Sexual Orientation
Chapter 10
Learning Objectives
• Getting Oriented Toward Sexual Orientation
• Perspectives on Gay Male and Lesbian Sexual
Orientations
• Sexual Orientation in Contemporary Society
• Adjustment of Gay Males and Lesbians
• Coming Out
Sexual Orientation
Sexual
orientation
The direction of
one’s romantic
interests and sexual
attractions
Heterosexual
orientation
Erotic attraction to, and
preference for developing
romantic relationships
with, members of the
other sex
Homosexual
orientation
Erotic attraction to, and
preference for developing
romantic relationships
with, members of the
same sex
Sexual Orientation
Gay males
Males who are erotically attracted
to and desire romantic
relationships with other males
Lesbians Females who are erotically attracted
to and desire romantic relationships
with other females
Bisexual
Erotic attraction to and interest in
developing romantic relationships
with either males or females
Sexual Orientation
Critical Thinking
Critical thinkers pay
close attention to the
meanings and
implications of terms.
Why do some writers prefer
to use male-male sexual
behavior or female-female
sexual behavior rather than
homosexual behavior?
Sexual Orientation
Sexual
Orientation
and
Gender
Identity
Most gay people have
a gender identity that
is consistent with
their anatomic sex
Heterosexuals often
focus exclusively on
sex when thinking
about homosexuals
Sexual orientation is
not defined by sexual
activity per se
Direction of one’s
romantic interests
and erotic attractions
Sexual Orientation
Classification Sexual orientation is
not necessarily
of Sexual
expressed in sexual
Orientation
behavior
People’s erotic
interests and
fantasies may shift
over time
Kinsey found
evidence for
continuum of sexual
orientation
Heteroerotic – of an erotic nature
and involving members of the
other sex
Homoerotic – of an erotic nature
and involving members of the
same sex
Sexual Orientation
Figure 10.1. The Kinsey Continuum (p. 263).
Sexual Orientation
How
many
people
are
gay?
Continuing
controversy
Kinsey indicated 3-4%
Recent studies 3% gay men,
2% lesbians
Overall estimates 2-10%
Factors
affecting
survey
results
Phrasing of question
Social desirability
Sex of interviewer
Survey method
Respondent / volunteer bias
Orientation vs. behavior
Sexual Orientation
An alternative to Kinsey
continuum
• Homosexuality and
heterosexuality are
two different
dimensions
• Can be high or low on
both dimensions at
the same time
Figure 10.2. Heterosexuality and Homosexuality as Separate Dimensions (p. 263).
Sexual Orientation
Bisexuality Sexual attraction to both
males and females
Many have stronger
attraction to one sex than the
other
1-4% of population
Biphobia – negative
attitudes and feelings
towards bisexual people,
including intolerance,
hatred, and fear
Committed relationships
can work
“cop out,” experimentation,
indecisive, promiscuous
Sexual Orientation
Homophobia
A cluster of
negative attitudes
and feelings
towards gay
people, including
intolerance,
hatred, and fear
Men more than
women
Historical Perspectives
Ancient
Greeks
and
Romans
JudeoChristian
tradition
• Adult males formed sexual
relationships with adolescent
males (Greece)
• Flamboyance (Rome)
• Sodomy and other nonprocreative sexual acts, even
within marriage, considered sinful
• Same-sex practices condemned
by most Christian and Jewish
denominations, and by Islam
Cross-Cultural Perspectives
• Exist in societies throughout the
world
• These interactions may involve
only behavior and do not imply
sexual orientation
• Some interactions are rites of
passage into manhood
Male-male
sexual
activity
• Is found around the world, but
little is known
Femalefemale
sexual
activity
Cross-Species Perspectives
Primates
and
other
animals
• Same-sex sexual behavior may be
displays of dominance and
submissiveness
• May be a form of play or a way of
requesting protection
• Sexual motivation may play a role in
some male-male and female-female
sexual interactions among animals.
• But researchers do not find prolonged,
exclusive same-sex sexual activity when
male-female opportunities exist
Biological Perspectives
• Same-sex behaviors may derive from
individual selection for reciprocal
altruism
• Advantages for group survival
through emotional bonds
• Women related to gay males appear
to bear more children
• Compensate for lesser likelihood
that homosexuals will reproduce
Evolutionary
Perspective
Biological Perspectives
Genetics
• Gay male and lesbian orientations run in
families
• Male twin studies show 52%
concordance of sexual orientation in
monozygotic twins vs. 22% in dizygotic
twins and 11% in adoptive brothers
• Gay males more likely to have more gay
male relatives on maternal than
paternal side of family
• Evidence of possible DNA markers on X
chromosome
The Brain
• May be differences consistent with sexual
orientation, but evidence is inconclusive
Biological Perspectives
• Sex hormones strongly influence
mating behavior in other
species
• Research has failed to connect
sexual orientation in either sex
with low levels of sex hormones
• Testosterone associated with sex
drive, not orientation
• Some evidence suggests
prenatal sex hormones may play
a role
Hormonal
Influences
Psychological Perspectives
Psychoanalytic
View
Learning
Theories
• Gay male or lesbian sexual orientation
results from unsuccessful resolution of the
Oedipus complex (for boys) and Electra
complex (for girls)
• Unresolved castration anxiety plays a role in
gay male sexual orientation
• Focus on the role of reinforcement of early
patterns of sexual behavior
• Have not identified specific learning
experiences that lead to orientation
• Overwhelming majority of gay males and
lesbians report awareness of same-sex
sexual interest before sexual encounters
Psychological Perspectives
Gender Nonconformity
• Not behaving in a way consistent with stereotypes
associated with one’s anatomic sex in a given culture
• On average, gay males tend to be somewhat
feminine and lesbians to be somewhat masculine.
