1. Sexual Orientations
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

2. A Continuum of Sexual Orientations
Specific sexual orientations include whether an individual:
Engages in sexual behavior with men, women, both, or neither
Feels sexual desire for men, women, both, or neither
Falls in love with men, women, both, or neither
Identifies with a specific sexual orientation
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

3. A Continuum of Sexual Orientations (cont’d.)
Types of sexual orientations
Homosexual: orientation toward same sex
Bisexual: orientation toward both same and other sex
Heterosexual: orientation toward other sex
Asexual: no sexual attraction toward either sex
Classroom Discussion Topic: What percentage of people are asexual?
Classroom Discussion Topic: What are the difficulties in defining bisexuality?
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

4. Kinsey’s Continuum of Sexual Orientation
Figure 9.1 Kinsey’s continuum of sexual orientation, based on both feelings of attraction and sexual behavior.
Classroom Discussion Topic: How does Kinsey’s continuum measure sexual orientation?
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

5. Sexual Fluidity
Variability in same-sex and other-sex attraction and involvement at different times and different situations throughout the life span
Significantly more women have experimented sexually with the same sex
Classroom Discussion Topic: What are the characteristics of sexual fluidity?
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

6. Asexuality and Bisexuality
Asexuality: someone who does not experience sexual attraction
Most asexual people have been their whole lives
Bisexuality: people who have the capacity for attraction to more than one sex
More women identify as bisexual than men
Sometimes judged by heterosexual and homosexual individuals
“Performative bisexuality”
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

7. Homosexuality Common synonym for homosexual is gay
Used to describe homosexual men and women, as well as social and political concerns related to homosexual orientation
May also be used as a negative label
Acronym LGBTQ: lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning
Often used in discussions of civil rights for nonheterosexual people
Classroom Discussion Topic: Approximately what percentage of men and women are exclusively homosexual?
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

8. What Determines Sexual Orientation?
Psychosocial theories
Focus on role of life incidences, parenting patterns, or psychological attributes
Theories include:
“By default” myth: unhappy heterosexual experiences cause a person to become homosexual
Seduction myth: young people are seduced and “turned” by older homosexual people
Freud’s theory: childhood experiences and relationships with parents result in homosexual or heterosexual development
Classroom Discussion Topic: What psychosocial theories have been advanced to explain sexual orientation?
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

9. What Determines Sexual Orientation? (cont’d.)
Research into biological factors
Genetic factors
Identical twin studies
Homosexuality and gender nonconformity
Variation in research findings between homosexual men and women
Causes remain a matter of speculation
Implications if biology is destiny
May lead to greater acceptance
Classroom Discussion Topic: What biological factors may influence sexual orientation?
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

10. Societal Attitudes Regarding Homosexuality
Cross-cultural attitudes vary greatly
Wide spread acceptance has been revealed
Some societies require their members to engage in homosexual activities
However, basic human rights violations is common around the world
Judeo-Christian attitudes towards sexuality
Conflicting positions
Classroom Discussion Topic: How have Western religious views and the views of medical and psychological professionals changed concerning homosexuality?
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

11. Societal Attitudes Regarding Homosexuality (cont’d.)
Shift from sin to sickness: early 1900s
1973: American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from list of mental disorders
Gay-affirmative therapy: therapy to help homosexual clients cope with negative societal attitudes
Conversion therapy/sexual reorientation therapy: therapy to help homosexual men and women change their sexual orientation
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

12. Homophobia Antihomosexual attitudes Hate crimes
Stigmatize and denigrate any behaviors, identities, relationships, and communities that are not heterosexual
Irrational fear or loathing of homosexual feelings in oneself
Hate crimes
Subject to severer sentences than other crimes
Classroom Discussion Topic: What are some of the indications of homophobia?
Classroom Discussion Topic: What causes homophobia and hate crimes?
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

13. Homophobia (cont’d.) Causes of homophobia and hate crimes
Lack of acceptance and valuing
Traditional gender role stereotypes
Extreme manifestation of cultural norms
Suppression of homosexual feelings
Increasing acceptance
Contact has also increased
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

14. The Gay Rights Movement
Began in 1969 with Stonewall incident
Police raid on gay bar patrons resulted in a riot
Homosexual civil rights: general areas
Decriminalization of private sexual behavior
Antidiscrimination: employment, military, etc.
Legal civil marriage for same-sex couples
Classroom Discussion Topic: What was the Stonewall incident, and what impact did it have on the gay community?
Classroom Discussion Topic: What are some of the decriminalization, antidiscrimination, and positive rights successes and goals of the gay rights movement?
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

15. Countries That Allow Gay Marriage
Table 9.4 Countries That Allow Gay Marriage (as of July 2015)
Source: (Pew Research, 2014c)
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

16. Public Approval Of Gay Marriage
Figure 9.3 Changes over time in public approval of gay marriage.
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

17. Homosexuality and the Media
Effects of increasing exposure
Greater familiarity and understanding
Portrayal of gay, lesbian, and bisexual individuals in a more positive light
In , the five broadcast networks had 32 regular gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender characters; mainstream cable had approximately 64 LGBT recurring characters
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

18. Coming Out
Acknowledging, accepting, and openly expressing one’s homosexuality
Self-acknowledgement
Self-acceptance
Disclosure
Passing: risks and benefits
Telling family
Involvement in the gay community
Classroom Discussion Topic: What steps are involved in coming out as a lesbian or a gay man?
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

19. Homosexual Relationships in Context
“Lifestyles” are as varied as heterosexuals
Representing all social classes, occupations, races, religions, and political persuasions
Comparison of gay and straight relationships
Similar relationship satisfaction
Differences in handling disagreements
Lesbians have higher partner expectations and more frequency of orgasm
Classroom Discussion Topic: What is the “gay lifestyle”?
Classroom Discussion Topic: How are gay and straight relationships the same? How are they different?
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

20. Homosexual Relationships in Context (cont’d.)
Differences between gay men and lesbians in sexual attitude and behavior
Lesbians are likely to have had far fewer sexual partners and associate emotional closeness with sex more than gay men
Family life
Many forms exist in contemporary society
Most laws about adoption by homosexual parents are ambiguous
Classroom Discussion Topic: Does research find more interpersonal strengths in homosexual or in heterosexual couples?
Classroom Discussion Topic: What has research shown to be the effects on children of being reared by lesbian mothers?
Classroom Discussion Topic: What effects on children do gay parents have compared to heterosexual parents?
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.

21. Summary
A number of psychosocial and biological theories have attempted to explain the development of homosexuality
Sexual orientation, regardless of where it falls on the continuum, seems to form through a composite of factors unique to each person
Cross-cultural attitudes toward homosexuality range from condemnation to acceptance
United States acceptance continues to increase
Copyright © 2017 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved.