This research project explores relationships between queer activist organizations and the business community in Portland, Oregon, during the early 1990s. By examining the fight against Ballot Measure 9, which would have curtailed LGBT rights in Oregon if it had passed, this paper shows how queer activism was shaped and developed during the late 20th century, by both internal and external concerns. As they led the charge against Ballot Measure 9, queer organizations in Portland actively sought to engage businesses for their monetary support and tacit endorsement of LGBT rights. By comparing and contrasting the experiences of one queer organization that was developed specifically for this fight and one that had long-standing grassroots ties, this paper illuminates the scope and variety of queer-business connections. My focus on the opposition movement to Measure 9, composed of queer organizations and their business allies, also demonstrates the critical nature of these alliances to the political success of queer organizations, starting in the 1990s, with an impact reaching well beyond the specific context of this specific ballot measure. This project, centered around extensive archival research that was supported by Pacific Lutheran University’s Benson Summer Research Fellowship, offers a new layer of understanding to American queer activism during this period, with implications that still shape current-day affairs in both the U.S. queer community and the U.S. business community.

Essentialist beliefs about gender modality, which conceptualize being transgender as an inherent and unchanging aspect of an individual, stand in contrast to perspectives that emphasize the social construction and fluidity of gender identity. These contrasting beliefs about the transgender identity are meaningful, as they shape the attitudes and behaviors among and towards trans individuals, who historically and currently face discrimination. To understand how trans people make sense of both cisgender and transgender individuals’ beliefs about the trans identity, I am conducting 12 semi-structured interviews with University of Washington students ages 18-25 who identify as transgender and/or non-binary. I analyze how specific assumptions, expectations, and cognitive worldview perspectives impact experiences and identity formation through a double consciousness perspective, a concept that has adapted from the writings of W.E.B. Du Bois about the impacts of racism. Double consciousness is an instinctive social awareness to uphold two identities, one that is “true” to oneself, and one that is constructed to conform in accordance to societal expectations in an act of self-protection. This can lead to feelings of inauthenticity and loneliness in a society that has rigid expectations for how gender should be represented. Therefore, certain assumptions and essentialist explanations about the social category of transgender, may motivate trans people to hold an additional social awareness to anticipate how cis people will react to their identities under the cis gaze. My data provides insight into the forces behind trans prejudice and offers transphobia mitigation recommendations, while centering transgender and non-binary voices in the research. Additionally, this research provides theoretical contributions, important for understanding the processes motivating essentialism and double consciousness. I conclude with directions and suggestions for future research.

Substance use disorder disproportionately affects sexual and gender minority (SGM) youth compared to their heterosexual and cisgender peers, a disparity which is driven by unique stressors and systemic inequities. This systematic review synthesizes 122 empirical studies to explore the factors contributing to elevated rates of substance use among SGM youth and to identify gaps in existing prevention and intervention efforts. Findings reveal significant disparities, with SGM youth experiencing heightened vulnerability due to stressors such as expectations of rejection, interpersonal and structural discrimination, familial rejection, and other challenges of navigating a heteronormative world. These challenges are compounded by individual-level covariates including race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status, which are often overlooked in existing research. A key finding is the paradox of community. While SGM-affirming spaces provide essential support, they are often closely associated with substance use. Despite sparse availability of targeted interventions, existing studies underscore the necessity of culturally relevant affirming approaches that address the unique needs of this population. Recommendations for youth, schools, practitioners, and families are provided, emphasizing the importance of fostering inclusive environments, reducing stigma, and building pathways to resilience and mental health. This review highlights an urgent call to action to address these disparities through innovative and inclusive prevention and intervention strategies.  

