Participate in friendship studies | Osallistu ystävyystutkimukseen! David Megathlin

Etsin suomalaisia 18-26 -vuotiaita miehiä kansainväliseen vertailututkimukseen, jossa kartoitan erilaisiin seksuaalivähemmistöihin (homo, bi, queer, vinokas jne.) kuuluvien miesten ystävyyssuhteita ja elämäntapoja.

Teen haastattelut englanniksi mutta julkaisen tulokset myös suomeksi erilaisissa tiedotusvälineissä (mm. Z-lehti, ranneliike ja FinnQueer-verkkolehti) vuoden 2003 aikana. Seuraavassa on esittelyni.

My name is David Megathlin and I am an American graduate student studying at the University of Helsinki this semester. I am here conducting a study on the friendships of Finnish men who are sexual minorities. If you are a man between the ages of 18 and 26, and you identify as a sexual minority (gay, bisexual, homosexual, queer, etc.), I am very interested in getting the chance to speak with you. My study consists of an interview (in English) that takes about 45 minutes to complete.

It contains some short answer as well as more open-ended questions. The first part of the interview asks some questions about age, relationship status, what you do for a living, etc. The second part of the interview asks questions about your friendships, including how you define friendship, who your friends are, what kind of activities you do together, and also how you think friendships might be different for straight people and for gay people. These interviews are also tape-recorded. In addition, all the interviews are strictly confidential.

The interview time and location is extremely flexible. As the interviews are tape recorded, I like to talk with people in a fairly quiet area, which can include either their home or mine, or at another quiet location in the city where the participant feels most comfortable. Also, I am free to meet at most times during the day, as well as in the evenings and on weekends, whatever is most convenient for you.

In general, very little is known about the daily lives of sexual minority men in different parts of the world. Assisting me with this unique study is a good opportunity to contribute to progressive social research that increases understanding into what it is like to live as a gay/bi/queer/etc. man in Finland. It might also be a good way to start thinking about these ideas yourself!

And to share a little about myself, I am a gay American man that grew up outside of Boston, Massachusetts. I received my Bachelors degree from Tufts University in Boston. I have also lived in New York, San Francisco, and Reykjavik, Iceland. A few years ago I lived in Jyväskylä, Finland for a year. For this fall semester, I am a visiting graduate student at the University of Helsinki, in the Department of Sociology. I am doing this work in Finland for my graduate degree in Human Sexuality at San Francisco State University. My Masters thesis looks at the friendships of sexual minority men in Finland and Iceland. And, as I love living in the Nordic countries, I plan on staying and finding work here after I finish my degree.

I am really interested in speaking with you, so please feel free to contact me via the information listed below. I look forward to hearing from you!

Olen nyt Helsingissä ja minuun saa yhteyttä sähköpostilla david_megathlin@hotmail.com

David Megathlin
Master's Student in Human Sexuality
San Francisco State University
Web Site: http://hmsx.sfsu.edu
david_megathlin@hotmail.com