SEXUAL ORIENTATION John B Pryor 2011 Illinois State

SEXUAL ORIENTATION © John B. Pryor 2011 Illinois State University

Index of Attitudes Toward Homosexuals Use the following scale to rate each statement: 1=Strongly Agree 2=Agree 3=Neither Agree Nor Disagree 4=Disagree 5=Strongly Disagree

1. I would feel comfortable working with a male homosexual. 2. I would enjoy attending social functions at which homosexuals were present. 3. I would feel uncomfortable if I learned that my neighbor was homosexual. 4. If a member of my gender made a sexual advance toward me I would feel angry. 5. I would feel comfortable knowing that I was attractive to members of my gender. 6. I would feel uncomfortable being seen at a gay bar.

7. I would feel comfortable if a member of my gender made an advance toward me. 8. I would feel comfortable if I found myself attracted toward a member of my gender. 9. I would feel disappointed if I learned my child was a homosexual. 10. I would feel nervous being in a group of homosexuals. 11. I would feel comfortable knowing that my clergyman was a homosexual.

12. I would feel upset if I learned my brother or sister was homosexual. 13. I would feel that I failed as a parent if I learned my child was gay. 14. If I saw two men holding hands in public, I would feel disgusted. 15. If a member of my gender made an advance toward me I would feel offended. 16. I would feel comfortable if I learned my daughter’s teacher was a lesbian.

17. I would feel uncomfortable if I learned that my spouse or partner was attracted to members of his or her own gender. 18. I would feel at ease talking with a homosexual person at a party. 19. I would feel uncomfortable if I learned that my boss was homosexual. 20. It would not bother me to walk through a predominantly gay section of town. 21. It would disturb me to find out that my doctor was a homosexual.

22. I would feel comfortable if I found out that my best friend of my gender was homosexual. 23. If a member of my gender made an advance toward me I would feel flattered. 24. I would feel uncomfortable knowing that my son’s male teacher was homosexual. 25. I would feel comfortable working closely with a female homosexual.

1 Reverse score these items: 3, 4, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17, 19, 21, 24 1=5 2=4 3=3 4=2 5=1 2 Then add up your score. 3 And subtract 25 from the sum. .

Higher Numbers=More Anti-homosexual Introductory Psychology Courses Men M=76. 79 Women M=68. 66 Senior Level Psychology Courses Men M=66. 94 Women M=60. 29

Those with anti-gay attitudes are more likely than others: to have limited contact with lesbians and gay men to regard homosexuality as a “choice” and to fear its spread to be male to have a lower level of education to be older or adolescent

Those with anti-gay attitudes are more likely than others: to be highly religious, particularly evangelical Christian to report a history of exclusively heterosexual behaviors to live in rural areas of Midwestern and Southern regions of the U. S. to perceive that one’s peers hold similarly anti-gay attitudes

Those with anti-gay attitudes are more likely than others: to believe in traditional restrictive gender roles and to perceive homosexuals as violating such roles to be less permissive or more negative about sexuality in general to exhibit authoritarian personality traits (from Herek & Cogan, 1996)

Adams, Wright, & Lohr (1996): Homophobia and homosexual arousal Studied 64 exclusively heterosexual male college students 29 were non-homophobic (scored 0 - 50) 35 were homophobic (scored 51 - 100) Penile tumescence was measured during exposure to 3 erotic videos (heterosexual, male homosexual, female homosexual) Homophobic and non-homophobic men were equally aroused by heterosexual and female homosexual videos Homophobic men were more aroused than nonhomophobic men by male homosexual video

Larry Craig – Former U. S. Senator Let me be clear. I am not gay. I have never been gay…I did nothing wrong at the Minneapolis Airport. Arrested For Lewd Behavior In a Public Restroom by an Voted YES on constitutional ban of same-sex marriage. Voted NO on adding sexual orientation to definition of hate crimes. Voted NO on prohibiting job discrimination by sexual orientation.

Reactions to homosexuality vary across cultures

Attitudes toward homosexuality in 42 cultures around the world Attitudes % Cultures Homosexuality is accepted or ignored No concept of homosexuality Homosexuality is ridiculed & scorned, but not punished Homosexuality is mildly disapproved & considered undesirable, but not punished Homosexuality is strongly disapproved & punished 21 12 14 12 40

State Laws before 2003

U. S. Public Opinion Polls in Recent History

June 2003 U. S. Supreme Court strikes down all state sodomy laws

LAWRENCE et al. v. TEXAS U. S. Supreme Court Decision - Decided June 26, 2003 Responding to a reported weapons disturbance in a private residence, Houston police entered petitioner Lawrence's apartment and saw him and another adult man, petitioner Garner, engaging in a private, consensual sexual act. Petitioners were arrested and convicted of deviate sexual intercourse in violation of a Texas statute forbidding two persons of the same sex to engage in certain intimate sexual conduct. Held: The Texas statute making it a crime for two persons of the same sex to engage in certain intimate sexual conduct violates the Due Process Clause. The liberty protected by the Constitution allows homosexual persons the right to choose to enter upon relationships in the confines of their homes and their own private lives and still retain their dignity as free persons.

