Sexual Orientations

A Continuum of Sexual Orientations

What Determines Sexual Orientation?

Societal Attitudes Regarding Homosexuality

The Gay Rights Movement

Coming Out

Homosexual Relationships in Context

sexual orientation

sexual attraction, romantic love, or emotional attraction toward people of the same sex

(homosexual / gay(male) / lesbian(female))

sexual attraction, romantic love, or emotional attraction toward people of the other sex

(heterosexual / straight)

sexual attraction, romantic love, or emotional attraction toward people of the both sexes

(bisexual)

0 – exclusively heterosexual

with no homosexual

1 – predominately heterosexual,

only incidentally homosexual

2 – predominately heterosexual

but more than incidentally homosexual

3 – equally homosexual and heterosexual

(attraction and behavior)

4 – predominately homosexual

but more than incidentally heterosexual

5 – predominately homosexual

but incidentally heterosexual

6 – exclusively homosexual

with no heterosexual

men are typically on the far ends of the scale

women also are at the ends, but are more likely than men to score between 2 & 5

identify self as homosexual…………………………..…….men 2.8%...............women 1.4%

sex with a same-sex partner after age 18 …………………..men 5.0%...............women 4.0%

feelings of attraction toward someone of the same sex…….men 6.0%...............women 5.5%

Source: Laumann, E., Gagnon J., Michael, R., & Michaels, S. (1994).

The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States.

Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

identify self as homosexual……………………………….men 1.7%................women 1.1%

at least one same-sex contact during lifetime…………….men 5.2%...............women 13%

2011 National Survey of Family Growth as reported in Our Sexuality 13^th edition

sexual fluidity

variability in same-sex and other-sex

attraction and/or involvement

at various times and situations

throughout the lifespan

psychosocial theories

of the origins of sexual orientation

“by default” theory

the seduction myth

Freud’s theory

“the exotic becomes erotic”

by choice

biological theories of the origins of sexual orientation

hormones

well-controlled human research studies

have found no difference in

the circulating levels of sex hormones

in adult heterosexual and homosexual males

laboratory research with animals

has demonstrated that hormones given prenatally

can masculinize fetal females

and de-masculinize fetal males

this results in same-sex social mating behavior

when the animals mature

the brain

research on differences in the brains

of homosexual and heterosexual men

have reported structural differences

in dissections of postmortem subjects

and in live subjects using MRI

genetic factors

twin study (subjects from a twin registry in Australia)

using a very strict criterion for determining homosexual orientation

found the following concordance rates:

identical male twins 20%

fraternal male twins 0%

identical female twins 24%

fraternal female twins 10.5%

312 male identical twins, 182 male fraternal twins

668 female identical twins, 376 female fraternal twins

The Science of Desire:

The Search for the Gay Gene and the Biology of Behavior

Touchstone, Simon & Schuster Inc.

“A Linkage Between DNA Markers on the X Chromosome

and Male Sexual Orientation,” by Dean Hamer,

Stella Hu, Victoria Magnuson, Nan Hu, and Angela M. L. Pattatucci.

Science, vol. 261, pp. 321-327 (1993)

genetic factors

33 of 40 pairs of non-twin gay brothers

found to have identical molecular structure

on their X chromosome in an area called Xq28

this concordance rate is double that

of brothers in the general population (Hamer et al., 1993)

another research team

reported concordance rate for the Xq28 genetic markers

among 52 male homosexual siblings

was no greater than in the general population

(Rice et al., 1999)

gender nonconformity

a comparative study of males in the

United States, Guatemala, and Brazil

indicated that gender nonconformity

related to childhood toy and activity interests

as well as sexual interest in other boys

were behavioral indicators of adult homosexual orientation

research on cognitive abilities in adults

has found that cognitive patterns of homosexual men

fall between

the cognitive patterns of heterosexual men

and heterosexual women

in regard to spatial ability and verbal fluency

Richard Green

Gender Identity in Childhood and

Later Sexual Orientation

American Journal of Psychiatry

142 (1985):339-341

Quoted in:

