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Master's thesis in Migration and Intercultural Relations The Netherlands was one of the first European countries to provide refugee status due to persecution on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity. Since then, the country has been perceived as a promising land of acceptance for LGBTQI+ migrants and refugees. However, queer refugees are often asked to prove their identities by the Dutch authorities in a procedure where past life events are questioned, and specific narratives are forced to gain credibility in their asylum claims. During this process, LGBTQI+ individuals' homing experiences are juxtaposed by describing a previous heteronormative 'home' where their gender and sexual identities were marginalized while conceiving the Netherlands as a welcoming and tolerant 'home' towards them. This dichotomy of queer refugee’s homes seems insufficient to comprehend the multi-layered and unfixed nature of the home's concept and its connection with gender and sexual diversity. Therefore, this thesis aims to contribute to the debate on the queer-home-migration nexus by unraveling the multiple interactions between sexual diversity and migration in queer refugees' notions of home. Through a qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews and using the analytical framework of queer theory, intersectionality theory, and Paolo Boccagni's homing, I explore the home experiences of queer refugees living in the Netherlands. The results show that for the interviewees, attributes such as safety and acceptance have gained relevance as primary factors in their homing. Moreover, for some of them, home is not permanently emplaced in a specific country. Instead, it relates with attachments to certain environments, feelings, relationships, and communities. The findings also demonstrate that for some queer refugees, the intersection between race and gender identity significantly limits their homing in the Netherlands as desired. Finally, queer refugees are continuously building their homes through attitudes of resilience and resistance against heteronormative patterns.

Specialet undersøger, hvordan køn forhandles i udvalgte litterære og naturfilosofiske værker skrevet af nordfranske lærde i det 12. og 13. århundrede. Disse værker er: Roman de Silence af Heldris De Cornauelle, Yde et Olive, Frauendienst af Ulrik af Lichtenstein, Roman de la Rose af Guillaime de Lorris og Jean de Meun, Cosmographia af Bernhard Silvestris, De planctu Naturae af Alain af Lille, Policraticus af Johannes af Salisbury, Scivias af Hildegard af Bingen, Verbum adbreviatum og De vitio sodomotico af Peter Kantor og Quaestiones super de animalibus af Albert den Store. Disse værker og dette speciale dækker et bredt udsnit af kønnede emner og kategorier, bl.a. cross-dressing, homoeroticisme, hermafroditisme og mere. Formålet med dette speciale er at præsentere et både bredt og dybdegående indblik i hvilke ideer, opfattelser og konceptualiseringer af køn, som var centrale for forhandlinger om køn i disse middelalderlige værker. Specialets teoretiske ramme er Thomas Laqueurs one-sex mode, som han præsenterede i sin bog Making Sex fra 1990. Baseret på en nærlæsning af de valgte værker foreslår dette speciale at køn grundlæggende opfattes som en diffus størrelse og en diffus del af et menneskes identitet, og at binaritet kan forstås som en ide eller et ideal, som strukturerer disse værkers forhandlinger - men at binaritet ikke repræsenterer realiteten om køn. Ydermere er en hierarkisk og patriarkalsk opfattelse nærværende i værkerne. Hvad der grundlæggende karakteriserer disse værker er deres grad af ambivalens og tvetydighed; at køn grundlæggende fremstår uafgjort., This master’s thesis examines how sex and gender is negotiated in selected romances and scientific works written by northern French-oriented intellectuals in the 12th and 13th century. These works are: Roman de Silence by Heldris De Cornauelle, Yde et Olive, Frauendienst by Ulrich of Lichtenstein, Roman de la Rose by Guillaime de Lorris and Jean de Meun, Cosmographia by Bernard Silvestris, De planctu Naturae by Alain of Lille, Policraticus by John of Salisbury, Scivias by Hildegard of Bingen, Verbum adbreviatum and De vitio sodomotico by Peter the Chanter, and Quaestiones super de animalibus by Albert the Great. These works and this thesis cover a broad range of topics concern-ing sex and gender, including cross-dressing, homoeroticism, hermaphroditism and more. The aim of this thesis is to present a both broad and deep insight into which ideas, understandings, and conceptualizations of sex and gender were central to the negotiations found in these medieval works. The theoretical framework of this examination is Thomas Laqueurs one-sex model, presented in his book Making Sex (1990). Based on a close reading of the chosen 12th and 13th century works, this thesis sug-gests that sex and gender are fundamentally fluent concepts and parts of a person’s identity, and that the binary should be understood as an idea or ideal that structures these works’ negotiations – and not as something that represents the reality of sex and gender. Furthermore, a hierarchical, patriarchal un-derstanding is evident in the negotiations. What generally characterizes the works are their degree of sustained ambivalence and the fundamentally sexed and gendered unsettledness.

