This article examines the impact of institutional discrimination in the form of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) on individuals in same-sex binational relationships. It provides an in-depth description of how these individuals felt pushed out of the United States and pulled toward Canada, along with the consequences that the immigration process had on their relationships. Using a phenomenological research design, 17 participants who could no longer remain in the United States with their same-sex partner of a different nationality and hence immigrated to Canada, were interviewed about their immigration experiences. At the time of the interviews, the mean length of time since immigrating to Canada was 5 years. Participants were American (n ϭ 7), British (n ϭ 2), French (n ϭ 2), Canadian (n ϭ 1), Chinese (n ϭ 1), Columbian (n ϭ 1), Dutch (n ϭ 1), and 2 had dual citizenship. Participants included 9 women and 8 men who ranged in age from 30 -56 years (M ϭ 44). They were highly educated, with all having a minimum of some postsecondary education, and 14 of 17 were currently employed. Results revealed that participants felt unwelcomed in the United States and that (involuntarily) immigrating to Canada was the only option available to them to remain with their partners. The decision to immigrate to Canada had important consequences on their relationships with friends, family members, and partners. Implications for counseling practice, training, and research are presented.

No abstract

No abstract

As a guiding critical research epistemology, Feminist Standpoint Theory (FST) combines the idea that all knowledge is situated with a claim that some sociocultural locations provide opportunities to develop epistemically advantaged knowledge about overarching systems of power. FST thus represents a framework for uniting researchers and participants in coalitions of solidarity to decolonialize traditions of knowledge and research that assume researchers are objective observers. In this paper, we discuss how FST research methodologies can offer counseling psychologists a nuanced systemic and intersectional lens to better situate each person and their lived experiences, and in turn, develop collaborative, meaningful social justice-oriented advocacy and interventions across individual and community spheres. Accordingly, in Part I, we argue that an FST lens can shape counseling psychologists’ approach to research. In Part II, we then discuss how this consequently influences clinical approaches that require engagement of a psychological lens to attend to the lived experiences of vulnerable groups.

No abstract