Elizabeth Peel | Loughborough University (original) (raw)
Books by Elizabeth Peel
This timely and urgent text presents cutting-edge research exploring the complexities of barriers... more This timely and urgent text presents cutting-edge research exploring the complexities of barriers to inclusive access to sport and physical activity, and discusses how sport, and society, can move forward beyond the gender binary, in both theory and practice.
Sport is one of the most influential, powerful, and visible institutions upholding the gender binary, even as the number of people identifying as transgender and non-binary increases rapidly worldwide. With this rising visibility, societal pressure has been increasing for the equal acceptance of gender diverse people, but while gains have been made in many areas, the participation of intersex, trans and non-binary people in sport remains harshly contested. Bringing together a world-leading team of established and emerging scholars from the UK, USA, and Australia, this collection presents an interdisciplinary analysis of current issues related to the participation of gender diverse individuals in sport and physical activity. Engaging with psychological ideas around identity, prejudice and discrimination, and sports psychology and performance, authors examine evidence that the rules, regulations, and practices that surround physical activity participation – from elite sport to sport in schools, universities, and society at large – are grounded in heteronormative, cisgendered, and sexist practices which unfairly discriminate against gender diverse people.
Also including analysis of personal accounts from non-binary and transgender athletes from a range of sports, this is fascinating and essential reading for education, health, and sports professionals who work with and support gender diverse children and adults, as well as academics and students in the fields of psychology, sport psychology, sociology, law, and sports science, and those participating in, and navigating, sport and physical activity spaces.
Prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people has been researched by soc... more Prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people has been researched by social psychologists since the advent of 'gay affirmative' psychology in the 1970s. After outlining the groups under the rainbow acronym, this chapter examines covert and overt forms of anti-LGBT prejudice. The chapter discusses how all forms of discrimination and prejudice impacting LGBT people can be understood through the theoretical concepts of homophobia, heterosexism, heteronormativity, cisgenderism, minority stress and decompensation. Taken together these concepts account for why anti-LGBT prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination occurs. Both the causes and effects of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination directed towards LGBT people are explored. In conclusion, the chapter focuses on the role that social psychology can play in creating positive social change with respect to LGBT people, especially regarding attitude change. Programmes, training and strategies aimed at increasing positive attitudes are important to both promote social inclusion and mitigate against the negative net effects of marginalization.
The second edition of this award-winning textbook provides an accessible and engaging introductio... more The second edition of this award-winning textbook provides an accessible and engaging introduction to the field of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer psychology. Comprehensive in scope and international in outlook, it offers an integrated overview of key topical areas, from history and context, identities and fluidity, families and relationships, to health and wellbeing. The second edition has been extensively revised to address substantial developments and emerging areas, such as people born with intersex variations, transgender and non-binary genders, intersectionality, and gender-diverse children. It also includes new pedagogical features to support learning and to facilitate discussion and reflection, with feature boxes throughout that explain important concepts, provide concise overviews of cutting-edge research, and offer first-person narratives that bring topics to life. This pioneering textbook is an essential resource for undergraduate courses on sex, gender, and sexuality in psychology and related disciplines, such as sociology, health studies, social work, education, and counselling.
https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783319970332, 2018
Psychologies of Ageing offers a diversity of contemporary perspectives on ageing in a balanced an... more Psychologies of Ageing offers a diversity of contemporary perspectives on ageing in a balanced and comprehensive way. This book addresses ageing issues in social and critical psychology, cognitive and biological psychology, and community and political psychology. Key topics include ageing identities, sexualities, palliative care, stress, health behaviour and dementia, frailty, resilience, ageing in place, transport, independence and community participation. Written in an accessible style suitable for students as well as ageing researchers in psychology and the social sciences, the book showcases key theoretical, empirical, and practical issues in later life.
https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9781137505040#aboutAuthors, Oct 18, 2016
Studies of kinship have increasingly sought to critique the normative assumptions that often unde... more Studies of kinship have increasingly sought to critique the normative assumptions that often underpin how caring relationships between humans are understood. Critical Kinship Studies adds a further dimension by bringing together posthumanism and studies of kinship to elaborate an account of western human kinship practices that encourages the reader to consider who is included in the categories of ‘human’ and ‘kinship’, who is excluded from these categories, and how a critical lens may broaden our understand of caring relationships. Bringing together a diverse array of analytic foci and theoretical lenses, Critical Kinship Studies opens up new avenues for understanding what it means to be in relationships with others, and in so doing challenges the human exceptionalism that has often limited how we think about family, loss, love and subjectivity. CONTENTS: Chapter 1, Introduction. Chapter 2, Objects of Critiques. Chapter 3, Tools of Critique. Chapter 4 ,Reflecting (on) Nature: Cross Species Kinship. Chapter 5, Donor Connections. Chapter 6, Kinship and Loss. Chapter 7, Motherhood and Recognition. Chapter 8, Kinship in Institutional Contexts. Chapter 9, Conclusions.
This book showcases developments in theory, research and practice regarding sexuality and ageing,... more This book showcases developments in theory, research and practice regarding sexuality and ageing, considering the differences as well as similarities between and among ageing heterosexual and LGBT older people. Identifying the questions central to future social scientific research on ageing and sexuality, it focuses on the important, emerging dimensions of sexuality and ageing: embodiment, the diversification of the ageing context and the intersections of care and sexuality.
With attention to the different forms of sexualities, particularly at their intersection with gender, this volume explores the importance of spatial and relational contexts, whether individual, residential or virtual, with authors offering studies of online dating, sexuality in the context of residential care and the relationship between sexuality, legal frameworks and social policy. Interdisciplinary in scope and offering the latest research from scholars in the UK, Australasia and Africa, Ageing and Sexualities constitutes an integrated approach to the conceptual and practical challenges of understanding the interplay of ageing and sexuality in contemporary society.
As such, it will appeal to scholars from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, including sociology, cultural studies, socio-legal studies, social gerontology, psychology, medicine and health care.
CONTENTS.
Introduction: Ageing and Sexualities, (Rosie Harding and Elizabeth Peel)
1. Ageing and Sexuality in Western Societies: Changing Perspectives on Sexual Activity, Sexual Expression and the ‘Sexy’ Older Body, (Sharron Hinchliff and Merryn Gott)
2. Ageing Sexualities in UK Regulatory Contexts, (Sue Westwood)
3. Inclusion and Representation of Older People and Sexual Health in sub-Saharan Africa within Contemporary Population Health Research, (Gloria Chepngeno-Langat and Victoria Hosegood)
4. Becoming Visible: De-marginalising Older Lesbians in LGBT Ageing Discourse, (Jane Traies)
5. Sexual Identity Labels and their Implications in Later Life: The Case of Bisexuality, (Rebecca Jones)
6. Older People and Sexuality in Residential Aged Care: Reconstructing Normality, (Michael Bauer, Linda McAuliffe, Deirdre Fetherstonhaugh)
7. "I am Getting Old and That Takes Some Getting Used To": Dimensions of Body Image for Older Men, (Allan Tyler, Nuno Nodin, Elizabeth Peel and Ian Rivers)
8. Troubling Identities? Examining Older Lesbian, Gay and/or Bisexual People’s Membership Categorisation Work and its Significance, (Andrew King)
9. Towards the Inquiry into Aged Care and Beyond: The Promise and Challenge of a New Era in LGBTI Ageing, (Mark Hughes)
10. Internet Dating, Sexual Intimacy and Older People, (Chris Beasley and Mary Holmes)
WINNER OF THE 2013 BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY TEXTBOOK AWARD. This exciting and engaging textb... more WINNER OF THE 2013 BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY TEXTBOOK AWARD.
This exciting and engaging textbook introduces students to the psychology of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer lives and experiences. It covers a broad range of topics including diversity, prejudice, health, relationships, parenting and lifespan experiences from youth to old age. The book includes 'key researcher' boxes, which outline the contributions of significant individuals and their motivations for conducting their research in their own words. Key issues and debates are discussed throughout the book, and questions for discussion and classroom exercises help students reflect critically and apply their learning. There are extensive links to further resources and information, as well as 'gaps and absences' sections, indicating major limitations of research in a particular area. This is the essential textbook for anyone studying LGBTQ psychology, psychology of sexuality or related courses. It is also a useful supplement to courses on gender and developmental psychology.
CONTENTS.
Introduction: how to read and use this book
Part I. History, Contexts and Debates in LGBTQ Psychology:
1. Introducing LGBTQ psychology
2. Key debates and perspectives
3. Doing LGBTQ psychological research
Part II. Understanding Social Marginalisation in LGBTQ Lives:
4. Diversity
5. Prejudice and discrimination
6. Health
Part III. LGBTQ Experiences Across the Lifespan:
7. Young people, coming out and identity development
8. Relationships
9. Parenting and family
10. Ageing and old age
Conclusion:
11. The future of LGBTQ psychology
Glossary.
WINNER OF THE 2007 AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION DIVISION 44 DISTINGUISHED BOOK AWARD. There... more WINNER OF THE 2007 AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION DIVISION 44 DISTINGUISHED BOOK AWARD. There has been a recent explosion of interest in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Perspective Psychology amongst students and academics, and this interest is predicted to continue to rise. Recent media debates on subjects such as same–sex marriage have fuelled interest in LGBTQ perspectives. This edited collection showcases the latest thinking in LGBTQ psychology. The book has 21 chapters covering subjects such as same sex parenting, outing, young LGBTQ people, sport, learning disabilities, lesbian and gay identities etc. The book has an international focus, with contributors from UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
CONTENTS.
Foreword by Jerry J. Bigner.
1. Introducing Out in Psychology (Victoria Clarke and Elizabeth Peel).
2. From lesbian and gay psychology to LGBTQ psychologies: A journey into the unknown (Victoria Clarke and Elizabeth Peel)
3. What comes after discourse analysis for LGBTQ psychology(Peter Hegarty).
4. Recognising race in LGBTQ psychology: Power, privilege and complicity (Damien W. Riggs).
5. Personality, individual differences and LGB psychology (Gareth Hagger Johnson).
6. Heteronormativity and the exclusion of bisexuality in psychology (Meg Barker).
7. A minority within a minority: Experiences of gay men with intellectual disabilities.(Christopher Bennett and Adrian Coyle).
8. Closet talk: The contemporary relevance of the closet in lesbian and gay interaction (Victoria Land and Celia Kitzinger)
9. Romance, rights, recognition, responsibilities and radicalism: Same-sex couples’ accounts of civil partnership and marriage (Victoria Clarke, Carole Burgoyne and Maree Burns).
10. The experience of social power in the lives of trans people (Clair Clifford and Jim Orford).
11. What do they look like and are they among us? Bisexuality, (dis.closure and (Maria Gurevich, Jo Bower, Cynthia M. Mathieson and Bramilee Dhayanandhan).
12. Heterosexism at work: Diversity training, discrimination law and the limits of liberal individualism (Rosie Harding and Elizabeth Peel).
13. Out on the ball fields: Lesbians in sport (Vikki Krane and Kerrie J. Kauer).
14. Homophobia, rights and community: Contemporary issues in the lives of LGB people in the UK (Sonja J. Ellis).
15. Striving for holistic success: How lesbians come out on top (Faith Rostad and Bonita C. Long).
16. On Passing: The Interactional Organization of Appearance Attributions in the Psychiatric Assessment of Transsexual Patients (Susan A. Speer and Richard Green).
17. Alcohol and gay men: Consumption, promotion and policy responses (Jeffrey Adams, Timothy McCreanor and Virginia Braun).
18. Towards a clinical-psychological approach to address the hetero sexual concerns of intersexed women (Lih-Mei Liao).
19. Educational psychology practice with LGB youth in schools: Individual and institutional interventions (Jeremy J. Monsen and Sydney Bailey).
20. Que(e)rying the meaning of lesbian health: Individual(izing and community discourses (Sara MacBride-Stewart).
21. Transsexualism: Diagnostic dilemmas, transgender politics and the future of transgender care (Katherine Johnson).
There is very little collaborative literature between LGB-affirmative psychologists and psychothe... more There is very little collaborative literature between LGB-affirmative psychologists and psychotherapists in the United States and the United Kingdom. British Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Psychologies: Theory, Research, and Practice may well be a crucial beginning step in building dialogue between these two countries on important LGB psychotherapy developments. Leading authorities comprehensively examine the latest studies and effective therapies for LGB individuals in the United Kingdom. Practitioners will discover an extensive survey of the most current developments to supplement their own work, while educators and students will find diverse expert perspectives on which to consider and broaden their own viewpoints. This unique book offers an informative introduction to British psychosocial perspectives on theory, research, and practice. British Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Psychologies provides a critical exploration of the recent history of LGB psychology and psychotherapy in the United Kingdom, focusing on key publications and outlining the current terrain. Other chapters are organized into two thematic sections. The first section explores theoretical frameworks in United Kingdom therapeutic practice, while the second section examines sexual minority identities and their needs for support and community. Topics in British Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Psychologies include: - similarities and differences between LGBT psychology and psychotherapy in the United States and United Kingdom - gay affirmative therapy (GAT) as a positive framework - existential-phenomenological approach to psychotherapy - core issues in the anxiety about whether or not to “come out” - object relations theory - exploring homo-negativity in the therapeutic process - aspects of psychotherapy that lesbians and gay men find helpful - research into how the mainstreaming of lesbian and gay culture has affected the lives of LGB individuals - study into LGB youth issues - difficulties of gay men with learning disabilities—with suggestions on how to offer the best psychological service - a study on gay athletes’ experiences of coming out in a heterosexist world British Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Psychologies takes a needed step toward sharing valuable psychosocial perspectives between countries. This useful, enlightening text is perfect for educators, students, psychologists, psychotherapists, and counselors working in the field of sexuality. CONTENTS.
Section 1: Introducing LGB psychosocial theory and practice in the UK.
1. Introduction to LGB psychosocial perspectives in psychological and psychotherapeutic theory, research and practice in the UK,
Elizabeth Peel, Victoria Clarke & Jack Drescher.
2. LGBT Psychosocial Theory and Practice in the UK: A Review of Key Contributions and Current Developments,
Victoria Clarke & Elizabeth Peel.
Section 2: Exploring Theoretical Frameworks in UK Therapeutic Practice.
3. Gay Affirmative Therapy: A Theoretical Framework and Defence,
Darren Langdridge.
4. Being Sexual: Existential Contributions to Psychotherapy with Gay Male Clients,
Martin Milton.
5. Facilitating Gay Men’s Coming Out: An Existential-Phenomenological Exploration,
Colin M Clarke.
6. Gay Subjects Relating: Object Relations Between Gay Therapist and Gay Client,
Aaron Balick.
Section 3: Exploring LGB Identities, and Needs for Support and Community.
7. “The Difference That Make a Difference”: What Matters to Lesbians and Gay Men in Psychotherapy,
Maeve Malley & Fiona Tasker.
8. Community in the 21st Century: Issues Arising from a Study of British Lesbians and Gay Men,
Sonja J Ellis.
9. Safe Spaces and Sense of Identity: Experiences of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Young People,
Colm Crowley, Rom Harré & Ingrid Lunt.
10. Gay Men with Learning Disabilities: UK Service Provision,
Sören Stauffer-Kruse.
11. Coming Out in the Heterosexist World of Sport: A Qualitative Analysis of Web Postings by Gay Athletes,
Brendan Gough.
Articles and Book Chapters by Elizabeth Peel
Qualitative Research in Psychology, 2024
Though the anthropause of Covid-19 was peculiarly humancentric, it also brought into sharp relief... more Though the anthropause of Covid-19 was peculiarly humancentric, it also brought into sharp relief our more-than-human world. Canine-human companionship can support human mental and physical wellbeing in 'normal' times, but this article explores the pandemic as a unique context for animal/human relations. I interrogate the pandemic component of the Dog Talking and Walking Project online survey (n = 673), and subsequent interviews (n = 41). A novel two-step qualitative data analysis comprised, firstly, examining participants' written qualitative survey accounts about how Covid catalysed canine companionship, and descriptions of how canine closeness attenuated losses. Secondly, I explore key interview themes: 'closeness' of canine companionship; dogs as 'mediator' in families; and dogs as 'moderator' of the impacts of the pandemic. The analysis offers an important counter to the speciesism and anthropocentrism embedded in our recollections of Covid times. Methodologically, I suggest that qualitative surveys alongside the traditional interview can yield richer understandings of more-than-human relationships.
International Journal of Wellbeing, 2024
While it is often assumed that animal companions unilaterally contribute to the wellbeing of thei... more While it is often assumed that animal companions unilaterally contribute to the wellbeing of their human companions, research has to date been equivocal. At best it appears to be that animal companionship may add an extra dimension to human lives, and thus human wellbeing. In this paper we report on a quantitative study conducted in 2021 that surveyed 2090 people with animal companions living in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Participants responded to measures asking about their wellbeing and psychological distress, their connectedness to other humans, and their interactions with and attachment to animals. Regression analysis found that relationships with humans was associated with reduced psychological distress (β =-.594, p = .001), while relationships with animals (β = .205, p = .001), particularly cats (β = .077, p = .001), was associated with increased psychological distress. Regression analysis also found that relationships with other humans (β = .522, p = .001), interactions with animals (β = .142, p = .001), and bonds with animal companions (β = .128, p = .001) were associated with increased wellbeing. We conclude by considering the groups for whom relationships with animals are most likely to offer unique benefits, and suggest the importance of continuing to examine why it is that relationships with animals are both intertwined with, yet distinct from, human-human relationships.
Feminist Legal Studies, 2023
This article examines three divergent constructions about the salience of legal gender in lay peo... more This article examines three divergent constructions about the salience of legal gender in lay people's everyday lives and readiness to decertify gender. In our interviews (and survey data), generally participants minimised the importance of legal gender. The central argument in this article is that feminist socio-legal scholars applying legal consciousness studies to legal reform topics should find scrutinizing the construction of interview talk useful. We illustrate this argument by adapting and applying Ewick and Silbey's (1998) 'The Common Place of Law: Stories from Everyday Life', 'before', 'with' and 'against' typology to interview talk about legal gender, and critique their cognitivist approach by offering a constructionist alternative. In our analysis, we offer a detailed discursive explication of three key legal consciousness themes. These themes offer a balanced representation of a dataset problematically 'skewed' towards sex-based rights feminist perspectives, namely that 'before' legal gender is an anti-decertification account, decertification would be risky for natal females; a 'with' legal gender construction is neither for nor against decertification per se, though the impact of decertification is produced in accounts as limited and unimportant; and 'against' legal gender is a pro-decertification classification, as not abolished legal gender is constructed as harmful to already marginalised groups. In concluding, we explore the reasoning for the lack of readiness for decertification currently, and return to the value of examining the construction of lay discourse about legal matters as talk is a form of social action. We suggest that applying discursive analysis to themes in legal consciousness studies enables a refocusing on the how rather than purely the what of divergent legal consciousnesses, and that this approach is a fruitful addition to feminist socio-legal studies.
Health, 2022
This article explores how partners keep the conversation going with people living with dementia (... more This article explores how partners keep the conversation going with people living with dementia (PLWD) when speaking about shared memories. Remembering is important for PLWD and their families. Indeed, memory loss is often equated with identity loss. In conversation, references to shared past events (co-rememberings) can occasion interactional trouble if memories cannot be mutually recalled. This article analyses partners' interactional practices that enable progressivity in conversations about shared memories with a PLWD. In previous research, both informal and formal carers have reported that they can find interacting with PLWD difficult. Identifying practices used by partners is one way to begin addressing those difficulties. Analytical findings are based on over 26 hours of video data from domestic settings where partners have recorded their interactions with their spouse/close friend who is living with dementia.
Working with Older People
This paper reports the findings of a survey study exploring perceptions about cognitive impairmen... more This paper reports the findings of a survey study exploring perceptions about cognitive impairment. These findings are relevant to public health campaigns and education programmes. A survey exploring respondents views and knowledge about MCI was circulated via UK networks. 417 respondents completed the survey, including people living with cognitive impairment (n=10), care partners (n=23), older adults (n=83), younger adults (n=83), general healthcare professionals (n=96), dementia specialist healthcare professionals (n=48), and dementia specialists (n=40). Respondents were more confident in their knowledge about dementia than cognitive impairment but wanted more information about both conditions. Younger adults were uncertain about many aspects of MCI, and were the most likely to view MCI as a normal part of ageing. Diet (45.1%, n=188) and personal behaviour (63.8%, n=266) were the least endorsed possible causes of MCI, suggesting a lack of awareness of lifestyle choices as risk factors for MCI. The results highlight the need to provide education and awareness raising about MCI to enable people to seek help in a timely manner and be able to make informed lifestyle choices which may reduce their risk of MCI and dementia. Implementing education about MCI and dementia in schools is a key target as younger people were the most uncertain or misinformed about these topics. It is clear that further public health initiatives around MCI are both warranted and welcomed by the general public.