Western nations have their unique history about the arduous journey of achieving and institutionalizing the LGBT rights. In the presumed present context of dwindling religiosity and consolidating sexuality, this study moves upstream to explore the scope of realizing and ascertaining sexual identity within the religious periphery. The research undertakes the cases of LGBTs who have chosen to embrace Christianity as religious leaders in the Church of Norway. The contention of this research is to counter the perceived conflicting relation between religion and sexuality by exploring how religion and sexual identities can co-operate with each other. This study incorporates the experiences and perceptions of lesbian and gay leaders in the Church of Norway and is limited to the Norwegian context. The major tool for analysis is the qualitative interviews is followed by in-depth follow-up interviews where necessary. The unique responses generated from each participant for open-ended questions enrich the findings making this study relatively diverse and inclusive. ‘Social Identity Theory, Social Identity Theory of Leadership and Transformational Leadership Theory’ are the employed theories in the study where the first theory plays a pivotal role in the scrutinization of the findings. With the aim to manifest the correlation between religion and sexual identity, the research is shaped to answer the research question: how do Christian homosexual leaders experience and perceive the relation between their religious and sexual identities with the shift of time? The research evolves from the account of the challenges and improvements experienced by LGBTs, despite the institution being known as open towards sexual dissidents than other denominations in the country. The research subsequently addresses the means and approaches adopted by the leaders to counter the challenges and establish envisioned changes through their different enrolments. The role of leadership in the Church moves beyond the religious and sexual discourse to incorporate the agendas that concern the society at large. The research concludes that the role of LGBT Church leadership is integral in reconciling the sexual and religious identities and also with all other social identities of an individual. The Church leadership works inclusively for different social identities by mitigating the intrusive conflicts that might arise due to incompatibility of identity differences.

Forming an identity in a religious environment that condemns homosexuality has posed a major challenge to many gays and lesbians. Realizing one’s homosexual identity under such circumstances often leads to a tension or identity conflict. In seeking to resolve or avoid conflict between their religious and sexual identities, gays and lesbians have applied different negotiation strategies. This study explores the process of identity negotiation among religiously reared homosexuals within the framework of identity theory. The context for this study is the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) Church in South Norway. Through in-depth interviews, I study the related experiences of ten homosexual1 informants raised in the Church, exploring how social ties and religious affiliation have affected their identity negotiation process. Based on a four-path model for conflict resolution strategies, I discuss how the strategies employed by the informants can be understood in terms of identity theory, focusing on the emerging themes in the interviews. Based on the four salient themes of “within-ness,” moral acceptability, silence/avoidance, and the parental role, my thesis suggests an experienced notion of a hegemonic Adventist identity. Governing major and vital aspects of their social and psychological life, most informants make strenuous efforts to conform and reject/suppress their homosexual identity. Culminating in an identity crisis, most end up either rejecting their Adventist identity or seeking to integrate their homosexual and Adventist identities. Using insights from Rappaport’s empowerment theory and Honneth’s theory of recognition, I discuss some normative implications of the findings for positive/healthy identity formation among homosexuals in the Adventist community. I conclude that the emergent themes of Adventist identity in the experience of the informants can be reframed as to create a safe place for gay and lesbian community members.

