645: Sexual Minorities notes
LGBTTSQQAAI (Lesbian, gay, Trans, two spirit, queer, questioning, Asexual, Ally,
Intersex)
-Activity- I am like… Processing activity
-Course Guidelines- Collages: I statements, confidentiality
-Syllabus Review, APA
Sexual/affection behavior:
Orientation-Erotic potential (Stayton), heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual,
Behavior-What people do, can behave diff. than internal desire/feeling
Identity-what you call yourself
Gender- including gender core orientation, gender behavior (way I present gender to
world, supposed to be gender), gender identify (what I call myself), social construction
(feminine, masculine)
Sex- biological (male, female, intersex)
Theory grid:
1-What is the theorist trying to explain?
2-What is the basic concept?
3-What are the specifics of the primary theory?
4-What are the theory’s strengths?
5-What are the theory’s weaknesses?
Theorists:
-Shively & DeCecco (1980s):
1-They provide a model for understanding sexual identity
2-Identity composed of: biosexual identity, core gender, gender role, sexual
orientation
3-biosexual: based on chromosomal identity
3-Core gender: inner belief of maleness or femaleness
3-gender role: gender expression, how you present yourself to society
3-Sexual orientation: direction of ones erotic attractions
4-strengths: incorporates 4 independent constructions, included biological as well
as social components, self-identity
5-weaknesses: appears to be a “static” theory (don’t change), Narrow categorical
definition of gender (male or female), fails to address cross-cultural issues
-Simon LeVay (“gay gene”)-1990’s
1-Role of Evolution and Nature of Sexuality
2-nature more than anything else affects gender/orientation
-born tabula rosa
-two sexes based in biological differences
-nature > Nurture; Evolution explains almost all sexual behavior
3-Natual Selection in on individual level plus kinship level, not species wide
-Evolutionary, anatomical difference in brain structure connote m/f-ness
and hetero-homo
-gender identity tied to biology
4-Multidsciplinary approach from “hard science,” attempts to prove that aversion
therapy doesn’t’ work, recognizes chromosomal, anatomical, and hormonal variations
which may not be consistent
5-Non-cross culturally competent, oversimplifies the role of biology, no
differentiation between animal and human; Low sample size (9 males died from the HIV)
with large generalizations; method of dissection to assume biological orientation; limited
role of environment and limited efficacy/ effectiveness of therapy; social constructs
attributed to bio; strong belief in two bio-based sexes that looking for differences must be
between male brains and female brains, not within-sex brains (female sexed brain in male
body=gay), therapy of any type useless b/c bio is destiny
-John Money (1970s-2000s) (Intersexed child, choose gender of child case of john/joan)
1-Provides a model for understanding sexual differentiation and determination
2-Biology is primary influence (androgens), Social constructs play a role postnatal, Cognitive dissidence for individuals with incongruent gender and sex
3-binary gender roles come out of bio and social congruence; can change
biological aspects to fit into congruence; gave us a model that is part of our sexology
culture (first to separate sex and gender as constructs); first to find no psychosis in some
of trans population; looked at hormonal washes in-utero (body and brain gets sexed in
pre-natal) but rearing and how they are raised can override biology;
4-Encouraged people or express their “true” selves; very bio based (hormones,
chromosomes and behavior)
5-binary focus; definition of what male and female, gender “disorders.” Ordinary
versus dis-ordinary people, gender disorder to be “corrected.” ; medical community ran
with his theories to justify femalization of intersexed (villain of trans community)
-Sandra Bem 1970s-1990s: Individual autonomy
1-Model for understanding sex/desire/gender outside of society’s current
construct
2- sex/gender/desire be fluid and permeable not dichotomous to eliminate
privilege/power from sex/gender/desire systems
3-androgony not unhealthy (truly effective and well functioning), Bem Sex role
Inventory (BSRI)
-sex: M, F; Gender: Masculine, Feminine, Andorgenous; Desire: Hetero,
Bi, Homo
-Androcentrism-male centeredness
-Gender Polarization-differences between men and women in society
structure
-Biological essentialism-society justified other two worldviews b/c of
biological differences
-compulsitory heterosexuality- non-hetero is “other”
-pioneer in field for women, positive for women to be able to identify
selves as masculine (and vice versa); less rigid in traits allowed for more adaptability;
4- Attainable, BSRI (research based)
5-limited list, America-centric, not really possible (based on “utopia”); BSRI
sexist, time-locked; turn down versus turn up the volume; screws with
politics/bathrooms/schools etc.