If you enter a sporting event, what are you asked to disclose about yourself? Which categories ar... more If you enter a sporting event, what are you asked to disclose about yourself? Which categories are salient and influential? 'Gender' is an undisputed category participants' engaging in sports are typically mandated to disclose. This is a real example of how gender is approached by a sport events listing service in 2021: Gender ⃝ Male ⃝ Female ⃝ Other / Prefer not to say. (Selecting this may affect prize eligibility) This UK company lists various types of running races, walking, cycling, athletics track and field, aquathon, duathlon and triathlon events. We can see in the way that disclosing gender as part of the registration process is constructed that, on the one hand, gender beyond the two binary options of 'female' and 'male' is recognised by the presence of a third category. On the other hand, however, if a competitor lists their gender as 'other' or does not wish to identify as either 'male' or 'female' the implication is that they forfeit their opportunity to win any prize associated with the race or event. Ultimately, then, though there is acknowledgement that gender is more complex than dimorphic sex, the only legitimate forms of sporting engagement are in the women's or men's categories. This example illustrates the liminality that gender diversity inhabits in sports spaces and raises important questions about how recognition per se does not necessarily translate into inclusion.
Psychology & Sexuality , 2022
The meaning and significance of gender is currently a focus of heated and, often, polarised debat... more The meaning and significance of gender is currently a focus of heated and, often, polarised debate in the UK and elsewhere. This article provides a new perspective in the gender debate through focused exploration of UK-based non-binary people’s perceptions of legal gender status and reform. Binary gender/sex systems, such as the legal gender system in the UK, are underpinned by cisgenderism and are challenged by those whose identity falls outside of the binary of woman and man. In contrast to most lay participants in the Future of Legal Gender (FLaG) project, the majority of non-binary participants reported support for reform (85.5% (n = 165) in favour) to the current UK legal gender system. Over half (57%, n = 110) were in favour of abolishing legal gender (i.e. the state would no longer assign a legal gender status), although this was constructed as ‘an impossible dream’. Situating non-binary people’s perspectives at the heart of the debate about the certification of gender offers novel insight which could have significant ramifications for how societal structures could support undoing gender in the future.
Feminism & Psychology, 2022
Feminist reflexivity aims to (re)consider and challenge power differentials that exist in the res... more Feminist reflexivity aims to (re)consider and challenge power differentials that exist in the research process. This activity is well represented in, for example, research into heterosexism. In this article we expand feminist reflexive practice in relation to cisgenderism through a (re)examination of interview transcripts conducted by a cisgender
researcher on the topic of cisgenderism in media representations of trans and intersex sportspeople. Drawing on interviews with 18 cisgender and trans and non-binary participants, we analyse three forms of researcher collusion in cisgenderism, namely: 1) perpetuating
cisgenderism in the selection of media materials; 2) assuming trans women are the referent; and 3) disunifying assumptions about trans sportspeople. This reflexive analysis is discussed with regard to how analytical insights can be generated into the operation and functioning of prejudice. In so doing, we further the conception of prejudice
as a ubiquitous and latent activity in research practices.
Feminist Media Studies, 2021
In this article we explore how anti-feminist and cisgenderist media logics are intertwined, parti... more In this article we explore how anti-feminist and cisgenderist media logics are intertwined, particularly in the context of sports media. We examine these issues through focused analysis of a recent case reported in 2018–2019 predominantly in the British media. The sequential unfolding of media events surrounding Martina Navratilova’s intervention into the debate about trans inclusion in the female sporting category is explored with regard to key markers in the case study: @Martina intervenes; Self-censorship and loss of control; Legitimisation by status; Legitimisation by history; and Privileging and disciplining women in the media. As a prominent feminist and lesbian activist who asserted cisgenderist arguments on this topic, the events of the Navratilova case study show how feminist voices are complexly fragmented. Moreover, we demonstrate too how feminist perspectives are controlled by a media system that uses them in the substantiation of cisgenderist projects of discrediting trans athletes and actors.
Feminists@Law, 2020
The Future of Legal Gender (FLaG) project is interested in examining the implications, for a wide... more The Future of Legal Gender (FLaG) project is interested in examining the implications, for a wide range of stakeholders, of changing how legal sex/gender is regulated in England and Wales. In this article, we explore the views of 'the wider public' as manifest in responses to our 'Attitudes to Gender' survey (n=3,101), which ran in October to December 2018. Generally, respondents were invested in the status quo regarding a binary two-sex registration of gender close to birth. We discuss this finding with reference to cisgenderism and endosexism, focusing particularly on being critical of 'gender' and foregrounding biological sex, and views for and against self-identifying gender. In tandem, we also provide a critical commentary on the methodological positives and pitfalls associated with online survey research on a 'topical' issue. We suggest that cisgenderism could provide a less individualised framework for understanding different people's hopes and worries with regard to both the current legal gender framework, and the possibility of reform.
International Journal of Neurodegenerative Disorders, 2019
Background: Physical activity has the potential to improve cognition for those with dementia, as ... more Background: Physical activity has the potential to improve cognition for those with dementia, as demonstrated by randomised controlled trials lasting at least 6 weeks. Research is yet to explore the acute cognitive effects of physical activity for people with dementia. Acute resistance physical activity with healthy late-middle aged individuals has been shown to facilitate general cognition, as well as benefit executive function specifically. This study therefore aimed to establish if people with dementia experience cognitive benefits from acute resistance physical activity over and above a social control.
This timely and urgent text presents cutting-edge research exploring the complexities of barriers... more This timely and urgent text presents cutting-edge research exploring the complexities of barriers to inclusive access to sport and physical activity, and discusses how sport, and society, can move forward beyond the gender binary, in both theory and practice.
Sport is one of the most influential, powerful, and visible institutions upholding the gender binary, even as the number of people identifying as transgender and non-binary increases rapidly worldwide. With this rising visibility, societal pressure has been increasing for the equal acceptance of gender diverse people, but while gains have been made in many areas, the participation of intersex, trans and non-binary people in sport remains harshly contested. Bringing together a world-leading team of established and emerging scholars from the UK, USA, and Australia, this collection presents an interdisciplinary analysis of current issues related to the participation of gender diverse individuals in sport and physical activity. Engaging with psychological ideas around identity, prejudice and discrimination, and sports psychology and performance, authors examine evidence that the rules, regulations, and practices that surround physical activity participation – from elite sport to sport in schools, universities, and society at large – are grounded in heteronormative, cisgendered, and sexist practices which unfairly discriminate against gender diverse people.
Also including analysis of personal accounts from non-binary and transgender athletes from a range of sports, this is fascinating and essential reading for education, health, and sports professionals who work with and support gender diverse children and adults, as well as academics and students in the fields of psychology, sport psychology, sociology, law, and sports science, and those participating in, and navigating, sport and physical activity spaces.
Prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people has been researched by soc... more Prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people has been researched by social psychologists since the advent of 'gay affirmative' psychology in the 1970s. After outlining the groups under the rainbow acronym, this chapter examines covert and overt forms of anti-LGBT prejudice. The chapter discusses how all forms of discrimination and prejudice impacting LGBT people can be understood through the theoretical concepts of homophobia, heterosexism, heteronormativity, cisgenderism, minority stress and decompensation. Taken together these concepts account for why anti-LGBT prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination occurs. Both the causes and effects of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination directed towards LGBT people are explored. In conclusion, the chapter focuses on the role that social psychology can play in creating positive social change with respect to LGBT people, especially regarding attitude change. Programmes, training and strategies aimed at increasing positive attitudes are important to both promote social inclusion and mitigate against the negative net effects of marginalization.
The second edition of this award-winning textbook provides an accessible and engaging introductio... more The second edition of this award-winning textbook provides an accessible and engaging introduction to the field of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and queer psychology. Comprehensive in scope and international in outlook, it offers an integrated overview of key topical areas, from history and context, identities and fluidity, families and relationships, to health and wellbeing. The second edition has been extensively revised to address substantial developments and emerging areas, such as people born with intersex variations, transgender and non-binary genders, intersectionality, and gender-diverse children. It also includes new pedagogical features to support learning and to facilitate discussion and reflection, with feature boxes throughout that explain important concepts, provide concise overviews of cutting-edge research, and offer first-person narratives that bring topics to life. This pioneering textbook is an essential resource for undergraduate courses on sex, gender, and sexuality in psychology and related disciplines, such as sociology, health studies, social work, education, and counselling.
https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783319970332, 2018
Psychologies of Ageing offers a diversity of contemporary perspectives on ageing in a balanced an... more Psychologies of Ageing offers a diversity of contemporary perspectives on ageing in a balanced and comprehensive way. This book addresses ageing issues in social and critical psychology, cognitive and biological psychology, and community and political psychology. Key topics include ageing identities, sexualities, palliative care, stress, health behaviour and dementia, frailty, resilience, ageing in place, transport, independence and community participation. Written in an accessible style suitable for students as well as ageing researchers in psychology and the social sciences, the book showcases key theoretical, empirical, and practical issues in later life.
https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9781137505040#aboutAuthors, Oct 18, 2016
Studies of kinship have increasingly sought to critique the normative assumptions that often unde... more Studies of kinship have increasingly sought to critique the normative assumptions that often underpin how caring relationships between humans are understood. Critical Kinship Studies adds a further dimension by bringing together posthumanism and studies of kinship to elaborate an account of western human kinship practices that encourages the reader to consider who is included in the categories of ‘human’ and ‘kinship’, who is excluded from these categories, and how a critical lens may broaden our understand of caring relationships. Bringing together a diverse array of analytic foci and theoretical lenses, Critical Kinship Studies opens up new avenues for understanding what it means to be in relationships with others, and in so doing challenges the human exceptionalism that has often limited how we think about family, loss, love and subjectivity. CONTENTS: Chapter 1, Introduction. Chapter 2, Objects of Critiques. Chapter 3, Tools of Critique. Chapter 4 ,Reflecting (on) Nature: Cross Species Kinship. Chapter 5, Donor Connections. Chapter 6, Kinship and Loss. Chapter 7, Motherhood and Recognition. Chapter 8, Kinship in Institutional Contexts. Chapter 9, Conclusions.
This book showcases developments in theory, research and practice regarding sexuality and ageing,... more This book showcases developments in theory, research and practice regarding sexuality and ageing, considering the differences as well as similarities between and among ageing heterosexual and LGBT older people. Identifying the questions central to future social scientific research on ageing and sexuality, it focuses on the important, emerging dimensions of sexuality and ageing: embodiment, the diversification of the ageing context and the intersections of care and sexuality.
With attention to the different forms of sexualities, particularly at their intersection with gender, this volume explores the importance of spatial and relational contexts, whether individual, residential or virtual, with authors offering studies of online dating, sexuality in the context of residential care and the relationship between sexuality, legal frameworks and social policy. Interdisciplinary in scope and offering the latest research from scholars in the UK, Australasia and Africa, Ageing and Sexualities constitutes an integrated approach to the conceptual and practical challenges of understanding the interplay of ageing and sexuality in contemporary society.