Denne artikkelen analyserer betydningen av at svenske avisartikler dominerte fremstillingen av den homoseksuelle mannen i norske aviser I årene fra 1950 til 1952. Den svenske homoseksuelle mannen ble fremstilt som en skurk og fungerte som en moralsk advarsel om hvordan homoseksualitet ville spre seg i Norge hvis homoseksualitet ble avkriminalisert her til lands også. Den norske homoseksuelle mannen ble i kontrast fremstilt som et offer.

Avhandlingen tar for seg to rettsprosesser fra 1840- og 1850-tallet hvor kvinner ble tiltalt for å bedrive "omgjengelse mot naturen" med hverandre. Oppgaven undersøker hvordan kvinnelig seksualitet, og spesielt seksuell kontakt mellom kvinner, ble snakket om og forstått i disse rettsprosessene. The thesis examines two court cases from the 1840s and 1850s where women were prosecuted for having "intercourse that is against nature" with each other. It studies the ways in which people talked about and understood female sexuality, in particular female same-sex sexuality, in these two court cases. Historie mastergradsoppgave MAHF-HIS HIS350

My thesis explores the relationship of Anne Rice's characters Louis de Pointe du Lac and Lestat Lioncourt, with emphasis on the consequences of their unspoken love. Focusing on the several emotional bonds that tie them together through transformation of becoming a vampire, of their vampire family and the consequences of their unrealised love. Allmenn litteraturvitenskap mastergradsoppgave ALLV350

This thesis sets out to explore the lives of homosexuals in the AIDS epidemic in Sweden in Jonas Gardell´s trilogy Torka aldrig tårar utan handskar (Don´t Ever Dry Tears Without Gloves). How is queer space able to unfold in connection to concrete places? The thesis utilizes the perspective of queer theory, where the useful terms of queer space and heteronormativity are found. The analysis is divided into two parts based on the important themes of life and death found in the trilogy. The metal ring at the central station called Bögringen (The Gay Ring) and other public places such as parks and streets make up the first part. It becomes evident that these spaces are vital to the very existence of the homosexual lives of the men in the book-series. In these places, they are able to create their own (queer) space, which exists in parallel to the heteronormative surroundings. The concrete spaces that become these queer spaces are nevertheless often challenged by their surroundings, both verbally and physically. Funerals make up the second half of the analysis. Here, two opposite funerals are being looked closer at. These are the funerals of two of the most important men in the trilogy: Rasmus and Paul. In Rasmus´funeral, there is no room for anything (or anyone) that might be associated with homosexuality and AIDS – a queer lifestyle ­– at all, and the boyfriend and all the other friends of the deceased Rasmus are not welcome. Everything queer is banished. The other funeral, Paul´s funeral, celebrates everything that is different, and here, it is the heteronormative, conservative views and thoughts that are being pushed aside. This funeral brings hope (and power) to the queers.

Oppgaven ser kritisk på tidligere tolkninger av den amerikanske kunstneren Charles Demuth (1883-1935). Demuth var homoseksuell og malte flere homoerotiske motiver. Det er problemene som oppstår når man ikke kontekstualiserer homoseksualitet denne oppgaven handler om. En klar todeling av seksualitet i form av kun homoseksuell og heteroseksuell har minimert de seksuelle mulighetene der er å finne i Demuth sine motiver og en moderne forståelse av hva disse konseptene innebærer har også betydd at flere av menneskene Demuth malte har blitt tolket inn i en seksuell identitet som blir anakronistisk. Jeg har hatt som målsetning å se på Demuth og hans kunst med fokus på populærkulturens forståelse av kjønn og seksualitet, i motsetning til legene og rettssystemets definisjoner. Den største forskjellen mellom disse ulike diskursene handler om den homoseksuelles selvforståelse, deres mulighet for å leve lykkelige liv og deres evne til å elske. Jeg har sett på påstander om Demuth som ofte baserer seg på antakelser om at den homoseksuelle selv deler medisinens demoniserende tolkninger av dem. Slike påstander, at han var ensom, isolert og ute av stand til å tro på kjærlighet, har hatt stor påvirkning på senere tolkninger av hans kunst.

