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Gay Men (gay + man)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Psychology	37%
Medical Sciences	25%
Humanities and Social Sciences	18%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	14%
Law and Criminology	4%

Distribution within Psychology

Applied Social Psychology	54%
Clinical Psychology	16%
Social Psychology	10%

Selected Abstracts

Relationship Characteristics and Risk of HIV Infection: Rusbult's Investment Model and Sexual Risk Behavior of Gay Men in Steady Relationships,

JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 1 2006
Udi Davidovich
This study examined the effects of relationship characteristics, as measured by Rusbult's (1980) investment model, on safer-sex behavior between steady gay male partners. Analyses showed that low satisfaction with the relationship was associated with more risky unprotected anal intercourse (UAI). High commitment to the relationship was associated with more practice of negotiated safety (i.e., having safe UAI after both partners have tested negative for HIV and have reached sexual safety agreements). High relationship investment was associated with more risky UAI (borderline significant). We conclude that using relationship satisfaction, commitment, and investment as co-determinants of sexual risk behavior could prove useful in the development of new HIV-prevention strategies for gay men in relationships. [source]

We're Here, We're Queer, We're on TV: The Effects of Visual Media on Heterosexuals' Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians,

JOURNAL OF APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 4 2000
Marina Levina
Effects of visual media on attitudes toward gay men and lesbians were investigated by exposing 3 groups of participants to a brief video. The first group viewed an anti-gay video. the second group viewed a pro-gay video, and a comparison group viewed a neutral video. Participants attitudes were measured immediately following the video after seeing the video, participants were contacted by telephone. and their attitudes were again assessed. Participants were not aware of the connection between the follow-up assessment and the initial video exposure. At follow-up. participants attitudes were significantly different. with attitudes with the pro-gay video group being most positive, and those in the anti-gay video group being most negative. [source]

Gay Men: Negotiating Procreative, Father, and Family Identities

JOURNAL OF MARRIAGE AND FAMILY, Issue 2 2007
Dana Berkowitz
Our qualitative study examines the social psychology of gay men's experiences with their procreative, father, and family identities. In-depth interviews were conducted with 19 childless gay men and 20 gay men in the United States who have fathered using diverse means excluding heterosexual intercourse. By focusing on men aged 19 , 55 residing primarily in Florida and New York, our novel analysis illuminates how emerging structural opportunities and shifting constraints shape gay men's procreative consciousness. Findings reveal that gay men's procreative consciousness evolves throughout men's life course, and is profoundly shaped by institutions and ruling relations, such as adoption and fertility agencies, assumptions about gay men, and negotiations with birth mothers, partners, and others. [source]

Gender-Related Traits in Gay Men, Lesbian Women, and Heterosexual Men and Women: The Virtual Identity of Homosexual-Heterosexual Diagnosticity and Gender Diagnosticity

JOURNAL OF PERSONALITY, Issue 5 2000
Richard A. Lippa
Three studies investigated the relationship between gender-related traits and sexual orientation. Study 1 showed that gay men and lesbians in an unselected sample of 721 college students differed from same-sex heterosexuals most strongly on gender diagnosticity (GD) measures, which assess male- versus female-typicality of interests (effect sizes of 2.70 for men and .96 for women) and least strongly on measures of instrumentality (I) and expressiveness (E). In Study 2, GD measures showed large differences between 95 gay and 136 heterosexual men (effect sizes of 1.61 and 1.83) and between 46 lesbian and 225 heterosexual women (effect sizes of .98 and 1.28), whereas I and E showed much smaller differences. In Study 3, GD showed large differences between 90 gay and 81 heterosexual men (effect sizes of 1.76 and 1.97) and between 82 lesbians and 108 heterosexual women (effect sizes 1.67 and 1.70), whereas I and E showed much smaller differences. Using data from Studies 2 and 3, ,gay-heterosexual diagnosticity' measures were computed for men and ,lesbian-heterosexual diagnosticity' measures for women, based on occupational and hobby preferences. These measures correlated very strongly with GD measures. [source]

