Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, Two-Spirit, and other sexual and gender minority (LGBTQ+) individuals encounter numerous obstacles to equity across health and healthcare, education, housing, employment, and other domains. Such barriers are even greater for LGBTQ+ individuals who are also Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), as well as those who are disabled, and those who are working-class, poor, and otherwise economically disadvantaged, among other intersecting forms of oppression. Given this, an evaluation cannot be equitable for LGBTQ+ people without meaningfully including our experiences and voices. Unfortunately, all evidence indicates that evaluation has systematically failed to recognize the presence and value of LGBTQ+ populations. Thus, we propose critical action steps and the articulation of a new paradigm of LGBTQ+ Evaluation. Our recommendations are grounded in transformative, equitable, culturally responsive, and decolonial frameworks, as well as our own experiences as LGBTQ+ evaluators and accomplices. We conclude by inviting others to participate in the articulation and enactment of this new paradigm.

Keywords

LGBTQ+evaluation theory transformative evaluation cultural responsiveness equitable evaluation‌

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Adas

(2008). Colonialism and science. In Selin

(Ed.), Encyclopaedia of the history of science, technology, and medicine in non-western cultures (pp. 604–609). Springer Netherlands.

American Evaluation Association. (2011). Statement On cultural competence In evaluation. https://www.eval.org/ccstatement

American Evaluation Association. (2018). Guiding principles For evaluators. https://www.eval.org/p/cm/ld/fid=51

Ashley

(2021). ‘Trans’ is my gender modality: A modest terminological proposal. In Erickson-Schroth

(Ed.). Trans bodies, trans-selves. Oxford University.

Beach

L. B.

Hall

. (2020). Bi Us, For Us: Articulating foundational principles for research in partnership with bisexual communities. Journal Of Bisexuality, 20(3), 251–272. https://doi.org/10.1080/15299716.2020.1841478

Berenstain

. (2016). Epistemic exploitation. Ergo: An Open Access Journal of Philosophy, 3, 569–590.

Bledsoe

K. L.

Hopson

R. K.

(2009). Conducting ethical research and evaluation in underserved communities. In Mertens

Ginsberg

(Eds.), The handbook of social research ethics (pp. 391–406). Sage. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781483348971

Bostock

. Clayton County, Georgia, 590 U.S. ___, 1731, 1737 (2020).

Bowleg

. (2008). When black plus lesbian plus woman not equal 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

10.

Bowleg

. (2012). 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

11.

Bowleg

. (2020). We’re Not All in this together: On COVID-19, intersectionality, and structural inequality. American Journal of Public Health, 110(7), 917–917. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2020.305766

12.

Bowleg

Burkholder

G. J.

Massie

J. S.

Wahome

Teti

Malebranche

D. J.

Tschann

J. M

. (2013). Racial discrimination, social support, and sexual HIV risk among black heterosexual men. Aids and Behavior, 17(1), 407–418. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-012-0179-0

13.

Bowleg

Huang

Brooks

Black

Burkholder

. (2003). Triple jeopardy and beyond: Multiple minority stress and resilience among black lesbians. Journal of Lesbian Studies, 7(4), 87–108. https://doi.org/10.1300/J155v07n04_06

14.

Bowman

Dodge Francis

Tyndall

(2015). Culturally responsive indigenous evaluation: A practical approach for evaluating indigenous projects in tribal reservation contexts. In Hood

Hopson

R. K.

Frierson

(Eds.), Continuing the journey to reposition culture and cultural context in evaluation theory and practice (pp. 335–359). Information Age.

15.

Brave Space Alliance. (2020). COVID-19. Retrieved from https://www.bravespacealliance.org/covid-19

16.

Cahill

Grasso

Keuroghlian

Sciortino

Mayer

. (2020). Sexual and gender minority health in the COVID-19 pandemic: Why data collection and combatting discrimination matter Now more than ever. American Journal of Public Health, 110(9), 1360–1361. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2020.305829

17.