As such, it will appeal to scholars from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds, including sociology, cultural studies, socio-legal studies, social gerontology, psychology, medicine and health care.
CONTENTS.
Introduction: Ageing and Sexualities, (Rosie Harding and Elizabeth Peel)
1. Ageing and Sexuality in Western Societies: Changing Perspectives on Sexual Activity, Sexual Expression and the ‘Sexy’ Older Body, (Sharron Hinchliff and Merryn Gott)
2. Ageing Sexualities in UK Regulatory Contexts, (Sue Westwood)
3. Inclusion and Representation of Older People and Sexual Health in sub-Saharan Africa within Contemporary Population Health Research, (Gloria Chepngeno-Langat and Victoria Hosegood)
4. Becoming Visible: De-marginalising Older Lesbians in LGBT Ageing Discourse, (Jane Traies)
5. Sexual Identity Labels and their Implications in Later Life: The Case of Bisexuality, (Rebecca Jones)
6. Older People and Sexuality in Residential Aged Care: Reconstructing Normality, (Michael Bauer, Linda McAuliffe, Deirdre Fetherstonhaugh)
7. "I am Getting Old and That Takes Some Getting Used To": Dimensions of Body Image for Older Men, (Allan Tyler, Nuno Nodin, Elizabeth Peel and Ian Rivers)
8. Troubling Identities? Examining Older Lesbian, Gay and/or Bisexual People’s Membership Categorisation Work and its Significance, (Andrew King)
9. Towards the Inquiry into Aged Care and Beyond: The Promise and Challenge of a New Era in LGBTI Ageing, (Mark Hughes)
10. Internet Dating, Sexual Intimacy and Older People, (Chris Beasley and Mary Holmes)
WINNER OF THE 2013 BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY TEXTBOOK AWARD. This exciting and engaging textb... more WINNER OF THE 2013 BRITISH PSYCHOLOGICAL SOCIETY TEXTBOOK AWARD.
This exciting and engaging textbook introduces students to the psychology of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer lives and experiences. It covers a broad range of topics including diversity, prejudice, health, relationships, parenting and lifespan experiences from youth to old age. The book includes 'key researcher' boxes, which outline the contributions of significant individuals and their motivations for conducting their research in their own words. Key issues and debates are discussed throughout the book, and questions for discussion and classroom exercises help students reflect critically and apply their learning. There are extensive links to further resources and information, as well as 'gaps and absences' sections, indicating major limitations of research in a particular area. This is the essential textbook for anyone studying LGBTQ psychology, psychology of sexuality or related courses. It is also a useful supplement to courses on gender and developmental psychology.
CONTENTS.
Introduction: how to read and use this book
Part I. History, Contexts and Debates in LGBTQ Psychology:
1. Introducing LGBTQ psychology
2. Key debates and perspectives
3. Doing LGBTQ psychological research
Part II. Understanding Social Marginalisation in LGBTQ Lives:
4. Diversity
5. Prejudice and discrimination
6. Health
Part III. LGBTQ Experiences Across the Lifespan:
7. Young people, coming out and identity development
8. Relationships
9. Parenting and family
10. Ageing and old age
Conclusion:
11. The future of LGBTQ psychology
Glossary.
WINNER OF THE 2007 AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION DIVISION 44 DISTINGUISHED BOOK AWARD. There... more WINNER OF THE 2007 AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION DIVISION 44 DISTINGUISHED BOOK AWARD. There has been a recent explosion of interest in Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Trans Perspective Psychology amongst students and academics, and this interest is predicted to continue to rise. Recent media debates on subjects such as same–sex marriage have fuelled interest in LGBTQ perspectives. This edited collection showcases the latest thinking in LGBTQ psychology. The book has 21 chapters covering subjects such as same sex parenting, outing, young LGBTQ people, sport, learning disabilities, lesbian and gay identities etc. The book has an international focus, with contributors from UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
CONTENTS.
Foreword by Jerry J. Bigner.
1. Introducing Out in Psychology (Victoria Clarke and Elizabeth Peel).
2. From lesbian and gay psychology to LGBTQ psychologies: A journey into the unknown (Victoria Clarke and Elizabeth Peel)
3. What comes after discourse analysis for LGBTQ psychology(Peter Hegarty).
4. Recognising race in LGBTQ psychology: Power, privilege and complicity (Damien W. Riggs).
5. Personality, individual differences and LGB psychology (Gareth Hagger Johnson).
6. Heteronormativity and the exclusion of bisexuality in psychology (Meg Barker).
7. A minority within a minority: Experiences of gay men with intellectual disabilities.(Christopher Bennett and Adrian Coyle).
8. Closet talk: The contemporary relevance of the closet in lesbian and gay interaction (Victoria Land and Celia Kitzinger)
9. Romance, rights, recognition, responsibilities and radicalism: Same-sex couples’ accounts of civil partnership and marriage (Victoria Clarke, Carole Burgoyne and Maree Burns).
10. The experience of social power in the lives of trans people (Clair Clifford and Jim Orford).
11. What do they look like and are they among us? Bisexuality, (dis.closure and (Maria Gurevich, Jo Bower, Cynthia M. Mathieson and Bramilee Dhayanandhan).
12. Heterosexism at work: Diversity training, discrimination law and the limits of liberal individualism (Rosie Harding and Elizabeth Peel).
13. Out on the ball fields: Lesbians in sport (Vikki Krane and Kerrie J. Kauer).
14. Homophobia, rights and community: Contemporary issues in the lives of LGB people in the UK (Sonja J. Ellis).
15. Striving for holistic success: How lesbians come out on top (Faith Rostad and Bonita C. Long).
16. On Passing: The Interactional Organization of Appearance Attributions in the Psychiatric Assessment of Transsexual Patients (Susan A. Speer and Richard Green).
17. Alcohol and gay men: Consumption, promotion and policy responses (Jeffrey Adams, Timothy McCreanor and Virginia Braun).
18. Towards a clinical-psychological approach to address the hetero sexual concerns of intersexed women (Lih-Mei Liao).
19. Educational psychology practice with LGB youth in schools: Individual and institutional interventions (Jeremy J. Monsen and Sydney Bailey).
20. Que(e)rying the meaning of lesbian health: Individual(izing and community discourses (Sara MacBride-Stewart).
21. Transsexualism: Diagnostic dilemmas, transgender politics and the future of transgender care (Katherine Johnson).
There is very little collaborative literature between LGB-affirmative psychologists and psychothe... more There is very little collaborative literature between LGB-affirmative psychologists and psychotherapists in the United States and the United Kingdom. British Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Psychologies: Theory, Research, and Practice may well be a crucial beginning step in building dialogue between these two countries on important LGB psychotherapy developments. Leading authorities comprehensively examine the latest studies and effective therapies for LGB individuals in the United Kingdom. Practitioners will discover an extensive survey of the most current developments to supplement their own work, while educators and students will find diverse expert perspectives on which to consider and broaden their own viewpoints. This unique book offers an informative introduction to British psychosocial perspectives on theory, research, and practice. British Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Psychologies provides a critical exploration of the recent history of LGB psychology and psychotherapy in the United Kingdom, focusing on key publications and outlining the current terrain. Other chapters are organized into two thematic sections. The first section explores theoretical frameworks in United Kingdom therapeutic practice, while the second section examines sexual minority identities and their needs for support and community. Topics in British Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Psychologies include: - similarities and differences between LGBT psychology and psychotherapy in the United States and United Kingdom - gay affirmative therapy (GAT) as a positive framework - existential-phenomenological approach to psychotherapy - core issues in the anxiety about whether or not to “come out” - object relations theory - exploring homo-negativity in the therapeutic process - aspects of psychotherapy that lesbians and gay men find helpful - research into how the mainstreaming of lesbian and gay culture has affected the lives of LGB individuals - study into LGB youth issues - difficulties of gay men with learning disabilities—with suggestions on how to offer the best psychological service - a study on gay athletes’ experiences of coming out in a heterosexist world British Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Psychologies takes a needed step toward sharing valuable psychosocial perspectives between countries. This useful, enlightening text is perfect for educators, students, psychologists, psychotherapists, and counselors working in the field of sexuality. CONTENTS.
Section 1: Introducing LGB psychosocial theory and practice in the UK.
1. Introduction to LGB psychosocial perspectives in psychological and psychotherapeutic theory, research and practice in the UK,
Elizabeth Peel, Victoria Clarke & Jack Drescher.
2. LGBT Psychosocial Theory and Practice in the UK: A Review of Key Contributions and Current Developments,
Victoria Clarke & Elizabeth Peel.
Section 2: Exploring Theoretical Frameworks in UK Therapeutic Practice.
3. Gay Affirmative Therapy: A Theoretical Framework and Defence,
Darren Langdridge.
4. Being Sexual: Existential Contributions to Psychotherapy with Gay Male Clients,
Martin Milton.
5. Facilitating Gay Men’s Coming Out: An Existential-Phenomenological Exploration,
Colin M Clarke.
6. Gay Subjects Relating: Object Relations Between Gay Therapist and Gay Client,
Aaron Balick.
Section 3: Exploring LGB Identities, and Needs for Support and Community.
7. “The Difference That Make a Difference”: What Matters to Lesbians and Gay Men in Psychotherapy,
Maeve Malley & Fiona Tasker.
8. Community in the 21st Century: Issues Arising from a Study of British Lesbians and Gay Men,
Sonja J Ellis.
9. Safe Spaces and Sense of Identity: Experiences of Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Young People,
Colm Crowley, Rom Harré & Ingrid Lunt.
10. Gay Men with Learning Disabilities: UK Service Provision,
Sören Stauffer-Kruse.
11. Coming Out in the Heterosexist World of Sport: A Qualitative Analysis of Web Postings by Gay Athletes,
Brendan Gough.
Qualitative Research in Psychology, 2024
Though the anthropause of Covid-19 was peculiarly humancentric, it also brought into sharp relief... more Though the anthropause of Covid-19 was peculiarly humancentric, it also brought into sharp relief our more-than-human world. Canine-human companionship can support human mental and physical wellbeing in 'normal' times, but this article explores the pandemic as a unique context for animal/human relations. I interrogate the pandemic component of the Dog Talking and Walking Project online survey (n = 673), and subsequent interviews (n = 41). A novel two-step qualitative data analysis comprised, firstly, examining participants' written qualitative survey accounts about how Covid catalysed canine companionship, and descriptions of how canine closeness attenuated losses. Secondly, I explore key interview themes: 'closeness' of canine companionship; dogs as 'mediator' in families; and dogs as 'moderator' of the impacts of the pandemic. The analysis offers an important counter to the speciesism and anthropocentrism embedded in our recollections of Covid times. Methodologically, I suggest that qualitative surveys alongside the traditional interview can yield richer understandings of more-than-human relationships.
