Sociology of Sexuality
What is gray divorce, and what explains it?
the term referring to the rising rate in older adults, typically from long-lasting marriages, getting divorced
What are some reasons that straight-identified men have sex with other men, according to Silva's research("Straight men's same-sex behavior"?
- women might become emotionally attached (false ideology) - apart of institutions expecting heterosexuality and masculinity - see straightness as a way of life - geographic location (small, rural town) - marriage as a part of their identity (women = marriage threat, therefore identity threat) - generational and socializing issues In short, the men I interviewed felt that being straight was a way of life, indicated by being in relationships with women and perhaps raising children. Being in a relationship with a woman meant being not gay, nor even bisexual, despite sex with men. It is, of course, possible to identify as bisexual regardless of the gender of one's partner. Yet, the men I interviewed felt that romantic interest in women was more important to their identity than sexual behavior with men
According to Scherrer, how does the existence of asexuality challenge assumptions about human sexuality?
Challenges the construction of sexuality itself - people who do not experience sexual attraction or desire (questions what we mean by the term 'sexuality')
How is sexual orientation conceptualized in terms of a typological conceptualization (or binary) ----> Klein's sexual orientation grid
Klein Sexual Orientation Grid has seven categories: Sexual Attraction, Sexual Behavior, Sexual Fantasies, Emotional Preference, Social Preference, Self-Identification, Straight/Gay Lifestyle. sexual behaviors in past, present, and ideal future A multidimensional measurement of sexual orientation
homosexuality
Sexual attraction to the same sex
heterosexual privilege
Societal benefits given to people who identify as heterosexual the opportunity granted to heterosexuals because of their sexual orientation
How is sexual orientation conceptualized in terms of a typological conceptualization (or binary) ----> Storms' two-dimensional scheme
Storms' model is a two-dimensional map of erotic orientation showing four sexual orientation categories: homosexual, bisexual, asexual, and heterosexual. This model was proposed in 1979 by Michael Storms to address several inadequacies with the one-dimensional Kinsey scale.
How is sexual orientation conceptualized in terms of a typological conceptualization (or binary) ----> Kinsey's scale
The Kinsey scale is used to describe a person's sexual orientation based on their experiences. The scale ranges from 0, meaning exclusively heterosexual, to 6, meaning exclusively homosexual. the first to propose that human sexual orientation is a spectrum, not a binary
why can we NOT conclude that sexual orientation is primarily a biological phenomenon?
We don't know exactly what influences sexual development along a homosexual course rather a heterosexual course
homophobia
fear of and prejudice against homosexuality
how did the development of heterosexual identity impact the social meaning of homosexuality? (See Seidman 4)
"Heterosexuality indicated of reproductive drive, not simply a sexual attraction, and it was the drive or behavior, not an identity" "normal sex was defined as heterosexual erotic attraction; abnormal sex was defined as homosexual attraction" Heterosexuality changed from a reproductive instinct to a sexual desire and identity "as heterosexuality became an important way to demonstrate a normal sexual and gender identity, homosexuality represented a deviant status. Not only was sexual attraction to a person of the same sex stigmatize but gender deviance was disapproved of as a sign of homosexuality. The result was that man and woman feared exhibiting any gender traits that deviated from norms of masculine men and feminine woman. A sexual system that aggressively enforced heterosexuality as a norm aim to shore up a fragile gender order"
How is fag discourse racialized?
"The fag trope is not deployed consistently or identically across social groups at River High. Differences between white boys' and African American boys' meaning making around clothes and dancing reveal ways in which the fag as the abject position is racialized." African americans were more likely to use the word "white" instead of "fag" bc black men are hypersexualized white men were seen as feminized. so they used fag and white interchangeably. This amount of attention and care given to clothing for white boys not identified with hip-hop culture (that is, most of the white boys at River High) would certainly cast them into an abject, fag position. White boys are not supposed to appear to care about their clothes or appearance, because only fags care about how they look. Dancing is another arena that carries distinctly fag associated meanings for white boys and masculine meanings for African-American boys who participate in hip-hop culture. White boys often associate dancing with 'fags'. J.L. told me that guys think ''nSync's gay' because they can dance. 'nSync is an all white male singing group known for their dance moves. At dances white boys frequently held their female dates tightly, locking their hips together. The boys never danced with one another, unless engaged in a round of 'hot potato'. White boys often jokingly danced together in order to embarrass each other by making someone else into a fag dancing does not carry this sort of sexualized gender meaning for all boys at River High. For African-American boys dancing demonstrates membership in a cultural community (Best, 2000). African-American boys frequently danced together in single sex groups, teaching each other the latest dance moves, showing off a particularly difficult move or making each other laugh with humorous dance moves white men: dancing and dressing nice=gay black men: dancing and dressing nice=not gay
What is a "fag" according to the (male) students at River High, and how does a fag differ from a "gay" person ("Dude, you're a fag")?
