Intersections: Cultures, sexualités et genres

Chapitre 7. Navigating Sexual and Ethno-Cultural Identities in Canada: Perspectives from Aboriginal and Chinese Sexual Minority Men

7 C H A P I T R E NAVIGATING SEXUAL AND ETHNO-CULTURAL IDENTITIES IN CANADA Perspectives from Aboriginal and Chinese Sexual Minority Men Melanie A. MORRISON1 Many gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, and Two-Spirit (GLBTT-S) persons have been victimized due to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. In fact, a large body of empirical research exists documenting the types of victimization experiences reported by GLBTT-S men and women (Walters, Simoni, and Horwath, 2001). Victimization based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity status is not relegated to a particular sphere. Rather the experiences may transcend a series of domains and, 1. Melanie A. Morrison is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Saskatchewan. Funding for this project was generously provided by the Saskatchewan Health Research Foundation (SHRF). 194 Intersections ultimately, occur in occupational, educational, and medical/health care settings due to systemic institutional prejudice and discrimination, and interpersonal contact with persons who are homonegative (i.e., individuals who possess negative attitudes and engage in negative behaviours toward sexual minority persons, in particular gay men and lesbian women; Morrison and Morrison, 2002). Moreover, a number of locations ranging from the street to one’s own home have been reported as sites of victimization, as have diverse perpetrator groups ranging from strangers to proximal family members (Morrison, 2007). It is important to point out that much of the research cited in these forthcoming sections focuses on the experiences of gay men (G), lesbian women (L), and, on occasion, bisexual men and women (B). Very little empirical attention has been granted by social scientists to those who identify as transgender or Two-Spirit (for notable exceptions see Brotman, Ryan, Jalbert, and Rowe, 2002, and Walters et al., 2001). Throughout this chapter, the sexual orientation and gender identity of participants will be stated explicitly, an act that serves to highlight the dearth of research focusing on the experiences of those who are not GLB. D’Augelli and Rose (1990) state that homonegative behaviour on college and university campuses often manifests itself in hostile remarks and violence directed toward students who are identified, correctly or incorrectly, as lesbian or gay. Indeed, Herek (1989) reports that pervasive verbal and physical victimization has been documented on every campus in which a study has been conducted. For example, D’Augelli and Rose (1990) found that approximately 75% of the American gay and lesbian university students they surveyed reported being verbally insulted, and almost 25% reported being threatened with physical violence. In addition, these authors report that more than half of the sample indicated they were afraid occasionally for their personal safety, and more than one-third stated that they had changed their daily routines to avoid harassment. In another American post-secondary institution, Norris (1992) conducted a study examining the prevalence of anti-homosexual behaviour in conjunction with attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women. Results indicate that there was widespread attitudinal support for gay men, lesbian women, and bisexual individuals. For example, only 4.6% of Caucasian respondents strongly agreed/agreed with the statement, “I would refuse to live with a lesbian, gay, or bisexual person.” However, Norris found that a majority of participants reported seeing homonegative graffiti in the Navigating Sexual and Ethno-Cultural Identities in Canada 195 washrooms on campus (e.g., “lesbians be dead” [sic] and “kill all faggots”) and overhearing derogatory remarks (e.g., “all she needs is a good fuck” in reference to a lesbian woman and “they should all be shot” in reference to gay men). It is no surprise then that approximately 68% of the white homosexual and bisexual participants surveyed felt it necessary to hide their sexual orientation, and approximately 40% reported being verbally harassed on campus because they were perceived to be non-heterosexual. Using a similar research design, Balanko (1998) examined homonegative attitudes and behaviours among heterosexual students attending a mid-sized university in western Canada. Results indicated attitudinal favourability for gay men and lesbian women (all scores were below the mid-point on Herek’s 1988 Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale, the gold standard when measuring homonegativity based on traditional moral/religious objections to lesbian women and gay men); yet, nearly 50% of gay and lesbian students reported viewing anti-gay graffiti on campus and hearing demeaning remarks about homosexuals from their fellow students. Further, 79% of lesbian, gay, and bisexual respondents...