International Journal of Wellbeing, 2024
While it is often assumed that animal companions unilaterally contribute to the wellbeing of thei... more While it is often assumed that animal companions unilaterally contribute to the wellbeing of their human companions, research has to date been equivocal. At best it appears to be that animal companionship may add an extra dimension to human lives, and thus human wellbeing. In this paper we report on a quantitative study conducted in 2021 that surveyed 2090 people with animal companions living in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Participants responded to measures asking about their wellbeing and psychological distress, their connectedness to other humans, and their interactions with and attachment to animals. Regression analysis found that relationships with humans was associated with reduced psychological distress (β =-.594, p = .001), while relationships with animals (β = .205, p = .001), particularly cats (β = .077, p = .001), was associated with increased psychological distress. Regression analysis also found that relationships with other humans (β = .522, p = .001), interactions with animals (β = .142, p = .001), and bonds with animal companions (β = .128, p = .001) were associated with increased wellbeing. We conclude by considering the groups for whom relationships with animals are most likely to offer unique benefits, and suggest the importance of continuing to examine why it is that relationships with animals are both intertwined with, yet distinct from, human-human relationships.
Feminist Legal Studies, 2023
This article examines three divergent constructions about the salience of legal gender in lay peo... more This article examines three divergent constructions about the salience of legal gender in lay people's everyday lives and readiness to decertify gender. In our interviews (and survey data), generally participants minimised the importance of legal gender. The central argument in this article is that feminist socio-legal scholars applying legal consciousness studies to legal reform topics should find scrutinizing the construction of interview talk useful. We illustrate this argument by adapting and applying Ewick and Silbey's (1998) 'The Common Place of Law: Stories from Everyday Life', 'before', 'with' and 'against' typology to interview talk about legal gender, and critique their cognitivist approach by offering a constructionist alternative. In our analysis, we offer a detailed discursive explication of three key legal consciousness themes. These themes offer a balanced representation of a dataset problematically 'skewed' towards sex-based rights feminist perspectives, namely that 'before' legal gender is an anti-decertification account, decertification would be risky for natal females; a 'with' legal gender construction is neither for nor against decertification per se, though the impact of decertification is produced in accounts as limited and unimportant; and 'against' legal gender is a pro-decertification classification, as not abolished legal gender is constructed as harmful to already marginalised groups. In concluding, we explore the reasoning for the lack of readiness for decertification currently, and return to the value of examining the construction of lay discourse about legal matters as talk is a form of social action. We suggest that applying discursive analysis to themes in legal consciousness studies enables a refocusing on the how rather than purely the what of divergent legal consciousnesses, and that this approach is a fruitful addition to feminist socio-legal studies.
Health, 2022
This article explores how partners keep the conversation going with people living with dementia (... more This article explores how partners keep the conversation going with people living with dementia (PLWD) when speaking about shared memories. Remembering is important for PLWD and their families. Indeed, memory loss is often equated with identity loss. In conversation, references to shared past events (co-rememberings) can occasion interactional trouble if memories cannot be mutually recalled. This article analyses partners' interactional practices that enable progressivity in conversations about shared memories with a PLWD. In previous research, both informal and formal carers have reported that they can find interacting with PLWD difficult. Identifying practices used by partners is one way to begin addressing those difficulties. Analytical findings are based on over 26 hours of video data from domestic settings where partners have recorded their interactions with their spouse/close friend who is living with dementia.
Working with Older People
This paper reports the findings of a survey study exploring perceptions about cognitive impairmen... more This paper reports the findings of a survey study exploring perceptions about cognitive impairment. These findings are relevant to public health campaigns and education programmes. A survey exploring respondents views and knowledge about MCI was circulated via UK networks. 417 respondents completed the survey, including people living with cognitive impairment (n=10), care partners (n=23), older adults (n=83), younger adults (n=83), general healthcare professionals (n=96), dementia specialist healthcare professionals (n=48), and dementia specialists (n=40). Respondents were more confident in their knowledge about dementia than cognitive impairment but wanted more information about both conditions. Younger adults were uncertain about many aspects of MCI, and were the most likely to view MCI as a normal part of ageing. Diet (45.1%, n=188) and personal behaviour (63.8%, n=266) were the least endorsed possible causes of MCI, suggesting a lack of awareness of lifestyle choices as risk factors for MCI. The results highlight the need to provide education and awareness raising about MCI to enable people to seek help in a timely manner and be able to make informed lifestyle choices which may reduce their risk of MCI and dementia. Implementing education about MCI and dementia in schools is a key target as younger people were the most uncertain or misinformed about these topics. It is clear that further public health initiatives around MCI are both warranted and welcomed by the general public.
If you enter a sporting event, what are you asked to disclose about yourself? Which categories ar... more If you enter a sporting event, what are you asked to disclose about yourself? Which categories are salient and influential? 'Gender' is an undisputed category participants' engaging in sports are typically mandated to disclose. This is a real example of how gender is approached by a sport events listing service in 2021: Gender ⃝ Male ⃝ Female ⃝ Other / Prefer not to say. (Selecting this may affect prize eligibility) This UK company lists various types of running races, walking, cycling, athletics track and field, aquathon, duathlon and triathlon events. We can see in the way that disclosing gender as part of the registration process is constructed that, on the one hand, gender beyond the two binary options of 'female' and 'male' is recognised by the presence of a third category. On the other hand, however, if a competitor lists their gender as 'other' or does not wish to identify as either 'male' or 'female' the implication is that they forfeit their opportunity to win any prize associated with the race or event. Ultimately, then, though there is acknowledgement that gender is more complex than dimorphic sex, the only legitimate forms of sporting engagement are in the women's or men's categories. This example illustrates the liminality that gender diversity inhabits in sports spaces and raises important questions about how recognition per se does not necessarily translate into inclusion.
Psychology & Sexuality , 2022
The meaning and significance of gender is currently a focus of heated and, often, polarised debat... more The meaning and significance of gender is currently a focus of heated and, often, polarised debate in the UK and elsewhere. This article provides a new perspective in the gender debate through focused exploration of UK-based non-binary people’s perceptions of legal gender status and reform. Binary gender/sex systems, such as the legal gender system in the UK, are underpinned by cisgenderism and are challenged by those whose identity falls outside of the binary of woman and man. In contrast to most lay participants in the Future of Legal Gender (FLaG) project, the majority of non-binary participants reported support for reform (85.5% (n = 165) in favour) to the current UK legal gender system. Over half (57%, n = 110) were in favour of abolishing legal gender (i.e. the state would no longer assign a legal gender status), although this was constructed as ‘an impossible dream’. Situating non-binary people’s perspectives at the heart of the debate about the certification of gender offers novel insight which could have significant ramifications for how societal structures could support undoing gender in the future.
Feminism & Psychology, 2022
Feminist reflexivity aims to (re)consider and challenge power differentials that exist in the res... more Feminist reflexivity aims to (re)consider and challenge power differentials that exist in the research process. This activity is well represented in, for example, research into heterosexism. In this article we expand feminist reflexive practice in relation to cisgenderism through a (re)examination of interview transcripts conducted by a cisgender
researcher on the topic of cisgenderism in media representations of trans and intersex sportspeople. Drawing on interviews with 18 cisgender and trans and non-binary participants, we analyse three forms of researcher collusion in cisgenderism, namely: 1) perpetuating
cisgenderism in the selection of media materials; 2) assuming trans women are the referent; and 3) disunifying assumptions about trans sportspeople. This reflexive analysis is discussed with regard to how analytical insights can be generated into the operation and functioning of prejudice. In so doing, we further the conception of prejudice
as a ubiquitous and latent activity in research practices.
Feminist Media Studies, 2021
In this article we explore how anti-feminist and cisgenderist media logics are intertwined, parti... more In this article we explore how anti-feminist and cisgenderist media logics are intertwined, particularly in the context of sports media. We examine these issues through focused analysis of a recent case reported in 2018–2019 predominantly in the British media. The sequential unfolding of media events surrounding Martina Navratilova’s intervention into the debate about trans inclusion in the female sporting category is explored with regard to key markers in the case study: @Martina intervenes; Self-censorship and loss of control; Legitimisation by status; Legitimisation by history; and Privileging and disciplining women in the media. As a prominent feminist and lesbian activist who asserted cisgenderist arguments on this topic, the events of the Navratilova case study show how feminist voices are complexly fragmented. Moreover, we demonstrate too how feminist perspectives are controlled by a media system that uses them in the substantiation of cisgenderist projects of discrediting trans athletes and actors.
Feminists@Law, 2020
The Future of Legal Gender (FLaG) project is interested in examining the implications, for a wide... more The Future of Legal Gender (FLaG) project is interested in examining the implications, for a wide range of stakeholders, of changing how legal sex/gender is regulated in England and Wales. In this article, we explore the views of 'the wider public' as manifest in responses to our 'Attitudes to Gender' survey (n=3,101), which ran in October to December 2018. Generally, respondents were invested in the status quo regarding a binary two-sex registration of gender close to birth. We discuss this finding with reference to cisgenderism and endosexism, focusing particularly on being critical of 'gender' and foregrounding biological sex, and views for and against self-identifying gender. In tandem, we also provide a critical commentary on the methodological positives and pitfalls associated with online survey research on a 'topical' issue. We suggest that cisgenderism could provide a less individualised framework for understanding different people's hopes and worries with regard to both the current legal gender framework, and the possibility of reform.
International Journal of Neurodegenerative Disorders, 2019
Background: Physical activity has the potential to improve cognition for those with dementia, as ... more Background: Physical activity has the potential to improve cognition for those with dementia, as demonstrated by randomised controlled trials lasting at least 6 weeks. Research is yet to explore the acute cognitive effects of physical activity for people with dementia. Acute resistance physical activity with healthy late-middle aged individuals has been shown to facilitate general cognition, as well as benefit executive function specifically. This study therefore aimed to establish if people with dementia experience cognitive benefits from acute resistance physical activity over and above a social control.
Building on Bakhtin's work on discourse, this paper uses the concept of polyphony to explore capa... more Building on Bakhtin's work on discourse, this paper uses the concept of polyphony to explore capacity law praxis. Drawing on everyday interaction about power of attorney, we demonstrate how legal, lay, and medical understandings of capacity operate dialogically, with each voice offering distinct expressions of legality. Analysing lay and medical interactions about Lasting Power of Attorney-the legal authority to make decisions on behalf of a person who loses the mental capacity to make their own decisions-we argue power of attorney holds a 'polyphonic legality'. We argue that legal concepts (like power of attorney) are constructed not solely through official law, but through dialogic interaction in their discursive fields. We suggest 'polyphonic legality' offers an innovative approach to understanding how law works in everyday life, which is attentive to the rich texture of legality created by and through the multiple voices and domains of socio-legal regulation.
