Lesbian Nurses and Social Consciousness

1
Lesbian Nurses and Social Consciousness

• Lynne S. Giddings PhD
• Auckland University of Technology
• Aotearoa New Zealand
• Peggy L. Chinn, RN, PhD
• University of Connecticut (Emerita)

2
Background

• A life-history study of nurses experience of
  difference in their lives and in nursing
• Aotearoa New Zealand USA
• Participants 26 Lesbian identified 9
• Interviews (x 2-3) and focus groups (x 2)

3
Dominant Cultures
Acquired
Awakened
Expanded
Marginalized Cultures
Giddings Dialectical Model of Social
Consciousness
4
Dialectical Positioning
Acquired Social Consciousness
AwakenedSocial Consciousness
ExpandedSocial Consciousness
5
Social Consciousness Positions

• Acquired
• Social ascription
• Action ascribed
• Uncritical acceptance
• Internalized difference
• Survival in withdrawal

6
Social Consciousness Positions

• Acquired
• Social ascription
• Action ascribed
• Uncritical acceptance
• Internalized difference
• Survival in withdrawal

• Awakened
• Social critique
• Action focused
• Active resistance
• Externalized difference
• Survival in resistance

7
Social Consciousness Positions

• Acquired
• Social ascription
• Action ascribed
• Uncritical acceptance
• Internalized difference
• Survival in withdrawal

• Expanded
• Social relatedness
• Action critically chosen
• Considered resistance
• Social multiplicity
• Survival in contradiction

• Awakened
• Social critique
• Action selected
• Active resistance
• Externalized difference
• Survival in resistance

8
Personal Responses
Acquired Closeting Fitting in Withdrawal
Awakened Active resistance
ExpandedKnowingly stands on the margins
9
Personal Consequences

• Acquired - Inauthenticity
• Self monitoring
• Limited ability to act
• Stress illnesses

10
Acquired Social ConsciousnessCloseting
Fitting-inInauthenticity

• Maureen (NZPakeha)
• I am a chameleon. I have hidden a lot of my
  difference. I have only presented that which fits
  in with the cardboard cut-out nurse . . . I tried
  to be this reasonable person who made myself
  acceptable for other people at an enormous cost
  to myself . . . I would be reasonable and nice
  when I really wanted to scratch their eyes out.
  Instead I smiled.

11
Personal Consequences

• Acquired - Inauthenticity
• Self monitoring
• Limited ability to act
• Stress illnesses

• Awakened - Isolation
• Outsider
• Surveillance of others
• Action confrontational
• Burned out

12
Awakened Social ConsciousnessActive resistance
Burnout

• Beverly (USEuropean)
• There was a time when I was always challenging
  something exhausting got me into a lot of
  trouble
• I volunteer to talk about being lesbian with
  nursing students . . . gay people were scared
  shitless. . . . they acted like wed never met.
  And this was an unexpected backlash that really
  did surprise me. Our closeted sisters and
  brothers didnt want to be exposed. Like if we
  showed up openly gay, that automatically the room
  would turn to them and say, Oh so youre one
  of them!

13
Personal Consequences

• Acquired - Inauthenticity
• Self monitoring
• Limited ability to act
• Stress illnesses

• Expanded Living in contradiction
• Comfortable in my discomfort
• Acts on possibilities
• Social activism an everyday affair
• Obnoxious with dignity

• Awakened - Isolation
• Outsider
• Surveillance of others
• Action confrontational
• Burned out

14
Expanded Social ConsciousnessKnowingly stands
on the margins

• Beverly (USEuropean)
• I choose when not to be out,
• not when to be out.

15
Consequences for Social Action

• Acquired - Unavailable
• Maintains status quo
• Follows rules participates in discriminatory
  practices
• Assumes authority related to role within the
  multiple hierarchies
• Avoids conflict ambiguity

16
Acquired Social ConsciousnessLeading Two Lives

• Kate (USA - European)
• When I first came out I felt incredibly
  liberated. All the pieces were falling together.
  It made total sense. Then the guilt started in. I
  had heard all this stuff about gay people. I
  thought that all I needed was to just choose not
  to do it and pray myself out of it. So if I
  wasnt a good Mormon person, then I must have
  been in this other category a horrible person. So
  it didnt matter what I did, drugs, drinking,
  sex. It didnt matter because I had already
  crossed over the line.

17
Consequences for Social Action

• Acquired - Unavailable
• Maintains status quo
• Follows rules participates in discriminatory
  practices
• Assumes authority related to role within the
  multiple hierarchies
• Avoids conflict ambiguity

• Awakened Constant availability
• Aware of social injustice (self others)
• Names challenges discriminatory practices
• Battleground phenomenon rock breaker

18
Consequences for Social ActionAwakened Social
ConsciousnessRock breaker

• A variety of stories - NZ and USA
• Challenged prejudiced statements made in public
  contexts.
• Was out everywhere Closeted managers ran a
  mile when they knew I was going to be at a
  meeting
• Got into trouble for challenging the hierarchy
• Joined groups that stood for social justice
• Set up womens groups, lesbian support groups,
  womens health groups, student support groups

19
Consequences for Social Action

• Acquired - Unavailable
• Maintains status quo
• Follows rules participates in discriminatory
  practices
• Assumes authority related to role within the
  multiple hierarchies
• Avoids conflict ambiguity a sleeper

• Expanded Selective availability (protects self)
• Chooses battles when to act
• Considers context respect for others aware
  of own privilege
• Expanded repertoire of social action

• Awakened Constant availability
• Aware of social injustice (self others)
• Names challenges discriminatory practices
• Battleground phenomenon a rock breaker

20
Consequences for Social ActionExpanded Social
ConsciousnessConsiders context

• Fiona (USEuropean)
• It diversity is threatening, not only to
  nursing in general, but its threatening to you
  and me. Because you and I would not be sitting
  here having this conversation if we truly valued
  diversity in nursing. Not only just because of
  the subject matter, but because you and I
  wouldnt be in the privileged position that were
  in. And I think we continually fail to recognize
  that.

21
Conclusion

• What is important
• Knowing where we stand and our her-stories
• Understanding our privilege and the associated
  responsibilities
• Making space for others differences as then
  there is more possibility that there will be
  space for us
• Acting with others and naming social injustices
  and taking part in collective social action