Gay Days
Testosterone measured in infancy predicts subsequent sex-typed behavior in boys and in girls
Annamarja Lamminmäki et al.
Hormones and Behavior, April 2012, Pages 611-616
Abstract:
The testes are active during gestation, as well as during early infancy. Testosterone elevation during fetal development has been shown to play a role in human neurobehavioral sexual differentiation. The role of early postnatal gonadal activation in human psychosexual development is largely unknown, however. We measured testosterone in 48 full term infants (22 boys, 26 girls) by monthly urinary sampling from day 7 postnatal to age 6 months, and related the area under the curve (AUC) for testosterone during the first 6 months postnatal to subsequent sex-typed behavior, at the age of 14 months, using the Pre-School Activities Inventory (PSAI), and playroom observation of toy choices. In boys, testosterone AUC correlated significantly with PSAI scores (Spearman's rho = 0.54, p = 0.04). In addition, play with a train and with a baby doll showed the anticipated sex differences, and play with the train correlated significantly and positively with testosterone AUC in girls (Spearman's rho = 0.43, p = 0.05), while play with the doll correlated significantly and negatively with testosterone AUC in boys (Spearman's rho = - 0.48, p < 0.03). These results may support a role for testosterone during early infancy in human neurobehavioral sexual differentiation.
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Eric Anderson, Adi Adams & Ian Rivers
Archives of Sexual Behavior, April 2012, Pages 421-430
Abstract:
In this article, we combined data from 145 interviews and three ethnographic investigations of heterosexual male students in the U.K. from multiple educational settings. Our results indicate that 89% have, at some point, kissed another male on the lips which they reported as being non-sexual: a means of expressing platonic affection among heterosexual friends. Moreover, 37% also reported engaging in sustained same-sex kissing, something they construed as non-sexual and non-homosexual. Although the students in our study understood that this type of kissing remains somewhat culturally symbolized as a taboo sexual behavior, they nonetheless reconstructed it, making it compatible with heteromasculinity by recoding it as homosocial. We hypothesize that both these types of kissing behaviors are increasingly permissible due to rapidly decreasing levels of cultural homophobia. Furthermore, we argue that there has been a loosening of the restricted physical and emotional boundaries of traditional heteromasculinity in these educational settings, something which may also gradually assist in the erosion of prevailing heterosexual hegemony.
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Born to be a Marine: Digit ratios and military service
HaengRyang Huh
Personality and Individual Differences, forthcoming
Abstract:
Digit ratio (2D:4D) is a negative correlate of prenatal testosterone. The current study tested the hypothesis that 2D:4D would be associated with the type of military service chosen by young Korean males. Our sample consisted of 128 young males aged 22-26 years (M = 24.32, SD = 0.89). We measured the 2D:4D on the participants' right hands and explored its relationship to their selection of one of four branches of military service. Statistical analysis found no significant differences among the four branches of military service but supported our hypothesis of significant group differences in 2D:4D between Marines and all non-Marines. As expected, members of the Marine Corps demonstrated the lowest digit ratios, whereas those in the Army showed the highest. The average 2D:4D was 0.94 (SD = 0.05) for the Marine Corps, 0.95 (SD = 0.07) for the Air Force, 0.96 (SD = 0.06) for the Navy, and 0.97 (SD = 0.06) for the Army. Our research found evidence of small but significant group differences in 2D:4D among members of different branches of military service. We conclude that low 2D:4D is related to the risk and severity associated with the type of military training selected by recruits.