• However, there is much variation within each
group.
• Begins at an early age
• Gay males report feeling more sensitive as
children
• Gay males and lesbians report feeling different as
very young children
Gender Nonconformity
Butch-Femme Dimension
• Lesbians more likely to report being
“tomboys” as children
• Butch lesbians more likely than
femme lesbians to recall genderatypical behavioral preferences
• Hormonal & physical differences
between butch & femme lesbians
Gender Nonconformity
Childhood effeminacy and gay male
• Supporters of an environmental view
speculate that social detachment from male
peers and role models create a craving for
male affection
• Gender non-conformity appears somewhat
heritable
• If homosexuality is inherited, gender nonconformity may be an early expression
Critical Thinking
Some people believe that
sexual orientation is inborn;
others believe that it
represents the choice of the
individual.
Why are people who believe
sexual orientation is inborn
more accepting of
homosexuals?
Sexual Orientation in Contemporary Society
Attitudes toward gay people have been negative and
pervasive
There are
signs that
Americans
have
grown
more
accepting
View that same-sex intercourse is always wrong held by
56% of people today, as opposed to 77% 10 years ago
67% support legal recognition of gay relationships
Same-sex civil unions or marriages legal in many states
However, most still believe being gay is a choice
Sexual Orientation and the Law
Gay people continue to fight
for equal rights and privacy
protection, e.g., the
overturning of sodomy laws.
1986 Hardwick vs. Bowers:
Supreme Court let stand a
Georgia law that punished
oral-genital or anal-genital
by up to 20 years in prison
A 2003 decision reversed it,
striking down a Texas law
against deviate sexual
intercourse, stating that it
“demeans the lives of
homosexual persons”
Gay Activism
Fighting
discrimination and
protecting
civil rights
Lobbying
for
increased
funding
for
HIV/AIDS
research
and
treatment
Protecting
civil rights
of people
with
HIV/AIDS
Providing
support
for people
with
HIV/AIDS
Legalizing
gay
marriage
Repealing
Defense
of
Marriage
Act
Stereotypes and Sexual Behavior
Erroneous assumption that
one partner assumes
masculine role and the
other the feminine role in
same-sex relationships
Attempt by “straight”
community to understand
behavior in their own
terms
Adjustment of Gay Males and Lesbians
In 1973, the American
Psychiatric Association removed
gay male or lesbian sexual
orientation from its list of
mental disorders
Adjustment of Gay Males and Lesbians
Recent studies found increased feelings of anxiety and
depression and suicidal tendencies in gay males and
lesbians compared to heterosexuals
Societal oppression likely responsible
Some lifestyle and health factors may contribute
In their relationships, gay males and lesbians report levels
of satisfaction similar to heterosexuals
Homophobia
“Fear of homosexuals” takes
many forms
Derogatory names (queer, faggot,
dyke)
Telling disparaging “queer jokes”
Barring gay people from housing,
employment, or social
opportunities
Taunting (verbal abuse)
Gay bashing (physical, sometimes
lethal, abuse)
Homophobia
Homophobic attitudes are more common among traditional
males who hold a fundamentalist religious orientation
Politically conservative college students are more accepting of
negative attitudes toward gay people than are liberal students
Some homophobic men may have homoerotic impulses of which
they are unaware
Gay bashing and
the HIV/AIDS
epidemic
Some people hold gay men more responsible for
the epidemic than heterosexual men.
“Treatment”
Few have interest in changing
Related to social pressure or
prejudice
The existence of so-called “conversion therapy” contributes to
social devaluation
Masters & Johnson “reversed” sexual orientation by involving the
individuals in pleasurable sexual experiences with the opposite sex
Most effective
with people
who were:
Bisexual
Married
Highly motivated to change
Coming Out
Coming out
to oneself
involves the
development
of sexual
identity
• Attraction to members of
the same sex
• Self-labeling oneself as
gay or lesbian
• Sexual contact with
members of the same sex
• Disclosure of orientation
to others
Some people take years to recognize and
accept their same-sex sexual orientation
Coming Out to Others
• Some tell
everyone
• Some tell only a
few select people
Patterns of coming
out to others vary
Family members and
loved ones may be
initially rejecting or
accepting
• Over time, most at
least grudgingly
accept that a family
member is gay
Critical Thinking
How do you account for the gender
differences in the processes of coming out
in males and females?