Stigmatizing Will and Grace : a theoretical exploration of gay male straight female fictive kin relationships : a project based upon an independent investigation

Author

Michelle Anne Beaulieu, Smith College

Publication Date

2010

Document Type

Masters Thesis

Department

School for Social Work

Keywords

Heterosexual women, Interpersonal relations, Gay men, Friendship, Will and Grace (Television program), Straight female, Fictive kin, Stigma, Stigma (Social psychology)

Abstract

Alternatives to heterosexual or homosexual partnerships, such as non-sexual relationships between gay men and straight women, constitute an understudied yet important source of social support for the people in them. This study is an exploration of one specific manifestation of such a relationship, specifically between gay men and straight women, utilizing the concept of "fictive kin" as a way of understanding these relationships. Using interdependence theory and social construct theory to elucidate the ways GMSF relationships have been, and continue to be, stigmatized, this paper offers a lens for understanding the implications of this stigmatization.

Language

English

Comments

iii, 115 p. Thesis (M.S.W.)-Smith College School for Social Work, Northampton, Mass., 2010. Includes bibliographical references (p. 105-115)

Recommended Citation

Beaulieu, Michelle Anne, "Stigmatizing Will and Grace : a theoretical exploration of gay male straight female fictive kin relationships : a project based upon an independent investigation" (2010). Masters Thesis, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/theses/1114