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Wade Myers & Heng Choon (Oliver) Chan
Behavioral Sciences & the Law, forthcoming
Abstract:
Limited information exists on juvenile homosexual homicide (JHH), that is, youths who perpetrate sexual homicides against same-sex victims. Only a handful of cases from the United States and internationally have been described in the literature. This study, the first of its kind, examines the epidemiology, victimology, victim-offender relationship, and weapon-use patterns in JHH offenders using a large U.S. database on homicide spanning three decades. The data for this study were derived from the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Supplementary Homicide Reports (SHRs) for the years 1976 through 2005. A total of 93 cases of JHH were identified. On average, three of these crimes occurred annually in the U.S., and there was a marked decline in its incidence over the study period. Ninety-five percent were male offender-male victim cases and 5% were female offender-female victim cases. JHH offenders were over-represented amongst all juvenile sexual murderers, similar to their adult counterparts. The majority of these boys were aged 16 or 17 and killed adult victims. They were significantly more likely to kill adult victims than other age groups, to be friends or acquaintances of the victims, and to use contact/edged weapons or firearms. Most offenders killed same-race victims, although Black offenders were significantly more likely than White offenders to kill interracially. A case report is provided to illustrate JHH. Further research is needed to promote our understanding of the pathogenesis, etiology, and associated risk factors for this aberrant form of murder by children.
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‘As long as they keep away from me': The paradox of antigay violence in a gay-friendly country
Laurens Buijs, Gert Hekma & Jan Willem Duyvendak
Sexualities, December 2011, Pages 632-652
Abstract:
Considering the tolerant and gay-friendly image of the Netherlands, antigay violence is a remarkably grave problem. By combining a broad survey of Amsterdam youth with in-depth interviews with smaller groups and individual attackers and reviewing recent cases, we conclude that traditional norms of gender and sexuality present in broader society form the breeding ground of the violence. The gay-friendly narrative that dominates discussions on citizenship in the Netherlands - opposing the liberal ‘Dutch' to the Muslim ‘Other' - coexists next to traditional norms of gender and sexuality, thereby not challenging the roots of homonegativity. Even perpetrators duplicate the prevailing gay-tolerant rhetoric of Dutch society, but do not refrain from all sorts of violence as soon as they are confronted with aspects of it that collide with traditional norms of gender and sexuality. Peer pressure and the fear of seduction often function as triggers of the violence. However, these situational factors can only be understood in a larger macro-sociological framework, showing the necessity of a multilevel approach in coming towards a comprehensive understanding of antigay violence.
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Mariana Preciado & Letitia Anne Peplau
Self and Identity, Spring 2012, Pages 137-147
Abstract:
Though sexuality is often described categorically, the sexual experiences that form the basis of heterosexuals' self-perceived sexuality are often not clear cut and can be open to interpretation. Factors other than actual sexual experiences may also be associated with self-perceptions of sexuality. The present research examined how personal need for structure (Neuberg & Newsom, 1993; Thompson, Naccarato, Parker, & Moskowitz, 2001) was associated with degree of self-perceived same-sex sexuality in a sample of 103 heterosexually identified young adult women. Results indicated that women higher in personal need for structure self-perceived less same-sex sexuality than women lower in personal need for structure, even when accounting for conservatism on gay and lesbian issues and for perceptions of the degree of same-sex sexuality experienced by other heterosexual women. We discuss implications for future research on the self-perception of same-sex sexuality in heterosexuals.
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John Shields et al.
Journal of Adolescent Health, April 2012, Pages 418-420
Purpose: This study investigated the association between sexual orientation, victimization, and suicide risk-related outcomes among youth attending public high schools in San Francisco.
Methods: Data from the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey were analyzed using bivariate and logistic regression methods for complex samples to examine the relationship between sexual orientation, victimization, and three suicide risk-related outcomes (sadness/depression, suicide planning, and attempting suicide) while controlling for demographics and substance use.
Results: Lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) youth reported significantly higher rates of substance use, victimization, and suicide risk-related outcomes than heterosexual youth. However, in the controlled regression models, victimization was a significant predictor of sadness/depression and suicide attempts, regardless of sexual orientation. There was a significant interaction effect between sexual orientation and victimization on suicide planning, with heterosexual youth more affected than LGB youth.
Conclusions: Results underscore the deleterious effect of victimization on suicide risk-related outcomes, regardless of sexual orientation. As LGB youth continue to report higher rates of victimization, effective violence prevention approaches must focus on reducing violence among youth, specifically LGB youth. Additional research should focus on identification of other factors that may help further explain elevated suicide risk among LGB youth.
