Times and Spaces: LGBT Movements and Reparative Therapy in Contemporary Poland
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The London School of Economics and Political Science Politics of Sexuality in Neoliberal(ized) Times and Spaces: LGBT Movements and Reparative Therapy in Contemporary Poland Magdalena Mikulak Thesis submitted to the Department of Gender Studies of the London School of Economics and Political Science for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, London, September 2017 1 Declaration I certify that the thesis I have presented for examination for the MPhil/PhD degree of the London School of Economics and Political Science is solely my own work other than where I have clearly indicated that it is the work of others (in which case the extent of any work carried out jointly by me and any other person is clearly identified in it). The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without my prior written consent. I warrant that this authorization does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. I declare that my thesis consists of 95,175 words. Statement of use of third party for editorial help I can confirm that my thesis was copy edited for conventions of language, spelling and grammar by Dr Dylan O’Driscoll. 2 Abstract Research on the politics of sexuality and the LGBT movement in contemporary Poland tends to overlook the larger socio-economic changes that affect them. Omitting these processes from studies of sexuality, given the profound transformations occurring in Poland over the last two to three decades, produces incomplete accounts. This study builds on the existing knowledge of the politics of sexuality in contemporary Poland and extends it by addressing the question of whether and how processes of neoliberalization matter and how differences of class, gender, and location position subjects differently within the landscape of politics of sexuality. Through a mixed qualitative approach, combining content and discourse analysis with semi-structured in-depth interviews, this project addresses existing empirical and theoretical research gaps. Empirically, it engages with the LGBT movement in general, focusing on two largely unstudied phenomena: Christian LGBT organizing – as exemplified by Wiara i Tęcza (WiT, Faith and Rainbow) – and religiously motivated sexual reorientation therapy, also known as Reparative Therapy (RT). Theoretically, this study explores how processes of neoliberalization collude with existing patriarchal regimes shaping individual subjectivities, but also affecting the kind of politics that are possible both locally and globally. Drawing on the literature on sexuality and capitalism I argue that WiT’s project is best understood through what I term godly homonormativity. My analysis of RT is informed by the literature on psychotherapeutics and how these align with neoliberal ideas of personhood but moving beyond the individual level, I argue that RT should be understood as commodification of homophobia and it must be analyzed in relation to the neoliberal framework that enables it. Finally, I demonstrate that LGBT organizing and RT are classed, localized and gendered and argue that these complex intersections can only be understood by linking them back to the material conditions in which they are produced. 3 Acknowledgements First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the people who took part in this research as interview participants. In the interest of protecting their anonymity I am not able to name them here, but I want to thank each of them for sharing their time and their stories with me. Undertaking this study has been an incredibly formative experience both professionally and personally, and it would not have been possible without the generosity of the people who took part in the interviews that inform it. In particular I would like to thank the Wiara i Tęcza group, who have been very generous and patient with their time and whose members also facilitated my access to other participants, making this research feasible. I want to thank my PhD supervisor, Ania Plomien, who has been immensely supportive. I am incredibly fortunate to have found a supervisor whose reassuring presence, high standards and detailed, thorough feedback illuminated the often- winding path that the research has taken over the last four years. Special thanks also goes to Clare Hemmings, my PhD advisor, whose helpful feedback has greatly improved the thesis. I would like to thank the London School of Economics and Political Science Studentship Scheme. My PhD studentship provided the financial means necessary to even contemplate undertaking this study. I am also grateful to the members of faculty at the Department of Gender Studies and all the PhD students who read various drafts of chapters throughout my