Evidence suggests that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people are more likely to attempt ... more Evidence suggests that lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) people are more likely to attempt to take their own lives in their youth when compared to heterosexual and/or cisgender people. This study draws on in-depth interviews with 17 LGBT individuals living in England, and explores the narratives used by participants to better understand their perceptions of risk and protective circumstances to explain suicide attempts in youth. Using a Goffman-informed thematic analysis, results identified three key themes that were linked to attempts to end life in youth. The first theme considers the conflicts resulting from first disclosure of sexual orientation and/or gender identity/trans status and being 'out' to others. The second theme explores participants' accounts of their concurrent mental health issues and how diagnoses of the mental health issues helped them make sense of their own experiences of attempted suicide. The final theme explores the experience of grieving over lost relationships and how that grief is received by others, including health professionals. Our results indicate that some LGBT individuals have effectively, although often arduously, navigated suicidal crises by utilising various approaches to coping. We provide a rich and layered picture of LGBT suicide risk in youth and potential resilience scenarios, although these are a reflection of our specific group of participants' experiences and realities. We argue that it is important to understand how LGBT individuals with a history of suicide attempts narrate and make sense of their experiences in early life and we suggest that the early negative experiences continue to have an effect on LGBT adults today.
The Oxford Handbook of Language and Sexuality.
An ageing demographic in Western societies as well as globally has made public health issues, suc... more An ageing demographic in Western societies as well as globally has made public health issues, such as dementias, subject to hyperbolic metaphor such as " tsunami " and " time bomb. " This chapter reviews the state of knowledge regarding language, sexualities, ageing, and chronic illness. In particular, we focus on discursive research from across the social sciences that furthers understandings of older people's lives and experiences. We highlight research that has focused on ageism and chronic conditions impacting older people (specifically, dementia and type 2 diabetes), including empirical research on these conditions, and on manifestations of heterosexism and heteronormativity in these contexts. Using illustrative examples that emphasize the intersection of discourse and issues that relate to ageing, we foreground this area as an important element of language and sexuality scholarship. Last, we indicate future directions for the development of research focusing on these topics.
Interrogating Pregnancy Loss: Feminist writings on abortion, miscarriage and stillbirth., 2017
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities have a long history of memoria... more Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) communities have a long history of memorializing loss—The NAMES Project or AIDS memorial quilt, the Transgender Day of Remembrance, and art and fiction memorializing the Stonewall riots. Yet as Heather Love cautions in Feeling Backward, queer losses are frequently hard to identify or mourn since many aspects of historical gay culture are associated with the pain and shame of the closet (2). The subject of reproductive loss—the personal, and sometimes communal, experiences of miscarriage, infant death, and failed adoptions—has often been a silent burden for LGBTQ parents, one frequently intensified by fears of homophobia and heterosexism. Queer losses are also overlooked (or perhaps avoided) in most academic and popular books on LGBTQ reproduction, and queer experiences remain absent from most self-help books on recovering from reproductive loss (Peel and Cain). J. Halberstam has argued that " failure " to meet conventional standards of success (in this case bringing children into a family, albeit a queer one) can offer creative, cooperative, and surprising ways of challenging heteronormative understandings of love and life (2). Furthermore, Juana María Rodríguez advocates a reconceptualization of a queer sexual politics informed by both utopian longings and everyday failures (7). This chapter takes up the everyday experiences of queer reproductive losses and the memorialization of these experiences through physical memorials, religious and/or spiritual services, and commemorative tattoos.
Life with Dementia: Relations, Responses and Agency in Everyday Life. , 2017
In this chapter, we foreground different dementia diagnostic pathways across three temporal phase... more In this chapter, we foreground different dementia diagnostic pathways across three temporal phases of the process of diagnosis; from initial history taking in memory clinic assessment, to the disclosure and discussion of diagnosis. Therefore we are interested in, not only pathways to a diagnosis of dementia but rather the pathways and experiences within the diagnostic process, exploring the interactions that occur during this process. Specifically we focus on: first, conversational profiling and differential diagnosis during memory clinic assessment; second, interpreter-mediated dementia evaluations; and third disclosure and discussion of diagnosis.
Since the introduction of same sex marriage, there have been two parallel institutions (marriage ... more Since the introduction of same sex marriage, there have been two parallel institutions (marriage and civil partnership) for the legal recognition of same sex relationships in England, Wales and Scotland. The current study aimed to examine how those in a civil partnership or a same sex marriage perceive civil partnership in the context of marriage equality. Eighty-two respondents completed a qualitative online survey and their responses were analysed thematically. The respondents were divided between those who viewed civil partnership as: 1) a stepping stone to equality, and felt that civil partnerships should be discontinued; 2) a form of legal recognition free from cultural baggage, and argued the Government should make civil partnership available for all; or 3) those who displayed ambivalence and conflicting views. We conclude by discussing how the principle of formal equality underpinned opinions on all sides, and what implications this might have for how we understand discrimination.
The needs of LGBT people living with dementia are poorly recognised due, in part, to assumptions ... more The needs of LGBT people living with dementia are poorly recognised due, in part, to assumptions that all older people are heterosexual, together with persistent ageist stereotypes that older people are asexual. LGBT older adults are more likely to reside in care homes as a quarter of gay and bisexual men and half of lesbian and bisexual women have children, compared to 90% of heterosexual women and men. Older LGBT people may be unwilling to express their identity within care settings and this can have an impact on their ongoing care. Recognition of the members of an older person’s informal care network is crucial for their ongoing involvement in the life of a person resident in a care setting. However, healthcare professionals may not always appreciate that LGBT people may rely more on their family of choice, or their wider social network, than their family of origin. This article explores socio-legal issues that may be encountered when caring for older LGBT people living with dementia, including enabling autonomy, capacity and applying the legal frameworks in ways which support the identities and relationships of these older people in care.
Women are disproportionately affected by dementia, both in terms of developing dementia and becom... more Women are disproportionately affected by dementia, both in terms of developing dementia and becoming caregivers. We conducted an integrative review of English language literature of the issues affecting women in relation to dementia from an international perspective. The majority of relevant studies were conducted in high income countries, and none were from low-income countries. The effects of caregiving on health, wellbeing and finances are greater for women; issues facing women, particularly in low and middle-income countries need to be better understood. Research should focus on building resilience to help people adjust and cope long term. Dementia is a global public health issue that disproportionately affects women, either through developing the condition themselves, or as a carer for someone with dementia. The effects on women of living with or caring for someone with dementia from an international perspective needs to be more fully understood. In our review of the published literature, we explore the impact of dementia on changing roles, identity, wellbeing and finances for women in both high-income and low-and middle income countries. An improved understanding of these factors can support research, and policy developments, that address the issues specifically relevant to women. As age is the greatest risk factor for dementia, and women have a greater life expectancy worldwide than men, a larger number of people with dementia are women (Alzheimer's Association, 2014).
This chapter explores the accounts of adult children caring for a parent with dementia. It is wel... more This chapter explores the accounts of adult children caring for a parent with dementia. It is well documented that caring for a person living with dementia is stressful and generates depression and anxiety, but much research focuses on heterosexual spousal carers. This chapter draws on data from the British Academy funded ‘Duties to Care’ and ‘Dementia Talking’ projects and focuses on challenges identified by adult children when caring for their parent with dementia. I draw on data collected via semi-structured interviews and focus groups conducted with eleven adults caring for either a mother (n=9) or a father (n=2) with dementia. The mean age of participants was 58 (range 47-65 years), all of whom were white and living in England. Using a thematic discursive approach I explore core concepts connected to duty, worry, guilt and vigilance, and the ways in which caring for a parent with dementia can fracture and reconfigure normative familial relationships. The fracturing and reconfiguring of normative family relationships is examined with reference to two main themes: ‘sibling conflict and collaboration’, and ‘parentification and infantalisation’. I also discuss how these caring dynamics are mediated by gender, social class, and locus of care (i.e., quotidian and proximate, or at a distance). The analysis suggests that, in the absence of a primary spousal carer, caring for a person living with dementia can necessitate particular issues for adult children that trouble notions of how we understand familial roles, responsibilities and ‘duties’. I suggest that foregrounding the experiences of this sub-set of carers may offer a critical lens on family dynamics, and the processes and practices of caring more broadly.
The RaRE Research Report: LGB&T Mental Health, Risk and Resilience Explored, Mar 26, 2015
Illustrated slides presenting a summary of findings on body image issues for gay and bisexual men... more Illustrated slides presenting a summary of findings on body image issues for gay and bisexual men presented at the RaRE Research Conference on 26 March 2015 in London at The King's Fund with the Project for Advocacy, Counselling and Education (PACE).
Feminist Legal Studies
This article examines three divergent constructions about the salience of legal gender in lay peo... more This article examines three divergent constructions about the salience of legal gender in lay people’s everyday lives and readiness to decertify gender. In our interviews (and survey data), generally participants minimised the importance of legal gender. The central argument in this article is that feminist socio-legal scholars applying legal consciousness studies to legal reform topics should find scrutinizing the construction of interview talk useful. We illustrate this argument by adapting and applying Ewick and Silbey’s (1998) ‘The Common Place of Law: Stories from Everyday Life', ‘before’, ‘with’ and ‘against’ typology to interview talk about legal gender, and critique their cognitivist approach by offering a constructionist alternative. In our analysis, we offer a detailed discursive explication of three key legal consciousness themes. These themes offer a balanced representation of a dataset problematically ‘skewed’ towards sex-based rights feminist perspectives, namely t...
Critical Kinship Studies, 2016
This chapter considers how motherhood is normatively constructed as being alive for one’s childre... more This chapter considers how motherhood is normatively constructed as being alive for one’s children for as long as possible, and how being a mother involves conceiving, birthing and parenting children. We then trouble this understanding of motherhood by juxtaposing two under-recognized groups of mothers, namely transgender mothers and cisgender mothers with dementia. Through exploring these two categories of motherhood we interrogate where the taken for granted assumptions about mothering lie, in terms of bodies, roles, identities, and, indeed filial connection itself.
Critical Kinship Studies, 2016
This chapter explores the intersections and overlaps between accounts of humans raising non-human... more This chapter explores the intersections and overlaps between accounts of humans raising non-human animals as kin, and accounts of heterosexual human couples planning for a first child. Our central claim in this chapter is that human relationships with other animals often serve primarily to tell us more about humans than they tell us anything about non-human animal ways of being. Importantly, our claim here is not to dismiss cross-species kinship outright, nor is it to deny the fact of non-human animal personhood. Rather, it is to emphasize the operations of human exceptionalism.