Chambers

L. A.

Jackson

Worthington

Wilson

C. L.

Tharao

, Greenspan, N. R., Masching, R., Pierre-Pierre, V., Mbulaheni, T., Amirault, M., & P Brownlee. (2018). Decolonizing scoping review methodologies for literature With, for, and by indigenous peoples and the african diaspora: Dialoguing With the tensions. Qualitative Health Research, 28(2), 175–188. https://doi.org/10.1177/1049732317743237

18.

Crenshaw

. (1993). Mapping the margins - intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review 43, (6), 1241–1299.

19.

Dean-Coffey

. (2018). What’s race Got to Do With It? Equity and philanthropic evaluation practice. American Journal of Evaluation, 39(4), 527–542. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214018778533

20.

Waapalaneexkweew, & Dodge-Francis

. (2018). Culturally responsive indigenous evaluation and tribal governments: Understanding the relationship. New Directions for Evaluation, 2018(159), 17–31. https://doi.org/10.1002/ev.20329

21.

Equitable Evaluation Initiative. (2017). Equitable evaluation framing paper. Center for Evaluation Innovation, Institute for Foundation and Donor Learning, Dorothy A Johnson Center for Philanthropy, Luminare Group. www.equitableeval.org.

22.

Equitable Evaluation Initiative. (2020). Equitable evaluation FrameworkTM. Retrieved from www.equitableeval.org/framework

23.

Escamilla

Nathenson-Mejía

. (2003). Preparing culturally responsive teachers: Using latino children’s literature in teacher education special issue: Partnering for equity. Equity & Excellence in Education, 36(3), 238–248. https://doi.org/10.1080/714044331

24.

Felt

Floresca

Y.B.

Fernandez

E.S.

Korpak

A.K.

, Phillips, G. II, Wang, X., Curry, C. W., & Beach, L. B. (2021) Instability in housing and medical care access: The inequitable impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on U.S. Transgender populations. Transgender Health. https://doi.org/10.1089/trgh.2021.0129.

25.

Fetterman

D. M.

(2001). Foundations of empowerment evaluation. Sage.

26.

Garcia

N. M.

López

Vélez

V. N

. (2018). Quantcrit: Rectifying quantitative methods through critical race theory. Race Ethnicity and Education, 21(2), 149–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2017.1377675

27.

Greene

J. C.

(2000). Understanding social programs through evaluation. In Denzin

Lincoln

(Eds.), Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed., pp. 981–999). SAGE.

28.

Greene-Moton

Minkler

. (2020). Cultural competence or cultural humility? Moving beyond the debate. Health Promotion Practice, 21(1), 142–145. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839919884912

29.

Hartman

Hoessler

Camman

Tom

. (2020). Identity as a compass within 2SLGBTQ evaluations: Finding your compass. https://aea365.org/blog/lgbt-tig-week-identity-as-a-compass-within-2slgbtq-evaluations-finding-your-compass-by-andrew-hartman-brian-hoessler-carolyn-camman-vincent-tom/

30.

Hatzenbuehler

M. L.

Phelan

J. C.

Link

B. G

. (2013). Stigma as a fundamental cause of population health inequalities. American Journal of Public Health, 103(5), 813–821. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2012.301069

31.

Herman

J. L.

(2014). Best practices for asking questions to identify transgender and other gender minority respondents on population-based surveys . The Williams Institute.

32.

Hood

Hopson

R. K.

Kirkhart

K. E.

(2015). Culturally responsive evaluation. In Newcomer

K. E.

Hatry

H. P.

Wholey

J. S.

(Eds.). Handbook of practical program evaluation (4th ed., pp. 281–317). Wiley.

33.

Hooks

. (2000). All about love: New visions (1st ed.). William Morrow.

34.

Iaccarino

. (2003). Science and culture. EMBO Reports, 4(3), 220–223. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.embor.embor781

35.

Kirkhart

K. E

. (2010). Eyes on the prize: Multicultural validity and evaluation theory. American Journal of Evaluation, 31(3), 400–413. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214010373645

36.