Social and Psychological Weil-Being in Lesbians, Gay Men, and Bisexuals: The Effects of Race, Gender, Age, and Sexual Identity

AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY, Issue 4 2009
Robert M. Kertzner MD
Using a social stress perspective, the authors studied the mental health effects of added burden related to socially disadvantaged status (being African American or Latino, female, young, and identifying as bisexual vs. gay or lesbian) in a community sample of 396 self-identified lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adults. Mental health outcomes were social and psychological well-being contrasted with depressive symptoms. When mental health deficiencies by disadvantaged social status were detected, the authors examined whether LGB community connectedness and positive sexual identity valence played a mediating role, reducing the social status disparity in outcome. The authors found different patterns when looking at social versus psychological well-being and positive versus negative mental health outcomes. Bisexuality and young age, but not gender and racial/ethnic minority status, were associated with decreased social well-being. In bisexuals, this relationship was mediated by community connectedness and sexual identity valence. Although no differences in social or psychological well-being were found by gender, female gender was associated with depressed mood. The authors conclude that there is limited support for an additive stress model. [source]

Use of Illicit Drugs and Erectile Dysfunction Medications and Subsequent HIV Infection among Gay Men in Sydney, Australia

THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 8 2009
Garrett Prestage PhD
ABSTRACT Introduction., Use of illicit drugs and oral erectile dysfunction medications (OEM) have been associated with risk behavior among gay men. Aim., To determine the effects of illicit drugs and OEM as risk factors for HIV seroconversion in a community-based cohort of HIV-negative homosexually active men in Sydney, Australia. Main Outcome Measures., Drug use in the previous 6 months and at the most recent sexual encounter; Most recent occasions of unprotected and protected anal intercourse; HIV-positive diagnosis. Methods., From June 2001 to June 2007, participants were followed up with 6-monthly detailed behavioral interviews and annual testing for HIV. Detailed information about sexual, drug-using and other behavior was collected. Results., Among 1,427 participants enrolled, 53 HIV seroconverters were identified by June 2007. At baseline, 62.7% reported using illicit drugs in the previous 6 months, including 10.7% who reported at least weekly use. Illicit drug use was associated with unprotected anal intercourse with casual partners (P < 0.001). Use of illicit drugs was associated with increased risk of HIV infection at a univariate level, and this risk increased with greater frequency of use. This was also true of the use of OEM. Use of each type of illicit drug was included in multivariate analysis, and after controlling for sexual risk behaviors, only use of OEM remained significantly predictive of HIV infection (Hazard ratios [HR] = 1.75, CI = 1.31,2.33, P < 0.001), although amyl nitrite was of borderline significance (HR = 1.26, CI = 0.98,1.62, P = 0.074). Conclusion., The association between drug use and increased risk of HIV infection was strongest for drugs used specifically to enhance sexual pleasure, particularly OEM. The risk of infection was substantially increased when both OEM and methamphetamine were used. Within more "adventurous" gay community subcultures, the interconnectedness of sexual behavior and drug use may be key to understanding HIV risk and is an appropriate priority in HIV-prevention efforts in this population. Prestage G, Jin F, Kippax S, Zablotska I, Imrie J, and Grulich A. Use of illicit drugs and erectile dysfunction medications and subsequent HIV infection among gay men in Sydney, Australia. J Sex Med 2009;6:2311,2320. [source]

Does Circumcision Make a Difference to the Sexual Experience of Gay Men?

