HLTH 251 Chapter 14 Sexual Orientation and Identity: Gay, Lesbian, Bi, Straight, or Asexual?

antigay prejudice

negative attitudes and behaviours toward gays and lesbians; also termed sexual prejudice

Kinsey's continuum

-Kinsey's important scientific breakthrough when he decided to conceptualize mixed sex and same-sex behaviour not as two separate categories but rather as variations on a continuum; the black and white extremes of heterosexuality and homosexuality have many shades of grey in between -Kinsey constructed a scale running from 0 (exclusively heterosexual experience) to 6 (exclusively homosexual experience), with the midpoint of 3 indicating equal amounts of heterosexual and homosexual experience

lesbian and gay families

-increasingly, gay and lesbian couples are creating families that include children -in the past, the courts tended to grant custody to the nongay or nonlesbian parents and have often restricted visitation by the gay or lesbian parent -legislation now in most provinces allows same-sex adoption either by the partner of a parent of of an unrelated child

how might genetic factors cause sexual orientation?

-research shows that the rate of concordance of homosexuality is substantially higher for identical twins than for nonidentical twins, and this fact argues in favour of a genetic contribution to sexual orientation -if genetic factors absolutely determined sexual orientation, however, the concordance rate would be 100% for the identical twin pairs, so factors other than genetics play a role in influencing sexual orientation -it seems likely that multiple genes contribute to sexual orientation

what does scientific data say about homosexuality as a mental illness?

-studies tended to find more problems of adjustment among the gay and lesbian group than among the heterosexual group, but this reasoning was circular -non-patient studies of LGB individuals found that gay men, lesbians, and heterosexuals are equally well adjusted, a position that had received official professional recognition from the American Psychiatric Association -scientists agree that higher rates of depression and suicide among LGBs do not mean that homosexuality per se indicates mental illness

what are the steps in Daryl Bem's theory of the development of sexual orientation?

-the exotic becomes erotic A) biological variable (genes, prenatal hormones) lead to B) childhood temperaments (aggression, activity level) lead to C) sex-typical/atypical activity and playmate preferences (gender conformity/nonconformity) lead to D) feeling different from opposite/same-sex peers (dissimilar, unfamiliar, exotic) leads to E) nonspecific autonomic arousal to opposite/same-sex peers leads to F) erotic/romantic attraction to opposite/same-sex persons (sexual orientation)

is there one right answer for what causes sexual orientation?

-we don't know which of the theories are correct -several theories have strong evidence supporting them, but no one theory accounts for all cases

covert homosexual

a gay man or lesbian who is "in the closet," who keeps his or her sexual orientation a secret

conversion or reparative therapy

any one of a number of treatments designed to turn LGBs into heterosexuals -have been around more than 100 years -the latest versions come from far-right religious groups -earlier techniques included giving gay men electrical shocks, as well as surgeries ranging from castration to brain surgery -all these various treatments rest on the assumption that homosexuality was an illness that should and could be cured

homonegativity

negative attitudes and behaviours toward gay men and lesbians; sometimes called antigay prejudice or sexual prejudice

heteronormativity

the belief that heterosexuality is the only pattern that is normal and natural

overt homosexual

a gay man or lesbian who is "out of the closet," who is open about his or her sexual orientation

lesbian

a woman whose sexual orientation is toward other women

what evidence is there for sociological labelling theory?

-Reiss argued that male-dominant societies with a great rigidity of gender roles produce the highest incidence of homosexuality -because the male role is rigid, there will be a certain number of males who dislike it and reject its heterosexual component -societies that have a great maternal and low paternal involvement with infants and that have rigid gender roles are precisely those that have the highest incidence of same-sex sexual behaviour in males -in societies where there is less gender-rigid expectations, individuals feel freer to experiment with same-sex behaviour

where are LGB communities?

-a loose network of LGB communities extends around the world; these links have been cemented in the past decade by increases in international travel, globalization, and the international reach of the internet -distinct LGB communities became visible in Canada in the 1970s in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal -LGBs tend to be less visible in smaller Canadian communities, but they nonetheless tend to have strong social networks

how prevalent is harassment against LGB individuals?