Gallup Poll Results since 1977 Supreme Court Decision

from Gallup Polls.

Sexual Orientation and Mental Health

Homosexuality and Mental Health • Evelyn Hooker (1957) compared matched groups of homosexual and heterosexual men on scores of standard psychological and found no difference in mental and emotional well-being • Comprehensive review by Gronsiorek (1991) supported Hooker’s conclusions • Since 1973, both the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association have considered homosexuality a normal variation of human sexuality

Recent Research on GLBT mental health Being the targets of discrimination may have a negative impact of GLBT mental health – minority stress reactions Higher rates of major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, substance abuse in lesbian & gay youth Higher rates of major depression among gay men Suicidal thoughts Use of mental health services (Source: Cochran, 2001, American Psychologist)

Conversion Therapy? Is there an ap for that? i. Phone Ap supposedly helped gays become straight

George Rekers Minister & Psychologist Authority on “conversion therapy” to turn gay people straight Author of 1983 book Paid $120, 000 to testify against gay adoption in Florida In 2010, caught returning from Europe with a 20 -year old male escort hired from Rent. Boy. com

Conversion Therapy Rev. Ted Haggard (featured in the movie Jesus Camp) backed constitutional ban of gay marriage in Colorado. Ted resigned as pastor of the New Life Church in Colorado in November 2006, after his relationship with a male prostitute became public. In February, 2007, Haggard emerged from three weeks of intensive counseling convinced he is "completely heterosexual. "

“Conversion therapy” from Haldeman (1999) Conversion therapy is based on faulty assumptions homosexuality is not a mental disorder. Internalized homophobia leads some individuals to seek sexual orientation change. The mental health professions generally oppose conversion therapy. According to David Satcher, MD, former Surgeon General of the US, no reliable evidence supports the effectiveness of conversion treatments. Conversion therapy can be harmful--it can perpetuate self-hatred. Conversion therapy adversely affects the public’s views of lesbian, gay and bisexual people. "We have the concern, first of all, that therapies have never been adequately demonstrated to be safe or effective and that the promotion of such therapies contributes to the climate of prejudice and discrimination in this country. ” Clinton Anderson, Ph. D. , American Psychological Association.

Conceptions of Homosexuality Two category typology: Heterosexual v. homosexual Kinsey’s continuum: based upon mixes of homosexual and heterosexual behavior Storms’ (1980) 2 dimensional scheme: based upon two continua of sexual attraction

Kinsey’s Behavioral Continuum Exclusively heterosexual Mostly heterosexual with incidental homosexual experience Heterosexual with substantial homosexual experience Equal heterosexual and homosexual experience Homosexual with substantial heterosexual experience Homosexual with incidental heterosexual experience Exclusively homosexual

Storms’ (1980) Two-dimensional Model Homoeroticism HIGH Homosexuals Bisexuals HIGH LOW Asexuals Heterosexuals LOW Heteroeroticism

Typology of homosexuality in men (Hewitt, 1998)

How many people are homosexual? University of Chicago survey in 1992 of a random probability sample of 3, 432 men and women in the U. S. between the ages of 18 -59. 9% of men and 4% of women reported having engaged in at least one same-gender sexual activity since puberty. Given the identity category choices of heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, or something else, 2. 8% of men and 1. 4% of women surveyed reported "some level of homosexual identity. " Laumann, E. , Gagnon, J. H. , Michael, R. T. , and Michaels, S. (1994).