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John Blosnich, Robert Bossarte & Vincent Silenzio
American Journal of Public Health, March 2012, Pages S44-S47
Abstract:
Suicide is a public health problem disproportionately associated with some demographic characteristics (e.g., sexual orientation, veteran status). Analyses of the Massachusetts Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey data revealed that more lesbian, gay, and bisexual (i.e., sexual minority) veterans reported suicidal ideation compared with heterosexual veterans. Decreased social and emotional support contributed to explaining the association between sexual minority status and suicidal ideation. More research is needed about suicide risk among sexual minority veterans; they might be a population for outreach and intervention by the Veterans Health Administration.
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Mostly Heterosexual and Mostly Gay/Lesbian: Evidence for New Sexual Orientation Identities
Zhana Vrangalova & Ritch Savin-Williams
Archives of Sexual Behavior, February 2012, Pages 85-101
Abstract:
A sample of 1,784 individuals responded to an online survey advertised on the Facebook social networking website. We explored the sexual orientation continuum by focusing on three components: self-reported sexual orientation identity, sexual attraction, and sexual partners. Results supported a 5-category classification of identity (heterosexual, mostly heterosexual, bisexual, mostly gay/lesbian, gay/lesbian) in that two added identity labels (mostly heterosexual and mostly gay/lesbian) were frequently chosen by participants and/or showed unique patterns of attraction and partners, distinct from their adjacent identities (heterosexual and bisexual, and bisexual and gay/lesbian, respectively). Those who reported an exclusive label (heterosexual, gay/lesbian) were not necessarily exclusive in other components; a significant minority of heterosexuals and the majority of gays/lesbians reported some attraction and/or partners toward their nonpreferred sex. The five identity groups differed in attraction and partners in a manner consistent with a continuous, rather than a categorical, distribution of sexual orientation. Findings also supported a sexual orientation continuum as consisting of two, rather than one, distinct dimensions (same- and other-sex sexuality). Having more same-sex sexuality did not necessarily imply having less other-sex sexuality, and vice versa. More men than women were at the exclusive ends of the continuum; however, men were not bimodally distributed in that a significant minority reported nonexclusivity in their sexuality.
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Gender, sexual orientation, and occupational interests: Evidence of their interrelatedness
Lee Ellis, Malini Ratnasingam & Mary Wheeler
Personality and Individual Differences, forthcoming
Abstract:
This report documents gender and sexual orientation differences in occupational interests for a large sample of North American college students. The students rated their interests in 26 different occupations. Seventeen of the occupations were of greater interest to males and the remaining nine appealed more to females. Regarding sexual orientation, male homosexuals expressed significantly more interest in all nine female-preferred occupations than did heterosexual males; and, in most cases, bisexual males expressed preferences that were intermediate in this regard. For females, sexual orientation was related to interests in eight occupations. Six of these were in the direction of female homosexuals (or bisexuals) preferring more male-typical occupations. The remaining two occupations - those of accountant and head of a corporation - were actually of greater interest to heterosexual females than to homosexual (or bisexual) females. We conclude that (a) pronounced gender differences exist in people's interests in many occupations, and (b) there are substantial tendencies for homosexuals (and bisexuals to a lesser degree) to have occupational interests that gravitate toward what is typical of the opposite gender rather than their own gender. These "contra-sex" occupational interests among non-heterosexuals were considerably more pronounced in males than in females.
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The Impact of Role Models on Health Outcomes for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth
Jason Bird, Lisa Kuhns & Robert Garofalo
Journal of Adolescent Health, April 2012, Pages 353-357
Purpose: There is little research on the impact of role models on health outcomes for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) youth. This exploratory study describes the presence and availability of LGBT-affirming role models, and examines the relationship between the accessibility of role models and health outcomes among a community-based sample of LGBT youth.
Methods: A convenience sample of 496 ethnically diverse, 16-24-year-old LGBT youth was recruited to complete a computer-assisted interview, using standardized instruments validated with adolescents. The prevalence and characteristics of role models were described. Differences in subgroup distribution were assessed using Pearson χ2 test (p < .05). Differences in health outcomes for those with and without role models and the nature of those role models were determined using analysis of covariance models, with post hoc Bonferroni tests to probe significant global findings.