Krause

. (2016). ‘Western hegemony’ in the social sciences: Fields and model systems. The Sociological Review Monographs, 64(2), 194–211. https://doi.org/10.1002/2059-7932.12008

37.

Lehavot

Simoni

J. M

. (2011). The impact of minority stress on mental health and substance use among sexual minority women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 79(2), 159–170. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0022839

38.

Mabire

Puppo

Morel

Mora

Rojas Castro

, Chas, J., Cua, E., Pintado, C., Suzan-Monti, M., Spire B., Molina, J-M., & Préau, M. (2019). Pleasure and PrEP: Pleasure-seeking plays a role in prevention choices and could lead to PrEP initiation. American Journal Of Men’s Health, 13(1), 1557988319827396–1557988319827396. https://doi.org/10.1177/1557988319827396

39.

Mazzocchi

. (2006). Western science and traditional knowledge. EMBO Reports, 7(5), 463–466. https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.embor.7400693

40.

Mertens

D. M

. (2007). Transformative considerations - inclusion and social justice. American Journal of Evaluation, 28(1), 86–90. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214006298058

41.

Mertens

D. M

. (2010). Transformative mixed methods research. Qualitative Inquiry, 16(6), 469–474. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077800410364612

42.

Mertens

D. M.

Wilson

A. T.

(2019). Introduction to evaluation. In D. M. Mertens & A. T. Wilson (Eds.). Program evaluation theory and practice: A comprehensive guide (2nd ed., pp. 3–33). Guilford Press.

43.

Meyer

I. H

. (1995). Minority stress and mental-health in Gay Men. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 36(1), 38–56. https://doi.org/10.2307/2137286

44.

Miller

R. L

. (2018). Hiding in plain sight: On culturally responsive evaluation and LGBT communities of colour. Evaluation Matters—He Take Tō Te Aromatawai, 4, 5–34. https://doi.org/10.18296/em.0027

45.

Miller

R. L.

Janulis

P. F.

Reed

S. J.

Harper

G. W.

Ellen

Boyer

C. B.

, & Adolescent MEDICINE TRIALS Network for HIV/AIDS Interventions (2016). Creating youth-supportive communities: Outcomes from the connect-to-protect® (C2P) structural change approach to youth HIV prevention. Journal Of Youth And Adolescence, 45(2), 301–315. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-015-0379-9

46.

Miller

R. L.

Reed

S. J.

McNall

M. A.

Forney

J. C

. (2013). The effect of trauma on recent inconsistent condom Use Among young black Gay and bisexual Men. Journal of HIV/AIDS & Social Services, 12(3–4), 349–367. https://doi.org/10.1080/15381501.2012.749820

47.

Miller

R. L.

Rutledge

Ayala

. (2021). Breaking down barriers to HIV care for Gay and bisexual Men and transgender women: The advocacy and other community tactics (ACT) project. AIDS And Behavior, 25(8), 2551–2567. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03216-w

48.

Millett

G. A.

Peterson

J. L.

Wolitski

R. J.

Stall

. (2006). Greater risk for HIV infection of black men who have sex with men: A critical literature review. American Journal of Public Health, 96(6), 1007–1019. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2005.066720

49.

Patton

M. Q.

(2011). Developmental evaluation: Applying complexity concepts to enhance innovation and use. Guilford Press.

50.

Phillips

II Felt

Fish

J. N.

Ruprecht

M. M.

Birkett

Poteat

V. P

. (2020). A response to cimpian and timmer (2020): Limitations and misrepresentation of “mischievous responders” in LGBT + health research. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 49(5), 1409–1414. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-020-01746-3

51.

Phillips

II Felt

Ruprecht

M. M.

Wang

, Pérez-Bill, E., Bagnarol, R. M., Roth, J, Curry, C. W., & Beach L. B. (2020). (2020). Addressing the disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on sexual and gender minority populations in the United States: Actions toward equity. LGBT health, 7(6), 279–282. https://doi.org/10.1089/lgbt.2020.0187

52.

Pirtle

W. N. L

. (2020). Racial capitalism: A fundamental cause of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic inequities in the United States. Health Education & Behavior, 47(4), 504–508. https://doi.org/10.1177/1090198120922942

53.

