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I don’t want to tick the box: Not being straight in the new generation

I don’t want to tick the box: Not being straight in the new generation. Tiffany Apaitia -Vague Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki, New Zealand. Background to New Zealand. Approximately 4 million people Colonised by the British in 1840 Mid to low OECD in terms of economic indicators

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I don’t want to tick the box: Not being straight in the new generation

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  1. I don’t want to tick the box: Not being straight in the new generation Tiffany Apaitia-Vague Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki, New Zealand

  2. Background to New Zealand • Approximately 4 million people • Colonised by the British in 1840 • Mid to low OECD in terms of economic indicators • Same sex sexual relations decriminalised in 1986 • Civil Unions introduced in 2004. Same sex marriage and adoption by same sex couples still not legal.

  3. Background to the Project • Qualitative interviews with 26 social workers, or social work students in their final year of study based in New Zealand, aged between 20 and 32. • Used a narrative methodology (Hollway and Jefferson, 2000) and nVivo for thematic analysis.

  4. Sexual Fluidity • Sexual identities are so fluid that there’s not point in even talking about gay (Savin-Williams, 2006). • Even though sexual identities are social constructed, and names are not perfect we still need to name non heteronormative behaviour (Hammack & Cohler, 2009, 2011).

  5. Isobel • 22 years old, from a small town living in a small city • Indo-Fijian/Pakeha • Had had relationships with men until recently • Didn’t want to describe herself as anything, but at a push she would call herself bisexual

  6. Matt • 23 years old • Pakeha • Grew up in a homophobic house and went to a homophobic school • Recently started exploring his sexuality • Interested in “people” rather than genders

  7. How did they “come out” to me? Matt: “And so I came to terms with my sexuality recently” ______________________________________________ Isobel: “I've been in a same sex relationship so ... Is that something that you identify with? Isobel: Um ... it's relatively new to me, like it's just been this year. Um, but yeah I guess I'm not opposed to it and she made me so happy, it was great

  8. How do Matt names himself “I see sexuality as fluid and just as diverse and people are. In my case my interest is in a fulfilling relationship and a potential partner’s expression of sex and sexuality are just aspects of that person such as ethnicity, culture, religions, profession etc. are. So I'll tick the "interested in people" box”. Matt

  9. How isobel names herself “Um ... I'm not really so much about ... I don't like labels so much. But if I had to tick a box I'd probably tick Bi” Isobel

  10. Tolerance rather than social justice? Dana: And then I was like "well I guess it's up to you really" and I just think if she wants kids then she wants kids and that's up to her and her partner. But I think she was expecting me to be like "oh you can't do that'. So you feel like that's her decision to make? Dana: Yeah Would that ever be the right decision for you, or it's not the right decision for you but you wouldn't impose it on her? Dana: No I don't think it’s my place to judge or pass judgement or anything like that ...

  11. Tolerance rather than social justice “I support the civil union and I like you know, I think that's fine. Marriage I don't know, because to me marriage is so sacred between a man and a woman so ... I don't have any thing against same sex couples at all but whether they could have the same rights as a married man and woman, I don't know. It sounds terrible when you say that though”. Emily, Child Protection Social Worker

  12. Is the concept of sexual fluidity leading us to become lazy about challenging heternormativity? “I don't feel any kind of discrimination to be honest, but I think if I was a little bit more outrageous, you know, I can imagine some people if I was little bit more outrageous in terms of sexuality, I think that there would be a lot more difficulties”. Matt

  13. references Hammack, P. L., & Cohler, B. J. (2009). Narrative Engagement and Stories of Sexual Identity: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Study of Sexual lives. In Hammack, Phllip L & Cohler, Bertram J (Eds.), The Story of Sexual Identity Narrative Perspectives on the Gay and Lesbian Life Course. (pp. 3–23). Oxford: Oxford University Press, USA. Hammack, P.L., & Cohler, B.J. (2011). Narrative, identity, and the politics of exclusion: Social change and the gay and lesbian life course. Sexuality Research and Social Policy, 8, 162–182.  Hollway, W. and Jefferson, T. (2000). Doing Qualitative Research Differently, London: Sage Publishers. Savin-Williams, R. C. (2006). The New Gay Teenager. Cambridge, Mass.; London: Harvard University Press.

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