A Natural History of Homosexuality

Francis Mark Mondimore

p117-118

44 boys brought by parents for cross-gender behavior

56 boys control group of paid volunteers

average age at start = 7 ½

age at completion of study = 13-23

subjects interviewed regularly

rated on Kinsey scale on basis of

sexual behavior

erotic dreams

masturbation fantasies

“sissy boys” - half scored 5-6

control boys - 100% scored 0-1

treatments used in attempts to “cure homosexuality”

castration

lobotomy

psychotherapy

drugs

hormones

hypnosis

shock treatments

aversion therapy

1973

American Psychiatric Association

removed homosexuality per se

from its diagnostic categories of mental disorders

gay affirmative therapy

therapy to help homosexual clients cope

with negative societal attitudes

conversion or sexual reorientation therapy

therapy to help homosexual men and women

change their sexual orientation

June20, 2013 report:

Exodus international announced it would cease operations.

Exodus president, Alan Chambers said that

he wanted to apologize to the gay community

“for years of undue suffering and judgment

at the hands of the organization and the church as a whole.”

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2013/06/20/193922536/gay-therapy-ministry-shuts-down-says-weve-hurt-people

NPR’s John Burnett reports that in an interview,

Chambers said that 99.9 percent of gay people who go through therapy

to change their sexual orientation never are able to do it

homophobia

antihomosexual attitudes that stigmatize and denigrate

any behaviors, identities, relationships, and communities that are not heterosexual

Picture#1 homophobic protestors

Picture#2 angels protecting mourners at funeral of Pulse victim

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/06/19/482698337/angels-from-orlandos-theater-community-guard-mourners-from-protesters

1969 - symbolic birth of gay activism

occurred in New York City

when police raided a gay bar called the Stonewall

police raids on gay bars were common occurrences

but this time the bar’s patrons resisted and fought back

a riot ensued

the following night gays gathered

and verbally provoked passing police

rocks were thrown & fires were set

until 400 police battled a crowd of over 2,000 homosexuals

the Stonewall incident

served as a catalyst

for the formation of gay rights groups

activities such as Gay Pride week and parades

are held in yearly commemoration of the Stonewall riot

in 1994, over a million people gathered in New York

to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Stonewall

A Natural History of Homosexuality

Francis Mark Mondimore

goals of the gay rights movement

decriminalization

eliminate laws

that make same-sex sexual behavior illegal

until recently -

Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, and Texas had

explicit laws against sex between same-sex partners

13 other states had laws that criminalized

many forms of same-sex behavior such as oral and anal sex

as well as same-sex partners

1986 Bowers v. Hardwick

the US Supreme Court ruled that

states have the right

to make consensual homosexual activity illegal

Georgia has the right to imprison an individual

for up to twenty years for “sodomy”

Picture: symbols /patches that Nazis used

yellow (Star of David)=Jewish

red = political prisoners

green = criminals

purple = Jehovah’s Witnesses

brown = Roma (Gypsies)

pink = homosexual

black = “asocials” = Roma, nonconformists, vagrants, other groups

PHOTO: United States Holocaust Museum On-line photo archives – photo 29013.

A chart of prisoner markings used in German concentration camps.

about 50,000 men were convicted of offenses

under Paragraph 175 between 1931 and 1944

(which forbade “criminally indecent activities between men”)

the index of the 20-plus volumes of

transcripts & documents of the Nuremberg Trials

does not include an entry for homosexuals

anywhere in its 700 pages

A Natural History of Homosexuality

Francis Mark Mondimore

pg 214-218

2003 Lawrence et. al. v. Texas

the Supreme Court struck down

the Texas anti-sodomy law

by a 6-3 vote

in a Houston apartment five years ago

Tyron Garner and John Geddes Lawrence

were arrested for performing a homosexual act

and fined $200

Newsweek

July 7, 2003

goals of the gay rights movement

antidiscrimination

1973 National Gay Task Force

founded to end various kinds of discrimination

toward homosexuals

housing

employment

insurance

service in the US military

December 2002

Orlando City Council

voted 4-3 (after heated debate)

to add “sexual orientation”

to its anti-discrimination code

Alan Chambers

executive director of

Exodus International North America

largest “ex-gay” group in the world

based in Winter Park

fought the ordinance by forming

People for a United Orlando

Orlando Weekly July 24-30, 2003 GAY? Exodus International can fix that* *results may vary

by Jeffrey C. Bilman

goals of the gay rights movement - positive rights

legal marriage

(inheritance; child custody;

joint insurance policies for health, home, or auto;

status as next of kin for hospital visits or funeral arrangements)