THE JOURNAL OF SEXUAL MEDICINE, Issue 11 2008
Findings from the Health in Men (HIM) Cohort
ABSTRACT Introduction., The relevance of circumcision in preventing male-to-male sexual transmission of HIV is poorly understood, in particular because any potential beneficial effect could be diminished by the impact of circumcision on sexual behavior. Aim., We examined the impact of circumcision on sexual experience. Methods., Univariate and multivariate logistic regressions were performed on data from 1,426 HIV-negative homosexually active men. Main Outcome Measures., We compared the sexual behaviors and preferences of circumcised with uncircumcised men, and men who were circumcised at infancy with those who were circumcised after infancy. Results., Overall, 66% of men (N = 939) in the cohort were circumcised. After adjusting for age and ethnicity, we found no differences between circumcised and uncircumcised men in any insertive or receptive anal intercourse, difficulty using condoms, or sexual difficulties (e.g., loss of libido). Among the circumcised men, we compared those circumcised at infancy (N = 854) with those circumcised after infancy (N = 81). The majority cited phimosis (i.e., an inability to fully retract the foreskin) and parents' decision as the main reasons for circumcision after infancy. After adjusting for age and ethnicity, the men circumcised after infancy were more likely to practice any receptive anal sex (88% vs. 75%, P < 0.05) and to experience erection difficulties (52% vs. 47%, P < 0.05), but less likely to practice any insertive anal sex (79% vs. 87%, P < 0.05) and to experience premature ejaculation (15% vs. 23%, P < 0.05) than those circumcised at infancy. Conclusions., Our data suggest that overall circumcision status does not affect the HIV-negative gay men's anal sexual behaviors, experience of condom use, or likelihood of sexual difficulties. However, there is some suggestion of differences in sexual practices and preferences among circumcised gay men depending on the age at circumcision. In particular, gay men circumcised later are more likely to engage in and prefer receptive anal intercourse. Mao L, Templeton DJ, Crawford J, Imrie J, Prestage GP, Grulich AE, Donovan B, Kaldor JM, and Kippax SC. Does circumcision make a difference to the sexual experience of gay men? Findings from the health in men (HIM) cohort. J Sex Med 2008;5:2557,2561. [source]

Gay men's holiday destination choice: a case of risk and avoidance

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF TOURISM RESEARCH, Issue 4 2002
Howard Hughes
Abstract Gay men are subject to discrimination and social disapproval in many parts of the world. This paper examines the possible impact of this on choice of holiday destination, drawing on the concepts of risk and destination avoidance. A number of interviews were held with gay men and it was concluded that risk of adverse reactions and of the need to modify behaviour were significant issues in destination avoidance and choice. It is possible, as a consequence, to classify holiday-taking by gay men into a typology including gay-centric and gay-related. In addition, it is appropriate to modify existing models of risk-avoidance through the addition of the risks that are more applicable to gay men than to other tourists. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Sexual revictimization among sexual minorities: A preliminary study

JOURNAL OF TRAUMATIC STRESS, Issue 5 2005
Jennifer M. Heidt
The present study examined patterns of sexual assault and its psychological correlates among gay men, lesbians, and bisexual men and women (GLB). A community sample of 342 GLB individuals completed questionnaires assessing victimization history and psychological functioning. Nearly 63% of participants reported some form of sexual assault, and nearly 40% reported sexual revictimization, defined as contact or penetrative sexual assault reported in both childhood and adulthood. Gay men and bisexual men and women were more likely to report sexual revictimization than lesbians. Sexual victimization was associated with greater psychological distress, with sexually revictimized individuals reporting the highest levels of psychological symptomatology. The implications of these findings are discussed, and suggestions for future directions are offered. [source]

Sexuality, intimacy and subjectivity in social psychoanalytic thought of the 1920s and 1930s

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2008
Naoko Wake
Abstract Homosexuality has been one of the most contested issues in the history of social psychoanalysis. To better understand the issue's medical and social significance, we need a micro-historical analysis illuminating doctor-patient interactions in changing historical contexts. This paper sheds light on the clinical practice of the well-known founder of interpersonal theory, Harry Stack Sullivan (1892,1949), with a focus on four patients: two from the 1920s and two from the 1930s. During these decades, many psychiatrists, including neo-Freudians like Sullivan, considered homosexuality a mental illness. But Sullivan himself was a gay man, and he attempted to create efficacious therapeutic relationships amid a generally homophobic medicine. This comported with his effort to create professional coalitions with social psychologists and sociologists. In both clinical and non-clinical settings, he tried to find solutions to individual problems by redefining a limiting socio-cultural environment of therapy. Ambitious as this plan was, his patients' response to his approach varied from cautious cooperation to apparent rejection, as his actions became more immersed in the ambiguous realm of sexual subjectivity. In examining this change, I raise the question of what constituted ethically sound, professionally acceptable behaviours and efficacious therapeutic relationships, particularly in the historical context of the emerging collaboration between psychoanalysis and social psychology. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

,I hereby come out': What sort of speech act is coming out?

