Variance
Effects of Same-Sex Legislation on Attitudes toward Homosexuality
Shane Redman
Political Research Quarterly, forthcoming
Abstract:
Despite the long historical battle of members of the gay and lesbian community to gain equal rights as their heterosexual counterparts, the adoption of public policies at the national level that recognize same-sex partnerships and marriages is a relatively recent political development across the globe. Consequently, we know little about whether, and how, this type of legislation affects public attitudes toward homosexuality. This study examines the relationship between same-sex couple legislation and public opinion using data from the World Values Survey from the years 1989 to 2014. While previous studies examining this relationship in the European context have found a positive relationship, the results presented in this paper paint a less optimistic picture of the impacts that same-sex couple legislation has on attitudes toward homosexuality. Specifically, I find that instead of same-sex partnership legislation increasing favorable attitudes across the entire population, it only affects individuals who are already generally supportive of homosexuality. Implications for gay and lesbian rights are discussed.
Sexual Orientation and School Discipline: New Evidence From a Population-Based Sample
Joel Mittleman
Educational Researcher, forthcoming
Abstract:
Sexual minorities’ risk for exclusionary discipline is a commonly cited indicator of the challenges that these students face. The current study addresses this issue by introducing a new data source for research on sexual minority students: the Fragile Families and Childhood Wellbeing Study. In this geographically diverse, population-based sample, I find that sexual minorities continue to face higher rates of discipline than their peers. However, this risk is highly stratified by sex: Same-sex attraction is associated with 95% higher odds of discipline among girls but no apparent discipline risk among boys. Sexual minority girls’ risk for discipline is only partially mediated by behavior, a result that is plausibly consistent with the interpretation that these students continue to face discriminatory treatment in schools.
Suicide Acceptability and Sexual Orientation: Results from the General Social Survey 2008–2014
John Blosnich et al.
Archives of Suicide Research, forthcoming
Abstract:
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals have higher prevalence of lifetime suicide ideation and attempt than their heterosexual peers, but less is known about differences in suicide acceptability (i.e., believing suicide is a viable answer to a problem). The purpose of this study was to examine if LGB adults had greater suicide acceptability than heterosexual adults. A total of 4 items in the General Social Surveys from 2008 to 2014 assessed whether a nationally representative sample of U.S. adult respondents (n = 5,037) thought it acceptable for individuals to kill themselves if one: goes bankrupt, dishonors their family, is tired of living, or has an incurable disease. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to assess the association of sexual orientation with suicide acceptability items after adjusting for confounding factors. Compared with heterosexuals, lesbians/gays had higher odds of reporting suicide acceptability if one goes bankrupt (OR = 1.92; 95% CI: 1.06, 3.46), dishonors family (OR = 1.83; 95% CI: 1.01, 3.28), or is tired of living (OR = 2.25; 95% CI: 1.30, 3.90). Bisexual and heterosexual groups were largely similar across the 4 suicide acceptability items. No sexual orientation differences were observed for reporting acceptability of suicide in the instance of an incurable disease. Post hoc analyses revealed significant interactions between sex and sexual orientation, such that differences in suicide acceptability seemed to be driven by sexual minority women rather than by sexual minority men. Suicide acceptability differs by sexual orientation, and community-level interventions around changing norms about suicide may be a prevention strategy for sexual minority individuals.
Masculine Voices Predict Well-Being in Female-to-Male Transgender Individuals
Seth Watt, Konstantin Tskhay & Nicholas Rule
Archives of Sexual Behavior, forthcoming
Abstract:
Voices convey important social information about an individual’s identity, including gender. This is especially relevant to transgender individuals, who cite voice alteration as a primary goal of the gender alignment process. Although the voice is a primary target of testosterone therapy among female-to-male (FTM) trans people, little research has explored the effects of such changes on their psychological well-being. Here, we investigated how FTMs’ vocal gender related to their well-being. A total of 77 FTMs (M age = 25.45 years, SD = 6.77) provided voice samples and completed measures of their well-being and psychological health. An independent group of 32 naïve raters (M age = 22.16 years, SD = 8.21) subsequently rated the voice samples for masculinity. We found that FTMs whose voices sounded more congruent with their experienced gender (i.e., sounded more masculine) reported greater well-being (better life satisfaction, quality of life, and self-esteem; lower levels of anxiety and depression) than FTMs with less gender congruent (i.e., more feminine) voices (β = .48). The convergence between outwardly perceived vocal gender and gender identity brought about through hormone replacement therapy may therefore support greater well-being for FTMs.
Possible Balancing Selection in Human Female Homosexuality
Andrea Camperio Ciani et al.
Human Nature, March 2018, Pages 14–32
Abstract:
A growing number of researchers suggest that female homosexuality is at least in part influenced by genetic factors. Unlike for male homosexuality, few familial studies have attempted to explore maintenance of this apparently fitness-detrimental trait in the population. Using multiple recruitment methods, we explored fecundity and sexual orientation within the pedigrees of 1,458 adult female respondents. We compared 487 homosexual and 163 bisexual with 808 heterosexual females and 30,203 of their relatives. Our data suggest that the direct fitness of homosexual females is four times lower than the direct fitness of heterosexual females of corresponding ages. The prevalence of nonheterosexuality within the homosexual female respondents’ families (2.83%) appear to be more than four times higher than the basal prevalence in the Italian population (0.63%). Pedigree size and relative fecundity in both the paternal and maternal sides of the homosexual women’s families were significantly higher than in the heterosexuals’ families. If confirmed, the relative average fecundity increase within the family seems to offset the loss in fitness due to the low direct fitness of homosexual females. Therefore, the balanced fecundity in the homosexual females’ families may allow the trait to be maintained at a low-frequency equilibrium in the population.
The Rainbow of Credit: On Lending Discrimination to Same-sex Borrowers and Its Spillover Effect
Lei Gao & Hua Sun
Iowa State University Working Paper, January 2018
Abstract:
Using the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act (HMDA) national data from 1990 to 2015, augmented by the classical 1990 Boston Fed data and Fannie Mae Loan Performance data, we propose a method to identify potentially homosexual borrowers and test whether their perceived homosexual status affects the approval, cost, and performance of the mortgages for which they apply. The results reveal that, in contrast with otherwise comparable loan applicants, the gross approval rate for potentially homosexual applicants is about 3% to 8% lower. Furthermore, conditional on being approved, their financing cost is about 0.02% to 0.2% higher. This is equivalent to a total of $8.8 million to $88 million more interest/fees per year paid by same-sex borrowers nationwide. Meanwhile, we find no evidence that the homosexual status is associated with higher default risk. Finally, we find that when the share of a county’s same-sex population increases by 1%, the loan approval rate to the non-same-sex loan applicants reside in that county drops by 0.8%. The pattern of potential lending discrimination is persistent over time.
Negative correlation between salivary testosterone concentration and preference for sophisticated music in males
Hirokazu Doi et al.
Personality and Individual Differences, 15 April 2018, Pages 106-111
Abstract:
Music constitutes an integral part of everyday life. There is great variation in preference patterns for music. However, the cause of such individual differences has not been fully elucidated to date. Many behavioral traits, including personality, are known to be influenced by steroid-hormone testosterone. On this basis, we conjectured that testosterone partly determines individual differences in music preference. To examine this hypothesis, in the present study, we investigated the association between salivary testosterone concentration and strength of preference for five different music types in young males and females. The results revealed a significant negative correlation between salivary testosterone concentration and preference for sophisticated music, such as classical and jazz in males. This relationship was not mediated by the big-five personality traits. These findings indicate the possibility that neuroendocrinological function can exert influences on music preference patterns.