Spring 2000 -Vermont entitles same-sex couples to have civil unions

(not recognized by other states, no federal benefits included

-such as spousal access to Social Security)

2001 - The Netherlands made same-sex marriage legal

Belgium – also has made same-sex marriage legal

2003 - a court in Ontario, Canada ruled that same-sex marriages are legal

various states

and the federal government

adopted

“Defense of Marriage Acts”

that define marriage as applying only to a man and a woman

and that bar red recognition of same –sex marriages from other states

Picture #1: Gay couple on the cover of Newsweek

Picture #2: Lesbian couple on the cover of Newsweek

Is Gay Marriage Next?

Newsweek

July 7, 2003

David Wilson and Robert Compton

sued for the right to wed in Massachusetts

Photo: Newsweek July 7, 2003

Among the first to marry,

under a rainbow flag at a Boston church

with the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus,

were Robert Compton and David Wilson.

They were one of the seven couples

whose lawsuit prompted the state high court

to rule in favor of gay marriage in its landmark November decision.

Gay Couples Begin to Wed in Massachusets

Monday, May 17, 2004

Associated Press

http://www.foxnews.com/printer_friendly_story/0,3566,120088,00.html

Julie and Hillary Goodridge

a couple for 16 years with a young daughter, Annie.

Photo: Newsweek July 7, 2003

One day when the family

was listening to the Beatles song “All You Need Is Love”

Hillary asked Annie if she knew any people who loved each other.

Annie listed only her mother’s married friends.

“What about Mommy and Ma? asked Hillary.

“Well” Annie said, “if you loved each other you’d get married.”

State issues marriage licenses to same-sex couples and

recognizes marriages legally entered into in another

jurisdiction (6 states and DC):

                Connecticut (2008)
                District of Columbia (2010)
                Iowa (2009)
                Massachusetts (2004)
                New Hampshire (2010)
                New York (2011)
                Vermont (2009)
                and formerly California (Jun-Nov 2008)

State recognizes marriages by same-sex couples legally

entered into in another jurisdiction (2 states):

Maryland (2010)
Rhode Island (2007)

http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/same-sex-relationship-recognition-laws-state-by-state

Statewide law provides the equivalent of state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples (9 states and DC):

                California (domestic partnerships, 2007)
                Delaware (2012)
                District of Columbia(domestic partnerships,2002)
                Hawaii (civil unions, 2012)
                Illinois (civil unions, 2011)
                New Jersey (civil unions, 2007)
                Nevada (domestic partnerships, 2009)
                Oregon (domestic partnerships, 2008)
                Rhode Island (civil unions, 2011)
                Washington (domestic partnerships, 2009)

Statewide law provides some state-level spousal rights to same-sex couples (3 states):

                Colorado (designated beneficiary, 2009)
                Maine (domestic partnerships, 2004)
                Wisconsin (domestic partnerships, 2009)

http://www.hrc.org/resources/entry/same-sex-relationship-recognition-laws-state-by-state

June 26, 2015

Obergefell v. Hodges

U.S. Supreme Court decision:

state bans on same-sex marriage are unconstitutional

goals of the gay rights movement

positive rights: adoption

1998 Michael Galluccio and Jon Holden:

first openly gay couple in US to legally adopt a child

Picture#1: Michael and Jon with Adam

Picture#2: Michael and Jon with Adam & Madison

An American Family

Jon & Michael Gallucio

and David Groff

St. Martin’s Press

Meeting Adam for the first time.