-a survey of Canadian LGBs found: 78% had experienced verbal assaults, 21% had been physically assaulted, 21% reported harassment by the police, 7% had been assaulted with a weapon -Canadians over the age of 15 who identify as gay or lesbian are 2.5 times as likely to be victims of violent victimization as are heterosexual Canadians -a survey in Canadian schools found that 55% of the sexual minority students had been verbally harassed and 21% had been physically harassed or assaulted about their gender expression or perceived sexual orientation; about a third of youth with LGBT parents also reported being harassed about their parents' sexual orientation or gender identity

how many people are asexual?

-according to a large British study, 1 percent of people reported that they have no sexual attraction to men or women, although some did engage in a low level of sexual activity with a partner -in another study completed on the Internet, 3.6% of respondents chose to identify themselves as having an asexual sexual orientation

how might prenatal factors cause sexual orientation?

-according to one theory, homosexuality is caused by a variation in prenatal development; there is a critical time of fetal development during which the hypothalamus differentiates and sexual orientation is determined -researchers think stress to the mother during pregnancy, babies later in a women's successive pregnancies because of a mother developing antibodies to genes, and a persons 2D:4D finger-length ratio can explain how prenatal factors contribute to sexual orientation -none of these theories have enough scientific evidence to make them completely accepted

how do LGBs differ from other minority groups?

-in the case of most other minorities, appearance is a fairly good indicator of minority group status, but one cannot tell simply by looking at a person what their sexual orientation is, so LGBs can hide their status

what does a coming out experience look like for LGBs?

-although many youth do not disclose their sexual orientation to their parents, if they do, they are more likely to tell their mothers than their fathers -mothers tend to react more positively to the disclosure than do fathers -whether the person experiences rejection or acceptance from family, friends, and others they come out to can be critical to self-esteem and mental health -the Internet can have a positive impact on the coming out process because it gives teens just realizing they are gay or lesbian the opportunity to find information and chat with others while not acknowledging the identity publicly

what symbols are used as representations of LGB pride?

-an upside-down pink triangle, which is what the Nazis used to label gay men, has been reclaimed by the gay community -the lowercase Greek letter lambda is also used -the most easily recognizable symbol is the rainbow flag used to represent the gay community since 1978 -a pink, purple, and blue striped flag is used to symbolize bisexual pride -pride celebrations, which celebrate the anniversary of the Stonewall rebellion, take place in various cities across Canada each summer

how might brain factors cause sexual orientation?

-another line of theorizing argues that there are anatomical differences between the brains of gays and straights that produce the differences in sexual orientation -neuroscientist Levay found significant differences between gay men and straight men in certain cells in the anterior portion of the hypothalamus, but this study had a number of flaws -studies also show that, in the brain, both lesbians and heterosexual men are turned on by women's pheromones and gay men and heterosexual women are turned on by male pheromones

what are the attitudes toward asexuals?

-asexual individuals may experience many of the challenges faced by LGB individuals -just as many Canadians assume that heterosexuality is the norm, most people assume that everyone is sexual -they see not being attracted to men or women as a sign that the individual has a sexual problem -people tend to view asexual people more negatively than they view gays and lesbians

what did the Criminal Code of Canada include before 1969 regarding LGBs?

-before 1969, "homosexual offences" included some outdated and derogatory terms, such as "buggery (anal intercourse), attempted buggery, indecent assault on a male by a male or female on a female, acts of gross indecency between men, procuring and attempting to procure acts of gross indecency between males"

was homosexuality classified as a mental illness?

-before 1973, the APA had listed homosexuality as a disorder in its authoritative Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders -homo sexuality was removed from the list of mental disorders by the World Health Organization only in 1993, by Japan in 1995, and by China in 2001

what is the view of homosexuality as a sin?

-before the last century, the dominant belief in Europe and North America was that homosexuality was a sin or a heresy -during the Inquisition, people who were accused of being heretics were also frequently accused of being homosexuals and were burned at the stake

how might learning theory explain sexual orientation?

