LE3 .A278 1998

1998

Auger, Jeanette

Acadia University

Master of Arts

Masters

Sociology

Sociology

The entry point for this thesis is the development of a lesbian feminist critique of AIDS work. The critique hinges on the notion that lesbians who chose to do AIDS work are acting like nurses, taking on caring roles, as women tend to do. Such a critique of lesbians' involvement in the AIDS epidemic is first explored, then used to spur an inquiry into the social relations surrounding lesbians and AIDS work, and finally shown to have theoretical shortcomings. The literature is surveyed providing a context within which the six informants from Nova Scotia are used to discover some of the ways that lesbians become involved in AIDS work. The analysis suggests that lesbians' participation in responding to AIDS arises through community affiliations not limited to the lesbian identity. As a theoretical approach arising from, and somewhat limited to, the sociology of gender and sexuality, the lesbian feminist critique of AIDS work is demonstrated to lack the ability to account for the complex identities of the six lesbians in this thesis.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:2834