Title of Presentation or Performance
Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identity Work – A Comparative Study between the US and Denmark
Submission Type
Event
Expected Graduation Date
2015
Location
Room E104, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Start Date
4-18-2015 10:00 AM
End Date
4-18-2015 11:00 AM
Disciplines
Gender and Sexuality
Abstract
Within the past ten years, research on the lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) community has increased drastically. While most of this work focuses on public opinion, this study concentrates on how LGB people interact with the public space, and the way in which society influences how they view themselves, not just in the United States, but in the happiest country in the world: Denmark. I conducted interviews with LGB people in Denmark and the US in order to get a better understanding of the ways that LGBs in both countries performed their sexual identity in public. I found that Danish LGBs are more likely than those in the US to concentrate on educating the public about their queerness. I argue that this may be because Danish LGBs are more comfortable expressing themselves as queer than American LGBs, given the liberal nature of their country.
Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Identity Work – A Comparative Study between the US and Denmark
Room E104, Center for Natural Sciences, Illinois Wesleyan University
Within the past ten years, research on the lesbian, gay, bisexual (LGB) community has increased drastically. While most of this work focuses on public opinion, this study concentrates on how LGB people interact with the public space, and the way in which society influences how they view themselves, not just in the United States, but in the happiest country in the world: Denmark. I conducted interviews with LGB people in Denmark and the US in order to get a better understanding of the ways that LGBs in both countries performed their sexual identity in public. I found that Danish LGBs are more likely than those in the US to concentrate on educating the public about their queerness. I argue that this may be because Danish LGBs are more comfortable expressing themselves as queer than American LGBs, given the liberal nature of their country.