Developing a homosexual identity in our culture is a multi-step process

Cass (1979) - stages of homosexual identity development 1. identity confusion- “Who am I? ” 2. identity comparison- “I may be Mary Cheney homosexual” 3. identity tolerance- “I probably am homosexual” 4. identity acceptance- “I am homosexual” 5. identity pride- strong group identification 6. identity synthesis- no us vs. them

My son is gay Posted: November 2, 2010 by Cop's Wife in bubba/boo, deep thoughts, holidays & celebrations, trials & tribulations Or he’s not. I don’t care. He is still my son. And he is 5. And I am his mother. And if you have a problem with anything mentioned above, I don’t want to know you. I have gone back and forth on whether I wanted to post something more in-depth about my sweet boy and his choice of Halloween costume. Or more specifically, the reactions to it. I figure if I’m still irked by it a few days later, I may as well go ahead and post my thoughts. Here are the facts that lead up to my rant: 1. My son is 5 and goes to a church preschool. 2. He has loved Scooby Doo since developing the ability and attention span to sit still long enough to watch it. 3. Halloween is a holiday and its main focus is wearing a costume. 4. My son’s school had the kids dress up, do a little parade, and then change out of costumes for the rest of the party. 5. Boo’s best friend is a little girl 6. Boo has an older sister 7. Boo spends most of his time with me. 8. I am a woman. 9. I am Boo’s mother, not you. So a few weeks before Halloween, Boo decides he wants to be Daphne from Scooby Doo, along with his best friend E. He had dressed as Scooby a couple of years ago. I was hesitant to make the purchase, not because it was a cross gendered situation, but because 5 year olds have a tendency to change their minds. After requesting a couple of more times, I said sure and placed the order. He flipped out when it arrived. It was perfect. Then as we got closer to the actual day, he stared to hem and haw about it. After some discussion it comes out that he is afraid people will laugh at him. I pointed out that some people will because it is a cute and clever costume. He insists their laughter would be of the ‘making fun’ kind. I blow it off. Seriously, who would make fun of a child in costume? And then the big day arrives. We get dressed up. We drop Squirt at his preschool and head over to his. Boo doesn’t want to get out of the car. He’s afraid of what people will say and do to him. I convince him to go inside. He halts at the door. He’s visibly nervous. I chalk it up to him being a bit of a worrier in general. Seriously, WHO WOULD MAKE FUN OF A CHILD IN A COSTUME ON HALLOWEEN? So he walks in. And there were several friends of mine that knew what he was wearing that smiled and waved and gave him high-fives. We walk down the hall to where his classroom is. And that’s where things went wrong. Two mothers went wide-eyed and made faces as if they smelled decomp. And I realize that my son is seeing the same thing I am. So I say, “Doesn’t he look great? ” And Mom A says in disgust, “Did he ask to be that? !” I say that he sure did as Halloween is the time of year that you can be whatever it is that you want to be. They continue with their nosy, probing questions as to how that was an option and didn’t I try to talk him out of it. Mom B mostly just stood there in shock and dismay.

And then Mom C approaches. She had been in the main room, saw us walk in, and followed us down the hall to let me know her thoughts. And they were that I should never have ‘allowed’ this and thank God it wasn’t next year when he was in Kindergarten since I would have had to put my foot down and ‘forbidden’ it. To which I calmly replied that I would do no such thing and couldn’t imagine what she was talking about. She continued on and on about how mean children could be and how he would be ridiculed. My response to that: The only people that seem to have a problem with it is their mothers. Another mom pointed out that high schools often have Spirit Days where girls dress like boys and vice versa. I mentioned Powderpuff Games where football players dress like cheerleaders and vice versa. Or every frat boy ever in college (Mom A said that her husband was a frat boy and NEVER dressed like a woman. ) But here’s the point, it is none of your damn business. If you think that me allowing my son to be a female character for Halloween is somehow going to ‘make’ him gay then you are an idiot. Firstly, what a ridiculous concept. Secondly, if my son is gay, OK. I will love him no less. Thirdly, I am not worried that your son will grow up to be an actual ninja so back off. If my daughter had dressed as Batman, no one would have thought twice about it. No one. But it also was heartbreaking to me that my sweet, kind-hearted five year old was right to be worried. He knew that there were people like A, B, and C. And he, at 5, was concerned about how they would perceive him and what would happen to him. Just as it was heartbreaking to those parents that have lost their children recently due to bullying. IT IS NOT OK TO BULLY. Even if you wrap it up in a bow and call it ‘concern. ’ Those women were trying to bully me. And my son. MY son. It is obvious that I neither abuse nor neglect my children. They are not perfect, but they are learning how to navigate this big, and sometimes cruel, world. I hate that my son had to learn this lesson while standing in front of allegedly Christian women. I hate that those women thought those thoughts, and worse felt comfortable saying them out loud. I hate that ‘pink’ is still called a girl color and that my baby has to be so brave if he wants to be Daphne for Halloween. And all I hope for my kids, and yours, and those of Moms ABC, are that they are happy. If a set of purple sparkly tights and a velvety dress is what makes my baby happy one night, then so be it. If he wants to carry a purse, or marry a man, or paint fingernails with his best girlfriend, then ok. My job as his mother is not to stifle that man that he will be, but to help him along his way. Mine is not to dictate what is ‘normal’ and what is not, but to help him become a good person. I hope I am doing that. And my little man worked that costume like no other. He rocked that wig, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Are some people “born gay? ”