-behaviourists emphasize the importance of learning in the development of sexual orientation -they note the prevalence of bisexual behaviour in both other species and in young humans, and they argue that rewards or punishments shape the individual's behaviour into predominant homosexuality or predominant heterosexuality -according to a learning-theory approach, a person who has early heterosexual experiences that are very unpleasant might develop toward homosexuality because homosexuality has essentially been punished and therefore becomes less likely

development of bisexual identities

-bisexual men and women generally begin to think of themselves as bisexual in their early to mid-20s -bisexual women typically have their first other-sex attraction and sexual experiences before their first same-sex ones -bisexual men are more likely to have same-sex experiences first, followed by mixed-sex ones

what are the attitudes toward bisexuals?

-bisexuals experience a different kind of stigma than do lesbians and gay men because we have very few cultural images of bisexuality and as such, bisexuality is rarely even recognizable -there are many negative stereotypes about bisexuals that cause people to have negative attitudes towards entering a committed relationship with a bisexual partner -bisexuals may be viewed with suspicion or downright hostility by the gay and lesbian communities

what can be done to prevent or end the prejudice against LGBs?

-change must occur at many levels: the individual, the interpersonal, and the organizational levels (eg, corporations, educational institutions), as well as society as a whole and its institutions (eg, the federal government) -at the individual level, all of us must examine our attitudes toward LGBs; parents must consider the messages they convey to their children -at the interpersonal level, people must recognize that LGBs are often a hidden minority and examine our interactions with other people, recognizing the extent to which many of us assume that everyone is heterosexual until proven otherwise -at the institutional level, schools need to develop a strong program of sex education across the grades, with open discussion of sexual orientation -at the systemic level, prejudice can be reduced if tolerance is conveyed to be the norm

what are the developmental processes of LGBs complicated by?

-complicated by the negative climate for sexual minority youth that exists in middle school, high school, and college or university -today cyberbullying also occurs, often allowing perpetrators to remain anonymous and facilitating the "outing" of LGB teens to hundreds of peers with just a click -support from adults, especially parents and adults at school, is crucial as sexual minority youth weather these storms

what do same-sex relationships look like?

-contrary to stereotypes, a substantial number of lesbians, gay men, and bisexuals form long-term relationships -between 8 and 21% of lesbian couples and 18 and 28% of gay male couples have been together for 10 years or more -in the 2016 census, there were 24,370 same-sex married couples and 48,510 same-sex common-law couples in Canada, an increase of 61% since 2006 -about 12% of same-sex couples had children living with them; female couples were 4x as likely to have children living with them than male couples

why is it complicated to find out the percentages of people in North America who are gay, lesbian, or bisexual?

-finding out the answer to this question is complex because it depends on the definition we use -determining how best to define and measure sexual orientation, particularly among adolescents, is quite complicated, because attraction, identity, and behaviour do not always go together -estimates may not be perfectly accurate because we can expect underreporting on any kind of sensitive topic like sexual orientation -As Kinsey soon realized, it depends on how you count

how does growing up with two parents of the same gender affect children psychologically?

-heterosexuals often make the assumption, based on their homonegativity, that it is better for children to grow up in heterosexual families than in families with two parents of the same gender -research on children growing up in same-sex parent families dismisses the assumptions that children will be less psychologically healthy, will have difficulties in relationships with their peers, and will show disturbances in gender or sexual identity -the adjustment and mental health of children in lesbian and gay families are no different from those of children in heterosexual families

what are the consequences of homonegativity and heterosexism?

-homonegativity and heterosexism can have serious emotional and health consequences for LGB individuals which may be a particular problem for adolescents establishing their sexual identity -antigay bullying and overt acts of antigay prejudice can cause significant pain and suffering -the prevalence of antigay humour and the widespread insult "that's so gay" are hurtful to LGB youth who may be listening -some LGB youth adopt the negative attitudes they see around them, called internalized homonegativity, and this may make it difficult for them to accept the sexual orientation -cultural homonegativity as well as internalized homonegativity may also affect some LGB individuals' self-esteem and in some cases, LGB youth so devalue their self-worth that they contemplate or attempt suicide -the most extreme expressions of antigay prejudice occur in hate crimes against LGBs

when did same-sex marriage become legal in Canada?