Injustice has permeated the criminal legal system and its punitive regime for as long as this society has existed. The rapidly expanding American carceral state arose from a myriad of retributive policies and legislation that became prevalent throughout the last quarter of the twentieth century. There is currently an abundance of research focused on the effects of incarceration on people of diverse racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. A crucial gap in prison reform research remains the effects of this system of punishment on LGBTQ+ people. My research endeavor aims to address that fact and reveal how individuals with queer sexual or gender identities have been impacted by this system within Washington State. The institutions that exact punishment in this state operate both on a heteronormative apparatus and a gender binary. My thesis involves placing formerly incarcerated LGBTQ+ people at the forefront of prison reform research to highlight their distinctive adversities and establish policy proposals to ameliorate them. I conducted interviews with people who fit this demographic to bring to light their lived experiences and discover what practices, policies, and changes they want to see implemented. The findings illustrate a need for reform in areas including programming opportunities, support systems, healthcare accessibility, gender-affirming care, therapeutic services, housing assignments, reentry assistance, and equitable treatment overall. Incarcerated LGBTQ+ individuals are subjected to exacerbated punishment from correctional staff and other incarcerated individuals, which leads to difficulties with interpersonal dynamics and an overall suppression of identity. Faced with heightened vulnerabilities while incarcerated, LGBTQ+ people maintain resilient attitudes as they reenter society and positively transform their lives. The voices of this community in this research illuminates the necessity of addressing LGBTQ+ rights within prison reform efforts.

Queer animality is an alternative framework of being disrupting how Spanish colonialism marginalized the third-gender spiritual figure of the quariwarmi. I argue that animality in Andean spirituality and culture illustrates queerness as a decolonial force despite the repression of indigeneity through the Spanish colonial regime. Seen through this lens, queer animality becomes a radical, fluid embrace of difference, emphasizing how the intersection of queerness and animality threatens dominant power. Indigenous spirituality and embodiment of animality are an active resistance to colonialism because they refute the Western gender binary and fear of the nonhuman. I analyze historical documentation of sodomy in Cuzco and depictions of Andean constellations in conjunction with artwork to demonstrate the intersection of queerness and animality. Contemporary Peruvian artistry pays homage to a queer past, uplifting oppressed bodies through a reclamation of animality. Peruvian artist Javi Vargas uses queer animality to highlight an alternative future, critiquing the colonial influences of masculinity on Peruvian historical figures. Spanish missionaries deliberately suppressed androgynous identities by demonizing sodomy, driving the quariwarmi underground. The jaguar constellation chuquichinchay appears when the quariwarmi is present, and this presence of Andean spirituality intimidates the colonial agenda when manifesting itself through a gendered and animalized power. The radical renditions of notable Peruvian and Andean figures as queer and animalized contribute to the vision of an alternative future where marginalized bodies are honored and celebrated. This exploration of speculative imaginings is crucial when queerness is being erased from the archive, displaying a sustained resistance to colonial oppression. In the context of contemporary Peruvian art, queer animality therefore represents a transformative outlook on identity, establishing that beyond the human, there is a liberatory future. 

According to the CDC report in 2022, Indigenous women experience 58% of intimate partner violence cases, which is one of the primary causes of homicide. The Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) has been credited for expanding protections for Indigenous women. This included increasing the provision of crimes under Tribal Jurisdiction and creating a pilot program for Alaskan Natives to prosecute non-Native offenders in villages. However, this policy reveals a gap between written law and people's experiences. This study examines the effectiveness of VAWA strategically, what demands were left out, and what those gaps represent in demanding changes through intersectional advocacy. In this qualitative research, I created a codebook to analyze the VAWA Congressional hearings from 2009 to 2022 to track the evolution of policy reforms from Indigenous activists. Applying a high-level textualized analysis by gathering a literature review, I utilized the framework of intersectional advocacy, which identifies the extent to which laws and interventions can create meaningful linkages across issues experienced by multiple marginalized people. VAWA remains to be a product of limitations in representation and holistic change to advance the needs of Indigenous people. Expected findings suggest that future policy reforms move beyond analyzing the issue through the lens of individuals to a community-based perspective. Intersectional frameworks will become a cornerstone of future policy work by propelling conversations centered around restorative well-being and healing. Creating bridges between people's lived experiences and legal institutions is foundational to creating critical correspondence.