Results: Sixty percent of the participants reported having a role model, with younger participants significantly more likely to report having a role model. A majority of the participants reported having inaccessible role models, especially among younger participants. The presence and accessibility of a role model did not have a significant relationship to binge drinking, drug use, or sexually transmitted infection diagnoses; however, participants with inaccessible role models showed increased psychological distress versus those with accessible or no role models.
Conclusions: Inaccessible role models may not be sufficient for protecting youth from negative outcomes, and formal mechanisms for connecting LGBT youth with caring adults who can serve as role models, such as mentoring programs, are critical.
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Paul Poteat & Carolyn Anderson
Developmental Psychology, forthcoming
Abstract:
This study documented significant changes in prejudice toward gay and lesbian individuals among adolescents from the ages of 12 to 18 years. Moreover, in line with developmental theories of prejudice, there was substantial variability in these patterns, partially predicted by the gender and ideological beliefs (reflected by social dominance orientation [SDO]) of individuals. Boys reported higher prejudice at age 12 than girls. SDO also accounted for initial differences in levels of prejudice. Further, although prejudice toward gay men did decrease among girls over time, it did not decrease among boys. Prejudice toward lesbians decreased at similar rates for boys and girls. These different trajectories are explained within the context of gender socialization processes during adolescence. In addition, fluctuations in adolescents' own SDO corresponded with fluctuations in their level of prejudice, over and above those tied to age-related changes. This association was even stronger among those with overall higher SDO tendencies than others. However, SDO, when treated as a stable invariant factor, did not predict different patterns of progressive age-related change in prejudice. These results extend the research on sexual prejudice by examining it within a broader and more dynamic developmental framework, in greater alignment with developmental theories of prejudice.
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Matthew Michaels, Mike Parent & Bonnie Moradi
Psychology of Men & Masculinity, forthcoming
Abstract:
Although there is a substantial body of research on the effects of body objectification in women, there is a paucity of research on this topic in men. In the limited objectification theory research with men, experimental designs that test causal effects of objectification exposure are underemployed. Furthermore, in this research, muscularity-idealizing exposure, which may be particularly salient for men, and the potential role of sexual minority status are not attended to consistently. To address these gaps, we employed an experimental design to test the effects of exposure to muscularity-idealizing media images, versus exposure to control images (e.g., animals, landscapes, objects), on men's body image. We also explored potential main and interaction effects involving sexual minority status. Data from 140 heterosexual and sexual minority undergraduate men were analyzed. Results indicated that compared with participants who viewed the control images, participants who viewed muscularity-idealizing magazine images did not report more negative body image on the 5 dependent variables (i.e., drive for muscularity, body dissatisfaction, body surveillance, body shame, and social physique anxiety). However, sexual minority status did have significant main (but not interaction) effects for 3 of the body image variables, with sexual minority men reporting more body dissatisfaction, body surveillance, and social physique anxiety relative to heterosexual men.
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Lisa Diamond
Archives of Sexual Behavior, February 2012, Pages 73-83
Abstract:
Over the past decade, numerous studies have documented fundamental differences between the phenomenology of male and female sexual orientation, largely centering on women's capacity for fluidity in their sexual attractions. The past decade has also witnessed fundamental changes in clinical perspectives on "normal" versus "dysfunctional" patterns of female sexual desire, largely centering on women's greater capacity for responsive and context-dependent sexual desires. In both cases, traditional male-based models of sexuality have been found inadequate to describe women's experiences. I argue that this inadequacy stems from a failure of traditional models to appropriately account for the phenomenon of variability over time, which may constitute a fundamental feature of female sexual phenomenology. I maintain that dynamical systems theory provides a useful and generative approach for reconceptualizing female sexual orientation, because dynamical systems models focus specifically on describing and explaining complex patterns of change over time. I review the key properties of dynamical systems models and provide an illustrative model of how this approach might yield new perspectives on female sexual orientation.