peers.

The interplay of familial warmth and LGBTQ+ specific family rejection on LGBTQ+ adolescents' self-esteem

INTRODUCTION

Our study sought to assess the interplay of family dynamics, namely familial warmth and LGBTQ+ specific rejection, and its association to self-esteem in a non-probabilistic sample of LGBTQ+ adolescents in the United States.

METHODS

Stratified by (1) cisgender and (2) transgender and non-binary LGBTQ+ adolescents (N = 8774), we tested multivariable regression analyses to assess the association between familial warmth and LGBTQ+ specific family rejection, adjusted for sociodemographic characteristics. We then conducted a sub-analysis with LGBTQ+ adolescents who reported being out to any family member about their LGBTQ+ identity; specifically, we tested a series of multivariable regression models to assess whether levels of LGBTQ+ specific family rejection attenuated the association between familial warmth and self-esteem.

RESULTS

Full sample models indicated a positive association between familial warmth and self-esteem. Findings from our sub-analysis indicated that familial warmth remained positively linked to self-esteem and family rejection was negatively associated with self-esteem. Family rejection was a statistically significant moderator, attenuating the association between familial warmth and self-esteem. With respect to being out about one's sexual orientation, these findings were robust across gender stratification groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Families of origin serve as sources of stress and resilience for LGBTQ+ adolescents. Our findings contribute support to arguments that familial warmth and LGBTQ+ specific rejection are not mutually-exclusive experiences among LGBTQ+ adolescents. We provide recommendations for multilevel interventions to leverage activities that support positive family dynamics and self-esteem among LGBTQ+ adolescents.

The feminine target: Gender expression in same-sex relationships as a predictor of experiences with public displays of affection

The extent to which sexual minority individuals present publicly as masculine, feminine, or both has been associated with their perceptions of threat and safety in public spaces. The current study investigates the role of gender expression in men and women’s experiences of public displays of affection (PDAs) in same-sex relationships. Participants (N = 528) reported their own gender expression as well as that of their partner, perceptions of support for PDAs, PDA-related vigilance, general vigilance and overall PDA frequency. Men in same-sex relationships reported less frequent PDAs and greater PDA-related vigilance than women, while women reported greater overall variability in their gender expression than men. Multiple regression analyses show femininity within the participant (for men) or their partner (for both men and women) was associated with greater general and PDA-related vigilance. These findings align with previous research on femmephobia, in which femininity is described as making individuals feel ‘targeted’ for other forms of oppression (e.g., homophobia, sexism, transphobia; Hoskin, 2019 ). Although femininity was associated with greater vigilance, the association between masculinity within a same-sex relationship and vigilance was more tenuous, demonstrating evidence of masculinity serving as both a potential target for homophobic violence as well as a source of protection. The dual nature of masculinity was particularly salient among women in same-sex relationships, where masculinity tempered by femininity was associated with greater perceived support for PDAs but for women with partners low in femininity, the more masculine their partner, the greater their reported levels of vigilance.

Latinx trans immigrants' survival of torture in U.S. detention: A qualitative investigation of the psychological impact of abuse and mistreatment

BACKGROUND

A trans person is murdered every 3 days in the world, with the majority of these murders occurring in Latin America. This violence is a motivating factor for Latinx trans immigrants to immigrate to the United States. Regardless of whether individuals may be able to remain in the U.S., trans immigrants and asylum seekers are often held in detention facilities until immigration courts decide their cases. Although there are several standards of care and guidelines produced for trans and nonbinary (TNB) people who are held in detention, various reports have indicated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has not or inappropriately implemented these guidelines, thereby incurring and increasing risk of harm upon TNB immigrants.

AIMS

This qualitative study used thematic analysis to provide an understanding of the psychological impact that the systemic power of US detention proceedings had on the lives of Latinx, trans immigrants.

METHOD

The semi-structured interview protocol and implementation of this study was developed in collaboration with two national Latinx, LGBTQ immigrant advocacy organizations. The sample included 30 trans participants, between the ages of 18 and 52 (M = 23) who immigrated from El Salvador (40%), Guatemala (23%), México (17%), Honduras (17%), and Peru (3%).

RESULTS

Participants reported being subject to debilitating and torturous conditions in "La Hielera", torture and abusive treatment by detention authorities, being denied access to basic human needs and medical care, and held in solitary confinement as punishment. This dehumanization, abuse, and transphobia in detention incurred psychological sequelae on participants including trauma, anxiety and depression, suicidal ideation, and a preference to self-deport.

DISCUSSION

Implications include calls to abolish immigration detention, recommendations for mental health providers, and an overall restructuring of policies and services for humane asylum seeking processes for trans, Latinx immigrants.

Measurement invariance by race (black, white) of the femininity ideology scale-short form

The Femininity Ideology Scale - Short Form (FIS-SF) assesses traditional femininity ideology (TFI), which is the internalization of White, Western, heteronormative norms about how women are supposed to think, feel, and behave. As TFI applies to both in-group and out-group members, it is important to examine the FIS-SF's psychometric properties in different populations who might have unique gender ideologies that compete with TFI, such as the Strong Black Woman ideology (SBWI). This study investigated the measurement invariance of the FIS-SF in a sample of Black (N = 185) and White (N = 944) respondents, who were college students and community-dwellers recruited using internet advertisements. Ages ranged from 18 to 90 years (Mean = 27.10, SD = 11.59). Results indicated that the FIS-SF had a statistically equivalent pattern of items loading on factors, item factor loadings and model fit for White and Black participants. Four of the twelve intercepts of the items regressed on their respective factors were invariant between groups, with Black participants having higher intercepts for all non-invariant items, but their effect size was small. Future research is needed to investigate relationships between SBWI and TFI as well as FIS-SF measurement invariance in other populations.