Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
  • Publication
    COVID19 geographies: activities and activisms of those opposed to or concerned about changes to sexual and gendered legislation and cultures
    (Taylor and Francis, 2023) ;
    COVID19 is inherently geographical in its impact on society. Not only has it deepened pre-existing inequalities and further isolated groups that rely on physical spaces, such as LGBTQ people, the pandemic required a restructuring of multiple forms of time–space relations including activism. Using interview and questionnaires responses from early 2021, we explore the impact of COVID19 on the activities of those expressing concerns about, and opposition to, socio-legal changes related to sexualities and genders in Canada, Great Britian and Ireland. Participants’ perceptions of the effects of COVID19 regimes (lockdowns and restrictions) highlight four key trends. First, the biggest group of questionnaire respondents understood their views/activities as unchanging. Second, some participants noted a disengagement with sexual and gender politics. Third, those who were activists before/during COVID19 noted challenges in continuing their activities online with the loss of face-to-face interactions, and how they negotiated new spatialities. Finally, for some participants COVID19 regimes meant either newly engaging in, or increasing their pre-pandemic, activism with time to ‘research’ and to develop their activities. Further work is needed to investigate if our findings are similar to other groups engaged in other forms of activism and the longitudinal effects and implications of COVID19 geographies on activism.
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  • Publication
    ‘It’s Not Hate to … [Say] That Gay Sex Leads to Hell’: Contesting Hate, Reiterating Heteronormativities
    (Bristol University Press, 2022-09-28) ;
    This chapter cites evidence from Ireland to examine how heteroactivists try to challenge references to hate in accounts of their activities by casting it as supporting moral values and, indeed, a sign of their love. The chapter first sets out the key tenets of heteroactivist ideologies and practices. Then, drawing on a participant observations and newsletter emails, the chapter explores how heteroactivists frame objections to sexual and gender equalities while pushing against or working to avoid accusations of ‘hate speech’. The chapter shows how they frame their arguments as motivated by love and related representations of themselves and those who agree with them as innocent citizens subject to the dangers of both formal sanctions and the social and political consequences of being associated with and perpetuating hate speech. It finishes by suggesting considerations 'beyond opposition'.
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  • Publication
    Across the Spectrum: Attitudes towards Minoritised Genders and Sexualities in Ireland
    This research had three main objectives: 1. To assess attitudes towards different groups of people within the LGBT+ community, including Lesbian women, Gay men, Bisexual people, Trans people, Non-binary people and Intersex people; 2. To assess beliefs about gender and sexuality; and 3.To assess support for policies relevant to, and supportive of, the LGBT+ community. These objectives were addressed in a descriptive study using a mixed-methods cross-sectional survey design. Over 700 participants from the general public completed the online survey. Ethical approval to conduct this research was granted by the University College Dublin Human Research Ethics Committee. The results of both the quantitative and qualitative data suggest a broad acceptance of LGBT+ identities and a desire to not judge, categorise or prescribe how LGBT+ people live. However, the clear difference in support for identities, beliefs and policies that pertain to groups that are often seen as more normative, specifically Gay men and Lesbian women, compared to those that may be perceived as more transgressive of gender norms, such as Bi, Trans, Non-binary and Intersex people, is a central theme in this report.
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