by Christy M. Ponticelli
page 1-5
by Joanne M. Hall
page 7-28
This qualitative, feminist study is focused on lesbians' experiences growing up in multiproblem families, surviving aftereffects of trauma, and struggling with alcohol problems. A multi-racial sample of 20 lesbians narrated life stories in a series of three in-depth interviews. The research report opens with one women's narrative about surviving childhood sexual abuse and continues with explication of how differences and similarities within and between accounts pivot on the issues of sexual orientation, gender, and race. Results suggest that early in their lives, overwhelming violence and intrusive expectations were imposed, negating a clarity of experience about their authenticity. No participant expressed a belief that her sexual orientation was a result of childhood sexual abuse. The societal presumption of sexual abuse as a etiological factor in determining lesbian sexual orientation, nevertheless, was pivotal for these survivors because they had to constantly protect themselves from others' judgements about whether they were "real-lesbians". They described a multi-faceted, ingenious strategy, gender-blurring, that helped them garner a place of some value in the family and stave off some of the violence, but this protective stance made them question whether they were "real women". Women also indicated they grew up in families empty of cultural affiliation. Instead of knowledge and pride about connection with community, they experienced a gaping void about racial identification, ethnicity, parentage, and personal history. All in all, they survived a series of social identity exclusions. Conclusions call into question the usefulness and adequacy of theories about static psychological and social identities and suggest the importance of specific, localized analyses that explore narrative selves.
by Teresa Scherzer
page 29-47
This article reports on the findings of the Lesbian Relationships Research Project (LRRP), a 1993 study on the prevalence of emotional and physical abuse in lesbian relationships in the San Francisco Bay Area (Medina & Scherzer, 1993). This article reviews the literature on prevalence of domestic violence in lesbian relationships, describes the LLRP study, reports the findings from (1) the survey component of LRRP, which examined prevalence of specific abusive behaviors and respondents' help-seeking experiences, and (2) the qualitative component of the study, which asked respondents what behaviors they considered abusive, what happened when they sought help, and invited other comments. Lastly, the concepts and themes brought up from the qualitative data are discussed to suggest topics for further research.
by Barbara Isaac, Barbara M. Herringer
page 49-59
Despite the greater inclusion of women in the recent literature on aging, lesbians continue to remain invisible. This article presents the inquiries of two mid-life lesbian social work academics into the lives of lesbian women growing older, and the gaps revealed between the images of lesbians constructed in the public domain, and the lives of women who do not fit the mainstream or dominant images. The inquiry begins with the voices of the "experts": women who are living their mid-life years as lesbians in a society which does not "see" or image them. Whether or not this invisibility in mid-life and old age can be overcome through access to a supportive community seems open to debate.
by Kathleen A. Tiemann,. Sally A. Kennedy, Myrna P. Haga
page 61-75
The authors conducted in-depth interviews with lesbians from rural communities in the midwest about their interactions with health care professionals and how they decided whether to disclose their sexual orientation to them. They described the protective strategies they used when seeking health care and the responses they received to the disclosure of their sexual orientation. The four primary protective strategies included screening, planned disclosure, unplanned disclosure and non-disclosure. Participants voiced concerns over rejection or retaliation by health care professionals and by other community residents if their sexual orientation became known, and that they would be unable to obtain safe, appropriate care given the limited availability of health care service providers in their region.
by Patricia E. Stevens
page 77-94
In this feminist narrative study, lesbians of color gave testimony to the effects of prejudice in face-to-face health care interactions. A major objective was to involve participants from a broad range of ethnic/racial backgrounds and socio-economic circumstances in open-ended interviews about their experiences receiving health care. Half of the 45 women in the sample were lesbians of color: 20% (9) African American, 18% (8) Latina, 11% (5) Asian/Pacific Islander, and 2% (1) Native American. Results suggest that if we wish to improve access to and quality of health services, those in the health care field must address race, class, gender, and sexual orientation prejudice in health care interactions, acknowledging the role discriminatory behavior plays in diminishing the availability of health care for lesbians of color.
by Jocelyn C. White, Valerie T. Dull
page 95-110
In small studies lesbians report avoiding health care because of difficulty communicating with providers. This study examines lesbians' perceptions of communication with medical and alternative primary care providers using a statewide self-administered survey of members of a lesbian community organization. Univariate and bivariate statistics were used to analyze lesbians' perceptions of communication with their primary care provider about sexual orientation, difficult issues, and health issues important to lesbians. Of 324 respondents, 31% received primary care from alternative providers and 90% are "out" to one or more providers. Respondents who were "out" to their primary care provider were more likely to seek health or preventative care (p ( .05), more likely to have ever had a Pap smear (p ( .02), and more likely to be comfortable discussing sensitive issues (p ( .0001). Respondents rated alternative providers easier to communicate with than M.D.s (4.53 vs. 3.99, p ( .001). They reported being more open about sexual orientation (4.58 vs. 4.05, p ( .001) and more comfortable discussing difficult issues (4.08 vs. 3.61, p ( .001) with alternative providers. Respondents believe alternative providers understand lesbian health needs better than medical doctors (4.21 vs. 3.45, p ( .001). Lesbians appear to be motivated to disclose sexual orientation to their primary care providers and disclosure is associated with positive health behaviors. Medical doctors appear to need improvement in their skills in communicating with lesbians so that important medical and psycosocial information can be shared.
Transcribed by Catherine McGlew
15 September 1998