queer geographies
simon w. griffith, portfolio and blog
Sociology graduate student (Fall 2023-2025), California State University San Marcos
Bachelor of Arts, Sociology (2023) California State University San Marcos
Working research statement Having lived in or around Hillcrest, San Diego's famous gay village, for over a decade, I have witnessed significant changes to the physical space and demographic composition, which have made the area increasingly unfamiliar and potentially unwelcoming to LGBTQ+ locals, visitors, and vicarious citizens who once considered it an essential safe space. This phenomenon is not unique to San Diego, as research from the past decade indicates that historic gay districts across the United States and beyond are undergoing similar transformations. In response to this, my research primarily focuses on the impact of closures of LGBTQ+ establishments on the community and social dynamics.
Additionally, I aim to understand how the obsolescence or absence of cultural and social markers that previous generations relied upon affects the psychological well-being and social skills of young LGBTQ+ individuals. To provide context to this issue within our highly divided sociopolitical climate, I will investigate how rapidly changing ideological landscapes, disseminated by corporate-controlled mass media outlets, contribute to the emergence and persistence of in-group stigmatization within LGBTQ+ communities.
To address these questions, I will draw upon various theoretical perspectives on culture, behavior, and urbanization.
News
1/20/2025I will be serving as TA for Dr. Alicia Gonzales’ SOC 560 graduate Quantitative Research Methods course for Spring 2025.
12/6/2024
I have been invited to present my research-in-progress on "Community Impacts of Hillcrest’s Redevelopment" in a session entitled "Reclaiming Urban Spaces: Community Identity, Housing Justice, and Development," at the 2025 Pacific Sociological Association conference in San Francisco, CA on March 27-30, 2025. The conference theme for 2025 is "Sociology in Crisis: Strategies for Teaching and Researching in a Culture of Anti DEI."
11/7/2024I successfully defended my graduate thesis proposal and it was accepted without revisions! I will begin my research immediately upon approval from our IRB. Thank you to my committee and my Chair for your time and the valuable feedback!
11/1/2024I am honored to accept the Outstanding Graduate Student Award from the California Sociological Association for 2024. I extend my deepest gratitude to my nominator, Dr. Alicia Gonzales.
About the award: The Elizabeth and Edward Nelson Graduate Student Award is designed to honor a current graduate student enrolled in a California college or university graduate program (or one who graduated last school year). The student should be enrolled in (or have completed within the past year) a course of graduate study in sociology completing 20 graduate units of sociology with a GPA of at least 3.5 and has earned distinction in outstanding scholarship and/or outstanding service to the school, community, or the CSA.
7/10/2024I will be serving as Graduate Assistant / TA for Dr. Christopher Bickel's SOC 361 Qualitative Research Methods course for Fall 2024.
6/28/2024The NSF social sciences research grant that I co-authored with Profs. Bertrand, Ometto, and Kannothra (CSUDH) entitled Pathways for Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Entrepreneurs, the Role of Cultural Narratives, Identity, and Collective Action has been recommended for selection and funding from September 2024 to August 2027.12/20/2023I will be serving as Graduate Assistant / TA for Dr. Marisol-Ibáñez SOC 361 Qualitative Research Methods course for Spring 2024.12/4/2023I have been invited to present my research-in-progress on "Actor-Network Theory and the Erosion of LGBTQ+-Centered Spaces" in a session entitled "Queer Spaces," at the 2024 Pacific Sociological Association conference in San Diego, CA on March 21-24, 2024. The conference theme for 2024 is "Ties That Bind: Social Space and Social Permissiveness."
Congratulations to my colleagues Niko Crumpton and Dulcinea Arroyo who have also been invited to present on their research-in-progress, and I hope more of my academic colleagues receive presentation initiations for this conference, soon! 10/4/2023I have joined the research group of Drs. Carly Offidani-Bertrand(CSUSM Human Development) and Paola Ometto (CSUSM College of Business Administration), the NSF grant-funded Multicultural Entrepreneurship Project, as a research assistant. Our interests align in the areas of research around places, spaces, and agency. I look forward to partnering with this talented group on many exciting projects and publications.8/28/2023I will be serving as Graduate Assistant / TA for Dr. Christopher Bickel's SOC 361 Qualitative Research Methods course for Fall 2023.3/30/2022I was invited to the Fall 2023 cohort in the Master of Arts in Sociological Practice (MASP) program at California State University San Marcos and have graciously accepted. 1/26/2023I was named on the Dean's List for the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences at California State University San Marcos for Fall 2022.6/10/2022I was named on the Dean's List for the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences at California State University San Marcos for Spring 2022.datenews