-Leslie Feingberg (1998)
1-Provided explanation for gender identity
2-gender spectrum vs. gender binary “each person has the right to choose between
pink or blue as well as other hues of the palette...”
3-Universal meaning b/c binary gender restricts everyone; argues against idea that
biology steers social destiny; advocates appreciating gender differences, not just
tolerating them; argues that we need to come together as communities to change all this;
4-Acknowledges that binary gender ignores intersexed people; while advocate for
trans also encompasses all peoples; advocates individual right to define, choose, and
express gender identity and sexuality
5-Fails to address cross-cultural issues; call to action for the community but fails
to reach beyond it to rest of society;
HW Assignment: identify three characteristics of early, middle, and late childhood and
three early, middle and late adolescents (18total) and explain why/where
Early C: to age 3: throw a ball, toilet training, speaking
Middle C: 3-7: reading, can feed/bath self, teeth loss
Late C: 7-12: menstrauation begins, breasts start to develop, voice cracking
Early A: 12-14: wet dreams, genital development, starting high school
Middle A: 14-17: driving, peer group importance, develop ethic awareness
Late A: 17-21: reach life height, final hormonal brain wash, develop complete cognitive
ability
Checkout: Something I am looking forward to/Something left from today
Day 2
Check in
Activity: child/adolescent development
-categories of different developmental stages
-area’s of stages where one might struggle for traditional/non-traditional
individuals
-discussion on DSM problems for non-traditional individuals in development
Video: Simpson’s episode: is Bart gay? Discussion
Attraction Template
-What do you find attractive?Definitions
-Homophobia: Weinberg (1972): Fear and hatred of homosexuality
-Homo-negativity: Hudson & Ricketts (1980): Feeling/thinking that homosexuality is
wrong/bad – different than fear/hatred
-Heterosexism: Neisen (1990): Prejudice plus power: belief that heterosexuality is
superior
-Bi-negativity: Eliason (2001): Bisexuals are wrong
-Transphobia: Embaye, (2006) Pauling (1999): Fear of people who do not fall into
traditional gender binary
-Heteronormative: Culture expects everyone to be heterosexual
Lunch assignment: etiology (where something comes from) of sexual orientation, I
Theories of Etiology of Orientation
Essentialism
-Bailey & Pillard-genetics of orientation
-nueroendocrine systems dependant on biological “sex” of brain development
-family, twin, and adoption study
-52% on identical twins identified as same orientations (48% for Fs)
-22% of non-identical twins (16% of Fs)
-Whitman, Diamond and Matrin-65.8% of identical twins were concordant in orientation
-38.4% of non-identical
-Pillard & Weinrich- likelihood of G&L siblings
-4x as many gay brothers if one gay sibling, no Signifiance in Lesbians siblings
-Pillard, Polmadere &Carretta-Likelihood of gay siblings
-Levay- Cut open brains, looked at morphology of brain in the gays
-INAH3 in hypothalamus is bigger in hetero men than women, and bigger in
hetero men than homo males (2-3xs smalls)
-Michael Bailey (2009)- FMRI- essentialist who supports social constructionism
-What is orientation?
-orientation in males is same as arousal patterns
-men who identify as heterosexual are most aroused by females, and vice-verses
-Homo males aroused most by two men together
-Hetero males aroused most by two women together
-Homo males more aroused by M/F couple than hetero males
-found attraction arousal in brain same as above during FMRI
-Women’s physical and FMRI arousal were all over map regardless of orientation
-do women even have an orientation then?
