Throughout history, laws have existed in the Western world that prohibited ho­mosexual behavior, even on pain of death. In the United States, sodomy has been illegal since colonial days, and it was punishable by death until the late 18th century. Fellatio was technically legal until the early 20th century, al­though it was considered to be […]

There is also controversy over sexual orientation in Jewish synagogues throughout the United States. Although Orthodox Jews believe that homosexuality is an abomi­nation forbidden by the Torah, conservative Jews are more likely to welcome all sex­ual orientations. However, many synagogues refuse to consider gays or lesbians as rab­bis. Reform Jews tend to be the most […]

Homosexual behavior varies greatly in prisons. Sexual contact between inmates, although prohibited, still occurs in prisons today; however, research has found that the majority of this sexual activity is consensual (Saum et al., 1995). Those who engage in such behavior usually claim that they are not homosexuals and plan to return to heterosexual relation­ships exclusively […]

Special problems confront homosexuals who are members of racial or ethnic minorities in the United States. Homosexuality is not accepted by many ethnic groups, and yet the gay community does not easily accommodate expressions of ethnic identity. Minority homosexual youths have been found to experience greater psychological dis­tress than nonminority homosexual youths (Diaz et al., […]

Although we have been discussing bisexuality throughout this chapter, bisexu­ality has really emerged more recently as a separate identity from lesbian, gay, or heterosexual identities, and we are still learning more each year (Ryan & Futterman, 2001). Social and political bisexual groups began forming in the 1970s, but it wasn’t until the late 1980s that […]

Because homosexuality exists in almost every ethnic, racial, and religious group, many gays, lesbians, and bisexuals also belong to other minority groups. We will now discuss the unique situation of some of these groups. Lesbianism: Facing Sexism Plus Homophobia Research focusing on lesbian life and the lesbian community in particular lags far be­hind research on […]

The representation of the gay, lesbian, and bisexual community is increasing in the me­dia today (Draganowski, 2004). In 2000, Richard Hatch, a gay contestant on the first season of Survivor, claimed it was his minority membership and homosexuality that helped him win. Another show, Will & Grace, explored the relationship between gay and straight characters. […]

Heterosexism is widespread and subtle and therefore is very difficult to combat. Adrienne Rich (1983), a prominent scholar of lesbian studies, uses the term heterocentrism to de­scribe the neglect of homosexual existence, even among feminists. Perhaps we can learn from the history of a similar term: ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism refers to the belief that all standards […]

What motivates people to be homophobic? A number of theories have been suggested. Because rigid, authoritarian personalities are more likely to be homophobic, it may be a function of personality type; for such people, anything that deviates from their view of “correct” behav­ior elicits disdain (K. T. Smith, 1971). Another common suggestion is that heterosexual […]

Throughout history, persecution of minorities has been based on philosophies that por­trayed those minorities as illegitimate, subhuman, or evil. Likewise, homophobia is not just a set of attitudes; it creates an atmosphere in which people feel they are permitted hate crime to harass, assault, and even kill homosexuals. Hate crimes are those motivated by hatred […]