DEAF-QUEER
Deaf-Queer: Identity and Community in the United States
Study Overview: Deaf-Queer: Identity and Community in the United States is a multi-phase study that includes online ethnography, a bilingual online survey conducted in American Sign Language and English and interviews with Deaf-Queer/LGBTQ+ individuals.
The first phase of the project, the survey, will be the source of data for my MA Thesis. The following phases will be paired with the survey for a larger publication.
The study seeks to center and examine the unique perspectives of Deaf-Queer/LGBTQ+ folk in the United States around the areas of identity and community with special attention given to the process of formation and navigation of intersecting, collective identities. Due to language barriers and limited points of access to the community, scholarly knowledge on Deaf-Queer/LGBTQ+ communities is limited (Leigh et al. 2016; Ware and Marshall 2014; Holcomb 2013). Deaf and Queer/LGBTQ+ communities face wide-reaching discrimination and social inequalities based on their respective intersection and interdependent identities (Michaels and Gorman 2020; Mauldin 2018; Leigh et al. 2016; Bienvenu 2008; Luczak 2007). Although it is well documented that intersecting identities produce unique outlooks on the world and result in novel experiences; there remains much room for scholarship on what can be learned from centering a Deaf-Queer perspective.
The study is rooted in the academic fields of Deaf Studies, ASL studies, Gender and Sexuality studies, and (currently being) designed with consultation from Deaf-Queer community members, Deaf-Queer organizations, and ASL interpreters.
About Ryan as the researcher: As a researcher currently engaged with the Deaf-LGBTQ+ community, it is crucial to acknowledge my own positionality as a queer, white, cisgender, hearing student of American Sign Language. In studying the intersection and relationship between Deaf and Queer identities my position as an LGBTQ+ individual, and user of American Sign Language greatly aided my ability to see and explore the processes I lay out in this work; however, my identity as a hearing, able-bodied person means that I cannot and do not claim to have a full understanding of the lived experiences I explore. The limitations and privileges that come with one’s positionality must be leaned into and embraced to better serve the communities one works with. As a primarily qualitative scholar, I am often a guest in the communities I study and learn from; I view the knowledge I gain as a gift. I view allyship as a verb and I am committed to actions that support the communities I work with; it is my intention with this work to properly represent and center the words and hands of my respondents. In order to accomplish this, I attempt to gather continuous feedback before, during, and after a study. In this process, I actively question my place in the process and question myself about each decision. It is my hope that this reflective work may contribute to growing efforts in the design and implementation of methods to engage populations previously considered unreachable and invite more thought about the importance of community-minded research.
Status: Phase 2 – The survey is currently live. (updated 3/01/23)
IRB: This project is IRB approved as status exempt. The study ID for reference is STUDY00013305. The exempt status means that the qualitative nature of the research and topic did not rise to a level of concern needed for a full board review. The study plan includes all ethical considerations of privacy and consent and goes beyond field standards to ensure security for all participants.
The letter of IRB approval is provided here for transparency.
More Ressources:
Survey FAQ (For use when taking the survey)
What do I mean when I say (Glossary of terms for use when taking the survey)
Sources:
Bienvenu, MJ. 2008. “Queer as Deaf: Intersection.” In Open Your Eyes : Deaf Studies Talking.
Holcomb, T. K. 2013. Introduction to American deaf culture. Oxford University Press.
Leigh et al. 2016. Deaf Culture: Exploring Deaf Communities in the United States. Plural Publishing, Inc.
Luczak, Raymond. 2007. Eyes of Desire 2: A Deaf GLBT Reader. 1st ed., Handtype Press.
Mauldin, Laura. 2018. “‘Coming out’ rhetoric in disability studies: Exploring the limits of analogy by looking at its fit with the Deaf experience”. Disability Studies Quarterly.
Michaels, Paul & Gorman, Abigail. 2020. “Two communities, one family Experiences of young Deaf LGBT+ people living in a minority within a minority.” In Young, Disabled and LGBT+: Voices, Identities and Intersections. Routledge Press, pp. 125-141.
Ware, Syrus Marcus, and Zach Marshall. 2014. “Disabilities and Deaf Cultures.” In Trans Bodies, Trans Selves, edited by Laura Erickson-Schroth, New York: Oxford University Press. 54–61.