Interactionist
-Diamond-nature and nurture interaction
-looked at Money’s John/ Joan- born male, raised female, at adolescents can take
on male/heterosexual orientation
-Everyone has sexual potential, born with range of potential with range
-Nurture helps figure out where within “our” range we end up
-Kiney’s hetero----amisexual----homo scale
-Gooren, Fliers, & Courtney- developmental determinism
-brain becomes sexualized pre-natal to prepare it for complete programming
-programming depends on post-natal input from environment (puberty hormonal
washes)
-Herdt and Boxer- research Bisexual
-four views of bisexuality
-biological bisexuality- some people’s brains are coded that way
-psychological Bi- relationships are self-function
-behavioral bi- relations are interpersonal behavior, something I did, not who I am
-culturally bi- relations are viewed as cultural ideal
Social Constructionism
-Byne- orientation is learned behavior
-b/c learned, no less immutable
-bird learns song from parents, can not unlearn it
-Most studies focus on gay males, not be generalizable to Lesbian=dimorphism
-his research is on lab animals= difficult to draw conclusions
-Simon- social Constructionism always considers sexual behaviors in socio-historical
processes
-specifically related to legitimacy from the culture
-socio-historical perspective viewed orientation looking at deviance and
perversion behavior
-social constructed viewed by comparing deviant behavior to the norm
-Blackwood-construction of Lesbianism
-historically, same sex F to F relations have been part of cultural norms for
hundreds of years, but invisible b/c women don’t count
-Can’t apply research to lesbo’s b/c male oriented
-Lesbian behavior was unspoken, acceptable behavior until recently
Kitzenger- looks at creation and generation of categories of Lesbian, Gay, Hetero
-Idenities are just an artifact of history, categories that ppl made up
-can identify where behaviors b/c labeled as identity into innate identity
Historical Orientation Research
-Kinsey- Kinsey scale, 7 point, developed to describe behavior but applied to orientation
-10% of males have same sex experience during adolescence, 6% of females
-3% of women and 7% of men had sex with someone of same sex for at least 3
yrs
-society ran with this and said 10% of population is gay (not what Kinsey
was saying)
-Kinsey used sexual behavior to orgasm as standard (used “goal” oriented)
-Difficult with research is defining % of gay/Lesbian/bi population/prevalence: Out,
identified, etc. all affects the numbers so impossible to gauge
-Hooker-first to study communities of male homosexuals who were not institutionalized
-looks as sexual patterns and gender identity in male homos
-Found that male homo sexual patterns are as large as those in hetero males
-patterns were not connected to gender identity
-Three ways homo men solve gender identity
-accept male female dichotomy and play one of the roles
-define selves as both male and homosexual
-create third sex- not male or female I’m gay
-Klein-Kinsey scale too uni-dimentional- adapted and expanded scale
-created matrix instead of a single line (same sex--both sex--opposite sex)
-Sexual attraction range
-Sexual Behavior range
-Sexual Fantasy range
-Emotional Preference range
-Social Preference Range
-Lifestyle Preference Range (who fills daily living)
-Self-identification Range
-Community Affiliation Range
-self assessment only, not “administered”
Models for Coming Out
-Eli Coleman-Pre-coming out (identifying something different), coming out (internally to
oneself), exploration (beginning to tell others, exploring gay identities), first relationships
(seal the deal emotionally and sexuality), Identity integrating
-Critique- requires another person to seal your own identity
-Benefit- acknowledges internal experience of coming out
-Only model that deals specifically with relationships
-Troiden- Sensitization (general feeling of different, pre-pubescent), Identity confusion
(inter-turmoil and uncertainty regarding sexual status result of social stigma//constructs),
Identity Assumption (self and presented identity), Commitment (adopting Gay-ness as a
way of life)
-detrimental b/c has to come out to self and others b4 moving in
-problems with linear/stage model
-Goffman-ish, spoiled identity
-Cass-Identity Confusion (feelings/experiences that might be homosexual but are in
hetero-normative culture disrupt self-perception, resolved by rejecting homosexual or
explore options),
-Identity Comparison (compare identities by seeking info from people in their
lives, reading/learning about gay-ness resolved by either shutting down gayness or
making contact with gay community),
-Identity Tolerance (trying out label of gay and seek out other gays and disclose
