schemes and differerent, Schemes and Mind Maps of Sociology

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Gays, Lesbians,

and Homophobia

Group work

 Sasnett, Sherri. 2014. “Are the Kids All Right? A Qualitative Study of Adults with Gay and Lesbian Parents.” ➢ Explain the goal and findings of the study.  Warner, Michael. 1999. The Trouble with Normal: Sex, Politics, and the Ethics of Queer Life****. ➢ What is meant by politics of sexual shaming?

Identity

Able to maintain invisibility to some

degree

Coming out is accepting the stigma

Gender opposite behavior People can be mistaken as gay when they are in fact not, or vise versa.

The Development of the Notion of Homosexuality  The term homosexuality: Became popular in 1869 when Benkert defined it as: A failure to achieve “normal erection” during contact with a member of the opposite sex.

Definition

 Sociological definition:  a true homosexual is any adult who regards himself or herself as a homosexual and who willingly acknowledges the label before another person.

History of Sexuality in Western Culture

❑ Early research on sexual behavior:

❑ Kinsey’s study

➢ Alfred Kinsey (1894-1956)

▪ Sexual Behavior in Human Male (1948)

▪ Sexual Behavior in Human Female (1953)

Key findings of the Kinsey study

(continued)

 What we thought about as “culturally (normatively) deviant” was “statistically normal”  People naturally prone to all kinds of sexuality if cultural restraints were removed.  All humans lie on a continuum of sexual orientation (pansexual); not a simple divide between gay and straight.  Demystified sex in general and brought it out of closet: made sex normal  Rejected idea that homosexuality was genetic (innate); seen as just another sexual choice or preference.

A continuum rather than a

category?

Totally Gay Bisexual leaning gay Bisexual leaning straight Totally Straight

Other contemporary studies

➢ Sex in America (University of Chicago Sex

Study 1990s)

a random sample of >3,000 adults (3,400) Representative sample No leading questions 80% response rate

What are the main findings of Sex in America

study?

 Adultery ➢ 80% of men; 90% of women say no partners other than spouse while married  Premarital sex 84% of women born 1933–1942 have had sex only with person who became husband; 50% of women born after 1953 ➢ Americans are more sexually conservative than the Kinsey study reported.

Assimilation and Pluralism

 ~9% of U.S. adults identify as LGBTQ+ (2024- 2025 estimates)  More openness about claiming LGBTQ+ identity  Ethnicity/race about the same as larger population  More well educated  Couples have higher incomes

Assimilation and Pluralism

 Coming out - defined as public disclosing of sexual identity still the biggest need and challenge makes the person part of visible minority  Knowing someone LGBT: 61% in 1993 to 87% in 2013

Homophobia

Society is normed and structured toward heterosexuality  Cultural heterosexism – heterosexuality is a norm  Structural heterosexism – institutional discrimination

Theories of Homosexuality

 Biological Theories  Psychiatric Theories  Sociological Theories