Abstract
This chapter examines how photovoice, an arts-based and participatory action research method, can be used along with an intersectionality framework to advance knowledge on health inequities and to lobby policy solutions that are grounded in the lives of affected individuals. The authors present the processes and some empirical findings from a Vancouver (Canada)-based project that seeks to understand gay and bisexual men’s experiences with suicidality. Included were 29 gay and bisexual men affected by suicide from diverse backgrounds who captured in photographs and narratives their experiences and thoughts about suicide and suicide prevention. This resulted in more than 350 participant-produced photographs, which when analysed through an intersectional lens lobby suicide prevention policies by illuminating power, attending to multiple interconnected aspects of identities, and celebrating the strengths of gay and bisexual men. The photographs and narratives offered innovative mechanisms for knowledge translation and community-based interventions in line with the social justice aim of intersectionality. As such the authors curated two in-person exhibits as well as an online gallery of the photographs to raise public awareness, mobilize communities, and lobby policymakers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
We used the term suicidality as an umbrella term to describe and acknowledge a diversity of experiences and struggles with suicide, including suicide ideation, making suicide plans, and suicide attempts.
- 2.
To protect the confidentiality of participants, we have assigned pseudonyms in linking the men’s illustrative quotes and photographs.
References
Aguinaldo, J. P. (2008). The Social Construction of Gay Oppression as a Determinant of Gay Men’s Health: ‘Homophobia is Killing Us. Critical Public Health, 18(1), 87–96. https://doi.org/10.1090/09581590801958255.
Bowleg, L. (2008). When Black + Lesbian + Woman ≠ Black Lesbian Woman: The Methodological Challenges of Qualitative and Quantitative Intersectionality Research. Sex Roles, 59(5–6), 312–325. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-008-9400-z.
Bowleg, L. (2012a). ‘Once You’ve Blended the Cake, You Can’t Take the Parts Back to the Main Ingredients’: Black Gay and Bisexual Men’s Descriptions and Experiences of Intersectionality. Sex Roles, 68(11–12), 754–767. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-012-0152-4.
Bowleg, L. (2012b). The Problem with the Phrase Women and Minorities: Intersectionality – An Important Theoretical Framework for Public Health. American Journal of Public Health, 102(7), 1267–1273. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2012.300750.
Brennan, D. J., Asakura, K., George, C., Newman, P. A., Giwa, S., Hart, T. A., et al. (2013). ‘Never Reflected Anywhere’: Body Image Among Ethnoracialized Gay and Bisexual Men. Body Image, 10(3), 389–398. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2013.03.006.
Creighton, G., John, O., Butterworth, S., & Saewyc, E. (2013). After the Death of a Friend: Young Men’s Grief and Masculine Identities. Social Science and Medicine, 84, 35–43.
Crenshaw, K. W. (1989). Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics. University of Chicago Legal Forum, 140, 139–167.
Dhamoon, R. K., & Hankivsky, O. (2011). Why the Theory of Intersectionality Matters to Health Research and Policy. In O. Hankivsky (Ed.), Health Inequities in Canada: Intersectional Frameworks and Practices (pp. 15–50). Vancouver, BC: UBC Press.
Elias, B., Mignone, J., Hall, M., Hong, S. P., Hart, L., & Sareen, J. (2012). Trauma and Suicide Behaviour Histories Among a Canadian Indigenous Population: An Empirical Exploration of the Potential Role of Canada’s Residential School System. Social Science & Medicine, 74(10), 1560–1569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2012.01.026.
Ferlatte, O. (2012). Are There Enough Gay Dollars? An Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis of HIV Prevention Funding for Gay Men in British Columbia, Canada. In O. Hankivsky (Ed.), An Intersectionality-Based Policy Framework (pp. 189–210). Vancouver, BC: Institute for Intersectionality Research and Policy.
Ferlatte, O., & Oliffe, J. (2016). Homophobia Is Killing Gay and Bisexual Men. Vancouver Sun, October 7. Retrieved from http://vancouversun.com/opinion/opinion-homophobia-is-killing-gay-and-and-bisexual-men.
Ferlatte, O., Hottes, T. S., Hankivsky, O., Oliffe, J., Trussler, T., & Marchand, R. (2017). Recent Suicide Attempts Across Multiple Social Identities Among Gay and Bisexual Men: An Intersectionality Analysis. Journal of Homosexuality. Published Online Ahead of Print, 1–20.
Grace, D. (2012). Reconceiving the “Problem” in HIV Prevention: HIV Testing Technologies and the Criminalization of HIV Non-Disclosure. In O. Hankivsky (Ed.), An Intersectionality-Based Policy Framework (pp. 161–187). Vancouver, BC: Institute for Intersectionality Research and Policy.
Han, C., & Oliffe, J. (2015). Photovoice in Mental Illness Research: A Review and Recommendations. Health, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1177/1363459314567790.
Hankivsky, O., & Christoffersen, A. (2008). Intersectionality and the Determinants of Health: A Canadian Perspective. Critical Public Health, 18(3), 271–283. https://doi.org/10.1080/09581590802294296.
Hankivsky, O., Grace, D., Hunting, G., & Ferlatte, O. (2012a). Why Intersectionality Matters for Health Equity and Policy Analysis. In O. Hankivsky (Ed.), An Intersectionality-Based Policy Framework (pp. 7–45). Vancouver, BC: Institute for Intersectionality Research and Policy.
