An abridged history of queer-themed research papers at Concordia

Many Concordia master’s and doctorate graduates have authored queer-themed theses over the decades.

Here are some that are available to read online:

I: Lesbian by Carolyn Gammon, MA 94, is a collection of poetry informed by lesbian feminist critical theory. This thesis represented the first awarding of a Magisteriate in Arts degree at Concordia.

News of an Epidemic : Exploring the Discourse of ’Deviance’ in the Construction of AIDS by Robyn Sussel, MA 93, explores how gay men were underrepresented in the early media discourse about HIV/AIDS.

Mainstreaming Martina: Representing Lesbians in the ’90s by Valerie Leila Armstrong, MA 97, explores the proliferation of representations of lesbians in North American mainstream media in the early to mid-1990s.

Mental Health Challenges and Resilience in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Young Adults: Biological and Psychological Internalization of Minority Stress and Victimization by Michael Benibgui, MA 02, PhD 10, explores the factors affecting poor mental-health outcomes in LGB youth and young adults.

Gay Men’s Friendships: Cross-Generational Analyses of Two Age Cohorts in Montréal by Matthew Dionisio, BA 08, MA 11, offers a comparative analysis of older and younger gay men in the city and how they developed safe spaces and a sense of community.

“Look over here, look over there, lesbians are everywhere”: Locating Activist Lesbians in Queer Liberation History by Kelly Phipps, PhD 20, examines the role of queer women at the world-renowned Toronto-based lesbian and gay liberation journal The Body Politic, which was published monthly between 1971 and 1987.

Over the Rainbow, Beyond the Screen: Queer Legacies of The Wizard of Oz (1939) in Contemporary Art and Visual Culture by Austin Henderson, MA 20, borrows scholarship from queer theory and film studies to analyze and contextualize one of the most viewed and most influential motion pictures of all time.

Transgender TikTok: Analyzing Insider and Outsider Perspectives of a Heavily Debated Topic by Julia Srouji, MA 23, deconstructs a world of polarizing content about trans individuals and topics on the popular social media app.

Emotional Discourses of Conservative Opposition to LGBTQ2S+ Rights in the United States by Logan Bates, MA 23, examines a rise in laws south of the border that purport to focus on parental rights and the well-being of children but that actually lead to a curtailment of LGBTQ2S+ rights and protections.