Chapter 11: Sexual Orientation

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Chapter 11 Sexual Orientation

• For use with Human Sexuality Today (4th Ed.)
• Bruce King
• Slides prepared by Traci Craig

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Chapter Overview

• Prevalence
• Defining sexual orientation
• Origins of sexual orientation
• Biological Explanations
• History and Attitudes about Homosexuality
• Coming out
• Lifestyles and Relations
• Marriage and Parenthood
• Media
• Can (Should) sexual orientation be changed?

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Prevalence

• Recent national cross-sectional survey
• 22 of men and 17 of women have had same-sex
  sexual experiences
  
• 9 of men and 5 of women frequently or ongoing
• Parade magazine men 3 homosexual, 3 bisexual
  women 1 homosexual, .4 bisexual.

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Defining Sexual Orientation

• Behavior? Psychological? Fantasy?
  Self-identification?
  
• 5.5 of women and 5 of men said the idea of
  having a same-sex sexual experience was
  appealing
  
• Sexual Orientation distinct preferences
  consistently made after adolescence in the
  presence of clear alternatives.

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Defining Sexual Orientation

• Kinseys scale better than dichotomy.
• Still does not distinguish psychology from
  behavior.

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Bisexuality

• Some hetero and homosexuals believe that
  bisexuals are just not out of the closet
  
• Bisexual individuals may change their
  self-identity over time. Homosexual?Bisexual or
  Bisexual?Homosexual
  
• Is it behavior? Feeling? Identity?
• People do not seem to use just behavior when
  defining sexual orientation for themselves.

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Bisexuality

• A person can enjoy and engage in sexual activity
  with members of both sexes, or recognizes a
  desire to do so.
  
• Distinct from heterosexuality or homosexuality,
  an independent construct not a weaker orientation.

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Sexual Orientation,Gender Identity, and Gender
Roles

• Gender identity is similar for homosexual,
  heterosexual and bisexual individuals
  
• Gender dysphoria is neither a result, associate,
  nor cause of sexual orientation.
  
• Homosexuality and Bisexuality not associated with
  reversed or atypical gender roles.

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Origins

• Psychoanalytic ExplanationsResolution of the
  Oedipus complex, fixation in this stage
  ?homosexuality
  
• Boys with domineering, rejecting mother and
  turned to father/men for love.
  
• Girls continue to have penis envy and this leads
  to masculine identification
  
• Research does not support this theoretical view.

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Psychosocial Explanations

• Social learning theorylearned behaviors
• Same-sex relations rewarding?homosexuality
• Cross-sex relations rewarding?heterosexuality
• Researchnot an attractiveness issue, not lack of
  rewards associated with cross-sex contact.
  
• Initial experiences have some influence.

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Demographics

• Homsexual men tend to have a later birth order
• More older brothers then more effeminate
  homosexuality
  
• Not true for women
• Birth order effects not present in adopted
  families
  
• Biology must be part of the answer.

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Biological Explanations

• Genetic Factors Twin studieshigh concordance in
  identical twins, but support is varied
  
• Anatomical Factors
• Brainhomosexual men have larger hypothalamus
  than heterosexual men.
  
• Inner earhomosexual women identical structure to
  heterosexual men
  
• Biological componentbut not clear evidence as
  female homosexuals do not always follow pattern.

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Biological Explanations

• Hormonal Factors Anatomical differences
  influenced by hormones during infancy.
  
• Levels of testosterone in adult homosexual and
  heterosexual males do not differ.
  
• Effects of hormones occur early on prenatally or
  by the age of two.

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Origins Conclusions

• Both biological and social factors contribute to
  the development of sexual orientation.
  
• The relationship is complex.
• Perhaps biology causes a predisposition, that is
  then influenced by social factors.
  
• Consequences of conclusiveness about origin.

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History and Attitudes

• Ancient Greece?pederasty adult men and boys
  engaging in same sex behaviors.
  
• Roman Empire?Same sex marriage legal in the upper
  class and pederasty common.
  
• Jewish culture?female homosexuality no spillage
  of seed.
  