Gay men are carrying a history as being suspected as potential pedophiles and non-suited parents, and while the reproductive technology of transnational gestational surrogacy makes it possible for gay men to become parents within heteronormative logics, the constructions of families without a mother are looked upon as problematic at best. Through field observations and interviews with gay men, who have been or who are involved in transnational surrogacy I explore how gay men fragmentize the notion of the mother in to several positions. The article argues that the gay men are reproductive vulnerable and are negotiating and fighting for the possibility to become legible as parents inside a heteronormative and homophobic framework. This relies on their ability to diminish the mother. By activating and using misogynic and colonial discourses and strategies, the gay men eradicate the kinship positions of the surrogate and the donor, thus giving discursive and affective life to gay men’s possibility to embody motherhood and parenthood.

Dans ce travail nous nous proposons de comparer surtout les deux héroïnes dans La Religieuse de Diderot et Claudine à l'école de Colette. Nous mettons l'accent sur la thématique de genre en analysant comment Suzanne et Claudine se comportent vis-à-vis les normes de genre et de sexualité, au couvent et à l'école. Ces deux personnages/narratrices se distinguent de la conception essentialiste de la femme qui s'exprime dans « Sur les femmes » de Denis Diderot et la Psychologie de la femme d'Henri Marion. En nous basant sur ses actes et ses paroles, nous analysons Suzanne et Claudine par rapport à la conception performative de genre de Judith Butler. Quant à la manière dont le lesbianisme est représenté dans les romans, il semble qu'il y a deux interprétations opposées en ce qui concerne La Religieuse, alors que Claudine à l'école semble refléter une conception libérale du cette pratique. Denne masteroppgaven er en sammenligning av romanene La Religieuse (Nonnen) av Denis Diderot og Claudine à l'école (Claudine på skolen) av Colette. Hovedmålet er å analysere hvordan kjønns- og seksualitetsregimet gjør seg gjeldende i de to romanuniversene, og hvordan de kvinnelige hovedpersonene og fortellerne Suzanne og Claudine forholder seg til disse kjønnsnormene. Sentralt for analysen er motsetningen mellom den essensialistiske forståelsen av kjønn som vi finner hos Denis Diderot og Henri Marion, og Judith Butlers performative oppfatning av kjønn. Suzanne og Claudine har det til felles at de bryter med forventningene som stilles til dem som kvinner, og på denne måten motsier oppfatningen av kvinnelighet som essens. Likevel spiller protagonistene på kvinnenormen for å oppnå en ønsket effekt hos en motpart, i Suzannes tilfelle leseren, mens Claudine bruker dette som en forføringsstrategi innad i romanuniverset. Den tvangsmessige heteroseksualiteten, som Butler kaller den heteroseksuelle matrisen, kan ses på som en premiss for institusjonene der handlingen utspiller seg. Klosteret og jenteskolen svarer derimot ikke til forventningene om dydighet. Lesbisk tematikk utspiller seg i begge romanene, og får alvorlige konsekvenser i La Religieuse. Suzannes forhold til seksualiteten er tvetydig og henger sammen med to motstridende måter vi kan tolke framstillingen av lesbisk seksualitet på i La Religieuse. Claudine à l'école ser derimot ut til å forfekte et liberalt syn på denne praksisen. Master i Fransk MAHF-FRAN FRAN350

Fællesanmeldelse af Leif Hasle: Opstandelse og Cecilie Rosdahl: Tyrepose

Dette er en såkalt akseptert versjon av en artikkel tidligere publisert i Norma; se http://www.idunn.no/file/pdf/66709326/kompis_rival_kjaereste_eller_kanskje_bare_homo.pdf This article is an extensive discussion of one of Renberg’s most popular novels; Mannen som elsket Yngve (2003) [trs. The Man who Loved Yngve ]. The primary focus is on the relation between the two comrades, the protagonist Jarle Klepp and his new and fascinating friend Yngve Lima . Defining himself as a normal straight guy, Jarle ventures into a relationship he soon realises is drawn towards erotic feelings and love for his friend. Drawing on Judith Butler and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick the article explores how Yngve tries to reorient himself and his sexuality while still trying to satisfy his homosocial obligations to male friends and heterosexual expectations towards his girlfriend. A crucial point is the novels negotiations of the schism between “heterosexual” and “homosexual”.

