TOO QUEER FOR THE DEAF AND TOO DEAF (OR DISABLED) FOR THE QUEERS: IDENTITY BASED STIGMA AMONGST DEAF-LGBTQ+ FOLK IN THE UNITED STATES

Abstract

Deaf and Queer identities are stigmatized and are often on the margins of society. As a result, Deaf-LGBTQ+ folk face compounding, intersecting forces of stigma and marginalization. This thesis asks if and how Deaf-LGBTQ+ folk describe experiences of their Deaf identity compared to their LGBTQ+ identity. It explores if experiences vary by situation (with whom, where), and if any (potential) patterns arise along lines of race, age, or disability status. I conceptually focus on the idea of stigma, looking at indicators of stigma and resistance to stigma. To illustrate this, I analyze thirty-one responses to a bilingual online survey by Deaf-LGBTQ+ folk in the United States. My results suggest two important findings: 1) the race and generation of my participants are key factors in understanding experiences and indicators of stigma within the lives of Deaf-LGBTQ+ folk; and 2) navigating life as a Deaf-LGBTQ+ individual appears to be more complicated with family and romantic/sexual partners than with other common categories of social interaction (such as interactions with: friends, teachers, doctors, gov. employees, coworkers, etc.). These two primary findings suggest future research on identity-based stigma should take an intersectional perspective to better understand how the situation one is in and the combination of identities one holds shape experiences of identity. Future qualitative work is especially well suited to do so and may reveal important mechanisms in use by multiply marginalized communities to combat and resist overlapping systems of oppression embedded within forces of stigmatization.