-in 2003, courts in Ontario and BC were the first to legalize same-sex marriage, ruling that federal laws restricting this violated the Charter -in 2004, courts in Quebec, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Yukon made the same ruling -On June 28, 2005, the House of Commons passed a bill ensuring that marriage is a right for all Canadians; the bill was given royal assent and became law less than a month later, on July 20, 2005 -Canada was the fourth country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage

What are important events for the history of LGBT individuals?

-in June 1969 gay, lesbian, and transgender individuals openly fought back against police harassment for the firs time in the Stonewall, a gay bar in NYC's Greenwich Village -the first gay liberation group in Canada was formed in 1970 -eight months later, 200 protestors on Parliament Hill demanded equal rights for gays and lesbians -in 1981, 3000 people rallied in Toronto to protest the arrest of 300 men during police raids on gay bathhouses

what role do the media play in homonegativity/antigay attitudes?

-in previous decades there were almost no portrayals of gay men or lesbians, so they were invisible in the mass media -gays are now more visible in the media, but some argue that programs increase stereotypes because they present the LGB characters in stereotypic ways, including lacking a stable relationship, being preoccupied with their sexuality, and being laughable

gay liberation movement

-in the last three decades the gay liberation movement has had a tremendous impact on the gay lifestyle and community -in particular, it has encouraged LGBs to be more overt and to feel less guilty about their behaviour -has given rise to a number of provincial and national organizations committed to ending discrimination against LGBs -members of the movement have founded numerous gay newspapers, magazines, and Internet sites -there is also a national GLB television station in Canada, OUTtv

what has replaced the view of homosexuality as a sin?

-in the twentieth century, the view of homosexuality as a sin has been replaced by the medical model, in which mental disturbance, and homosexuality in particular, is viewed as a sickness or illness

pansexual

-individuals are open to relationships with people of any sex, gender, or gender identity—men, women, transgender, intersex, etc

Why do individuals undergo reparative or conversion therapy today?

-investigations of reparative therapies today reveal that many individuals undergoing the therapy do so because of pressures from their family

are gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals a minority group?

-it is clear that LGB people are the subject of many negative attitudes and stereotypes, just as other minority groups are -like members of other minority groups, they can experience discrimination and only fairly recently have their rights been protected by law

how might hormonal factors cause sexual orientation?

-many researchers have tried to determine whether the testosterone levels of gay men differ from those of straight men, but these studies have not found any hormonal differences between the two groups

how do ethnic groups vary on how they define same-sex sexual behaviour?

-members of some ethnic groups, including men from the Caribbean and Latin American communities, may engage in extensive same-sex sexual behaviour while still considering themselves to be heterosexual -in Latin American communities and Egypt, a penetrative role during anal sex is not seen as gay, but a receptive role is -in Latin American and Caribbean communities, emotional and physical closeness among women is considered acceptable and desirable, but attitudes toward lesbianism are extremely restrictive -familism, the special emphasis on family, makes the lesbian even more of an outsider

what aspects of LGB relationships have to be negotiated and can be sources of conflict?

-money, housework, and sex -all couples, gay or straight, must struggle to find a balance that fits both persons

does sexual identity always determine a person's sexual partners?

-no, there may be contradictions between people's sexual identity and their actual choice of sexual partners Ex: a woman might identify herself as a lesbian, yet occasionally have sex with men

two-dimensional scheme of sexuality

-one scale for heteroeroticism (the extent of one's attraction to members of the other gender), ranging from low to high, and another scale for homoeroticism (the extent of attraction to members of one's own gender), ranging from low to high Ex: if one is high on both heteroeroticism and homoeroticism, one is a bisexual

how stable are people's sexual identities?

-people's sexual identities can change over time, often in response to relationship experiences -in one study, women were most likely to report changes in their pattern of attraction than men were

what is interactionist theory?

-psychologist Daryl Bem (1996) proposed a theory of the development of sexual orientation that encompasses the interaction of biological factors and experiences with the environment best described as the exotic becomes erotic

what do bisexuals base their identity on?

