Graduation Year
2023
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree
Ph.D.
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
Degree Granting Department
Sociology
Major Professor
S. L. Crawley, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Margarethe Kusenbach, Ph.D.
Committee Member
James Cavendish, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Theodore Greene, Ph.D.
Keywords
Urban Sociology, Gender, Digital Sociology, Sexuality
Abstract
This dissertation examines LGBTQ+ women’s experiences of place and community in Central Florida. Through the use of in-depth interviews and virtual ethnography, I begin to answer the following questions: 1. To what extent does geographic location contextualize how LGBTQ+ women experience place and community?, 2. How do LGBTQ+ women within a similar geographic location utilize virtual spaces for the purpose of building community?, and 3. How are the intersections of gender, race, and sexuality significant to LGBTQ+ women’s experiences of place and community? This project provides a glimpse into the phenomenon of consuming community, which speaks to the ways in which predominantly white, urban, LGBTQ+ women seek out places and spaces in which they can experience the illusion of community without laboring to foster meaningful connections.
Scholar Commons Citation
Green, Ashley M., "“I Don't Know Where the Lesbians Are”: Exploring LGBTQ+ Women’s Experiences of Place and Community" (2023). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/10757