identity to community members [not immediate family] living compartmental lives
resolved by either shutdown identity formation or accept identity and expand)
-Identity Acceptance (positive contact and more holistic sense of gay self)
-Identity Pride (flows out of acceptance, dichotomize world into evil straight
world and better gay world, identity as gay takes precedence over other identities
-Identity Synthesis (being gay is part of whole of me)
 -have to grow “past” pride
 -people cannot advance through negative experiences
 -Cass model helpful b/c of pride stage, helps with parents/schools understand
 -Lots of “shoulds” in all three of the stage models
-Eliason- Cyclical model-contextualizes identity model in context of dominate discourse
of society (Heterosexuality in US), political
-Pre Identity (swimming in dominate discourse with slight recognition that their
might be something different or that they fit in dominate discourse)
 Emerging identity (there is something different about me, other labels and
categories and I don’t fit in dominate discourse and I don’t like it)
 Experience and recognition of oppression or invalidation (oppressed identity
becomes of increased importance in life, creates community, connects to others through
identity, connect with the counter-discourse)
 Re-evaluation and Evolution of Identities (significant life events allows for
someone to evolve/re-evaluate identity)
-allows for fluidity
Checkout- At the end of the first weekend I’m feeling/thinking…
Weekend 2, Day 3
-Check-in: reflections on readings
Queer Identity formation theory (excluding Trans)
-Satterly and Dyson (2008) in prager Sexual Health series
-Adapted Eliason to integrate Social theory
-Dominant discourse becomes community norms to allow for individual cultural
differences neighborhood to neighborhood, community to community
-Initial acculturation added to model as well
-as we grow up, initiated into one’s culture
-ex. Monogamy, heterosexual, marriage, parenthood
-product of world one grows up in
1) Pre-identity stage
2) When don’t fit in pre-identity of social norms, enter into Exploration of options
-explore options within context of community norms they grew up in
-Social theory-look for groups of others that most closely resemble self
and from whom they get the most positive feedback
3) Identity Choice: Identity not orientation
-make choice based on groups within communities, and then seek to
connect and create community with chosen group
-Re-acculturation- after chosen identity, discover new culture within
community
-counter norms ex. What is lesbian supposed to be in this
community?
Community Norms (Dominant Discourse)
Initial
Acculturation
Pre-identity
Exploration of
Options
(emerging
identity)
ReEvaluation
Reacculturation
Identity
Choice
(Recognition
of oppression
Counter Norms (Counter discourse)
-Don and brent’s Model; AKA gay Soup
-What is the gay soup you swim in?
-Something about you that you are proud of that doesn’t fit into your gay soup
(your social group)? (ex. black, disabled)
-After learning new discourse
1887-Ferdinand Tonnies
-German sociologist
-explain changes in communities that were happening around industrial
revolution
-in regards to capitalization and urbanization
-Marx- natural relationships were de-volving into money relationships
-two concepts
-Gemeinschaft
-community- family, friends, kinships groups, neighborhoods
-indicate group solidarity
-intimate, private, and exclusive living together
-connection despite differences, remain united
-Gessellschaft
-Society- identified with the city as an artificial construction of
aggregate of human beings
-Characterized by competition and impersonality
-separation despite similarities
-remain separated
-Discussion of Pros and Cons of both Gemein and Gessell
-Application of Gemein/Gessell to Don/Brent model
-interplay of seeking connection/community and then once found, expectation that
one will support community regardless
-Be a “little less you” to fit the Gemein
Neslon Model (as adapted by Dyson)
-originally about Christian responses to the gays, adapted to general
-Levels of responses: reactions to LGBT peps
-rejecting punitive reaction: being Gay is bad/evil/sick/wrong/ and people should
be punished for being a gay; ex. Matthew Shepard
-Rejecting non-punitive reaction: being Gay is evil/wrong/bad but you shouldn’t
be punished; ex. Gay camp, reparative therapy
-Qualified Acceptance; I guess it’s not so bad, but…; I don’t want to see it/get hit
on/know about it. Ex, don’t ask don’t tell, NIMBY (not in my back yard)
-Full acceptance: just another way of being in the world ex. PFLAG, Unitarian
Universalist
-Advocacy (added to stages by Don); when I see minorities being treated poorly, I
will step up and do something about it ex. Me 
AFFECTIVE CRAP!
