Out in Psychology: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Queer Perspectives

The authors of these works open up the closet that has hidden the controversies within the LGBTQ communities for years, not only in the scientific world but in the political and social worlds as well.

Taken from the Foreword by Jerry J. Bigner, Professor Emeritus, Department of Human and Family Studies, Colorado State University.

This essential and informative text showcases a range of up–to–date approaches to the exciting and rapidly expanding area of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer psychologies. Out in Psychology places a strong emphasis on exploring the potential of qualitative and critical approaches and gives much needed attention to often overlooked bisexual and trans psychological research. It offers a fresh perspective on lesbian and gay topics by incorporating new areas of engagement such as sociology, law, sport psychology, occupational psychology and critical psychology.

Compiled from the work of a range of international contributors based in a variety of professional settings, this fascinating and informative resource is divided into four accessible sections that each provide a novel approach to LGBTQ psychologies:

Histories and Commentaries Lives and Experiences Work and Leisure Health and Practice

This volume is essential reading for students and academics (both lecturers and researchers) in Psychology, Sociology, Women s Studies, Sexuality Studies and LGBT/Queer Studies, and also counsellors and therapists in private practice, as well as members of the general LGBTQ community.

List of Contributors.

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).

Index.

Victoria Clarke is a senior lecturer in social psychology at the University of the West of England, Bristol, UK. She has published a number of papers on lesbian and gay parenting, same–sex relationships, the history of LGBTQ psychologies, and qualitative methods in journals such as Sexualities, British Journal of Social Psychology, Qualitative Research in Psychology and Lesbian & Gay Psychology Review. She has edited (with Sara–Jane Finlay and Sue Wilkinson) two special issues of Feminism & Psychology on marriage, and edited (with Elizabeth Peel) special issues of Feminism & Psychology, Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, Lesbian & Gay Psychology Review and Psychology of Women Section Review on LGBTQ psychologies. She is also the editor with Elizabeth Peel and Jack Drescher of British LGB Psychologies: Theory, research and practice (Haworth Press, 2007). She is a member of the British Psychological Society s Lesbian & Gay Psychology Section and Qualitative Methods in Psychology Section. She is an editorial board member of the Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy and Feminism & Psychology. Her current research and writing centres on same–sex relational practices and civil partnership, LGBTQ issues in higher education, and the use of thematic analysis in qualitative psychological research. She is co–authoring a textbook (with Sonja J. Ellis, Elizabeth Peel and Damien W. Riggs) entitled LGBTQ Psychologies: Themes and perspectives (Cambridge University Press).

Elizabeth Peel is a lecturer in psychology in the School of Life & Health Sciences, Aston University, Birmingham, UK. She has published a number of articles about heterosexism, diversity training and lesbian and gay relationships in journals such as Discourse & Society, Feminism & Psychology, Lesbian & Gay Psychology Review and Women s Studies International Forum. She is the editor with Victoria Clarke and Jack Drescher of British LGB Psychologies: Theory, research and practice (Haworth Press, 2007). She has also edited (with Victoria Clarke) special issues of Feminism & Psychology, Journal of Gay & Lesbian Psychotherapy, Lesbian & Gay Psychology Review and Psychology of Women Section Review on LGBTQ psychologies. She is a chartered psychologist and a member of the British Psychological Society s Lesbian and Gay Psychology Section and Qualitative Methods in Psychology Section. She is former editor of Lesbian & Gay Psychology Review and editorial board member of the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapy. Her current research centres on the management of chronic illness (especially diabetes), understandings of health related technologies (such as neuroimaging techniques), same sex relationships and the intersections of LGBTQ psychologies and critical health psychology. She is currently editing (with Michael Thomson) a special issue of Feminism & Psychology on LGBTQ health psychologies and is co–authoring a textbook (with Victoria Clarke, Sonja J. Ellis and Damien W. Riggs) entitled LGBTQ Psychologies: Themes and perspectives (Cambridge University Press).

"A superb introduction to many perspectives, and a must read for anyone working with LGBT populations." ( The Psychologist, February 2008)