Queer entanglements: How a focus on animal-human bonds can benefit LGBTIQ psychology

There is a long and rich tradition of studying animal-human bonds within psychology, yet to date it has rarely been the case that the intersections of this field of study and the field of LGBTIQ psychology have been explored. In this talk I propose that examining these intersections holds considerable potential to benefit both fields, and importantly to benefit the lives not only of humans, but also their animal companions. To examine this claim I briefly overview a series of studies undertaken with colleagues, focused on ‘The Link’ between animal- and human-directed violence among LGBTQ people and their animal companions; the meaning of animals to trans and cis women of diverse sexualities; the role of animals in the bereavement experiences of older lesbians and gay men, and the importance of animals to gay men living with HIV. Together, these studies both challenge assumptions about the inherent benefits of animal companionship for all humans, whilst also pointing to specific and unique benefits to animal companionship for some humans. I conclude by encouraging a concerted focus on what animals get out of their relationships with humans, and how this focus fits within the broad parameters of an intersectional LGBTIQ psychology.

Damien Riggs is a professor in psychology at Flinders University, an Australian Research Council Future Fellow, and a psychotherapist who specializes in working with transgender young people. Damien is a Fellow of the Australian Psychological Society and an author of over 200 peer reviewed publications, including Working with Transgender Young People and Their Families: A Critical Developmental Approach (Palgrave, 2020).

Professor of Psychology and Medical Education, Norwich Medical School

Dr. Joanna Semlyen is Associate Professor of Psychology and Medical Education at Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia. Dr Semlyen’s research focus is on the health and healthcare experiences of minoritized populations and is a leading expert in the area of health inequalities in gender and sexual minorities.

Dr. Semlyen has expertise in qualitative research and in meta-analytic and pooling data techniques focusing on LGBT health outcomes, experiences and disparities with a particular focus on representative samples in UK context. For further information see https://people.uea.ac.uk/j_semlyen/publications

She is currently carrying out research within higher education settings, looking at levels of cultural competency within medical and psychology training and is developing interventions to improve skills, knowledge and awareness of diversity issues in medics and other HCPs. She also continues to explore health disparities in UK sexual minorities.