"To call someone gay or fag is like the lowest thing you can call someone. Because that's like saying that you're nothing." "I think guys are just homophobic.' However, it is not just homophobia, it is a gendered homophobia. Several students told me that these homophobic insults only applied to boys and not girls" "Girls and boys often used 'gay' as an adjective referring to inanimate objects and male or female people, whereas they used 'fag' as a noun that denotes only un-masculine males." gay is a legitimate, if marginalized, social identity. If a man is gay, there may be a chance he could be considered masculine by other men To be a fag is, by definition, the opposite of masculine, whether or not the word is deployed with sexualized or non-sexualized meanings gay: you have sex with men and can still be masculine fag: you are not masculine
sexual orientation
"a consistent, enduring pattern of sexual desire for individuals of the same sex (or gender), other sex (or gender), or both sexes (or more than one gender), regardless of whether this pattern of desire is manifested in sexual behavior" [or one's self-identity]
How does Morandini et al.'s study ( "Who adopts queer and pansexual identities?") add to our understanding of why younger non-heterosexuals are increasingly questioning conventional sexual minority labels, such as "homosexual," "gay," "lesbian," and "bi," or rejecting them altogether, as reflected in the adoption of labels such queer and pansexual?
-people who identified as queer and pansexual were more likely to be women than men -people who were noncisgender were more likely to use queer and pansexual than lesbian/gay/bisexual/other - and among those who used plurisexual gender terms (genderqueer/genderfluid) plurisexual sexuality terms (queer/pansexual) were predominant -those who adopt bisexual, queer and pansexual identities may be younger than those who identify as lesbian and gay -those who adopt pansexual identities may be younger than those who identify as bisexual - and in some studies pansexual participants were younger than bisexual and queer participants -current partner gender may differ according to identity in various ways
Heterosexuality
sexual attraction to someone of the other sex
How do biological, psychological, and social theories account for differences in sexual orientation?
Biological theories!!! • Genetic factors- People are born with a genetic predisposition toward homosexuality I.E= Twins • Prenatal hormones- Homosexuality results from factors that occur during the prenatal period (within the womb) I.E= finger length; left handedness, a late birth order; facial features • Brain factors- Anatomical differences in brain structures lead to different sexual orientations I.E= LeVay (1991) compared the hypothalamus ofcadavers of gay men, straight men and women Social & psychological theories!!! • Learning theory- Rewards and punishments shape people's behavior along a homosexual rather than a heterosexual course(or vice versa) • Labeling theory- The effects of labels can be self-fulfilling • Interactionist theory: Children are born with different temperaments (gender-typical and gender-atypical) - The exotic becomes erotic (Cross-gender behaving vs. gender-conforming children)
What do Golombok and Tasker's research on children growing up in lesbian families ("Do Parents Influence . . .") show us about the origins of sexuality and sexual orientation, if anything?
Follow-up of 25 children of lesbian mothers and 21 of heterosexual mothers in Golombok et al. (1983) found no psychological/relationship quality differences, most children of lesbian mothers identified as heterosexual and more likely to have been teased about sexuality in adolescence (no more total victimisation than comparison group its basically the same, lesbian families more open, lesbians kids get bullied more
How have gay, lesbian, and bisexual identities been politicalized over the course of U.S. and why? (See Seidman chapter 5)
Homosexuality appeared and was coded in public discourse as deviant and/or as an inverted (therefore perverted). o 1950s 61 § The Mattachine Society and the Daughters of Bilities, developed a national politics for homosexuals. § Gay and lesbian politics during this time was organized around getting homosexuals to be treated like "ordinary" Americans. (p. 64) o 1960s 63-64 § In the 1960s (with the Civil Rights Movement and the Stonewall Rebellion) gay and lesbian politics became more "in your face" and "radical" § A strong sense of social injustice developed helping to launch a national gay and lesbian movement. o 1970s 64 § Gay liberationists: Revolted against the closet and a system of heterosexual domination" (p. 67), aimed to change a heterosexist and homophobic society § Lesbian Feminists (made up of women who broke away from the male-dominated gay rights movement and the heterosexist feminist movement) Struggled to change the institutions of marriage and the family § Bisexual politics began to emerge o 1980s 69 § Characterized as being more reform-minded (and less radical), gay and lesbian politics focused on winning civil rights and social integration. § The AIDS epidemic brought many gay people into the political process § Bisexuality as a political expression began to gain national attentio
mostly homosexual
a sexual orientation characterized by minimal or incidental heterosexual activity in an otherwise primarily homosexual orientation.