Hankivsky, O., Grace, D., Hunting, G., Ferlatte, O., Clark, N., Fridkin, A., et al. (2012b). Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis. In O. Hankivsky (Ed.), An Intersectionality-Based Policy Framework (pp. 33–45). Vancouver, BC: Institute for Intersectionality Research and Policy.
Herrick, A. L., Lim, S. H., Wei, C., Smith, H., Guadamuz, T., Friedman, M. S., et al. (2011). Resilience as an Untapped Resource in Behavioral Intervention Design for Gay Men. AIDS Behavior, 15(Suppl 1), S25–S29. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-011-9895-0.
Hjelmeland, H., & Knizek, B. L. (2010). Why We Need Qualitative Research in Suicidology. Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, 40(1), 74–80. https://doi.org/10.1521/suli.2010.40.1.74.
Hottes, T. S., Bogaert, L., Rhodes, A. E., Brennan, D. J., & Gesink, D. (2016). Lifetime Prevalence of Suicide Attempts Among Sexual Minority Adults by Study Sampling Strategies: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. American Journal of Public Health, 106(5), 1–e12. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2016.303088.
Hsiung, P. C. (2008). Teaching Reflexivity in Qualitative Interviewing. Teaching Sociology, 36(3), 211–226. https://doi.org/10.1177/0092055X0903600302.
Institute of Medicine [IOM]. (2011). The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.
King, M., Semlyen, J., Tai, S., Killaspy, H., Osborn, D., Popelyuk, D., et al. (2008). A Systematic Review of Mental Disorder, Suicide, and Deliberate Self Harm in Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual People. BMC Psychiatry, 8(1), 70–17. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-244X-8-70.
Kurtz, S. P., Buttram, M. E., Surratt, H. L., & Stall, R. D. (2012). Resilience, Syndemic Factors, and Serosorting Behaviors Among HIV-Positive and HIV-Negative Substance-Using MSM. AIDS Education and Prevention, 24(3), 193–205. https://doi.org/10.1521/aeap.2012.24.3.193.
Matsubayashi, T., & Ueda, M. (2011). The Effect of a National Suicide Prevention Programs on Suicide Rates in 21 OECD Nations. Social Sciences & Medicine, 73(9), 1395–1400.
Mereish, E. H., & Bradford, J. B. (2014). Intersecting Identities and Substance Use Problems: Sexual Orientation, Gender, Race, and Lifetime Substance Use Problems. Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, 75(1), 179–188.
Meyer, I. H. (2003). Prejudice, Social Stress, and Mental Health in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Populations: Conceptual Issues and Research Evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 129(5), 674–697. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.129.5.674.
Newcomb, M. E., & Mustanski, B. (2010). Internalized Homophobia and Internalizing Mental Health Problems: A Meta-Analytic Review. Clinical Psychology Review, 30(8), 1019–1029.
Nock, M. K., Borges, G., Bromet, E. J., Cha, C. B., Kessler, R. C., & Lee, S. (2008). Suicide and Suicidal Behavior. Epidemiologic Reviews, 30. https://doi.org/10.1093/epirev/mxn002.
Oliffe, J., & Bottorff, J. (2007). Further Than the Eye Can See?: Photo-Elicitation and Research with Men. Qualitative Health Research, 17(6), 850–858.
Oliffe, J., & Mroz, L. (2005). Men Interviewing Men About Health and Illness: Ten Lessons Learned. The Journal of Men’s Health and Gender, 2(2), 257–260.
Oliffe, J., Bottorff, J., Kelly, M., & Halpin, M. (2008). Analyzing Participant Produced Photos from an Ethnographic Study of Fatherhood and Smoking. Research in Nursing and Health, 31(5), 529–539. https://doi.org/10.1002/nur.20269.
Oliffe, J., Creighton, G., Robertson, S., Broom, A., Jenkins, E. K., Ogrodniczuk, J., et al. (2017). Injury, Interiority and Isolation in Men’s Suicidality. American Journal of Men’s Health, 11(4), 888–899.
Ryan, L., & Golden, A. (2006). ‘Tick the Box Please’: A Reflexive Approach to Doing Quantitative Social Research. Sociology, 40(6), 1191–1200.
Walker, J. J., Longmire-Avital, B., & Golub, S. (2015). Racial and Sexual Identities as Potential Buffers to Risky Sexual Behavior for Black Gay and Bisexual Emerging Adult Men. Health Psychology, 34(8), 841–846. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0000187.
Wang, C. (1999). Photovoice: A Participatory Action Research Strategy Applied to Women’s Health. Journal of Women’s Health, 8(2), 185–192.
Wang, C., & Burris, M. A. (1997). Photovoice: Concept, Methodology, and Use for Participatory Needs Assessment. Health Education and Behavior, 24(3), 369–387. https://doi.org/10.1177/109019819702400309.
World Health Organization. (2014). Preventing Suicide: A Global Imperative. Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/131056/1/9789241564779_eng.pdf?ua=1&ua=1.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2019 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Ferlatte, O., Oliffe, J. (2019). Lobbying Suicide Prevention Policy for Gay and Bisexual Men: An Intersectionality-Informed Photovoice Project. In: Hankivsky, O., Jordan-Zachery, J.S. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Intersectionality in Public Policy. The Politics of Intersectionality. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98473-5_11
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-98473-5_11
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-98472-8
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-98473-5
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)