Kyle Simon OPA Proposal

Broadly my research interests focus on how we as diverse individuals come to conceptualize sexual identity in relation to other identities (e.g., racial-ethnic, gender) and various ecological contexts particularly family life. Understanding the ways in which we come to create narratives for ourselves as well as the ways in which others view and perceive our identities is my primary interest. My current research interests are focused on ambiguous loss theory and boundary ambiguity in the context of LGBTQ+ identity development and family stress. Further, this work is often in the context of LGBTQ+ people's perceptions of parenthood, for those who are already parents or those who want to be parents in the future. In addition to my own research, I am the primary personnel on the “Stories and Experiences of LGBTQ+ Families from Youth” (SELFY) Project led by my faculty adviser Dr. Rachel H. Farr (PI). This study involves interviewing children (ages 12-25) who are diverse in racial-ethnic identity, SES, and geographic location with LGBTQ+ parents about their lives and their relationship to family, friends, and the community they live in. Further, I have a number of other research directions which include identity-based socialization such as sexual, gender, racial-ethnic, and adoptive identity as well as the concept of Queer resiliency. The main component of my socialization research is a mixed-methods study from the Contemporary Adoptive Families Study (PI: Dr. Rachel H. Farr) and focuses on how lesbian, gay, and heterosexual adoptive parents socialize their children around identity. I also have ongoing research focused on how intended or current LGBTQ+ parents envision engaging in socialization surrounding their sexual or gender minority status. My research on Queer resiliency is the product of a developing theory paper on LGBTQ+ people’s experiences of ambiguous loss through the lenses of minority and family stress in a broader bioecological systems and population developmental health framework. I have two ongoing collaborations the first of which is with Drs. Bos (University of Amsterdam) and Tornello (Penn State) as part of the Intended Parenthood Study which focuses on the perceptions of future parenthood and associated lifestyle changes (e.g., changes in friendship) among LGBTQ+ people. The second collaboration is with Drs. Russell and Mernitz (University of Texas at Austin) and is currently focused on investigating how LGB individuals conceptualize the meaning of kinship, family, and parenthood.