The Anti Homosexuality Bill of 2009 included the death penalty for aggravated homosexuality and was propounded as a private member’s bill to the Parliament of Uganda. The bill sparked an international outcry, and since then the debate on the legitimacy of homosexuality has been heated both in- and outside Uganda. Governments and NGOs in the Global North have been condemning the bill, while conservative Christians in Uganda and America have been condemning homosexuality, as they believe it is incompatible with the word of God. We seek to expose the power relations immanent in the homosexuality debate in Uganda, and, in order to do that we will employ Michel Foucault’s analysis of power. Using a discourse analytical perspective, we seek to examine the discourses around homosexuality in Uganda and the meanings and understandings ascribed to homosexuality. Our theoretical foundation consists of Michel Foucault, Kenneth Gergen and Sara Ahmed, whose views on power relations and the importance of rhetoric are epicentral to this dissertation.

Homofile, lesbiske og bifile har oftere symptomer på svekket psykisk helse enn heterofile. Dette er ett av de få sikre funnene om seksuell identitet i levekårsundersøkelsen fra 2008, der vi for første gang inkluderte spørsmål om seksuell tiltrekning og identitet. Det er også tegn på at homofile, lesbiske og bifile har svekkede levekår på andre områder, men her er resultatene usikre. Usikkerheten bunner i at svært få klassifiserer seg selv som ikke-heterofile. Noe av årsaken er at seksuell identitet er et vanskelig fenomen å fange inn i statistiske undersøkelser.

The problem statement of this thesis is as follows: How do you communicate with young homosexuals of non-Danish origin who are in a phase of identification, in order for them to see club “Sabaah” as a meeting point for like-minded people and to develop an identity on their own premises? To answer the question of how one communicates with this target group, it is necessary to determine what being in a phase of identification implies for this exact group. The process of identifying one self as a homosexual of non-Danish origin within this target group must be seen in the light of the intersectional relation between the two categories of “homosexual” and “of non-Danish origin”. Moreover, these two categories intersect with the categories of gender and age, and it looks like gender and age are especially important for the self-negotiation of identity of girls in the phase of identification because their space of action is more limited as opposed to the boys’ space of action. Additionally, the girls are met with the expectations of marriage earlier in life, etc. The period of identification is perceived as being under pressure from both the homosexual and ethnical categories, and at the same time not feeling a part of any of these two categories. The phase of identification for the target group is characterised by the fact that it is not an aim to come out as a homosexual to the parents, but more a question of self-acceptance. In addition, the realm of understanding regarding being open or not being open about one’s homosexuality is inapplicable because this is typically not a question of either/or being homosexual, but rather a grey area in-between. In the phase of identification, the meaning of self-negotiation about having a homosexual identity is raising other questions than whether the individual is homosexual or not, and this is interconnected with four significant patterns of normative imperatives: The imperative that one cannot be homosexual, if one is Muslim, the imperative that one lives for his/her family, the imperative that ‘it’ is not something one talks about and the imperative that on the surface, the girl is the family’s honour. In the communication with this target group, one must be aware of the fact that these young people identify themselves with their ethnic backgrounds and the normative imperatives listed in the above. This means that communication focused on the individual may be difficult for the target group to handle. In the phase of identification, the target group is very much aware of not being stigmatised as homosexuals. Therefore it must be concluded that the principle of discretion must come before any communication with this target group both in terms of channels, messages and language.

