Illinois State University ISU ReD: Research and eData Theses and Dissertations 10-11-2015 Life is Calling...How Far Will You Go...Back in the Closet? Identity Negotiation and Management Among Queer, Peace Corps Volunteers Kate Elizabeth Slisz Illinois State University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd Part of the African Languages and Societies Commons, African Studies Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons, and the Sociology Commons Recommended Citation Slisz, Kate Elizabeth, "Life is Calling...How Far Will You Go...Back in the Closet? Identity Negotiation and Management Among Queer, Peace Corps Volunteers" (2015). Theses and Dissertations. 546. https://ir.library.illinoisstate.edu/etd/546 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by ISU ReD: Research and eData. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ISU ReD: Research and eData. For more information, please contact [email protected]. LIFE IS CALLING…HOW FAR WILL YOU GO…BACK IN THE CLOSET? IDENTITY NEGOTIATION AND MANAGEMENT AMONG QUEER, PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS Kate E. Slisz 273 Pages There is little to no research surrounding the experiences of queer, foreign-aid workers. To address this gap, a study was conducted to explore how compulsory heterosexuality affects the social construction of sexuality in societies where queer, foreign-aid workers serve and how this influences their identity negotiation and management processes. Participants consisted of ten self-identified queer, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs), as well as, the researcher herself who also identifies as queer. Data was gathered through both semi-structured interviews and autoethnographic research. Meaning structuring through narratives was used to analyze the data. Analysis revealed that strategies of silencing, counterfeiting, and lying by omission were popular identity negotiation practices among participants, as well as relying on the heteronormative assumption. Additionally, data showed that compulsory heterosexuality played a major role in the social construction of sexuality where these queer volunteers served, as heteronormativity continues to be perpetuated and reinforced by various institutions, including the government, religion, education, social norms, and the media. Finally, it was found that the foreign-aid organization examined in the study—The Peace Corps—played a passive role in the negotiation and management strategies of its queer volunteers. Therefore, this study recommends that three practical steps be taken to better train and support future, queer Peace Corps Volunteers: (1) Sensitivity training for Peace Corps staff, (2) infusion of LGBT issues into volunteers’ training sessions, (3) and creation and distribution of resources for queer volunteers. KEYWORDS: Compulsory Heterosexuality, Identity Negotiation and Management, Intersectionality of Identity, Queer Studies, Social Construction of Sexuality, Sub- Saharan African Studies LIFE IS CALLING…HOW FAR WILL YOU GO…BACK IN THE CLOSET? IDENTITY NEGOTIATION AND MANAGEMENT AMONG QUEER, PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS KATE E. SLISZ A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Department of Sociology and Anthropology ILLINOIS STATE UNIVERSITY 2016 Copyright 2016 Kate E. Slisz LIFE IS CALLING…HOW FAR WILL YOU GO…BACK IN THE CLOSET? IDENTITY NEGOTIATION AND MANAGEMENT AMONG QUEER, PEACE CORPS VOLUNTEERS KATE E. SLISZ COMMITTEE MEMBERS: Maria Schmeeckle, Chair Becca Chase Marion Willetts ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to express my deepest gratitude to my advisor Dr. Maria Schmeeckle for her full support, guidance, understanding, and encouragement throughout the duration of this project. Without her incredible patience and faith in me, my thesis work would have been nearly impossible. I would also like to express my appreciation to Dr. Becca Chase and Dr. Marion Willets for having served on my committee. A special thanks also goes to the fellow Peace Corps volunteers I served with from 2012-2014 in Sub-Saharan Africa. Without their unwavering support, I would not have been able to successfully complete my Peace Corps service nor this thesis. For two years, we failed together, we succeeded together, and we learned more about ourselves and the world than we ever thought possible. Forever and always, I will be grateful for knowing each and every one of you. Additional thanks goes to the participants of my study. For their sacrifice of going back into the closet in an effort to better our world and for sharing their stories so openly with me, I am eternally grateful. Furthermore, to all queer individuals in the foreign-aid sector that came before me, served with me, and that will come after me, I thank you and respect you deeply. In the closet or not, we are a community. We have a voice. We can make a difference. Thank you for proving that each and every day. i Finally, I would like to thank my family and girlfriend for their unconditional love and support during this process. Without their constant reassurance and motivation, this thesis would be a perpetual work in