JOURNAL OF SOCIOLINGUISTICS, Issue 1 2003
Deborah A. Chirrey
The process of coming out linguistically as a lesbian or as a gay man is occasionally referred to as a speech act (e.g. Harvey 1997: 72; Liang 1997: 293). This analogy is taken as a starting point to explore the extent to which coming out is a performative act, and what sort of speech act coming out may be. The discussion draws on the perspective of both the speaker and the hearer to consider how the acts involved in coming out are open to interpretation. Parallels are drawn between the act of coming out as a lesbian or a gay man and other instances of self,disclosure or of individuals' constructions of new facets of their identities. [source]

WAGE PENALTIES AND SEXUAL ORIENTATION: AN UPDATE USING THE GENERAL SOCIAL SURVEY

CONTEMPORARY ECONOMIC POLICY, Issue 2 2009
BRENDAN CUSHING-DANIELS
This study uses data from the 1988 to 2006 General Social Survey (GSS) to examine the effects of sexual orientation on earnings. Previous research using the GSS has found that lesbians earn 18%,23% more than similarly qualified heterosexual women and that wage penalties for gay men are slightly larger than the premia for lesbians. Using behavioral definitions of sexual orientation based on the previous year and the previous 5 yr of sexual activity, we find the familiar wage premia/penalties for lesbian/gay workers in our ordinary least squares estimations, but we find that these wage differences are falling over time. Furthermore, in contrast to the earlier results, for our regressions over the entire sample period, correcting for differential selection into full-time work reduces the estimated penalties for unmarried gay men and eliminates the entire wage premium for all lesbians. There is now a sizeable, though imprecisely measured, penalty for some lesbians. (JEL J1, J3, J7) [source]

The rise of Viagra among British illicit drug users: 5-year survey data

DRUG AND ALCOHOL REVIEW, Issue 2 2006
JIM McCAMBRIDGE
Abstract Viagra use among British nightclubbers, a sentinel population of illicit drug users, was first reported in 1999. There has since been little attention paid to the evolution of patterns of non-prescribed use, apart from among men who have sex with men. Beginning in 1999 an annual survey has been conducted with a specialist dance music magazine, permitting cross-sectional comparisons over time. Rising levels of lifetime and current use prevalence and data on patterns of both male and female use are reported, along with elevated prevalence levels among both gay men and women. Experimentation with Viagra appears increasingly to have become established among British nightclubbers who use recreational drugs. Ethnographic and epidemiological study and monitoring of adverse consequences is now needed to fully appreciate reasons for use and the extent of possible harms. [source]

Working at Intimacy: Gay Men's Workplace Friendships

GENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 1 2008
Nick Rumens
Despite scholarly efforts to challenge the dualistic stereotype of men as rational and women as emotion experts, academics have paid little attention to the issues that arise when gay and lesbian sexualities are introduced into such debates. This article highlights the heterosexist content of much of the research on gender, emotion and organization, and argues the relevancy of investigating the largely neglected topic of intimacy and friendship in the work lives of gay men. Engaging with feminist, queer and sociological research that examines friendship in the lives of individuals who belong to sexual minority groups, I explore in this study the diversity in the way gay men find and work out intimacy in the context of workplace friendships with other gay men and with heterosexual men and women. The data for this article are drawn from in-depth interviews with ten gay men employed in one UK National Health Service Trust. Study findings problematize conceptualizations of friendships at work as being bereft of intimacy, of little value and clearly distinguishable from business relationships. Dichotomous modes of thinking about the impact of gender and sexuality on intimacy and friendship are also challenged. [source]

The Equality Deficit: Protection against Discrimination on the Grounds of Sexual Orientation in Employment

