Kamarauskaitė, Rasa; (2025) Everyday (in)visibility of Lithuanian LGBQ+ people. Doctoral thesis (Ph.D), UCL (University College London).

Text Everyday (in)visibility of Lithuanian LGBQ+ people.pdf - Accepted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 1 March 2028. Download (1MB)

Abstract

The thesis contributes to the sexuality literature by critically engaging with the dominant Western academic coming-out narrative, which idealises the overt public manifestation of sexuality as the most desired form of sexual self-realisation which grants agency and empowerment. Drawing on 48 in-depth interviews with Lithuanian LGBQ+ people of various age groups and places of residence I discuss how, when and why various (in)visibility practices restrict or provide agency and empowerment. In Chapter 4, ‘(In)visibility, Agency, and Power Beyond the Closet’ I critically engage with the concept of the closet and the binary understanding of LGBQ+ (in)visibility. I demonstrate that closet is not a suitable concept to analyse the (in)visibility practices of my research participants. I show that LGBQ+ (in)visibility is better understood as processual, context specific, and collectively constructed. In Chapter 5, ‘Choosing Silence: (Intended) Passing and Remaining Opaque’ I take a closer look to the latter dichotomy and challenge the idea that invisibility is synonymous with oppression and the lack of agency. In Chapter 6, ‘Tacit Visibility’ I discuss visibility practices that do not require a verbal articulation of one’s sexuality. However, I highlight some shortcomings of tacit visibility namely, a wide margin of error in interpreting non-verbal cues, which can lead to misunderstandings. In Chapter 7, ‘Verbally Articulating Same-Sex Sexuality’ I argue that the reasons, accompanying expectations, and the forms articulations of one’s sexuality are informed by different types of relationships. In addition, I argue that that verbal articulation of LGBQ+ sexuality is not part of a binary in/out state, but one of many visibility practices. In Chapter 8, ‘Belonging, Visibility, and (Dis)comfort’ I address (not) belonging and (in)visibility. I highlight the importance of social location, attitude, values in developing a sense of belonging.

Download activity - last month

Export as XMLCSVJSON

Download activity - last 12 months

Export as XMLCSVJSON

Downloads by country - last 12 months

Export as CSVXMLJSON

Archive Staff Only

View Item