-research has shown that most bisexual men and women base their sexual identity on their feelings of sexual attraction or capacity to fall in love with either women or men regardless of whether they have expressed these feelings through sexual behaviour -many describe their sexual attractions to women and men as different from each other -they indicate that they do not cease being bisexual when they become monogamously involved with either a woman or a man

what is the history of LGBs and the law in Canada

-same-sex sexual activity used to be illegal in Canada but consensual same-sex activity was decriminalized in 1969 when, under Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Parliament passed a bill introducing widespread changes to laws regulating sexual behaviour in the Criminal Code of Canada -these changes were a turning point in the recognition and increasing acceptance of LGBs in Canada -however, at that time, the offence of anal intercourse was added to the Criminal code, and anal sex is illegal if it involves children or is not done in private, including if it is done in private but more than two persons are private -thus, the Criminal Code still discriminates against gay men in this way -before the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, virtually no human rights complaints by gay men and lesbians were successful -before 1992, homosexuality was grounds for dishonourable release from the military -in 1995, Parliament passed a hate crimes sentencing bill, which specifies longer sentences for hate-motivated crimes -in 2004, Parliament passed a private member's bill that bans hate propaganda that targets gay men and lesbians -recent decisions by the Supreme Court of Canada recognize that the equality rights guaranteed in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms include sexual orientation and that provincial human rights codes must recognize sexual orientation as a prohibited ground for discrimination -in 1996, Parliament amended the Human Rights Act to specifically prohibit discrimination based on sexual orientation -Parliament recently passed the Modernization of Benefits and Obligations Act, which amended existing federal statutes to ensure that they apply equally to couples in same-sex and mixed-sex relationships -the most recent area in which gay men and lesbians have attained equal rights was marriage

how many people are gay, lesbian, bi, straight, or asexual?

-several well-sampled surveys in Canada, the US, the UK, and France have given us estimates regarding sexual identity -results from CCHS: 0.7% of men and 0.9% of women identify as bisexual; 1.4% of men and 0.8% of women identify as homosexual -the answer is complex; probably about 90% of men and women are exclusively heterosexual, 10% of men and women have had at least one same-sex sexual experience in adulthood, 2% of men and 1% of women identify themselves as gay, about 1 to 2% identify themselves as bisexual

after sexual identity develops during adolescence, is it fixed?

-sexual identity may be fixed for many people post-adolescence, but some people may experience sexual fluidity in their 20s, 30s, or later -patterns of attraction and behaviour can continue to develop and evolve well past adolescence

when do LGB people self-identify?

-sexual minority women report their first same-sex romantic attraction on average at age 12 and sexual minority men at age 11, but there is lots of variability around those averages -first questioning of one's orientation occurs on average at age 12 for males and age 15 for females -self-labelling as LGB occurs on average at age 16 for men and 17 or 18 for women

how might sociological theory explain sexual orientation?

-sociologists emphasize the effects of labelling in explaining homosexuality -the label "homosexual" has a big impact on our society and may act as a self fulfilling prophecy Ex: suppose that young boy—possibly because he is gender nonconforming—is called "gay". He reacts strongly and becomes more anxious and worried about is problem; he becomes painfully aware of the slightest same-sex attraction in himself. Finally, he convinces himself that he is gay

how does gender variance contribute to LGB development?

-some evidence indicates that gender variance in childhood predicts later LGB orientation -children who are rated by their parents as having characteristics such as "behaves like the opposite sex" and "wishes to be the opposite sex," at least somewhat, are more likely, in adulthood, to have same-sex attractions and behaviours, but this prediction is far from perfect

when is sexual orientation determined?

-some experts believe that it is determined by 5 or 6 or even prenatally, whereas others say that it is determined by age 10 or 12

what are the biological theories for sexual orientation?

-the likeliest candidates for these biological causes are genetic factors, prenatal factors, differences in brain structure, and endocrine imbalance

how might interactionist theory explain sexual orientation?