GENDER, WORK & ORGANISATION, Issue 4 2001
Nicole Busby
The provisions of UK law offer no specific protection to gay men and lesbians suffering discrimination in the workplace on the grounds of sexual orientation. Such discrimination may take many forms and can result in ,fair' dismissal in certain circumstances. This article considers the degree of legal protection available under current provisions and investigates possible sources for the development of specific anti-discrimination legislation. It is concluded that, despite the application of certain aspects of employment law, the level of protection afforded to this group of workers amounts to an equality deficit in comparison to the legal redress available to those discriminated against on other grounds. Although the development of human rights legislation may have some application in this context, the combination of institutionalized discrimination and wider public policy concerns suggest that the introduction of specific legislation aimed at eliminating such discrimination in the United Kingdom is still some way off. [source]

The health, social care and housing needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender older people: a review of the literature

HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 6 2009
Samia Addis MSc
Abstract This paper reports the findings of a literature review of the health, social care and housing needs of older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) adults undertaken in 2006 for the Welsh Assembly Government. Peer-reviewed literature was identified through database searches of BNI, PubMed, CINAHL, DARE, ASSIA and PsychInfo. Follow-up searches were conducted using references to key papers and journals as well as specific authors who had published key papers. A total of 187 papers or chapters were retrieved, of which 66 were included in the study; major themes were identified and the findings synthesised using a meta-narrative approach. The main themes that emerged from the review were isolation, health behaviours, mental health and sexual health behaviours. The literature indicates that the health, social care and housing needs of LGBT older people is influenced by a number of forms of discrimination which may impact upon the provision of, access to and take up of health, social care and housing services. Understanding of the health, social care and housing needs of older LGBT people is limited and research in this area is scarce. The research which exists has been criticised for using small samples and for tending to exclude participants from less affluent backgrounds. The focus of research tends to be on gay men and lesbians; consequently, the needs of bisexual and transgender people remain largely unknown. Additionally, research which does exist tends to focus on a narrow range of health issues, often related to the health needs of younger LGBT people. Discrimination in various forms has a major impact on needs and experiences, leading to marginalisation of LGBT people both in the provision of health and social care services and neglect of these groups in public health research. [source]

Exploring the implications for health professionals of men coming out as gay in healthcare settings

HEALTH & SOCIAL CARE IN THE COMMUNITY, Issue 1 2006
Bob Cant MA
Abstract Coming out as gay is a social process which redefines the relationship between the persons who have decided to disclose their homosexuality and their listeners. This paper, drawing upon Bakhtin's (1984) theories of dialogue, the coming-out literature of gay men and lesbians and contemporary literature on doctor,patient communication, explores the coming-out experiences of gay men with their general practitioners and sexual health clinic staff. The findings are based upon a study of 38 gay men and 12 health service managers in London. The informants were recruited purposively to reflect some of the diversity of the London setting; recruitment was carried out through the channels of gay voluntary organisations and through snowballing. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and a grounded-theory approach was adopted. It was found that coming out in general practice was often/mostly followed by silence/noncommunication on the part of the practitioner; coming out could, however, result in an improvement in communication if the patients were well supported and assertive. If coming out in sexual health clinics did not result in improved communication, the informants in this study were likely to change clinics until they did find improved communication. This paper raises questions about the communication and training needs of general practitioners. It also raises questions about inequalities of access to ,respectful' sexual health clinics; while men who are articulate about the narratives of their lives as gay men are able to exercise informed choices, there were grounds for concern about the choice behaviours of men who are less articulate about their life narratives. [source]