Critical Kinship Studies, 2016
This chapter outlines in detail three points of critique that we believe are central to critical ... more This chapter outlines in detail three points of critique that we believe are central to critical kinship studies, namely kinship as a nodal point of power, kinship and the ‘natural order of things’, and lastly the valorization of genetic relatedness.
Psychology & Sexuality, 2022
The meaning and significance of gender is currently a focus of heated and, often, polarised debat... more The meaning and significance of gender is currently a focus of heated and, often, polarised debate in the UK and elsewhere. This article provides a new perspective in the gender debate through focused exploration of UK-based non-binary people’s perceptions of legal gender status and reform. Binary gender/sex systems, such as the legal gender system in the UK, are underpinned by cisgenderism and are challenged by those whose identity falls outside of the binary of woman and man. In contrast to most lay participants in the Future of Legal Gender (FLaG) project, the majority of non-binary participants reported support for reform (85.5% (n = 165) in favour) to the current UK legal gender system. Over half (57%, n = 110) were in favour of abolishing legal gender (i.e. the state would no longer assign a legal gender status), although this was constructed as ‘an impossible dream’. Situating non-binary people’s perspectives at the heart of the debate about the certification of gender offers novel insight which could have significant ramifications for how societal structures could support undoing gender in the future.
Feminism & Psychology, 2022
Feminist reflexivity aims to (re)consider and challenge power differentials that exist in the res... more Feminist reflexivity aims to (re)consider and challenge power differentials that exist in the research process. This activity is well represented in, for example, research into heterosexism. In this article we expand feminist reflexive practice in relation to cisgenderism through a (re)examination of interview transcripts conducted by a cisgender researcher on the topic of cisgenderism in media representations of trans and intersex sportspeople. Drawing on interviews with 18 cisgender and trans and non-binary participants, we analyse three forms of researcher collusion in cisgenderism, namely: 1) perpetuating cisgenderism in the selection of media materials; 2) assuming trans women are the referent; and 3) disunifying assumptions about trans sportspeople. This reflexive analysis is discussed with regard to how analytical insights can be generated into the operation and functioning of prejudice. In so doing, we further the conception of prejudice as a ubiquitous and latent activity i...
The Routledge International Handbook of Discrimination, Prejudice and Stereotyping, 2021
The purpose of this report is to understand the main issues affecting women in relation to dement... more The purpose of this report is to understand the main issues affecting women in relation to dementia from an international perspective. The report examines the effect of gender on three specific groups: women living with dementia; woman caring for people with dementia in a professional caring role; women undertaking an informal caregiving role for someone with dementia. The report also focuses on cross-cutting issues, including factors affecting women in low and middle income countries (LMICs); family structures and kinship; and the effects of migration. This report reviews the published English language research literature on the issues affecting women in relation to dementia from an international perspective. Women make up a larger proportion of the older population. In 2014, women accounted for 62 per cent of people aged over 80. Population ageing is particularly rapid in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and Asia. The prevalence of dementia worldwide is increasing. By 2050 ov...
Working With Older People, 2017
Purpose A frequent concern of older people and of those who work with older people is that resear... more Purpose A frequent concern of older people and of those who work with older people is that research is often divorced from reality and does not inform everyday practice. For many years, psychology and related disciplines have investigated the social and psychological aspects of ageing from different perspectives. However, the contemporary challenges faced by older people and their carers remain substantial. There is a need to better connect research with policy and practice designed to improve the quality of life of older people. The aim of this special issue is to provide a forum for researchers, policy makers and practitioners to discuss particular initiatives and topics pertinent to people as they age. It is through this dialogue that researchers can gain further insight into the everyday issues faced by older people, and can become more aware of particular challenges faced in developing and implementing changes in policy and practice. Design/methodology/approach This paper intro...
LGBTQ communities have a long history of memorializing loss—The NAMES Project or AIDS memorial qu... more LGBTQ communities have a long history of memorializing loss—The NAMES Project or AIDS memorial quilt, the Transgender Day of Remembrance, art and fiction memorializing the Stonewall riots. Yet the subject of reproductive loss—including miscarriage, infant death and failed adoptions—has often been a silent burden for LGBTQ parents. Few LGBTQ-oriented guides to conception or adoption even mention loss, and most self-help material on reproductive loss is geared toward heterosexual, married (often white, middle class, and Christian) couples. This chapter centers on the personal narratives collected by two researchers—an American anthropologist and a British psychologist —who met online after their own experiences with pregnancy loss as queer women. We present the stories of queer people—primarily lesbian and bisexual women, but also several gay men and transpeople—as they have experienced reproductive loss. These stories are drawn from Peel’s online survey of 60 non-heterosexual women f...
The project is funded by DEEP, which is led by Innovations in Dementia in partnership with the Me... more The project is funded by DEEP, which is led by Innovations in Dementia in partnership with the Mental Health Foundation. DEEP is funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation and Comic Relief. CORE Metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk
This research has been published as Jowett, A. & Peel, E. (2017). ‘A question of equality and cho... more This research has been published as Jowett, A. & Peel, E. (2017). ‘A question of equality and choice’: same-sex couples’ attitudes towards civil partnership after the introduction of same-sex marriage. Psychology & Sexuality http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19419899.2017.1319408
Feminist Media Studies, 2021
In this article we explore how anti-feminist and cisgenderist media logics are intertwined, parti... more In this article we explore how anti-feminist and cisgenderist media logics are intertwined, particularly in the context of sports media. We examine these issues through focused analysis of a recent case reported in 2018–2019 predominantly in the British media. The sequential unfolding of media events surrounding Martina Navratilova’s intervention into the debate about trans inclusion in the female sporting category is explored with regard to key markers in the case study: @Martina intervenes; Self-censorship and loss of control; Legitimisation by status; Legitimisation by history; and Privileging and disciplining women in the media. As a prominent feminist and lesbian activist who asserted cisgenderist arguments on this topic, the events of the Navratilova case study show how feminist voices are complexly fragmented. Moreover, we demonstrate too how feminist perspectives are controlled by a media system that uses them in the substantiation of cisgenderist projects of discrediting trans athletes and actors.
Social & Legal Studies, 2018
Building on Bakhtin’s work on discourse, this article uses the concept of polyphony to explore ca... more Building on Bakhtin’s work on discourse, this article uses the concept of polyphony to explore capacity law praxis. Drawing on everyday interaction about power of attorney, we demonstrate how legal, lay and medical understandings of capacity operate dialogically, with each voice offering distinct expressions of legality. Analysing lay and medical interactions about Lasting Power of Attorney – the legal authority to make decisions on behalf of a person who loses the mental capacity to make their own decisions – we argue power of attorney holds a ‘polyphonic legality’. We argue that legal concepts (like power of attorney) are constructed not solely through official law but through dialogic interaction in their discursive fields. We suggest ‘polyphonic legality’ offers an innovative approach to understanding how law works in everyday life, which is attentive to the rich texture of legality created by and through the multiple voices and domains of socio-legal regulation.
Psychology & Sexuality, 2019
This document is the author's post-print version, incorporating any revisions agreed during the p... more This document is the author's post-print version, incorporating any revisions agreed during the peer-review process. Some differences between the published version and this version may remain and you are advised to consult the published version if you wish to cite from it.
Oxford Handbooks Online, 2018
An aging demographic in Western societies as well as globally has made public health issues, such... more An aging demographic in Western societies as well as globally has made public health issues, such as dementia, subject to hyperbolic metaphor such as “tsunami” and “time bomb.” This chapter reviews the state of knowledge regarding language, sexualities, aging, and chronic illness. In particular, the discussion focuses on discursive research from across the social sciences that furthers understandings of older people’s lives and experiences. The chapter highlights research that has focused on ageism and chronic conditions impacting older people (specifically, dementia and type 2 diabetes), including empirical research on these conditions, and on manifestations of heterosexism and heteronormativity in these contexts. Using illustrative examples that emphasize the intersection of discourse and issues that relate to aging, the chapter foregrounds this area as an important element of language and sexuality scholarship. Last, future directions for the development of research focusing on t...
Psychology & Sexuality, 2017
Since the introduction of same sex marriage, there have been two parallel institutions (marriage ... more Since the introduction of same sex marriage, there have been two parallel institutions (marriage and civil partnership) for the legal recognition of same sex relationships in England, Wales and Scotland. The current study aimed to examine how those in a civil partnership or a same sex marriage perceive civil partnership in the context of marriage equality. Eighty-two respondents completed a qualitative online survey and their responses were analysed thematically. The respondents were divided between those who viewed civil partnership as: 1) a stepping stone to equality, and felt that civil partnerships should be discontinued; 2) a form of legal recognition free from cultural baggage, and argued the Government should make civil partnership available for all; or 3) those who displayed ambivalence and conflicting views. We conclude by discussing how the principle of formal equality underpinned opinions on all sides, and what implications this might have for how we understand discrimination.
Critical Kinship Studies, 2016
Working with Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Diversity, 2012
In recent decades the roles of clinical, health and counselling psychologists have become increas... more In recent decades the roles of clinical, health and counselling psychologists have become increasingly important in healthcare. Psychological practice in relation to physical health ranges widely from the development of health promotion initiatives, preparing patients for medical procedures, helping people modify health behaviours, to counselling those diagnosed with chronic or life threatening medical conditions. Although the work of clinical and counselling psychologists is primarily focused on mental health (see Chapter 6), ...
Feminism & Psychology, 2011
Abstract Since their introduction in 2005, thousands of same-sex couples in the UK have had a civ... more Abstract Since their introduction in 2005, thousands of same-sex couples in the UK have had a civil partnership. However, many other couples have chosen not to have one. This qualitative study explores why some same-sex couples are choosing not to have a civil partnership. Seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 people (five couples and two individuals) who identified as lesbian, gay or bisexual, and analysed using discourse analysis. Participants' accounts were characterised by ambivalence about civil ...
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) psychology is the current term used to refer to wh... more Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) psychology is the current term used to refer to what was previously known as the affirmative field of lesbian and gay psychology, which developed from the late 1960s onwards. This field of psychology is closely aligned to the psychology of sexualities, but with a specific focus on non-heterosexual and/or non-gender normative people. The term LGBT psychology signals a more unitary field than LGBT psychologies, the latter highlighting a multiplicity of psychological perspectives and also discrete bodies of psychological knowledge that focus on either lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender identities and topics. The epistemological frameworks and research methods utilized within the field of LGBT psychology differ between countries. In North America (and particularly the United States), positivist empiricism informed by liberal humanism is the dominant framework in this field (as with psychological research more generally). In Europe and in Australasia, by contrast, LGBT psychological research is commonly more aligned with post-positivist and critical psychological traditions such as social constructionism. Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) psychology is the current term used to refer to what was previously known as the affirmative field of lesbian and gay psychology, which developed from the late 1960s onwards. This field of psychology is closely aligned to the psychology of sexualities, but with a specific focus on non-heterosexual and/or non-gender normative people. The term LGBT psychology signals a more unitary field than LGBT psychologies, the latter highlighting a multiplicity of psychological perspectives and also discrete bodies of psychological knowledge that focus on either lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender identities and topics (Clarke and Peel 2007). The epistemological frameworks and research methods utilized within the field of LGBT psychology differ between countries. In North America (and particularly the United States), positivist empiricism informed by liberal humanism is the dominant framework in this field (as with psychological
Should opposite-sex couples be allowed to enter civil partnerships? Many same-sex couples already... more Should opposite-sex couples be allowed to enter civil partnerships? Many same-sex couples already in one think so.
