Masculinity Matters: Perceptions of One’s Own Gender Status and the Effects on Psychosocial Well Being Among Gay Men

Gay men have a unique relationship with masculinity. The manner in which gay men view their gender in a heterosexist context (i.e., Perceptions of One’s Own Gender Status, “POOGS”) may explain individual differences found in psychological health among both feminine and masculine gay men. In this study, four factors that make up POOGS are 1) connection to the gay community, 2) perceived negative attitudes toward effeminacy, 3) exposure to heterosexist discrimination, and 4) one’s own masculinity. The purpose of this study is to investigate the hypotheses that 1) POOGS will predict symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and satisfaction with life, and 2) that these relationships will be moderated by internalized heterosexism. Participants were non-heterosexual men (N=179), who were recruited from national LGBTQ organizations, a local festival, and using snowball sampling, followed a link to an anonymous online survey. Four hierarchical linear regressions were conducted to test hypotheses. Exposure to heterosexist microaggressions was associated with elevated stress and anxiety. For masculine gay men, involvement with the gay community was related to increased stress and anxiety, while for less masculine gay men, involvement with the gay community decreased stress and anxiety. Internalized heterosexism was related to decreased satisfaction with life, and increased depression, anxiety, and stress. Though many gay men are able to successfully manage the stigma that accompanies their sexual and gender role orientations, others are occluded by harmful beliefs and messages, which are often imparted by individuals who are respected and loved. These individuals need help in deciphering ways to neutralize these powerful messages

The Faith Lives Of Lesbians And Psychological Health: The Moderating Role Of Internalized Homonegativity

In many cases, having a faith life is associated with positive psychological health outcomes. However, for lesbians, the interplay between religious and sexual identities may be such that the opposite effect occurs, particularly among women who have high levels of internalized homonegativity, i.e internalized negative stigma from society about homosexuality. Previous research suggests that some religious organizations may propagate negative messages about homosexuality, and thus exacerbate the stigma that lesbians may feel about themselves due to their sexual orientation. The present study examined faith factors including views of God as loving and controlling, spirituality, religiosity, and negative faith experiences and their relationship with psychological health, taking into account level of internalized homonegativity. It was hypothesized that the faith lives of women with high levels of internalized homonegativity would be markedly different than those with low levels internalized homonegativity. Self-identified lesbian women (n=225) from the Milwaukee area were recruited as participants for this study. The results indicated that the relationship between spirituality and views of God as loving and psychological health outcomes was moderated by level of internalized negative stigma. Generally, these results indicate that those who are high in internalized homonegativity do have different faith lives and psychological health outcomes than those who are low in internalized homonegativity, but only in certain domains

The Role of Internalized Homonegativity in the Faith and Psychological Health of Lesbians

Among lesbians, faith-based beliefs and behaviors may be associated with negative psychological health due to the interplay between religious and sexual identities. The present study examined health outcomes, faith-based beliefs (views of God as loving and controlling), faith-based behaviors (personal spiritual practices, religious activities), and internalized homonegativity in a sample of 225 self-identified lesbians. We hypothesized that internalized homonegativity would moderate the relationship between health outcomes and faith-based beliefs and behaviors among lesbians. Generally, results indicated that some faith-based beliefs and behaviors were related to negative health outcomes among lesbians with higher levels of internalized homonegativity, but among those with lower levels of internalized homonegativity, the negative associations with health were mitigated

Eight Oceans: Driving Conservation Engagement Through Gamification of Ocean Policy

The ocean is a vital source of many valuable resources and services, such as food supplied through fishing, energy derived from oil and wind power, and often overlooked materials like sand, salt, and minerals. Each of these resources is finite by nature, so the need to sustainably manage them is paramount if we wish to ensure their availability alongside healthy ocean ecosystems for future generations. Doing so will require science-guided policies and laws that are crafted in coordination with stakeholder input from ocean-users and members of the public. Sustainability does not just require protection of ocean resources, but encouragement of human welfare as well. As such, public and stakeholder input is vital. However, engagement can be limited by barriers of inaccessibility: ocean-conservation topics are often complicated, and the policy processes and economic solutions we use to address them are equally so. This project offers a unique solution to fill that gap by representing real world issues and policy processes as a cooperative, physical board game. This process is called gamification: applying game design elements to non-game contexts. By gamifying ocean policy processes and making conservation decisions fun, Eight Oceans strives to demystify opaque policy processes, empower players to learn and discuss a myriad of complex ocean topics, and inspire player involvement and action in the real world. This game was created by assigning game mechanics and elements to real world processes and creating a conservation-focused objective for players to accomplish. This basic game ruleset was then put through many rounds of playtesting with a diversity of players, who provided feedback to revise and create new iterations of the game. The resulting prototype version serves as the framework for a more fully tested and complete product, intended for eventual marketability. Through the lens of gaming, Eight Oceans intends to bring important topics in ocean conservation to a unique new audience