The Role of Communication in the Identification of Gay Refugees and Asylees throughout Migration by Nathian Shae Rodriguez, M. A. A Dissertation In Media & Communication Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of Texas Tech University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Approved Kenton T. Wilkinson, Ph.D. Chair of Committee Robert M. Peaslee, Ph.D. Elizabeth Trejos-Castillo, Ph.D. Bryan McLaughlin, Ph.D. Marilda Oviedo, Ph.D. Mark Sheridan Dean of the Graduate School August, 2016 Copyright 2016, Nathian S. Rodriguez Texas Tech University, Nathian S. Rodriguez, August 2016 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to first thank my dissertation chair Dr. Kent Wilkinson. Thank you for all your help and guidance over the last three years. I’m especially grateful for your trust and faith in my teaching and research. I would also like to thank my committee members Dr. Rob Peaslee, Dr. Elizabeth Trejos, Dr. Marilda Oviedo, and Dr. Bryan McLaughlin. Each of you contributed to my personal and academic growth in your own unique way. Thank you for taking the time and having the patience to mentor me and lead me through my academic endeavors. You have each set a benchmark of academic excellence that I can only hope of achieving one day. I would also like to thank the faculty in the College of Media of Communication, all of whom helped in my studies and academic development. Special shout out to Bridget for all her hard work and dedication! I would especially like to thank Dr. Zhang for his diligent and genuine efforts in helping shape the academic rigor and integrity of Ph.D. program. Your tireless efforts have not gone unnoticed. Thank you to Dr. Stoker for believing in my teaching abilities and placing me in challenging, yet rewarding teaching positions within the college. And finally, a very special thanks to Ann Rodriguez. You were the first person to truly believe in my research and encouraged me to pursue LGBTQ studies. Thank you for helping me believe in myself! I would also like to thank Dr. Joe Hodes for serving as the Graduate Dean’s representative for my dissertation defense. This study was supported by grants from the following entities housed inside Texas Tech University’s College of Media & Communication: the Thomas Jay Harris Institute for Hispanic and International Communication (HIHIC); Office of Graduate Studies; the Regent Professors’ Graduate Student Research Small Grant; and the Billy I. Ross Fund. Thank you so much for providing the resources for my dissertation. Also, thank you to Dr. Munoz, Jobi Martinez, Dr. Frazier, the Division of Institutional Diversity, Equity, & Community Engagement, and the Cross-Cultural Academic Advancement Center for supporting my research endeavors while at Texas Tech. ii Texas Tech University, Nathian S. Rodriguez, August 2016 The friendships I made during this demanding process also deserve special acknowledgment. Thank you to Mary Liz for being my sanity and my chaperon during my first year. You are my Yoda! Lindsey and Jenn, you two have been my support system, my muses, and my confidants throughout the program. Thank you for listening to all of my crazy research ideas, complaints, and engaging me in some of the best social justice conversations I’ve ever had in my life. Thank you to Jobi for the endless late nights, and sometimes early morning, conversations. You were one of the first administrators I met when I started the program at Tech. You were the catalyst for my research endeavors and a champion for diversity. Thank you! Katie Miller, you are extraordinary and have inspired me beyond words. Your strength and dedication to a cause greater than yourself is truly motivating. We need a million more of you! Last, but certainly not least I would like to think my family. My mother, the doyenne, and my grandmother, my duenna, have been my motivation for finishing this program. Thank you both for always believing in me and unconditionally loving and encouraging me to pursue grander things in life. Thank you to my two brothers, nieces, nephew, Godchildren, and cousins for your unwavering support. Thanks to my compadres Ben and Samantha for putting up with one of the most difficult transitions in our lives. You are appreciated more than you realize. To my radio family I left to pursue my true calling, thank you for understanding and still sticking by me. A most humble and exalted thanks to my Lord and Savior, without whom I am nothing. I’ve been blessed more than I deserve. iii Texas Tech University, Nathian S. Rodriguez, August 2016 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS .................................................................................... ii ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................ viii LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................... xi INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................... xii I. LGBTI PERSECUTION & THE MIDDLE EASTERNER .......................... 1 Western Influence ............................................................................................. 2 Immigration, LGBTIs, and the U.S. .................................................................. 7 II. QUEER DIASPORA AND THE MIDDLE EASTERN GAY ................... 15 Diaspora .......................................................................................................... 16 Queer Diaspora................................................................................................ 18 III. TRANSNATIONAL COMMUNICATION ............................................... 22 Historical Context ........................................................................................... 23 Globalization ................................................................................................... 27 Western Media & the Middle East .................................................................. 30 Digital Content ................................................................................................ 33 Digital Advocacy and the Global Citizen ....................................................... 35 Digital Advocacy and the NGO ...................................................................... 38 Media, Communication, & Identity ................................................................ 40 IV. IDENTITY: INDIVIDUAL & SOCIAL ..................................................... 42 Theoretical Roots ............................................................................................ 43 Social Identity ................................................................................................. 46 Theoretical Relevance ..................................................................................... 52 V. RESEARCH QUESTIONS & METHOD .................................................... 54 Research Questions ......................................................................................... 54 Methodology ................................................................................................... 58 Etic & Emic ..................................................................................................... 60 iv Texas Tech University, Nathian S. Rodriguez, August 2016 Interviews ........................................................................................................ 62 LGBTI Refugee/Aaylee Participants ........................................................ 63 Procedures ................................................................................................. 66 NGO Participants ...................................................................................... 67 The NGOs ................................................................................................. 68 Procedures ................................................................................................. 70 Focused Ethnography ...................................................................................... 71 Measurement ................................................................................................... 74 Functional Equivalence ............................................................................. 74 Reliability and Validity ............................................................................. 76 Ethics ......................................................................................................... 77 Operationalization ........................................................................................... 79 Identity/Identification ................................................................................ 79 Communication ......................................................................................... 81 Organizational Communication ................................................................ 82 Interpersonal Communication ................................................................... 83 Media Use ................................................................................................. 84 Analysis ..................................................................................................... 86 VI. SAN FRANCISCO & THE LGBT MIDDLE EASTERN ASYLEE ....... 87 A Night in the Castro ...................................................................................... 96 The Eagle and the Bears ...............................................................................