Same-Sex relationships 1

Although we have been discussing both gay and straight relationships throughout this chapter, in many ways, gay and lesbian relationships have changed more than hetero­sexual relationships over the last few decades. First, these relationships came out of the
closet in the 1960s and 1970s, when there was a blossoming of a gay subculture. Then, the advent of AIDS resulted in fewer sexual partners and more long-term, monogamous relationships, especially in the gay community. Although we will discuss many aspects of same-sex relationships in Chapter 11, here we will explore sexuality in these rela­tionships and the advent of same-sex marriages.