progress. K. E. S. ii CONTENTS Page ACKNOWLEDGMENTS i CONTENTS iii IMPORTANT NOTE vii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION 1 Research Questions 2 Gaps in the Literature 3 Sociological Significance 4 II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE 5 Compulsory Heterosexuality 5 Origin of the Concept 5 Foundation for a Critical, Social Theory of Sexuality 8 The Status of Compulsory Heterosexuality Today 9 Compulsory Heterosexuality in a Global Perspective 14 Sexual Identity and Negotiation Management 17 Identity and Self 17 Intersectionality of Identity: Seeing People as Multi-Faceted 20 Sexuality and Identity 21 Queer Identity Negotiation and Management Strategies 24 Queer Identity Management in the Workplace 24 Identity Management Among Queer Migrants 29 iii Identity Management Among Queer Anthropologists Conducting Fieldwork 34 Literature Search Strategies 41 III. DESIGN AND METHODS 42 Overall Approach and Rationale 42 Data Collection Methods 43 The Role of Semi-Structured Interviews 43 The Role of Autoethnography and Reflexivity 45 Sample 46 Participants 47 Country of Service 48 History of Peace Corps in Country of Service 49 Peace Corps' Focus in Country of Service 50 Legal Status of LGBT Individuals in Country of Service 51 Data Management and Data Analysis 53 Ethical Issues 55 IV. RESULTS AND ANALYSIS 57 The Narrative of a Peace Corps Volunteer 58 A Seed is Planted... 59 Applying for Service 61 To Come Out or to Not Come Out? 62 Being Invited to Serve and Researching the Social Climate 66 Desire to Serve Outweighs Concerns of Going Back into the Closet 69 Preparing for Departure: Saying Good-Bye to the Familiar 70 And so it Begins: The Staging Process 72 Good-Bye America: Hello to the Toughest Job You'll Ever Love...and/or Hate 75 Learning How Intersectionality of Identity Impacts Service 78 Coming Out to Fellow Volunteers 84 Leaving PST Behind and Heading to Site 86 iv Discovering the Varying Attitudes Surrounding Homosexuality 87 Don' t Ask, Don't Tell 89 It's All Relative: Social Climate Surrounding Homosexuality 93 An LGBT Movement: Thriving and Growing 101 Volunteers' Identity and Negotiation Strategies 105 Impact of Suppressing One's Identity 110 Coming Out to Locals 112 The Struggle to Remain Authentic to One's Self 119 Taking Part in the Local LGBT Social Scene 125 Coping Strategies for Going Back in the Closet 127 Queer Volunteers Dating in the Peace Corps 133 Additional Coping Strategies 140 The Role of Intersectionality of Identity on One's Peace Corps Service 141 Taking on a Peace Corps Persona 160 An Unauthentic and Superficial State of Being 163 Heading Home 165 Readjusting to Life Outside the Closet 166 Conclusion 170 Summary 171 Discussion 173 Limitations 179 Future Research Suggestions 180 V. IMPLICATIONS AND PRACTICAL SOLUTIONS 183 Need for Improvement: Queer Volunteers Voice Concerns 184 Improving Social Climates Where Volunteers Serve 187 What Changes are Necessary? 188 Taking Action: Practical Steps to Better Serve Queer Volunteers 193 Sensitivity Training for Peace Corp Staff 193 Infusion of LGBT Issues into Volunteers' Training Sessions 197 Creation and Distribution of Resources for Queer Volunteers 198 In Summary 205 REFERENCES 207 v APPENDIX A: Interview Protocol 227 APPENDIX B: LGBT Sensitivity Training Example 231 APPENDIX C: Conversational Guide Example 248 vi IMPORTANT NOTE With the controversy that exists surrounding the use of the term “queer”, it is important to note how this particular study views and defines the term. “In English, the word ‘queer’ originally meant ‘strange’ in the broadest sense. This word comes from the Germanic root quer, which means ‘to cut across’ or ‘at an angle to,’ so it has the connotation of being off the straight (or normal) path” (Steinberg 2009: para. 3). In the beginning of the 20th Century, “queer” began to be used as a derogatory term against the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community (Steinberg 2009). More recently though, members of the LGBT community have been working to reclaim the word and eradicate the negative connotations society has attached to it. “Many people who choose to identify as queer do so because they feel it allows for a broader identity as opposed to the more perceived rigid labels of bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender” (UUA 2001, ¶ 2). These individuals view the term “queer” to be “more open, fluid, and all-encompassing” (UUA 2001: ¶ 2). This study supports the notion that sexuality is fluid and cannot and should not be confined to rigid, heterocentric categories. Therefore, this study uses “queer” as “an inclusive, unifying sociopolitical umbrella-term for persons who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, pansexual, transgender, transsexual, intersexual, etc.” (Steinberg 2009: ¶ 3) vii CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Due to globalization, our world is more connected than ever. Globalization can be defined as “the compression of the world and the intensification of consciousness of the world as a whole” (Robertson 1992:8). One of the effects of globalization has been an increase in the foreign-aid sector.