-imagine self as self; same identity; but have to “come out” to person we value
-Video: Anti-gays
-discussion of video
-reactions/feeling to coming out and experiencing above stages of reactions
-when “coming out” can’t predict/change loved one’s reactions and how that
reaction would make you feel; can’t tell them how to respond
-Need to be aware that others are independent from us- we can hurt other people
Movie clip- Tongue untied: black gay men
-start from oppression (black) and learn to manage that; add “punk” and choice to
silence the “gay” part b/c can’t sacrifice community of origin b/c they taught me to
function/live with oppression
-When take on “gay” identity, excluded from black community, so hide
that identity
-“gay” world is still white male dominated, racism
-racism or homophobia
-The black church- it is the community, not just a part of the community for many
cultures
-Church community is more important that Gay community
-Other racial identities dealing with Gay issues
SM101 book-reactions to reading
BDSM paradigms
1-Sensation- everyone experiences pleasure sensations differently
-different levels of intensity of sensation that are enjoyable to each person
-Cultural norm is for gentle/loving/soft low intensity pleasurable sensation
-perception of pain intensity versus reality of sensation/pain
2-Cathexis- Freud concept- something we do/see becomes highly charged for us (charge
is Cathexis)
3-Taboo- erotic-ness of doing things that are taboo, naughty is sexy
4-Power- control; being powerful or power of being able to relinquishing power and
getting power from giving power to pleasure you
Activity: going over checklist of BDSM activities for selves/terms we don’t know
-we as sex educators make cultural norms that can be difficult for population to
understand and therefore alienate
Safe word (red, green, yellow)
Safe, Sane, Consensual
-are some of the practices really safe, implies some things are unsafe/insane
-RACK: Risk aware consensual kink
-judgment free behaviors but still risks; risks make sense to all involved
-minimize risk or eroticize from the risk without the safety
HW: take sheets home and think about own experiences; why do I feel this way about
some of the things on the list/ fantasy vs acting out
-check out-
Day 4: last DAY!!!!!!!
-check in
-How you feel about thinking about where things on the BDSM list cum from
-does it matter to understand where these things cum from (or etiology if your name is
Danielle and you’re “Super smart”)
-depending on person/client, meeting ct where they are
POLY
-Brainstorm- working with adolescent who is dating- assumptions about that adolescent
-graduate student who is engaged
-assumptions about couples in which one of the members is caught having
sex outside of the primary partnership
-Society is a system of compulsory monogamy
-Queer culture fought this cultural paradigm until the HIV
-Discussion of reasons why Monogamy is a f-ed ideal.
-Myth of one person meeting all our needs/Disney fairytale/
-Discussion of Ethical Slut
-storytelling, not academic
-pros and cons of the books’ approach
-polyamory defined as umbrella term of all forms of sexual relationships other than
monogamy, in some circles
-Amor- sex with love or including sex w/out love
-Non-monogamy; sets everything else up against the norm
-Polyfidelity- subset of polyamory- sexual exclusive group
Polyfidelity Primer book- Loving More by Ryam Nearing
-Depth of connection of relationship
-three ways to code relationship, lots of different patterns of combination of types
-primary bond; closest, most time/energy/priority, high level of intimacy/
attraction/ commitment as demonstrated by marriage-level bonding typically includes
desire for shared life-long future together
-secondary bond; close relationship type, less in terms of
energy/time/priority, includes aspects of primary relating like sex and emotional support,
but fewer on-going commitments, may include some desire for length of relationship
-tertiary bond; may include emotional and/or sexual connection on a one
time or highly erratic schedule, energy/attention is giving in bursts, not consistent part of
one’s life, can get needs met by multiple tertiary relationships, little growth in
relationship
-patterns:
-Monogamy: One primary bond, one partner, life time mate
-Serial monogamy: Serial primary bonds
-Open Relationships; All relationships are secondary bond or lest; no
shared future expected
-Intimate Network; As secondary and tertiary relationships intertwine;
desire friendship and/or sex from lover’s friends and lovers, web of connections
-Open Marriage Partnership; at least one primary bond and other second
and tertiary bonds
-Open Group Marriage; group people who describe themselves as married,
group of primary bonds (at least one) and others may or may not be primaries, and still
open to outside relationships
-Closed group Marriage; same as above, not outside relationships
-PolyFidelity; group in which all partners are primary to all other partners
and sexual fidelity is to the group
Polygamy; Closed polyfidelity minus sex amongst all
-Jealousy versus Compersion
-is love finite?