Professor Elizabeth Peel, the Chair of the Psychology of Sexualities Section, has been involved i... more Professor Elizabeth Peel, the Chair of the Psychology of Sexualities Section, has been involved in the Section
since its inception. She was the Editor of the Section’s previous publication, the Lesbian and Gay Psychology
Review, and has gone on to publish prolifically in the field. Liz has published three books in the psychology
of sexualities field including Out in Psychology (Clarke & Peel, 2007) which won a distinguished book
award in 2012 from the American Psychological Association’s Division 44 and the first undergraduate
textbook in lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) psychology (Clarke et al., 2010) which won a
British Psychological Society book prize in 2013. She has also won several prizes from the Section including
the 2012 research prize. Her latest book focuses on ageing and sexualities with Rosie Harding
(Peel & Harding, 2016). In March 2015, I interviewed Elizabeth about her role as Chair of the Section and
her views on the current state of the field. What follows is an edited version of our conversation. Full issue of Psychology of Sexualities Review available from: http://shop.bps.org.uk/publications/psychology-of-sexualities-review-vol-6-no-1-winter-2015.html
Routledge International Handbook of Discrimination, Prejudice, and Stereotyping. , 2022
Prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people has been researched by soc... more Prejudice against lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people has been researched by social psychologists since the advent of 'gay affirmative' psychology in the 1970s. After outlining the groups under the rainbow acronym, this chapter examines covert and overt forms of anti-LGBT prejudice. The chapter discusses how all forms of discrimination and prejudice impacting LGBT people can be understood through the theoretical concepts of homophobia, heterosexism, heteronormativity, cisgenderism, minority stress and decompensation. Taken together these concepts account for why anti-LGBT prejudice, stereotyping, and discrimination occurs. Both the causes and effects of prejudice, stereotyping and discrimination directed towards LGBT people are explored. In conclusion, the chapter focuses on the role that social psychology can play in creating positive social change with respect to LGBT people, especially regarding attitude change. Programmes, training and strategies aimed at increasing positive attitudes are important to both promote social inclusion and mitigate against the negative net effects of marginalization.
Psychology & Sexuality, 2019
The traditional marriage initiation script entails male partners 'proposing' to female partners. ... more The traditional marriage initiation script entails male partners 'proposing' to female partners. However, little is known about how same-gender couples initiate a marriage or civil partnership. Drawing on qualitative survey data from 82 people in a UK civil partnership or same-gender marriage we identify two marriage initiation themes which foreground the reshaping of script norms for marriage proposals. The first theme, "queer proposals" entails an adaptation of the conventional script. The second theme "jointly negotiated initiations", foregrounds a fundamental departure from heteronormative scripts for initiating the legal formalisation of a relationship. It is argued that the non-normative status of such partnerships not only allow for alternative scripts to socially emerge, but offer a reconceptualization of a cultural script grounded in heteronormative relationship practices. The study therefore makes an important contribution to our understanding of same-gender relationship practices and has significant implications for sexual script theory.
Since the introduction of same-sex marriage, there have been two parallel institutions (marriage ... more Since the introduction of same-sex marriage, there have been two
parallel institutions (marriage and civil partnership) for the legal recognition
of same-sex relationships in England, Wales and Scotland. The
current study aimed to examine how those in a civil partnership or a
same-sex marriage perceive civil partnership in the context of marriage
equality. Eighty-two respondents completed a qualitative online survey,
and their responses were analysed thematically. The respondents were
divided between those who viewed civil partnership as: 1) a stepping
stone to equality, and felt that civil partnerships should be discontinued;
2) a form of legal recognition free from cultural baggage, and argued the
Government should make civil partnership available for all; or 3) those
who displayed ambivalence and conflicting views. We conclude by discussing how the principle of formal equality underpinned opinions on all
sides, and what implications this might have for how we understand
discrimination.
Feminism & Psychology, 2004
The commentators in this reappraisal describe The Social Construction of Lesbianism as ‘classic’ ... more The commentators in this reappraisal describe The Social Construction of Lesbianism as ‘classic’ (Coylei), ‘exciting’ (Tiefer), ‘important’, (MacBride-Stewart), ‘fascinating’ (Snelling), a ‘remarkable achievement’ (Snelling), and an ‘engagingly-written, political tour de force’ (Coyle). Like some of the commentators (Coyle, Snelling), one of us (VC) owns a well-read copy of The Social Construction of Lesbianism, highlighted in all the colours of the rainbow and covered in (now) rather cryptic notes. This was the copy that passed back and forth between us as we completed our PhDs in lesbian and gay psychology, both of which were supervised by Celia Kitzinger. As young lesbian feminists, we were drawn to Celia’s radicalism and uncompromising political commitment. She was an inspiring, challenging, passionate and energetic PhD supervisor, and we are honoured and privileged to edit this reappraisal of The Social Construction of Lesbianism, a book based on her PhD.
Psychology of Women Section Review, Jan 1, 2005
In this paper, we outline some of the similarities and differences between lesbian and gay psycho... more In this paper, we outline some of the similarities and differences between lesbian and gay psychology (more recently known as LGBT psychology) and feminist psychology. Both fields developed in response to the oppressive practices of psychology; however, lesbian and gay psychologists have been far more willing to using the theoretical and methodological tools of mainstream psychology than have feminist psychologists. Feminist psychologists have enthusiastically embraced qualitative and critical approaches, whereas, until recently, lesbian and gay psychologists have been more cautious about adopting these approaches. Both feminist psychologists and lesbian and gay psychologists have debated which theories and methods best fits with their goals for social change, and both have fought for and won professional recognition. Feminist psychology and lesbian and gay psychology have remained largely distinct from each other; however, there have been some encouraging signs of late – including this Special Issue – that suggest the gap between these two fields may be lessening.
Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, Jan 1, 2007
We are delighted to welcome readers to this collection of papers showcasing current developments ... more We are delighted to welcome readers to this collection of papers showcasing current developments in lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) psychological and psychotherapeutic theory, research and practice in the United Kingdom. This is our second foray into the international arena, having published in Volume 7 of Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy a special volume entitled “The Mental Health Professions and Homosexuality: International Perspectives (issued in monograph volume as Lingiardi and Drescher, 2003). In that previous collection, our lone UK contributor, the late Daniel Twomey (2003), focused on psychoanalytic perspectives about and attitudes toward homosexuality in the UK. This volume expands upon that earlier contribution and introduces readers to a wider range of British mental health approaches.
Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, Jan 1, 2007
This paper outlines the recent history of LGBT psychology and psychotherapy in the United Kingdom... more This paper outlines the recent history of LGBT psychology and psychotherapy in the United Kingdom, focusing on key publications, and the current terrain, highlighting similarities and differences between the UK and the US contexts. The paper is divided into four sections: the first focuses on the early development of the field in the late 1960s. The second section explores the 1980s–a decade that witnessed the publication of two key texts that had a strong influence on the development of the field and, in particular, on the development of critical and discursive approaches. The third section details the rapid changes that occurred in the 1990s including the establishment of a Lesbian and Gay Psychology Section within the British Psychological Society. The final section considers the current terrain and the similarities and differences in the theoretical commitments of researchers and practitioners working in the UK and in the US.
Feminism & Psychology, Jan 1, 2004
EDITORS’ INTRODUCTION: CELIA KITZINGER – SPEAKING RADICALLY ABOUT LESBIANISM The commentators in ... more EDITORS’ INTRODUCTION: CELIA KITZINGER – SPEAKING RADICALLY
ABOUT LESBIANISM
The commentators in this reappraisal describe The Social Construction of Lesbianism
(1987) as ‘classic’ (Coyle1), ‘exciting’ (Tiefer), ‘important’, (MacBride-Stewart), ‘fascinating’ (Snelling), a ‘remarkable achievement’ (Snelling), and an ‘engagingly written, political tour de force’ (Coyle). Like some of the commentators (Coyle, Snelling), one of us (VC) owns a well-read copy of The Social Construction of Lesbianism, highlighted in all the colours of the rainbow and covered in (now) rather cryptic notes. This was the copy that passed back and forth between us as we completed our PhDs in lesbian and gay psychology, both of which were supervised by Celia Kitzinger. As young lesbian feminists, we were drawn to Celia’s radicalism and uncompromising political commitment. She was an inspiring, challenging, passionate and energetic PhD supervisor, and we are honoured and privileged to edit this reappraisal of The Social Construction of Lesbianism, a book based on her PhD.
Out in psychology: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer perspectives , Jan 1, 2007
‘If we are liberated we are open with our sexuality. Closet queenery must end. Come out.’1 ‘We’re... more ‘If we are liberated we are open with our sexuality. Closet queenery must end.
Come out.’1
‘We’re out. Where the fuck are you?’
‘Nobody knows I’m a lesbian.’
‘We’re here. We’re queer. Get used to it’.
‘Trans, out and proud.’
‘Blatantly bisexual.’
These pride slogans and rallying cries for lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) movements – at once celebratory and confrontational – highlight the importance of ‘outness’ and visibility across a range of political eras and agendas. The title of this volume Out in Psychology: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer perspectives, draws attention to the centrality of visibility for LGBTQ psychologies, movements and politics. We chose this title to signal the presence, and increasing validation and acknowledgement, of research, theory and practice on LGBTQ concerns across the discipline of psychology. We are ‘outing’ psychology as a discipline that already, if sometimes ambivalently or unwillingly, incorporates LGBTQ perspectives. Although it is important to have a separate space to pursue research and practice, it is vital that we engage with, and contribute to, the broader discipline (Dworkin, 2002). LGBTQ psychologies of all varieties aim to support social change. This goal is realised both through making or assisting interventions into the world outside of academic psychology and through turning our attention back onto psychology and interrogating and challenging the homophobia and heteronormativity embedded in the discipline (see Hodges & McManus, 2006). We have come a long way in this endeavour (Greene, 2000), but there is still a long way to go.
Out in Psychology: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer perspectives , 2007