Queer in Southern MSW Programs: Lesbian and Bisexual Women Discuss Stigma Management

Abstract

The author described the processes by which a sample of lesbian and bisexual women assessed and managed prejudice and discrimination while pursuing degrees of masters of social work. The author presented as being pivotal to the participants' assessments of social work settings the social cues that participants identified as indicative of potential attitudes and beliefs regarding lesbian and bisexual women. In addition, the author discussed strategies that the women used to manage others' expression of prejudicial attitudes. Through these interactional processes, the participants demonstrated that they were active in shaping and reducing their experience of oppression.

Stigma Management and Resistance among High‐Achieving Undocumented Students

“…They view their stigma as something detrimental to their psychological well-being and a hindrance to social acceptance; therefore, they must hide or deemphasize it in their presentation of self. Included in a wide variety of topics of stigma management studies are HIV/AIDS (Poindexter and Shippy 2010;Siegel, Lune, and Meyer 1998), white antiracist identity (Hughey 2012), Muslim identity (O'Brien 2011), homelessness (Roschelle and Kaufman 2004), gay and lesbian identity (Cain 1991;Hylton 2006), physical disability (Taub, McLorg, and Fanflik 2004), social class (Garcia, Hallahan, and Rosenthal 2007), mental illness (Elliott and Doane 2015), and being child-free (Park 2002). Though the purpose of stigma management is to protect one's sense of self and maintain some level of normalcy, it may have contradictory outcomes for stigmatized individuals.…”

On the Margins of the Periphery: Unassisted Childbirth and the Management of Layered Stigma

“…This body of research reveals three recurrent patterns in how people manage the stigmas assigned to them-they try to hide it, they minimize contact with those who do not know about the stigma, and they selectively disclose to trusted ''normals'' (Hylton 2006;Lee and Craft 2002;Park 2002;Siegel et al 1998; Thorne and Anderson 2006). The most common strategy is to hide the attribute and try to ''pass'' as normal.…”

“…In these studies the most frequent way to avoid the consequences of social stigma is to hide the stigmatizing attribute and pass as ''normal.' ' A second common stigma management strategy involves avoiding social situations in which one might be discovered as deviant (Hathaway 2004;Hylton 2006;UNASSISTED CHILDBIRTH 407 Lee and Craft 2002; Thorne and Anderson 2006). Instead of adopting an alternative image (e.g., presenting oneself as an infertile woman rather than a voluntarily childless one), these individuals withdraw and entirely avoid situations in which they might be exposed.…”

“…Disclosure etiquette can vary by situation, type of deviance, and parties involved. Some research identifies context-specific strategies, such as Hylton's (2006) research on lesbian and bisexual women in social work programs. These women assessed their social context and selectively chose to disclose their sexuality based on the anticipated consequences.…”

LGBT bias and discrimination: Occurrence, outcomes, and the impact of policy change

“…In many ways, the same patterns that exist in K-12 education spill over into colleges and universities. Even in graduate education, students report experiences with stigmatization and bias (Hylton, 2006). In the college admissions process, LGBT students may be more closely scrutinized and even discriminated against due to difference (Strunk & Bailey, 2014).…”