The Social Process of Passing to Manage Stigma: Acts of Internalized Oppression or Acts of Resistance?

In order to manage social stigma, some individuals construct and enact a social interaction strategy known as passing, which is a performance in which one presents himself as what one is not (Rohy, 1996). Based on interviews with lesbians and gay men of color, this article suggests that the process of passing is not based upon a rejection of stigmatized identity, but situationally employed to resist social oppression

Spaces of the Expelled as Spaces of the Urban Commons? Analysing the Re-emergence of Squatting Initiatives in Rome

© 2017 Urban Research Publications Limited Asserting the need to acknowledge the role of the current crisis and austerity politics in fostering the re-emergence of squatting initiatives in Rome, this article brings together the literature on squatting as an urban social movement, notably Martínez López's holistic approach, with a political economy perspective analysing the current stage of ‘late neoliberalism’. In so doing, I use the conceptualization of ‘expulsions’ developed by Sassen to show how emerging squatting initiatives in Rome represent the ‘spaces of the expelled’. Focusing on the case of Communia in San Lorenzo neighbourhood, the article shows how Martínez López's approach is able to account for the rapid success and support enjoyed by Communia, going as it does beyond the ‘single-issue’ perspective that has dominated much of the squatting literature. Indeed, the main claims addressed by Communia activists concern a plurality of issues grouped around the concept of urban commons, as both a practice and a goal. Methodologically, the article is the result of 18 months of fieldwork based on an activist/participatory action research (PAR) approach, comprising participant observation/observant participation, in-depth interviews and questionnaires

Local and gay: addressing the health needs of Asian and Pacific Islander American (A/PIA) lesbians and gay men in Hawaii.

Asian and Pacific Islander American lesbians and gay men, who are "local" born and raised in Hawaii face conflicting personal and social expectations due to factors including prejudicial attitudes about homosexuality, A/PIA racial/ethnic traditions, and the unique cultural milieu of Hawaii. Based on anecdotal and research reports of this Hawaii population, health and social needs are discussed with implications for professional health practice

HIV and women in Hawaii: risk and protective factors in HIV/AIDS prevention.

Using semi-structured interviews with adults living with or at-risk for HIV and interviews and focus groups with key informants, the present study examined risk for HIV transmission among women living in Hawaii. Key research findings suggest that women in Hawaii are at risk for HIV infection primarily through sexual contact with their male sex partners, including bisexual and injection drug using (IDU) men. A significant factor in women's HIV risk is sex and gender role dynamics in the context of their relationships with men. Recommendations support primary prevention services for HIV-positive men who have sex with men and women, and IDU men who also have sex or share needles with women. Collaborative efforts between health care professionals and HIV/AIDS agencies to integrate gender-specific and culturally appropriate HIV prevention interventions are recommended