Some Biological Correlates of Sexual Orientation Non-right-handedness is associated with homosexuality in men and women Having older brothers increases the odds of homosexuality in men The effect of older brothers on sexual orientation is limited to right-handed men People who described themselves as ambidextrous are more likely describe themselves as bisexual findings from an internet survey of over 150, 000 people in the UK (Blanchard & Lippa, 2007)

Biological Origins of Homosexuality- focus on concordance rate - the likelihood that, if one twin is gay, his or her co-twin will be gay too. Bailey & Pillard (1991) - genetic links to male homosexuality % gay Identical twins 52% Fraternal twins 22% Adopted brothers 11% Non-twin biological brother 9% Bailey, Pillard, Neal & Agyei (1993) - genetic links to female homosexuality % lesbian Identical twins 48% Fraternal twins 16% Adopted sisters 6%

Homosexuality seems to be matrilineal

Feminine boys "The most consistent finding about male homosexuality is that as children gay men were feminine boys, as judged by such factors as lack of interest in sports or rough play, reputation as a ‘sissy, ’ or a desire to be a girl. Perhaps 75 percent of feminine boys grow up to be gay men, which is a huge increase over expected rates. That's generally consistent with a biological hypothesis because you have these boys playing atypically at a very early age-three to five-in a way they haven't been socialized to behave. In fact, they're often punished for behaving that way" (J. M. Bailey, K. J. Zucker, Developmental Psychology, 31[1]: 43 -55, 1995).

Study of gay brothers Dawood, Pillard, Horvath, Revelle, & Bailey (2000) Several studies show that gay men are more likely to have gay brothers than heterosexual men This study examined 37 pairs of gay siblings Gay brothers were remarkably similar in their reports of childhood gender non-conformity. If one was feminine, so was the other. Most of the participants (83%) knew that their brother had homosexual feelings after they had already experienced these feelings, and 69% of them had already had sex with a man before they first knew their brother was gay.

Neurological studies of brain activation patterns show that gay men and heterosexual women respond similarly to male pheromones. Both gay men and heterosexual women display a brain activation pattern distinct from that of heterosexual men (Savic, Berglund, & Lindstrom, 2005).

Responses to male and female pheromones-positron emission tomography images heterosexual women androgen derivative estrogen derivative homosexual men heterosexual men

Heterosexual men Heterosexual women Area in common for homosexual men & heterosexual women

Biological Origins of Homosexuality Ward & Reed (1985) • Rat Study Prenatal stress in 2 nd month-> lower testosterone production-> hypothalamic differentiation-> homosexual behavior • 2/3 mothers of gay men recall stress episodes compared to 1/3 of heterosexuals

Biological Origins of Homosexualitybrain structures Le. Vay (1993). Hypothalamic cells of gay men were more similar to those of women than heterosexual men Allen & Gorski (1992). The anterior commissure, a relatively small bundle of axons connecting the two brain hemispheres, is larger in women than in men, and larger in gay men than in heterosexual men.

Biological roots of lesbianism have not been studied as extensively

Do lesbians have more “masculine”ears? Recent research suggests differences in the inner ear structures between lesbians and heterosexual women. Heterosexual women are more sensitive to “soft sounds” than lesbians or men.

Prenatal Hormones & Lesbians Distinction between more masculine and more feminine lesbians (“butch” vs. “Femme”) Some studies have found that high levels of prenatal steroid hormones seem to be causally associated with the sexual orientation of butch lesbians. James (2005)

Sex Differences in Specificity of Sexual Arousal Chivers, Reiger, Latty & Bailey (2004) • Three groups of participants: Males, Females, Male-to-Female Transsexuals • Each group separated into those whose sexual partner preference was male or female • Watched three types of sexual film: Male-Male, Female-Female, and Male-Female • Two types of sexual arousal measures: • Physiological • For males – penile plethysmograph • For females and transsexuals – measure of vasocongestion in genital region • Self-ratings using a lever

Sex Differences in Specificity of Sexual Arousal Chivers, Reiger, Latty & Bailey (2004)

An Interactionist Perspective on the Development of Sexual Orientation

• Biological variables • Childhood temperaments Bem’s (1996) Theory of The Development Of Sexual Orientation • Sex-typical/atypical activity & playmate preference • Feeling different from opposite/same sex peers • Non-specific autonomic arousal to opposite/same-sex peers • Erotic attraction to opposite/same-sex peers