chapter 12 sexual orientation

butch

masculine-acting, often used to describe certain lesbians -dominant role in sex

biphobia

prejudice against bisexuals

femiphobia

prejudice against femininity, especially of males

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 -more men than women are exclusively homosexual

heterosexuality

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

pansexuality

sexual attraction to persons of any sex or gender. also called omnisexuality

bisexuality

sexual attraction to persons of both sexes -more women than men are about equally attracted to both sexes

androphilic

sexually attracted to men -fetuses whose brains are exposed to low levels of androgens during the sensitive period of prenatal development (mostly females, but most males)

gynephilic

sexually attracted to women -fetuses whose brains are exposed to high levels of androgens during the sensitive period of prenatal development (mostly males, but a few females) -CAH (congenital adrenal hyperplasia): a condition where ^""^; Women with CAH are more likely to experience same-sex attraction and engage in same-sex relationships than are control groups of women such as their unaffected sisters

gaydar

the ability to recognize gay people on 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 (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 -volume significantly smaller in the gay men than in the straight men -volume in the gay men was not significantly different from the volume found in women

Freud's psychodynamic model about sexuality

-heterosexuality a "normal" culmination of a complex, multistage process of psychosexual development -this process includes a homosexual phase in early childhood that is later forgotten -the "normal" developmental process could be disrupted by abnormal relationships within the family -like a mother who was too "close-binding" or "seductive" toward a child, a father who was too distant or hostile, intense sibling rivalry, or penis envy -if these phenomena blocked "normal"development, the child might remain stuck in the early homosexual phase

Richard Green's study

-the control boys (chosen without regard to their gender characteristics) became totally heterosexual -of the feminine boys, majority became gay or bisexual -but some of the feminine boys were entirely heterosexual at their last interview (like the boy Richard who wished he was a girl as a 5-year-old) -childhood characteristics are not entirely predictive of adult orientation, even for those extreme gender-noncomformist children -most gay men do not have a history of such radical gender noncomformity during childhood; in fact, some recall being very conventionally masculine

Why Gay Genes?

-why haven't gay genes died out even though it means nonreproductive sex? -in female relatives that inherit the same gene, it could increase their attraction to males, making them "hyperheterosexual" and causing them to engage in more heterosexual sex and have more children -gay males increase their sisters' reproductive success by their behavior (devoting resources, enabling them to have more children and helping those children survive and reproduce in their turn

jobs in which lesbians and gays are highly represented

1) jobs dominated by persons of the other sex (e.g. gay men working as flight attendants, lesbians as mechanics) 2) jobs requiring a high level of social perceptiveness (e.g. psychologist) 3) jobs allowing people to perform their work without a great deal of reliance on others (e.g. technical writer, home appliance installer) -gay people are not simply people who get together to have sex, nor are they simply a community united in resistance to oppression; they share common interests and a common sensibility

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 -could be that home is too far away, or the participants may want to hide their sexual orientation or sexual activities from people they live with -men may also seek out these locations for the thrill, risk of public exposure, or chance to have sex with a number of strangers in a short time

medial preoptic area

a region of the hypothalamus involved in the regulation of sexual behaviors typically shown by males, including the preference for female partners

gender-variant

atypical in gender characteristics

gay

colloquial but now-standard term meaning "homosexual," applicable to men and women -gay people - on average - do differ, in a number of gender-related traits, from straight people of the same sex -these differences are apparent well before people become aware of the direction of their own sexual attractions -boys who later become gay men tend to be less focused on typical boys' toys and boys' activities, to be judged by others as unmasculine or girlish, and to have less stereotypically male career plans -girls who later become lesbians tend to prefer boys toys and activities, to be judged by others as unfeminine or boyish, and to have male-typical career plans -gay men are - on avg - less aggressive than straight men; perform less well on some tasks at which men typically excel, such as targeting accuracy and mental rotation; and perform better on some tasks at which females typically excel, such as verbal fluency, object-location memory, and face recognition

bi

colloquial term meaning "bisexual"

straight

colloquial term meaning "heterosexual"

femme

feminine-acting, often used to describe certain lesbians or bisexual women -submissive role in sex

lesbian

homosexual, applicable to women only

bisexual erasure

ignoring or denying the existence of bisexual people -not only straight people but also gays and lesbians may participate in bisexual erasure, if they assume that everyone who identifies as bisexual is simply a gay person who is halfway out of the closet or someone who just wants attention

bear

in gay slang, a burly gay man with plenty of body hair -a rejection of the necessity to conform to the "pretty boy" or "muscle boy" images so popular elsewhere in the gay world, combined with a warm, nonjudgmental personality