mostly heterosexual
a sexual orientation characterized by minimal or incidental homosexual activity in an otherwise primarily homosexual orientation.
Which groups of students are most likely and least likely to participate in hookup culture?
an upper-class white male
heterosexism
discrimination or prejudice against homosexuals on the assumption that heterosexuality is the normal sexual orientation The belief that everyone is heterosexual and that heterosexuality is normal
What does Pascoe mean by "fag discourse", and how is it used to discipline boys' gender and sexual expressions and contribute to gender-normative identities?
fag discourse is the normalization of the word fag between men and different variations of the word. Labeling others as a fag is a part of what Pascoe describes as "fag discourse", which is central to boys' joking relationships. Joking about the fag both cements relationships among boys and soothes social anxiety. The high school boys in Pascoe's study bond by throwing the fag epithet at one another Boys call their peers a fag for a number of things, such as being incompetent, showing emotion, caring about appearances, dancing, or expressing (sexual or platonic) interest in other guys. Another aspect of fag discourse is the enactment of the fag, in which high school boys would act out exaggerated femininity or pretend to be sexually attracted to men. Through this behavior, "... boys reminded themselves and each other that at any moment they could become fags if they were not sufficiently masculine"
asexuality
having no sexual attraction at all, indifferent to sexuality activity
pansexuality
having sexual attractions to individuals, regardless of sex or gender
sexual identity
how one identifies one's own sexual orientation
How do straight men's same-sexual behavior challenge conventional ideas about sexual identity?
how one identifies one's own sexual orientation,
What did the rise of heterosexual identity have to do with gender issues, especially about masculinity?
our identities are established in relations of contrast/comparison; distancing from any association with homosexuality Men's and women's roles were changing, and heterosexuality became a way to advocate for the return of more discrete gender roles. · Men leave for war, women now have to bring in money for the family, do more strenuous chores, etc. · Men come back from war, women already invested in their new roles. Created friction between family dynamics. This led to a culture of homophobia because disrupting gender roles was associated with homosexuality. due to a crisis in gender identity in the early 20th century in response to the breakdown of social arrangements (ie women having more rights). the gender division, which many thought to be the basis of a stable social order, was collapsing
heteronormativity
the belief that heterosexuality is and should be the norm Social and institutional practices thatnormalize heterosexuality
How did the meaning of "heterosexuality" change after the 1890s?
uncoupled from procreation; normal sex was defined as heterosexual erotic attraction; abnormal sex was defined as homosexual attraction; late 19th century changing social/gender roles and division of labor instigated change in the meaning of heterosexuality Seidman Chpt 5 - "Gay, lesbian, and bisexual politics in the United States"
bisexuality
when one's desires are directed at members of both sexes/genders
What role do socio-environmental factors play?
• Learning theory- Rewards and punishments shape people's behavior along a homosexual rather than a heterosexual course(or vice versa) • Labeling theory- The effects of labels can be self-fulfilling • Interactionist theory: Children are born with different temperaments (gender-typical and gender-atypical) - The exotic becomes erotic (Cross-gender behaving vs. gender-conforming children) a person who has an early sexual experience that is unpleasant may learn to avoid similar experiences. They may punish heterosexuality as a result. someone who has an early same sex experiennce and they find it rewarding that may push them along more of a homosexual course because they are rewarding an early, pleasant experience. Children who grow up in environments where their parents were gay or lesbian are more likely to or more open to same-sex sexuality and more likely to experience same-sex relationships the label for example "fag" may have a self prophecy. if youre labeled that so often you may come to see yourself according to that thing. That label may take on a power that leads to want to explore the possibility. they may explore that and interact with others who adopt that label in a more positive fashion, leading them to do the same themselves.