3 months old, born prematurely, with a hole in his heart.

HIV+, TB+, Hep C, RSV, severe drug withdrawal.

Born addicted to crack, heroin, marijuana, and alcohol.

the family at Madison’s nursery graduation

Rosa & Maryanna

Jon & Adam

Michael

& Madison

Steven & Roger are such outstanding foster parents

in the state of Florida, that an award has been named for them

-but they were not allowed to adopt their children.

The Gay Parent

http://www.10percent.org/adoption.html

research has found that

children of lesbian mothers

are essentially no different from other children in terms of

self-esteem

gender-related problems

gender roles

sexual orientation

& general development

COLAGE – Children Of Lesbians And Gays Everywhere

COLAGE is an organization specifically supporting

young people with gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender parents.

http://www.colage.org

March 31 2016

A Mississippi law

banning same-sex couples from adopting

was ruled unconstitutional by the

US District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi

making same-sex adoption essentially legal in all 50 states

homosexuality and the media

1993 film Philadelphia (starring Tom Hanks)

confronted homophobia and AIDS

1996 Birdcage (starring Robin Williams) movie about 2

families with opposing social and sexual points of view

1997 Ellen DeGeneres’s coming out on her TV show

drew a record 36.1 million viewers

1998-2006 Will & Grace

highest-rated sitcom among adults 18–49,

between 2001 and 2005 Will & Grace earned 16 Emmy Awards and 83 nomination

2003-2007 Queer Eye for the Straight Guy

2005 Brokeback Mountain ranks 10th among the highest-grossing romance films of all time

coming out = the process of becoming aware of

and disclosing one’s homosexual identity

when did you know?

when gay or bisexual college students say they became aware of their sexual orientation

college………………..female 37%...................male 13%

high school…………...female 46%...................male 50%

junior high……………female 6%.....................male 20%

grade school………….female 11%...................male 17%

passing

maintaining a false image of being heterosexual

Parents, Families, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG)

an organization that helps parents and others

develop understanding, acceptance, and support

guidelines for coming out to friends

have a support network in place

make your first disclosure an easy one

practice your coming out mentally

plan the time and place

rely on patience

control your anger

the double minority - homosexuality & ethnicity

Hispanic

Asian

African American

Native American

San Francisco City wide Poll of 1,034 people

conducted March 2, 2004

Percent of respondents who supported decision to issue

marriage licenses to gay & lesbian couples:

Caucasians 76%

Latinos 62%

African Americans 49%

Asians 38%

Ethnic Communities Speak out Against Gay Marriage

By Elena Shore, Pacific News Service

June 8, 2004

http://www.alternet.org/story.html?StoryID=18901

involvement in the gay community

gay and lesbian bars

gay service organizations, educational centers, and professional organizations

(Gay and Lesbian Medical Association,

Gay and Lesbian Criminal Justice Professionals etc.)

gay retirement communities

Metropolitan Community Church

(Dignity for Roman Catholics,

Integrity for Episcopalians etc.)

religious organizations that support gays & lesbians

GayChristians.org

Metropolitan Community Church

Presbyterian for Lesbian and Gay Concerns

Gay and Lesbian Affirming Disciples Alliance

Lutherans Concerned

Integrity (Episcopalian)

Brethren/Mennonite Council for Lesbian and Gay Concerns

Gay and Lesbian Acceptance (Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints)

Dignity USA (Catholic)

Welcoming and Affirming Baptists

Emergence International (Christian Science)

Affirmation (Latter Day Saints)

Affirmation (United Methodists)

Seventh-Day Adventist Kinship

Unity Fellowship Church

Muslim Homosexual Resource Center

Friends for Lesbian and Gay Concerns (Quaker)

World Congress of Gay and Lesbian Jewish Organizations

gays and lesbians – differences

lesbians are likely to have had far fewer sexual partners

lesbians couples are more likely to be monogamous

lesbians associate emotional closeness with sex

more than homosexual men do

heterosexual relationships are to some extent a compromise

between male and female gender-role expectations