-Its ok to try, and step over the line, can always step back
Jealousy: Concept mapping
-constellation of emotions
-pick apart/unpack what jealousy is
-themes: insecurity, fear of loss, anger/hurt, entitlement/power and control,
competition, more accurate to use other feeling words that just “jealousy”
-assume that one person’s experience of jealousy is same as ours
-helpful ways to unpack Jealousy both clinically and educationally
Compersion
-Activity-Scale of one to ten about how we would feel about certain life events,
and how we would feel about our partner experiencing those life events
-positive feelings about other person feeling positive about sexual experiences
-Acceptable to Unacceptable scale for certain partner behaviors
-Discussion of why we put things were on scale (factors like pre-awareness of
behavior, honesty, emotional involvement in relationship, past behaviors, active vs
passive actions, context)
-talking about this in context of relationship can build intimacy, negotiate
boundaries of relationship, push boundaries of comfort, figure out it values sets match
-INTENTIAL use of different language in relationships; promises (jealousy)
versus agreements (can re-negotiate)
Other Sexual Minorities via a historical lens
-celebrating diversity vs access to power
-gay moms at the “front of the parade”
-ignoring certain groups to bring “all of us” closer to power
-some people have dropped off to move the politics forward
-Katrina Roen (trans activist) 2001
-Either/or versus both/neither
-discursive tensions in trans politics
-tension between either/or community (“buy” gender binary, born male
trans to female, passing as one or the other gender is goal of trans) and the both/neither
community (undo gender binary, don’t need to be one or the other gender, goal is
crossing)
-can take from trans politic theory and apply to queer theory; “passing as
strait” and gays are just like heteros versus gays have different experience than norm
-fitting into normative discourse versus embracing counterdiscourse
-gemeinschaft versus gesallschaft
-what is lost from culture when all is trying to fit into the norm versus what is
gained from embracing all cultures
-Documentary: Gay sex in the 70s; about embracing all sexual behaviors
-some would argue that passing is the easier way to get power than crossing
-bare-backing: gay men anal sex without a condom
-OMG the gay males! Don’t they k-now about the HIVs?
-but contextualize: ppl have been having anal without protection for-eva
-but its only a “problem” when the gays or young females of certain ethnicities,
not a problem for white chicks to stop using condoms? Huh?
-four types of bare-backers (two gay men, anal sex w/out condom)
-Bug Chasers and Gift Givers-smallest group, actively looking to get/give
HIV virus; most “popularized” group: benefits (housing, meds, health care, don’t have to
worry about it anymore, control over HIV, easier so can have safe sex, community, share
experience with partner, HIV “saved” me, share burden, leave a ‘viral’ legacy, ); not
talking about people who do this pathological
-I know and you know, consensual experience
-Sexual Subversives- small group; screw it to the man; you don’t have the
right to tell me my gay sex is wrong b/c I’ll get the HIV, something conspiracy to
eliminate sexual/freedom of gay man
-combat sexual oppression
-Calculated Risk takers- largest group, think about consequences and
likelihood of risk worth behavior, manage risk in other ways, sero-sort (sex with other
infected), withdrawl (Harm-reduction model), don’t bottom with someone who’s status is
unknown
-Is it worth it?
-Positive Constructivists- people who have taken condom free sex into
something, means something about trust/connect/relationship;
-meaning
Check out!!- Something to take away from experience of class
-Goffman: Stigma book about spoiled identities
-sex-positive isn’t only talking about the positives aspects of sex