-the theory begins with biological influences, but Bem does not believe that genes and other biological factors directly and magically determine a person's sexual orientation -rather, he theorized that biological factors exert their influence on sexual orientation through their influence on temperament in childhood -psychologists have found abundant evidence that two aspects of temperament have some biological basis: aggression and activity level; these two aspects show reliable gender differences -according to Bem, most children show levels of aggression and activity that are typical of their gender and these tendencies lead children to engage in gender-conforming activities that set off a chain events that will eventually lead to heterosexual orientation in adulthood -a minority of children, however, have temperamental characteristics that are not typical of their gender, so these children are then gender-nonconforming in their play patterns -these experiences with childhood play and playmates create a feeling in children that certain other children are different from them and therefore are exotic Ex: for the boy or gender non-conforming girl who spends most of his time playing active, aggressive sports with other boys, girls are different, mysterious, and exotic -the presence of an exotic other causes a person to feel generalized arousal, which is then transformed into erotic or romantic attraction

how many people believe sexual orientation is caused by biological factors?

-the view of the majority of Canadians, 54%, believe that homosexuality is something a person is born with -an additional 8% believe homosexuality results from a combination of biological factors and environment

how do life experiences of LGBs differ?

-there is a wide variety of experiences -some people may be in a mixed-sex marriage but engage in secret same-sex behaviour, whereas others may live within an LGB community in a large city where there is a large gay subculture -there are various degrees of overtness and covertness -there is different discrimination against gay men than there is against lesbians -lifestyles of LGB vary according to whether one is male or female and overt or covert about one's sexual identity, and according to social class, occupation, personality and a variety of other factors

what are some of the stereotypes about bisexuals?

-they are often thought of as internally conflicted or psychologically immature -stereotyped as nonmonogamous, needing both same-sex and other-sex partners to satisfy both the gay/lesbian and heterosexual sides of their sexualities -they can be stereotyped as confused and untrustworthy

what are the consequences of reparative therapies?

-they do not actually change people's sexual orientation but they do make people feel guilty about it -reparative therapy itself can create mental health problems and some people seek psychotherapy to help them recover from conversion therapies

what are Canadians' attitudes toward gay men and lesbians?

-today, the vast majority of Canadians (80%) say that society should accept gays and lesbians and these attitudes are becoming increasingly accepting -most Canadians are also accepting of same-sex marriage and the rights of same-sex couples to adopt children -women are more accepting than men, and younger people are more accepting than older people -Canadians are more accepting of same-sex relationships than Americans are

how do Asian communities in Canada view sexual orientation?

-two features of the culture shape attitudes toward homosexuality and its expression 1. a strong distinction between what may be expressed publicly and what should be kept private 2. a stronger value placed on loyalty to one's family and on the performance of family roles than on the expression of one's own desires -having an identity, much less a sexual identity or a gay lifestyle, apart from one's family is almost incomprehensible to traditional Asians -as a result, a relatively small proportion of LGB members of the Asian communities in Canada are "out" in their community

what are the global variations in attitudes toward homosexuality?

-variations in attitudes toward homosexuality vary so much that it has been called a global divide -some nations, such as Canada, Spain, and Germany, express high levels of acceptance -others, such as Mexico and Israel, are intermediate -and in others, such as Kenya, and Egypt, acceptance is rare

can attitudes toward homosexuality vary within a country?

-various Canadian ethnic minority groups differ in their cultural definitions for same-sex behaviour -generally, members of Canadian ethnocultural communities have less tolerance for homosexuality than members of the majority culture do

what is important to note about when sexual orientation is determined?

-when sexual orientation is determined is still an open question -fro some it may be determined by genetic factors or experiences early in life, but for others it may be determined in adulthood or continue to be fluid

what are the differences between gay men and lesbians?

-women are more likely to be bisexual and less likely to be exclusively homosexual than men are -among individuals who identify as straight and gay, women show more flexibility to change over time in their sexual orientation -early research suggested that sexual minority women experienced lower sexual desire and engaged in sex less frequently than did individuals in other relationship types, but recent research has challenged this view -one study found that women in a same-sex relationship were less likely to report engaging in sexual activity more than twice a week but that the duration of sexual encounters was longer

why is referring to lesbians and gay men as homosexuals problematic?

1. in the past it has been associated with negative stereotypes, such as deviance, mental illness, and criminal behaviour, and thus can be used as a derogatory label 2. emphasizes sexual behaviour rather than sexual identity 3. it is ambiguous because even though it is a general term, it has often been used to refer exclusively to gay men

what criticisms have been raised for Bem's theory?

