Line Chamberland

A Queer Day in Canada: Examining Canadian High School Students’ Experiences With School-Based Homophobia in Two Large-Scale Studies

The goal of the study is to examine how location (nationally, compared to Canadian regions) is related to indicators of a hostile school environment for sexual minority youth, particularly when physical abuse is used as the outcome variable. Data representing 5,766 Canadian students were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate techniques. Results from the multivariate analyses showed that non-physical abuse was the most significant predictor of homophobically based physical abuse, for both LGBQ and non-LGBQ students. Findings reiterate the importance of considering the progression of harmful events as an escalation of violence as well as the need to view homophobic bullying as having a significant impact on all students. Finally, while the presence of homophobia is prevalent across all Canadian regions, there are, nevertheless, many regional differences, which could be used to inform region-specific action plans.

Entering the Urban Frame: Early Lesbian Activism and Public Space in Montréal

This article examines the spatial strategies used by Montréal lesbian activists in the 1970s and 1980s to fight for the lesbian “right to the city.” After situating lesbian public activism within Henri Lefebvres ideal of spatial justice, this article provides case studies of four moments during which Montréal lesbian activists joined or initiated public demonstrations as lesbians. The focus is on the multiple ways in which lesbian activists performed politicized lesbian identities in urban public spaces. Their spatial strategies in this first era of the lesbian and gay rights movement provide an alternative account of claiming lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer rights to the heterosexual city.

Interlinkages between parental and trans trajectories: A life course perspective.

Drawing on Elder’s life course theory, this study (a) examined parenthood and trans trajectories, their development and interactions across the life span, and (b) compared the experience of trans people who became parents before (pretransition parents) or after (posttransition parents) they initiated a social/medical transition. Semistructured interviews were administered to 24 Canadian trans parents. The content of the interviews was analyzed using thematic analysis. Themes reflecting the interlinkages between parental and trans trajectories were contextualized in the respective life course of pre- and posttransition parents, and contrasts between the two groups of parents were highlighted. Ongoing gender identity struggles characterized pretransition parents’ experiences throughout their lives, from family projections to family formation, and to family changes with the parents’ transition. By contrast, posttranstion parents had children in the context of their desired identity, yet the struggles of forming a family in the context of unadapted institutional services characterized their lives. Both groups shared similar issues regarding family marginalization, trans visibility, and identities’ acknowledgment. The differences between pre- and posttransition parents were accounted for by cohort effects, sequence of parental and trans trajectories, and their overlaps. Overall, the findings highlighted the lifelong, dynamic, and bidirectional influences between parental and trans trajectories. Professionals working with trans people and their families must be trained to be aware of their specific challenges and to better support them. S’appuyant sur la théorie du parcours de vie développée par Elder, cette étude (a) examine le développement des trajectoires parentales et trans de même que leurs interactions au cours de la vie et (b) compare les expériences des personnes trans qui sont devenues parent avant (parents prétransition) et après (parents posttransition) avoir débuté une transition sociale/médicale. Des entrevues semi-structurées ont été conduites auprès de 24 parents trans canadiens. Une analyse thématique du contenu des entrevues a été réalisée. Les thèmes reflétant les interactions entre les trajectoires parentales et trans ont été situés dans le parcours de vie spécifique des parents pré- et posttransition, et des contrastes entre les deux groupes de parents ont été mis en relief. Les expériences des parents prétransition étaient caractérisées par des luttes constantes relatives à l’identité de genre qui se déroulaient tout au long de leur vie, notamment lors des projections familiales, de la transition à la parentalité et des changements familiaux qui ont suivi la transition du parent. En revanche, les parents posttransition ont eu des enfants alors qu’ils endossaient leur identité de genre désirée. Ainsi, leurs expériences étaient caractérisées par des défis de fonder une famille dans un contexte où les services institutionnels ne sont pas adaptés aux personnes trans. Les deux groupes de parents partageaient des préoccupations similaires en lien avec la marginalisation de leur famille, la visibilité trans et la reconnaissance de leurs identités. Nos résultats suggèrent que les distinctions entre les parents pré- et posttransition s’expliquent par un effet de cohorte, par la séquence entre les trajectoires parentales et trans et leur chevauchement. Dans l’ensemble, ils illustrent le caractère dynamique des trajectoires parentales et trans de même que leurs influences mutuelles tout au long de la vie. Les professionnels travaillant auprès des personnes trans et leur famille doivent être formés sur les défis de ces familles et sur les meilleures pratiques de soutien.

Negotiating parental designations among trans parents’ families: An ecological model of parental identity.

Parental designations contribute to construct parental identity in the eyes of the child, the parent, and the generalized others. In a hetero/cisnormative context that offers only 2 options for parental identity (male fathers and female mothers), this study (a) provided an overview of the parental designations of trans people and their evolution as parents transitioned, (b) and generated a model of factors associated with the choice of posttransition parental designations. Semistructured interviews guided by the Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model (1988) were administered to 24 Canadian trans parents. The content of the interviews was analyzed using thematic analyses. Results showed that the choice of parental designations was influenced by the timing of childbirth, parents’ consideration of normative strains, negotiation with their children, and issues related to public spaces. Overall, trans parental identity appeared as a multidimensional, multidetermined, nonbinary, and fluid identity in a context of nonalignment between the sex assigned at birth and gender identity. Institutional forms and legislation relative to parenting and birthing must acknowledge the diversity of parental identity and designations.