Faculty Mentor Information
Dr. Lisa McClain (Mentor), Boise State University
Abstract
As scholars such as Dr. Bonnie J. Morris have discussed, there is a well known divide between Lesbians and Gays in the LGBTQ+ community. For decades, gay men have typically taken leadership of the LGBTQ+ movement and prioritized their own identities and experiences as gay men as representative of all of LGBTQ+ persons. Lesbians have often felt their struggles as gay women have been overlooked or minimized within the movement. This issue of dismissal has been mentioned in passing in scholarship, but not investigated in-depth, as it is more subtle than other forms of sexism women have endured historically. Because of this lack of knowledge, I am investigating gender privileges in the LGBTQ+ community in Idaho, focusing on issues such as language, representation, communication, and leadership. I have explored this by digging through Boise States archives, particularly the LGBT Collections, focusing on previous oral histories, as well as interviewing and personally taking oral histories from LGBTQ+ Idahoans about their internal community struggles. I found confirmation of this disregard towards gay women, but I also found that while there is division and exclusion, there is also unity in the LGBTQ+ Idahoan community.
Gendered Privilege in the Idahoan LGBTQ+ Community
As scholars such as Dr. Bonnie J. Morris have discussed, there is a well known divide between Lesbians and Gays in the LGBTQ+ community. For decades, gay men have typically taken leadership of the LGBTQ+ movement and prioritized their own identities and experiences as gay men as representative of all of LGBTQ+ persons. Lesbians have often felt their struggles as gay women have been overlooked or minimized within the movement. This issue of dismissal has been mentioned in passing in scholarship, but not investigated in-depth, as it is more subtle than other forms of sexism women have endured historically. Because of this lack of knowledge, I am investigating gender privileges in the LGBTQ+ community in Idaho, focusing on issues such as language, representation, communication, and leadership. I have explored this by digging through Boise States archives, particularly the LGBT Collections, focusing on previous oral histories, as well as interviewing and personally taking oral histories from LGBTQ+ Idahoans about their internal community struggles. I found confirmation of this disregard towards gay women, but I also found that while there is division and exclusion, there is also unity in the LGBTQ+ Idahoan community.