Browsing by Subject "Gay"

Now showing 1 - 7 of 7
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    Afraid of AIDS: AIDS Panic and Gay Discrimination through State of Indiana v. Herb Robbins
    (2024-09) Gackle, Dalton; Haberski, Raymond J.; Guiliano, Jennifer; Minor, Kyle
    In 1988 Herb J. Robbins, a 17-year-old male prostitute, murdered prominent Indianapolis attorney Donald L. Jackson. Robbins then used a “fear of AIDS” defense in court to escape murder charges. This defense highlighted the discrimination faced by gay men and the heightened fear of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) then a little-understood disease. This story fits into larger discussions about AIDS and our cultural and governmental response to it. For Indiana’s population in the 1980s, a fear of AIDS meant a fear of gay men, as gay men were the first people identified with AIDS – in 1981 and 1982 AIDS was known as GRID: gay-related immunodeficiency disease. This opened the door for discrimination in all facets of society – including in the courts – leading to the successful ‘fear of AIDS’ defense in 1988. That ingrained discrimination has had lasting effects on Indiana’s residents and especially on its gay communities including, but not limited to, the criminalization of persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In 1985, many states, including Indiana responded to HIV in the blood supply by closing blood banks and passing laws making it illegal for people with HIV/AIDS to donate. The Food and Drug Administration, as well, banned gay or bisexual men from donating blood for fear they might have HIV/AIDS. Indiana also passed a law requiring people with HIV to notify any potential sexual partner about their HIV positive status. The laws criminalizing people living with HIV were created in direct response to a fear of AIDS in the blood supply, which was only amplified by Ryan White’s infamous story. Connecting gay and bisexual men in Indiana’s HIV laws and the FDA’s policy on HIV/AIDS only further stigmatized gay men and people living with HIV by associating them with criminal activity, including the criminalization of Donald Jackson when Herb Robbins testified that he killed Jackson for fear he could have gotten AIDS from him. This paper seeks to understand 1) Why was Indianapolis a place where this “fear of AIDS” defense could succeed? and 2) How does this defense reflect broader discrimination and stigmatization directed toward the gay community?
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    Circle City Strife: Gay and Lesbian Activism during the Hudnut Era
    (2020-03) Opsahl, Samuel Evan; Guiliano, Jennifer; Shrum, Rebecca; Haberski, Raymond
    This paper will be discussing gay and lesbian activism in Indianapolis during the 1980s and how the mayoral administration at the time interacted with it. We know the stories of Stonewall and San Francisco. But what about gay and lesbian activism in the Midwest? What stories does Indianapolis have to tell? This thesis will cover how a portion of the movement played out in Indianapolis. It will shine a light on the 1980s and look specifically at police discrimination on Monument Circle, gatherings like the Gay Knights rallies and the 1990 Celebration on the Circle, and political efforts to combat the HIV epidemic. It will also explore the local actions by city government to undertake the urban renewal movement and how those efforts interacted with queer activism. Collections from the Indiana Historical Society, University of Indianapolis, and the Indiana State Library illuminate both sides of the social conflict to understand what made this moment in Indianapolis a touchstone moment for the city. This thesis argues that gay and lesbian protests and social gatherings on Monument Circle rendered the queer community impossible to ignore in the Hudnut administration’s dreams to reform Indianapolis into an entrepreneurial city.
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    Drag Against AIDS: AIDS and the Indianapolis Bag Ladies, 1981- 1995
    (2020-04) Chinn, Kara Elizabeth; Shrum, Rebecca K.; Guiliano, Jennifer E.; Haberski, Raymond J., Jr.
    Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS), as it would later be known, began to appear in the United States in 1981. Medical professionals from around the country began to track a mysterious set of illnesses that were affecting previously healthy people, most of who were homosexual men. As the disease spread, it was clear that homosexual men were being most affected. There was no cure to this illness which was quickly killing those infected. In October 1981, the Indianapolis Bag Ladies, a group of gay men, began as a simple Halloween Bus Tour around the city. Coby Palmer, Gary Johnson, and Ed Walsh teamed up by renting three charter busses for their new “Bag Ladies Bus.” Their campy drag involved multiple costume changes that required them to tote bags around, thus earning their name. By 1982, the Bag Ladies knew they needed to do more than have a party. The second bus tour was all about collecting money and creating a “war chest” for the gay community of Indianapolis in case AIDS made its way to the city. In doing this, they became one of the first grassroots HIV/AIDS support groups in the United States. After over 38 years of continued efforts, the Indianapolis Bag Ladies have impacted the Indianapolis LGBTQ communities through a variety of programs that expanded beyond the original bus tour. This thesis explores and analyzes these efforts which include Nurse Safe Sexx, a safe sex campaign; the Damien Center, a HIV/AIDS health clinic; and the Buddy House and Buddy Support Program, two programs connecting people with AIDS to support programs. The final chapter of this thesis expands on the discussion through a public program hosted by the Indiana Historical Society and demonstrates how programs surrounding these topics can be successful for museums and participants.