Denne reviderte rapporten byggjer på rapporten ”Førebygging og handtering av homofobisk erting. Oversikt og forslag til tiltak” (2007) som vart utarbeida av forskarassistent Hilde Slåtten, førsteamanuensis Norman Anderssen og førsteamanuensis Elisabeth Fosse, utgjeven av Avdeling for samfunnpsykologi ved Universitetet i Bergen (Slåtten, Anderssen, & Fosse, 2007). Delar av denne reviderte rapporten er direkte henta frå den fyrste rapporten medan andre delar er nye. Den reviderte rapporten byggjer òg på eit utprøvingsprosjekt ved tri ungdomsskular, og lærarane sine kunnskapar og erfaringar med å prøve ut dei føreslåtte tiltaka frå den første rapporten. Homofobisk erting er ei særskilt form for erting der ungdom brukar ord og uttrykk om homoseksualitet for å kritisere, rakke ned på eller for å uttrykke noko som er teit, dumt, sprøtt, dårleg eller ukult. Sjølv om erting med homo-ord (til dømes ”homo”, ”homse”, ”lesbe”) kan vere vennlegsinna, ligg det likevel ei underforstått tyding av negativitet knytt til homoseksualitet i denne forma for ordbruk, og ertinga vert difor som regel oppfatta negativt. Å tillate negative kommentarar med homo-ord i skulen utgjer eit viktig vilkår for at negative haldningar til lesbiske og homofile skal få leve vidare blant barn og unge. Homofobisk erting råkar alle. Homofobisk erting inneber at mange slags relasjonar til medelevar av same kjønn direkte og indirekte vert blinka ut, sett ned på og gitt status som potensielt urovekkjande. På den måten verkar homofobisk erting disiplinerande og avgrensande på ein negativ måte for alle elevar. Sjølvsagt er homofobisk erting spesielt vanskeleg for dei elevane som allereie i ung alder identifiserer seg som lesbiske og homofile. Eit miljø som tillet homofobisk erting vil òg råke elevar som seinare vil sjå seg som homofile og lesbiske, og det vil råke elevar med foreldre, sysken og andre nære personar som er homofile eller lesbiske. I følgje Opplæringslova og Kunnskapsløftet er skulane plikta til å skape trygge læringsmiljø og gripe inn når elevar vert utsett for krenkande ord. Siste versjon av Mobbemanifestet seier at skulane skal medverke til at ungdom ikkje vert utsett for homofobi. Lærarar har særs gode føresetnader for å førebyggje og handtere homofobisk erting sidan dei dagleg profesjonelt må forhalde seg til alle slags samhandlingar og konfliktstoff knytt til elevane sin kvardag. Men dei fleste lærarane har ikkje spesiell opplæring i emnet homonegativisme, og dette er ei utfordring. Vidare er skulekvardagen til lærarane svært travel og fylt opp med mange og konkurrerande prosjekt og oppgåver, og det er lite tid for nye og tidkrevjande tiltak. Tiltaka som vert beskrive i denne rapporten, er difor utvikla slik at dei krev lite tid og pengar. Fyrst og fremst er det aktuelt å innlemme førebygging og handtering av homofobisk erting i skulen sin handlingsplan mot mobbing og i skulen sine eksisterande faglege opplegg. Tiltaka vart fyrste gongen presenterte i rapporten ”Førebygging og handtering av homofobisk erting i ungdomsskulen; oversikt og forslag til tiltak”, og vart hausten 2007 prøvde på til saman tri ungdomsskular i Sogn og Fjordane, Hordaland og Rogaland. Lærarane sine kunnskapar og erfaringar med implementeringa av tiltaka vart så brukte til å revidere og vidareutvikle tiltaka, slik at dei passar til norske ungdomsskular. Tiltaka me legg fram i denne reviderte rapporten er: 1. Etablere nulltoleranse mot homofobisk erting og inkludere dette i skulen sin handlingsplan mot mobbing 2. Byggje og nytte kompetanse blant lærarane i handtering av homofobisk erting 3. Auke bevisstheita om homofobisk erting blant elevane 4. Ta avstand frå og slå ned på homofobisk erting Dette er ein rapport som Barne- og likestillingsdepartementet og Utdanningsdirektoratet har finansiert, med Unifob Helse som prosjektansvarleg institusjon.