Representation in television and film not only impacts how people view themselves, but also how society views them. We have created a society in which the media defines societal norms and controls how particular groups and issues are represented. It is vital for identity formation and creating a sense of belonging, and normalizes communities that may be viewed through a stereotypical lens. What we see in the media has a significant impact on our lives and perspectives. For lesbian and queer women, invisibility and heteronormativity are common themes in television and film representation, both historically and today. Representation in film and television is uncommon and short-lived for lesbian and queer women. When these characters are included, they often pose issues such as not being relatable to the community or they exemplify stereotypes and tropes. These include the oversexualization of lesbian and queer women and the “bury your gays” trope, which explains the frequency that these characters are killed or denied happiness. Lesbian and queer women crave visibility and authentic representation. Diverse representation that strays from the standard heteronormative narrative is imperative in creating a more inclusive world in which every person feels they belong and receives acceptance and respect. My webpage, www.violet-representation.com, shares my research and aims to serve as a resource for the lesbian and queer community to express their opinions about shows and films, and for creators to learn what lesbian and queer women wish to see in television and film representations.

In response to the need to accurately define group home types, this dissertation focused on providing a clear and distinct definition of the types of group home care, an articulated understanding of the role of group home staff, and an awareness of the impact individuals working in group homes have on the lives of the youth they serve and their influence on the group home environment. Using the qualitative research method Grounded Theory, ten in-depth interviews were conducted with staff who both currently work in group homes, and staff who have left the group home environment. The research question was “What is the influence of group home staff on the ecological environment of the group home?” Ecological framework was the overarching theory, and participants were asked questions regarding their relationships with youth and their impressions of staff impact within the group home. Data analysis influenced by Grounded Theory produced 5 themes: Walking into the unknown, in loco parentis with two sub- themes consanguinity and group home as a home, engagement with two sub- themes of staff/staff engagement and staff/youth engagement, staff impact on youth, with three sub-themes, managing transitions, loss and boundaries, and the final theme of supervisor support. The results indicate that staff do have an impact on the group home, both positive and negative. Also, the group home operates as an intricate ecological environment containing relationships and interactions that influence multiple internal systems. Currently there is a gap in the literature as it relates to clarity within definition of care settings. This dissertation provided a clear definition for the chosen research environment, non-locked, non-therapeutic group home. The results of this dissertation have implications for group home agencies and more broadly child welfare agencies and child welfare social workers in regard to hiring practices, training and supervision. This dissertation provides a springboard for a future research on the ecological group home environment and the people who work there and are responsible for the care of vulnerable children.

The current study sought to reevaluate Cass' Theory of sexual identity formation in terms of lesbian identity development over the past twenty years and how media acts as mediation in lesbian identity development. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted with only nine useable transcripts analyzed for this thesis. This study is an explanatory investigation into linear stage theory, specifically Cass' theory, as well as the impact of media as a mediator during lesbian identity development. This study had three objectives 1) to gain an understanding of the theory and its components related to lesbian identity development 2) to understand the lesbian identity formation process and 3) to understand the impact and influence if any, media has had on lesbian self-reported identity development. Qualitative methods were used to obtain information and analyze the responses. Results indicate that the participants in this study believed that the coming out process was important. This study's results showed that several of the participants entered each stage of the theory, while others did not. Media had little influence on the identity development, and the participants had mixed reviews of medias portrayal of lesbians. Implications for practice and further research are discussed.