time at the Gender Institute (recently renamed the Department of Gender Studies). In particular, I would like to thank Miha Fugina for being a colleague, a friend and a comrade. Special thanks also to Amanda Shaw, Julia Hartviksen and Louisa Acciari for their support, encouragement, and company. Thanks to my family and friends who have always made me feel that they value the work I do. I am especially thankful to my sisters Marika and Marta for their ongoing encouragement. My gratitude also goes to my parents Elżbieta Grażyna and Leszek Mikulak, for instilling in me the conviction that education and knowledge are keys to a life well lived. Last, but certainly not least, I want to thank Dylan for being my biggest fan and my most enthusiastic proofreader. 4 Table of Contents Declaration 2 Abstract 3 Acknowledgements 4 Chapter 1: Introduction 8 1.1 The research question and motivation behind the study 8 1.2 Introducing the theoretical framework and analytical approach 11 1.3 Introducing the context 16 1.3.1. Politics of sexuality in postsocialist Poland 16 1.3.2. Catholic Church’s position on homosexuality 19 1.3.3. Reparative Therapy home and away 21 1.3.4 Poland’s neoliberal transformation 25 1.3.5 Class in postsocialist Poland 28 1.4 Thesis structure and contributions to knowledge 34 Chapter 2: Literature Review 39 2.1 Introduction 39 2.1.1 Materialist feminism 43 2.2 Neoliberalism and the self within 46 2.2.1 Individualization 50 2.2.2 The self-governed, therapeutic self 54 2.3 Sexuality and class in neoliberal times and spaces 57 2.3.1 Homonormativity 65 2.4. Concluding remarks 68 Chapter 3: Polish LGBT movement and Reparative Therapy in Context 71 3.1 Introduction 71 3.2 Situation of LGBT persons and the LGBT movement in Poland 72 3.2.1 Gays and lesbians under the socialist regime 72 3.2.2 HIV/AIDS epidemic and the emerging LG movement in Poland in 1980s and 1990s 75 3.2.3 LGBT movement in Poland in the context of the EU accession 80 3.2.4 Weathering the storm? Situation of LGBT people and the LGBT movement in Poland since 2007 87 3.3 Where science meets religion – RT in the US 94 3.3.1 Reparative Therapy in the US – Foundations and Influences 96 3.3.2 RT in the US post 1973 98 3.3.3 Main challenges to and critique of RT 102 3.3.4 Right to therapy and our science is more scientific than your science 105 3.3.5 RT’s global aspirations 108 3.4. Concluding remarks 109 Chapter 4: Researching Reparative Therapy and the LGBT movement in Poland 110 4.1. Introduction 110 4.2. Analysis of published data 113 4.3. Interviews 116 4.3.1. Initial design 117 4.3.2 Process and final outcome 118 4.3.3. Interviews – practicalities 122 4.3.4. Survey: design, advantages and shortcomings 126 4.4. Data management and the use of software 129 5 4.5. Epistemological considerations, reflexivity and ethics 131 4.5.1. Translation 135 4.6. Concluding remarks 137 Chapter 5. Polish LGBT Movement, Christian LGBT organizing, Gender and WiT’s Godly Homonormativity 139 5.1 Introduction 139 5.2 Polish LGBT movement and the limits of inclusion 141 5.2.1 The non-issue of religion? 141 5.2.2 Altering (Some) Blueprints 150 5.3 Gender issues and the godly homonormativity of WiT 155 5.3.1 Better off as women? 155 5.3. 2. Homonormativity and WiT's godly homonormativity 158 5.4. Pushing the boundaries for LGBT Christians within Church-endorsed heterosexual primacy 166 Chapter 6: The Self-Governed And Self-Disciplined (Male) Self Of Reparative Therapy 167 6.1 Introduction 167 6.1.1. Testimonies 168 6.3 RT as a technology for self-governance 171 6.3.1 Disciplining the self 173 6.3.2 RT as a group practice 176 6.4 Lasting damage of RT 178 6.4. On Mothers, Wives And Virgin Mary 181 6.5 Role of experts 186 6.6 Telling the poor man he can become rich 188 Chapter 7: Classing And Locating Sexualities In Poland 190 7.1 Introduction 190 7.2. RT in Poland – Whom for? Classing RT 192 7.2.1. Do you get what you pay for? 199 7.3 The LGBT movement in Poland - who and for whom? 204 7.4 Locating discrimination, locating emancipation 211 7.4.1 Classing locations 217 7.5 Questioning the classist and metrocentrist assumptions 219 Chapter 8: Discussion and Conclusion 221 8.1 Sexualities and the logic of the market: Discussion 221 8.1.1 Filling in the gap 222 8.1.2. Commodifying homophobia 229 8.2. Areas for further research 232 8.3 Conclusion: Sexual politics in neoliberalism, a critique 235 Appendices 242 Appendix 1: Biographical data of the participant 242 Appendix 2: Information sheet 249 Appendix 3: Consent form 250 Appendix 4: Call for participation 251 Appendix 5: Published materials 252 Appendix 6: Map of Poland 254 Bibliography 255 6 List of Tables Table 1.1 Social classes in Poland before and after 1989 31 Table 4.1 RT groups’ documents analyzed 114 Table 4.2 Planned interview topics overview 117 List of Figures Figure 4.1.