Lesley University DigitalCommons@Lesley Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences Counseling and Psychology Dissertations (GSASS) Spring 5-21-2021 Disrupting Cis/Heteronormativity and Interrogating Whiteness: The Advancement of Counseling Through Critical Sex Education Carla Rosinski Lesley University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/counseling_dissertations Part of the Counseling Psychology Commons, and the Counselor Education Commons Recommended Citation Rosinski, Carla, "Disrupting Cis/Heteronormativity and Interrogating Whiteness: The Advancement of Counseling Through Critical Sex Education" (2021). Counseling and Psychology Dissertations. 9. https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/counseling_dissertations/9 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School of Arts and Social Sciences (GSASS) at DigitalCommons@Lesley. It has been accepted for inclusion in Counseling and Psychology Dissertations by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@Lesley. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Disrupting Cis/Heteronormativity and Interrogating Whiteness: The Advancement of Counseling Through Critical Sex Education A Dissertation submitted by Carla R. Rosinski, LMHC, CST In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy LESLEY UNIVERSITY May 2021 DISRUPTING CIS/HETERONORMATIVITY i © 2021 Carla R. Rosinski All rights reserved. DISRUPTING CIS/HETERONORMATIVITY ii Dissertation Final Approval Form Division of Counseling and Psychology Lesley University This dissertation, titled: Disrupting Cis/Heteronormativity and Interrogating Whiteness: The Advancement of Counseling Through Critical Sex Education as submitted for final approval by Carla R. Rosinski under the direction of the chair of the dissertation committee listed below. It was submitted to the Counseling and Psychology Division and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Degree at Lesley University. Approved: Peiwei Li, PhD Rakhshanda Saleem, PhD Shanna K. Kattari, PhD, MEd, CSE, ACS ______ Susan Gere, PhD Sandra Walker, MBA March 30, 2021_______________ Date of Final Approval DISRUPTING CIS/HETERONORMATIVITY iii Acknowledgements I would like to express my gratitude to the amazing sex educators who were sampled in this dissertation. I have deeply benefited from engaging with the small examples of their work which are present in the podcast episodes analyzed here. These educators are just a few of the many who are doing extraordinary work in critical sex education and collective liberation. I will continue to be a dedicated listener and student of their work far beyond the scope of this project. Sunny Megatron and Ken Melvion-Berg of the American Sex Podcast @sexologybae and her interview with Sunny and Ken Sara and Jay of the Queer Sex Ed podcast Jimanekia Eborn of Trauma Queen Podcast Ericka Hart and their interview with Jimanekia Andrew Gurza of Disability after Dark podcast Dalychia Saah of Afrosexology and her interview on Sexology Thank you for sharing your knowledge and wisdom. To my dissertation committee: Dr. Peiwei Li, Dr. Rakhshanda Saleem and Dr. Shanna K. Kattari I have been incredibly honored to have the three of you with me on this journey. Thank you for your wisdom, guidance, and generosity throughout this process. I am eternally grateful to you three. To my ‘Critical Friends’- Your friendships are more valuable than this degree could ever be. I am profoundly grateful for the support, collaboration and growth we have experienced together. Thank you for challenging me, encouraging me and celebrating me when I needed it most. I cannot over emphasis the love and gratitude I have for my partner and husband, Eddie Sanford: There are so many ways in which I would not be where I am if not for you. Thank you for being on this journey with me. Thank you for always believing in me and for the daily nourishment you provide - through your support, wisdom, and laughter. It is not easy to be a partner to a doctoral student, and I can’t thank you enough for the sacrifices you have made so that I could pursue this goal. In countless ways I am a better person because of you. I wish my parents were here for this. I miss you both daily. DISRUPTING CIS/HETERONORMATIVITY iv Dedication In gratitude and solidarity with the generations of activists and community organizers who fight daily for equity and justice DISRUPTING CIS/HETERONORMATIVITY v Abstract This dissertation provides a critical analysis of how cis/heteronormativity is reproduced and/or challenged in sexuality and gender discourses. Additionally, this research aims for critical consciousness raising and serves as further evidence of the need to integrate critical human sexuality training in counselor education. The meta theoretical orientation of this research combines liberation psychology, queer and Crip theories, and critiques of settler colonialism. These theories combine to illustrate the “wheel of domination” created by colonialism, capitalism, and white supremacy. Critical discourse analysis is utilized with naturalistic occurring data in the form of Podcast episodes on the topics of ‘sex ed’ and ‘sex and/or relationship advice’. The results of the analysis are presented in three parts: sex mis/education, discourse that lacks a structural/power analysis and discourse that contains a structural/power analysis. Ultimately, the critical analysis of cis/heteronormativity illuminates its function in preserving the cultural/sexual ideology that supports the creation and maintenance of systems of oppression including racism and ableism. DISRUPTING CIS/HETERONORMATIVITY vi Table of Contents Acknowledgment ……………………………………………………………………………… iii Dedication ……………………………………………………………………………………… iv Abstract …………………………………………………………………………………………. v Table of Contents ……………………………………………………………………………….vi List of Figures ……………………………………………………………………………...…. xiv List of Tables …………………………………………………………………………………...xv Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Sexuality and Wellbeing ................................................................................................................. 3 Purpose of Research ........................................................................................................................ 6 Research Question .......................................................................................................................... 7 Researcher Positionality.................................................................................................................. 7 On Interrogating Whiteness ...................................................................................................... 10 On Settler Colonialism .............................................................................................................. 11 Significance of Study .................................................................................................................... 12 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................................. 15 Language and Definition of Terms ........................................................................................... 16 Summary of Design ...................................................................................................................... 20 Summary of Findings .................................................................................................................... 21 Overview of Dissertation .............................................................................................................. 23 Chapter 2: Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 25 Theoretical Framework ................................................................................................................. 27 Liberation Psychology .............................................................................................................. 27 DISRUPTING CIS/HETERONORMATIVITY vii Commitment Statement of Collective Liberation .................................................................. 31 Queer Theory ............................................................................................................................ 32 Crip Theory ............................................................................................................................... 33 Settler Colonialism and Heteropatriarchy ................................................................................. 34 The Wheel of Domination: White Supremacy, Capitalism and Colonialism ........................... 37 Conceptual Analysis of Sexuality and Power ............................................................................... 40 Biopower ................................................................................................................................... 41 The Deployment of Power through Settler Sexuality and the Creation of Citizenry ............... 45 Capitalism and Anti-Blackness as “Science” ........................................................................... 48 Regulatory Practices at the Social Level .....................................................................................