Acute hepatitis C in HIV-infected men who have sex with men

HIV MEDICINE, Issue 4 2004
J Ghosn
Background Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is usually transmitted via the parenteral route, but there are widely discrepant findings on its possible sexual transmission. Thus there are no recommendations concerning protected sex for couples in which only one partner is HCV-infected. Whether HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases could favour HCV transmission remains unclear, but recent data suggesting an increasing incidence of acute HCV in HIV-infected men underline the major public health implications of this issue. Case reports Between June 2002 and July 2003, five HIV-infected homosexually active men presented with primary (n=4) and secondary (n=1) syphilis and concomitant abnormal liver function tests revealing acute asymptomatic HCV seroconversion. Other causes of acute viral hepatitis were inquired into and excluded. Highly at-risk sexual behaviour, including unprotected anal intercourse and unsafe oral sex, with concomitant syphilis, was found to be the only identifiable important risk factor for transmission of HCV. Conclusions Sexual transmission may be fuelling a significant increase in HCV seroconversions among HIV-infected men who have highly risky sexual behaviours. Given the recent data suggesting the spread of sexually transmitted infections among HIV-infected gay men, specific recommendations concerning safe sex are urgently needed. [source]

Understanding gay consumers' clothing involvement and fashion consciousness

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 5 2007
Ou Sha
Abstract This study's primary objective was to provide a better understanding of gay consumers' clothing involvement and fashion consciousness. Personal in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 gay professionals in Canada. One hundred and forty-five usable survey questionnaires were also collected from gay consumers. The Fashion Involvement Index Scale (FII scale) was adapted for this study. Interview participants indicated that, in general, gay men tend to be more fashion conscious than heterosexual men. Survey results also indicated two dimensions, fashion interest and fashion awareness that were found to be stronger for this group of gay consumers than for heterosexual men. The FII value for the survey participants also resulted in a sum score mean value of 11.2, a medium level of fashion involvement that is a slightly higher level than has been found for heterosexual consumers. Interestingly, this study does not provide strong evidence of gay consumers' involvement in cutting-edge fashion trends. [source]

Shopping behaviour among gay men: issues of internalized homophobia and self-esteem

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSUMER STUDIES, Issue 4 2007
Andrew Reilly
Abstract Connections among internalized homophobia, self-esteem and various shopping behaviours are investigated. Internalized homophobia, which affects nearly all gay men to some degree, and self-esteem may affect shopping behaviours such as credit card debt, venue of shopping, enjoyment from shopping, amount of time spent shopping and frequency of shopping. Data from 213 gay men were collected using an Internet-survey design. Results demonstrate that internalized homophobia has weak to moderate effects on thrift store shopping, discount store shopping and credit card debt. Although self-esteem did not predict shopping behaviour, it was correlated with shopping enjoyment. Implications, limitations and future research are discussed. [source]

Gay men's holiday destination choice: a case of risk and avoidance

Relationship Characteristics and Risk of HIV Infection: Rusbult's Investment Model and Sexual Risk Behavior of Gay Men in Steady Relationships,

We're Here, We're Queer, We're on TV: The Effects of Visual Media on Heterosexuals' Attitudes Toward Gay Men and Lesbians,

Cognitive,behavioral therapy with gay, lesbian, and bisexual clients

JOURNAL OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2001
Steven A. Safren
Cognitive,behavioral therapy (CBT) can be adapted to a wide range of clinical difficulties and presenting problems that face lesbians, gay men, and bisexual persons. The following article presents general guidelines for and two case examples of the use of CBT. The first case is a gay male struggling with social phobia. This case is an example of how to adapt a structured, empirically supported cognitive,behavioral treatment focusing on social phobia to situations that are associated with his sexual orientation. The second is a woman struggling with multiple issues including coming out. This case provides an example of how to add specific cognitive,behavioral techniques to coming-out issues within the context of a more eclectic, longer-term therapy. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Clin Psychol/In Session 57: 629,643, 2001. [source]

,Who would take whose name?' Accounts of naming practices in same-sex relationships