• St. Augustine procreation only

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History and Attitudes

• Late 1800shomosexuality/mental illness
• Frontal lobotomies, forced castration or
  hysterectomy, ECT, hormone injections
  
• 1960sno psychological differences
• 1973APA removed homosexuality as a mental
  illness from the DSM
  
• 18 states have laws against oral anal sex.
• Stonewall1969 Gay Rights Movement

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History and Attitudes

• Catholic Churchthe behavior is a sin
• Southern Baptistssinners can receive forgiveness
  through personal faith
  
• Anglican Churchloved by god, but incompatible
  with scripture
  
• US Military dont ask, dont tell
• 1999?this policy is a failure

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Sexual Prejudice

• 1990s 60 of Americans?same sex is always wrong
• 2000 only 46?homosexuality is a sin
• 80?deserve job protection
• 78?equal rights in housing
• NYC Children of the Rainbow
• Victims of hate crimes at least 1,000 per year
  reported
  
• 1998 Matthew Shepard

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Sexual Prejudice

• 90 of gay men have been verbally abused or
  threatened
  
• 33 of men at a liberal and tolerant college had
  used physical violence of name-calling directed
  at homosexuals.
  
• Homosexual teens have a suicide rate and
  depression rate of about 18-28

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Sexual Prejudice

• Homophobia negative attitudes due to irrational
  fear
  
• Sexual prejudice socially reinforced and also
  includes negative attitudes
  
• Men are more sexual prejudiced than women. Also
  more directed toward gay men than toward lesbians.

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Sexual Prejudice

• Enforcing morality? then why arent lesbians also
  targeted
  
• Homophobic men show arousal when shown male
  homosexual videos.
  
• Affirmation of manhood via overt acts of sexual
  prejudice
  
• Other cultures accept same-sex affection among
  friends and family, but not so in America

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Coming Out

• Stages to disclosing ones homosexuality
• FirstSelf-recognition of homosexuality
• SecondGetting to know others to end isolation
• ThirdTelling friends and family
• PFLAG
• Fourthcomplete openness about ones
  homosexuality
  

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Lifestyles and Relations

• Gay community typically well-educated,
  professional careers, and openly homosexual.
  
• Urban areas
• 60 of gay men with partners live in one of 20
  cities.

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Lifestyles and Relations

• 5 categories or lifestyles
• Close-coupled?1 partner and happy being gay
• Open-coupled?primary partner and also dating and
  happy being gay
  
• Functional?multiple partners, date, enjoy
  independence, and comfortable with being gay
  
• Dysfunctional?sexually active but not happy
• Asexual?single few partners and not interested in
  partners.
  

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Lifestyles and Relations

• No differences between homosexual and
  heterosexual couples in satisfaction and
  commitment.
  
• Few role models for young homosexuals about how
  to be in relationships
  
• Similar to heterosexual couples in behavior
• Kiss, caress, oral-genital sex, and (for men)
  anal sex.
  
• Lesbian couples spend more time touching and
  caressing than heterosexual couples where the
  male is present and goal oriented.

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Homosexuals and Marriage

• 25 of gay men and 40 of lesbians have been
  married to heterosexual partners.
  
• Desire for family, societal pressure, negative
  feelings about homosexuality, affection for
  partner.
  
• Few partners know, low chance of monogamy
• When partners find out?deceived, painful
  emotionally

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Homosexuals and Marriage

• Purpose of marriage? Procreation? Ban marriage
  for infertile couples too?
  
• Defense of Marriage Actunion of a man and a
  woman
  
• 32 states have banned same sex marriage
• Vermont? civil unions

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Homosexuals as Parents

• 27 of the homosexual community have children
• 39 of Americans are in favor of adoption rights
  for homosexual parents
  
• Children do not show gender identity conflicts,
  nor adjustment problems, and are not more likely
  to be gay.
  
• Harassment by peers in school.
• APA Sexual orientation should not be a basis for
  custody.

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Media Portrayal

• Birdcage vs. Philadelphia
• Portraying the stereotype
• In Out vs. Ellen
• Will Grace Queer as Folk
• Slowly changing depictions of gay and lesbian
  characters on TV and in movies.
  
• Becoming more inclusive

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Can (should) sexual orientation be changed?

• 50 of American believe that willpower, therapy,
  or religion can change sexual orientation
  
• 11 of gays and lesbians also believe this
• Exodus Internationallong term success?
• Experts agree it is simply not possible to change
  someones sexual orientation
  
• APA reparative therapy is harmful