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    Giving among same-sex couples: the role of identity, motivations, and charitable decision-making in philanthropic engagement
    (2016-05-06) Dale, Elizabeth Jane; Mesch, Debra J.; Benjamin, Lehn M.; Burlingame, Dwight F.; Robertson, Nancy Marie
    This study investigates the philanthropic practices of same-sex couples, including their motivations for giving and how they make philanthropic decisions. Existing research has focused almost exclusively on heterosexual couples and assumes that all households are the same. Using the frameworks of the eight mechanisms of giving and social identification theory, this study investigates the role of identity in philanthropic behavior and how gender differences may be amplified among same-sex couples. Drawing on 19 semi-structured joint interviews with gay and lesbian couples in Indiana, the research uses a qualitative method to "give voice" to a marginalized population's philanthropic experiences that are little studied. The study finds participants are highly engaged in nonprofit organizations and participate in a diverse array of philanthropic behaviors. While many couples support at least one LGBT-affiliated nonprofit, giving to LGBT causes does not constitute the majority of most couples' philanthropy. Still, sexual orientation plays a significant role in motivating support for the LGBT community, for public policy changes and equal rights initiatives, and to HIV/AIDS-service organizations. Sexual orientation also determines which organizations many donors would not support. Same-sex couples also use their philanthropy as a way to support their communities at-large and be recognized by mainstream society. In terms of financial management, a majority of participant couples maintained independent financial accounts or partial pooling systems of household income, leading to more opportunities for charitable giving; at the same time, couples expressed low conflict over making giving decisions and supported one another's interests. This study provides scholars and practitioners insights into the complex interactions of motivations, identity, and financial arrangements that underscore charitable giving, and it offers implications for nonprofit organizations and fundraisers who work with diverse populations of donors.
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    Identity reconciliation and religious agency in gay and lesbian Episcopal clergy
    (2018-01) Hemphill, Amy L.; Steensland, Brian
    The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community in the United States won a significant civil rights battle when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage in 2015, and a majority of Americans now support same-sex marriage and accept homosexuality (PewResearch 2016a). However, notable conflict between the LBGT community and individuals and organized religion remains, as evidenced by the United Methodist Church’s ruling in April 2017 that the recent consecration of a lesbian bishop violated church law. According to UMC doctrine, homosexuality is “incompatible with Christian teaching” (Goodstein 2017). The choice to continue participating in religious organizations whose formal policies, structures, and doctrines challenge the overlapping identities of “Christian” and lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender is one that merits sociological inquiry. For some non-heterosexual Christians, a third identity enters the picture – that of ordained clergy. This third identity intensifies the salience of the first two; a Christian clergy person follows their religious beliefs and practices to a full-time vocation, and the increased scrutiny and expectations of clergy can shine an uncomfortable spotlight on issues of sexuality. To examine the “incompatibility” between homosexuality and Christianity, this study investigates the integration of homosexual and Christian identities at the micro level, among gay and lesbian Episcopal clergy. While such persons possess a gay or lesbian sexual identity, they also embody the institutional church as ordained clergy. Examining their processes of integrating homosexual and Christian identities provides a deeper understanding of the larger social conflict between homosexuality and Christianity; and because of their unique position vis a vis religion and sexuality, the experiences of gay and lesbian clergy can also reveal important information about the strategies and practices utilized by individuals as they attempt to transform religious institutions. This thesis asks how gay and lesbian Episcopal clergy reconcile and maintain their religious and sexual identities, and what strategies of religious agency they demonstrate as they work for a more just and inclusive church.
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    La enseñanza de temas homosexuales en la literatura: El fomento de un multiculturalismo más completo en los estudios de la literatura española
    (2013-11-12) Cobb, Vaughn Aaron; Brant, Herbert J.; Ardemagni, Enrica J.; Torijano, J. Agustín, 1963-
    A variety of minority groups are present in the readings of Spanish and Latin American literature classes; however, there is a lack of representation of homosexual themes in the readings. This paper takes a look at what homosexual themes are present in the literature anthologies in current use, and then suggest a teaching unit and methodology for how one can implement these topics into a literature class. The paper provides a sound basis for teachers who are trying to introduce these issues into their classes. [Language - Spanish]
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    Stop calling it a choice: Biological factors drive homosexuality
    (The Conversation US, Inc., 2019-09-03) Sullivan, Bill