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 5 2008
Victoria Clarke
Abstract The practice of a woman assuming her husband's last name upon marriage is a deeply embedded norm in some countries. Whether or not individual heterosexual couples reproduce or resist this practice, it provides a context for making decisions about marital names. No conventions, other than heteronormative ones, govern naming practices in same-sex relationships and families, but very little is known about name changing in these contexts. This paper reports an exploratory qualitative study of the ways in which 30 lesbians and gay men in committed relationships made meaning of name changing and keeping. Only one participant reported changing her last name, some considered name changing a future possibility, but most had no plans to change their name. The lack of conventions regarding naming in same-sex families created a dilemma for some participants,who would take whose name? Many participants did not want to entirely give up their name, thus a hyphenated last name was the most popular option for those contemplating a name change. Accounts of name changing centred on doing/being family. This was also a theme in accounts of name keeping, along with maintaining a continuity of personal and professional identity, avoiding hassle, complications and confusion and resisting heteronormativity. The findings are discussed in relation to other research on naming in same-sex families and research on heterosexual marital naming practices. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Making sense of male rape: constructions of gender, sexuality and experience of rape victims

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2004
Kathy Doherty
Abstract This study reports a preliminary investigation into accounting practices for male rape in conversation. Thirty men and women, in dyads, were asked to discuss an incident of male rape presented to them in a vignette. The findings showed that two main issues were discussed: the experience of the rape act and societal responses to male victims. In addition, participants established a ,hierarchy of suffering', where rape was judged to be worse for ,heterosexual' men than it is for ,women' or ,gay' men. Hegemonic, phallocentric representations of heterosexuality were mobilized to argue that acts of rape and consensual intercourse are the same for ,gay' men and ,women' and therefore less traumatic than for ,heterosexual' men. This obscures the violence of rape for gay men and women and exonerates perpetrators by minimizing injury sustained. Participants also argued that heterosexual victims are likely to experience ridicule for having departed from hegemonic masculinity. Arguments were constructed to avoid charges of being dismissive towards women and gay men and of victim blaming in relation to heterosexual men. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

,It's not a choice, it's the way we're built': symbolic beliefs about sexual orientation in the US and Britain

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 3 2002
Peter Hegarty
Abstract Heterosexual-identified Americans who believe that sexual orientation is immutable typically express more tolerant attitudes towards lesbians and gay men. Attribution theorists argue that this is because immutability beliefs reduce stigmatization. In two studies, 97 American and 72 British heterosexual-identified students reported their beliefs about the immutability and fundamentality of sexual orientation, their attitudes towards lesbians and gay men and their judgments about the values that those beliefs expressed. In both samples, tolerant attitudes and immutability beliefs were correlated only among participants who consistently judged that immutability beliefs would be expressed by more tolerant heterosexual persons. More condemning participants judged lesbian and gay people and heterosexual people to be more fundamentally different in both samples. I argue that links between immutability and tolerance depend more on social constructions of immutability beliefs as expressions of tolerance and less on the attributional content of such beliefs than previous theorists have acknowledged. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

Does contact with lesbians and gays lead to friendlier attitudes? a two year longitudinal study,

JOURNAL OF COMMUNITY & APPLIED SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY, Issue 2 2002
Norman Anderssen
Abstract Attitudes toward and contact with lesbian women and gay men were assessed through questionnaires in a 2-year follow-up study in a cohort of 511 Norwegian participants, 19 years of age at first data collection. A substantial proportion reported negative attitudes at baseline (between 39 and 63%) and two years later (between 32 and 59%), females being more positive than males. A majority reported having no contact with lesbian women or gay men either at 19 years of age (66,79%) or 2 years later (51,62%). Longitudinally, the measures were moderately stable (Pearson's r 0.43,0.73), and contact change was positively related to attitude change. Also, attitude change positively predicted contact change. The findings imply that efforts to reduce stigma associated with homosexuality are still needed among young people in Norway. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]

A Family by any other Name ... or StarbucksTM comes to England

JOURNAL OF LAW AND SOCIETY, Issue 2 2001
Alison JDiduck
The article examines the recent House of Lords decision in Fitzpatrickv. Sterling Housing Association from two perspectives. The first adopts a perspective of rights and discrimination and speculates as to how a court may in future decide such a case in the light of Britain's obligations under the Human Rights Act 1998. The second offers a review of some of the literature which questions the effectiveness of such a rights-based approach for achieving justice for lesbian women and gay men, and, from a feminist perspective, expresses caution about instantiating in law a traditional idea of ,family' and the privilege attached to that ideal. [source]