1. evidence not discussed by Bem contradicts some central propositions of the theory 2. the theory reflects male experience and neglects female experience

what are the three ways of conceptualizing homosexuality and heterosexuality?

1. the typology: heterosexual and homosexual 2. Kinsey's continuum 3. two-dimensional scheme (Storms, 1980)

what are the two main points that emerge when we consider sexual orientation from a multicultural perspective?

1. the very definition of homosexuality is set by culture 2. many ethnocultural communities are more disapproving of homosexuality than is the majority of Canadian culture. In these cases, LGBs feel conflicts between their sexual identity and loyalty to their ethnic group

what are the three questions people raise about how children of same-sex couples fair?

1. will they be less healthy psychologically than children who grow up with two heterosexual parents? 2. will they have difficulties in relationships with their peers, perhaps being stigmatized or teased because of their unusual family situation? 3. will they show "disturbances" in gender identity or sexual identity?

asexual

a person who is not attracted to men or women

bisexual

a person whose sexual orientation is toward both men and women

heterosexual

a person whose sexual orientation is toward members of the other gender

homosexual

a person whose sexual orientation is toward members of the same gender. use of the terms gay or lesbian to refer to individuals is preferable

sexual orientation

a person's erotic and emotional orientation toward members of his or her own gender or members of the other gender -who we are emotionally, romantically, and sexually attravted to

typological conceptualization

a prevalent notion that heterosexual and homosexual are two quite separate and distinct categories, like the difference between black and white

queer

a self-label used by some LGBs and by some heterosexuals who want to identify as outside the social norm with respect to gender or sexuality -as an umbrella term, it has the advantage of not forcing people to adopt a narrow, societally defined label that may not reflect their experience or the fluidity of sexual identity

homophobia

a strong, irrational fear of gay men and lesbians; fixed negative attitudes and reactions to gay men and lesbians

medical model

a theoretical model in psychiatry in which mental problems are thought of as sickness or mental illness; the problems in turn are often thought to be due to biological factors

sexual minority

another term that encompasses all people who do not identify as heterosexual, regardless of their specific identity

sexual fluidity

changes over time in a person's sexual attractions, identity, or behaviour

gay baths

clubs where gay men can socialize; features include a swimming pool or whirlpool and access to casual sex -feature casual, impersonal sex, since a partner can be found and the act completed without the two even exchanging names -there are about six in each of Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver

gay bars

gay-friendly bars or clubs frequented by lesbians and gay men -some gay bars, particularly in smaller Canadian cities cater to both LGB individuals and gay-positive heterosexuals; what makes them gay bars is not that they are different from other bars but that they are accepting of same-sex relationships

straight

heterosexual

traditional homonegativity

homonegativity based on moral and religious views or beliefs that homosexuality is not "normal"

modern homonegativity

homonegativity that reflects beliefs that gay men and lesbians exaggerate the importance of their sexual orientation or make unnecessary demands for social change

sexual identity

one's self-identity or self-label as gay, heterosexual, bisexual or asexual

mostly heterosexuals

people who are not exclusively heterosexual, but also not quite bisexual -they have a small amount of same-sex sexual attraction and they engage in same-sex sexual behaviour only occasionally -support the idea that sexual orientation exists along a continuum

what is the assumption with learning theory when it comes to sexual orientation?

the assumption is that humans have a relatively amorphous, undifferentiated pool of sex drive that, depending on circumstances (rewards and punishments), may be channelled in any of several directions Ex: if early sexual experiences are with a same-sex partner and pleasant, the person may become gay

heterosexism

the belief that heterosexuality is the only legitimate, acceptable, and healthy way for people to be; homosexuality is denigrated

what do higher rates of depression and suicide among LGBs indicate?

the higher rates reflect: 1. the exposure of LGBs to maltreatment and violence 2. the lack of support or downright rejection by family and friends that some LGBs experience 3. the stress of concealing their true identity

coming out

the process of acknowledging to oneself, and then to others, that one is gay or lesbian