Chapter 12: Sexual Orientation

butch

masculine-acting, often used to describe certain lesbians

biphobia

prejudice against bisexuals

femiphobia

prejudice against femininity, especially in males

homophobia

prejudice against homosexuality or gay people

come out of the closet (or come out)

reveal a previously concealed identity, such as being gay

homosexuality

sexual attraction only (or predominantly) to persons of one's own sex

heterosexuality

sexual attraction only (or predominantly) to persons of the other sex

pansexuality

sexual attraction to persons of any sex or gender

bisexuality

sexual attraction to persons of both sexes

androphilic

sexually attracted to men

gynephilic

sexually attracted to women

gaydar

the ability to recognize gay people of the basis of unconscious behaviors, voice quality, gait, and so on

heterosexism

the cultural establishment of heterosexuality as the normal and preferred form of sexual expression

sexual orientation

the direction of a person's sexual feelings: sexual attraction toward persons of the opposite sex (heterosexual), the same sex (homosexual), or both sexes (bisexual)

INAH3

third interstitial nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus - a neuronal cell group in the hypothalamus that differs in size between men and women and between gay and straight men

Kinsey scale

a 7-point scale of sexual orientation devised by Alfred Kinsey

bathhouse

a facility, usually in the form of a private club, used for casual sex between men

implicit association test

a psychological test that is intended to revel unconscious or unstated preferences

medial preoptic area

a region of the hypothalamus involved in the regulation of sexual behaviors typically shown by males

gender-variant

atypical in gender characteristics

bi

colloquial term for bisexual

straight

colloquial term for heterosexual

gay

colloquial term for homosexual

femme

feminine-acting, often used to describe certain lesbians or bisexual women

gay bashing

hate crimes against gay people; sometimes includes verbal abuse as well as physical violence

lesbian

homosexual - applied to women only

bisexual erasure

ignoring or denying the existence of bisexual people

bear

in gay slang, a burly gay man with plenty of body hair; more generally, a member of a gay male subculture that rejects many of the prevailing standards of gay male attractiveness and behavior