Poteat

T. C.

Reisner

S. L.

Miller

Wirtz

A. L

. (2020). COVID-19 Vulnerability of transgender women With and without HIV infection in the eastern and southern U.S. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.07.21.20159327

54.

Reisner

S. L.

Bailey

Sevelius

. (2014). Racial/ethnic disparities in history of incarceration, experiences of victimization, and associated health indicators among transgender women in the U.S. Women & Health, 54(8), 750–767. https://doi.org/10.1080/03630242.2014.932891

55.

Reisner

S. L.

Poteat

Keatley

Cabral

Mothopeng

, Dunham, E., Holland, C. E., Max, R., & Baral, S. D. (2016). Global health burden and needs of transgender populations: A review. Lancet (London, England), 388(10042), 412–436. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(16)00684-X

56.

Robinson

S. B.

Leonard

K. F.

Felt

Phillips

II (2020, October). Designing quality survey questions on gender and Sex. [Conference Presentation], American Evaluation Association Eval2020 Conference, Chicago, IL.

57.

Ruprecht

M. M.

Wang

Johnson

A. K.

Felt

, Ihenacho, S., Stonehouse, P, Curry, C. W., DeBroux, C., Costa, D., & Phillips, G. II. (2021). Evidence of social and structural COVID-19 disparities by sexual orientation, gender identity, and race/ethnicity in an urban environment. Journal Of Urban Health: Bulletin Of The New York Academy of Medicine, 98(1), 27–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11524-020-00497-9

58.

Sahai

. (2013, 06/17/2003). Indigenous knowledge is a form of science - don’t ignore it. SciDev.net. Retrieved from https://www.scidev.net/global/opinions/indigenous-knowledge-is-a-form-of-science-don-t-ignore-it/

59.

Snorton

C. R.

(2017). Black on both sides: A racial history of trans identity. University of Minnesota Press.

60.

Snorton

C. R.

Haritaworn

(2013). Trans necropolitics: A transnational reflection on violence, death, and the trans of color afterlife. In Stryker

Aizura

(Eds.), Transgender studies reader (2nd ed., pp. 66–76). Routledge.

61.

Stevens

Carlson

L. M.

Hinman

J. M

. (2004). An analysis of tobacco industry marketing to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) populations: Strategies for mainstream tobacco control and prevention. Health Promotion Practice, 5(3 Suppl), 129S−134S. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839904264617

62.

Stufflebeam

D. L.

(2003). The CIPP model for evaluation. In Kellaghan

Stufflebeam

D. L.

(Eds.). International handbook of educational evaluation (pp. 31–62). Springer Netherlands.

63.

Teng

Nuñez

. (2020). Measuring love in the journey to justice: A brown paper. Retrieved from https://latinocf.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Shiree-Teng-Measuring-Love.pdf

64.

Teo

. (2010). What is epistemological violence in the empirical social sciences? Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 4(5), 295–303. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2010.00265.x

65.

Thomas

V. G.

Madison

. (2010). Integration of social justice Into the teaching of evaluation. American Journal of Evaluation, 31(4), 570–583. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214010368426

66.

Thompson

King

. (2015) Who counts as “transgender”?: Epidemiological methods and a critical intervention. TSQ, 2(1): 148–159. https://doi.org/10.1215/23289252-2848913

67.

Treiber

. (2011). Developing culturally competent evaluation tools with tobacco control program practitioners. Health Promotion Practice, 12(5), 673–680. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839910370024

68.

van Draanen

. (2017). Introducing reflexivity to evaluation practice:An In-depth case study. American Journal of Evaluation, 38(3), 360–375. https://doi.org/10.1177/1098214016668401

69.

Zuberi

Bonilla-Silva

(2008). White logic, white methods: Racism and methodology. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.

Transforming the Paradigm for LGBTQ+ Evaluation: Advancing a Praxis of LGBTQ+ Inclusion and Liberation in Evaluation

Abstract

Keywords

Get full access to this article

References