Is Silence Golden? Experiences Of Silence, Stigma And Cultural Violence Among LGB People In El Paso, TX
Abstract
Stigma not only affects how one is treated within a society; it is also one of the factors influencing social identity and sexual behavior. LGB individuals, as part of a stigmatized group, form their sexual identities in a culture and society that is hostile to or ignorant of them. This project synthesizes 14 ethnographic interviews with LGB individuals in El Paso, TX. The interviews focus on the formative years of the individual's life on the U.S.-Mexico Border, namely their school years and early formation through family socialization. They also focus on LGBT individuals' perceptions of their community and the city at large in terms of violence, safety and stigma. Few studies on the U.S. Mexico border have looked at how silence, stigma and sexuality intersect and affect social identity among LGBT individuals. This exploration of sexual identity and society on the U.S.-Mexico border increases the understanding of the role of stigma and violence in the generation of social identities.
Subject Area
Social research|Sociology
Recommended Citation
Gonzalez, Elias, "Is Silence Golden? Experiences Of Silence, Stigma And Cultural Violence Among LGB People In El Paso, TX" (2011). ETD Collection for University of Texas, El Paso. AAI1498291.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/dissertations/AAI1498291