scholarly journals Male sexual orientation, gender nonconformity, and neural activity during mental rotations: an fMRI study

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Folkierska-Żukowska ◽  
Qazi Rahman ◽  
Artur Marchewka ◽  
Marek Wypych ◽  
Dawid Droździel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Mental Rotation ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Neural Correlates ◽  
Gender Nonconformity ◽  
Angular Gyrus ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Gender Nonconforming ◽  
Superior Frontal Gyrus

Abstract The cross-sex shift hypothesis predicts that gay men should perform more like heterosexual women on important neurocognitive tasks on which men score higher than women, such as mental rotation. Studies also suggest sex differences exist in the neural correlates of mental rotation. However, no studies have taken sexual orientation into account or considered within-group variation attributable to recalled gender nonconformity (a developmental trait reliably associated with human nonheterosexuality). We quantified the neural correlates of mental rotation by comparing two groups of gay men, gender conforming (n = 23) and gender nonconforming (n = 23), to gender conforming heterosexual men (n = 22) and women (n = 22). We observed a sex difference between heterosexual men and women in the premotor cortex/supplementary motor cortex and left medial superior frontal gyrus. We also observed a sex difference as well as a cross-sex shift in gay men who recalled being gender nonconforming as children in the right superior frontal gyrus, right angular gyrus, right amygdala/parahippocampal gyrus, and bilaterally in the middle temporal gyrus and precuneus. Thus, cross-sex shifts may be associated with underlying developmental factors which are associated with sexual orientation (such as gender nonconformity). The results also suggest that gay men should not be studied as a homogenous group.

Female Masculinity at Work

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raine Dozier
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
The United States ◽  
Gender Nonconformity ◽  
Positive Outcomes ◽  
Work Organizations ◽  
High Demand ◽  
Female Masculinity ◽  
Gender Nonconforming ◽  
Opting Out ◽  
Male Dominated

In this study, the author interviewed 49 self-identified masculine women in the United States to examine how they negotiate stigma in the workplace. Masculine women often negotiate dual stigmas due to both their gender nonconformity and perceived sexual orientation. Participants used a variety of strategies to cope with their stigmatized identity including modifying clothing; incorporating feminine behaviors to counteract masculine appearance; working in high-demand, undesirable jobs; working in male-dominated settings; and opting out of formal work organizations. While some participants experienced mistreatment in male-dominated settings, many reported positive outcomes including strong relationships with male coworkers, opportunities for advancement, and a general comfort in the work environment. Participants challenge Goffman’s notion of sexual orientation as a concealable status, showing that sexual orientation minority women who are gender nonconforming employ strategies similar to members of other visibly stigmatized groups. Findings from this study suggest that researchers addressing sexual orientation minorities should include gender expression as a variable that can influence individual experiences and outcomes. Online slides for instructors who want to use this article for teaching are available on PWQ's website at http://journals.sagepub.com/page/pwq/suppl/index .

scholarly journals How Gender Identity and Transgender Status Affect Perceptions of Attractiveness

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 811-822 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica M. Mao ◽  
M. L. Haupert ◽  
Eliot R. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Gender Attitudes ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Transgender People ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Gender Nonconforming ◽  
Romantic Attraction ◽  
Identity Labels

Can a perceiver’s belief about a target’s transgender status (distinct from gender nonconforming appearance) affect perceptions of the target’s attractiveness? Cisgender, heterosexual men and women ( N = 319) received randomly assigned labels (cisgender cross-gender, transgender man, transgender woman, or nonbinary) paired with 48 cross-sex targets represented by photos and rated the attractiveness and related characteristics of those targets. The gender identity labels had a strong, pervasive effect on ratings of attraction. Nonbinary and especially transgender targets were perceived as less attractive than cisgender targets. The effect was particularly strong for male perceivers, and for women with traditional gender attitudes. Sexual and romantic attraction are not driven solely by sexed appearance; information about gender identity and transgender status also influences these assessments. These results have important implications for theoretical models of sexual orientation and for the dating lives of transgender people.

Neuroendocrine Influences on Human Sexuality

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashlyn Swift-Gallant ◽  
S. Marc Breedlove
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Sexual Partners ◽  
Anal Sex ◽  
Gender Nonconforming ◽  
Androgen Exposure ◽  
Prenatal Androgens ◽  
Prenatal Androgen Exposure ◽  
Prenatal Androgen ◽  
Neuroendocrine Factors

While prenatal sex hormones guide the development of sex-typical reproductive structures, they also act on the developing brain, resulting in sex differences in brain and behavior in animal models. Stemming from this literature is the prominent hypothesis that prenatal neuroendocrine factors underlie sex differences in human sexual orientation, to explain why most males have a preference for female sexual partners (gynephilia), whereas most females display a preference for male sexual partners (androphilia). Convergent evidence from experiments of nature and indirect markers of prenatal hormones strongly support a role for prenatal androgens in same-same sexual orientations in women, although this finding is specific to a subset of lesbians who are also gender nonconforming (“butch”). More gender-conforming lesbians (“femmes”) do not show evidence of increased prenatal androgens. The literature has been more mixed for male sexual orientation: some report evidence of low prenatal androgen exposure, while others report evidence of high androgen levels and many other studies find no support for a role of prenatal androgen exposure in the development of androphilia in males. Recent evidence suggests there may be subgroups of gay men who owe their sexual orientation to distinct biodevelopmental mechanisms, which could account for these mixed findings. Although this research is young, it is similar to findings from lesbian populations, because gay men who are more gender nonconforming, and report a preference for receptive anal sex, differ on markers of prenatal development from gay men who are more gender conforming and report a preference for insertive anal sex. This chapter concludes with future research avenues including assessing whether multiple biodevelopmental pathways underlie sexual orientation and whether neuroendocrine factors and other biological mechanisms (e.g., immunology, genetics) interact to promote a same-sex sexual orientation.

Sexual orientation and wage discrimination: evidence from Australia

2019 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 629-648
Author(s):  
Alison Preston ◽  
Elisa Birch ◽  
Andrew R. Timming
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Sexual Minorities ◽  
Wage Distribution ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Bisexual Women ◽  
Wage Gaps ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Highly Skilled

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to document the wage effects associated with sexual orientation and to examine whether the wage gap has improved following recent institutional changes which favour sexual minorities. Design/methodology/approach Ordinary least squares and quantile regressions are estimated using Australian data for 2010–2012 and 2015–2017, with the analysis disaggregated by sector of employment. Blinder–Oaxaca decompositions are used to quantify unexplained wage gaps. Findings Relative to heterosexual men, in 2015–2017 gay men in the public and private sectors had wages which were equivalent to heterosexual men at all points in the wage distribution. In the private sector: highly skilled lesbians experienced a wage penalty of 13 per cent; low-skilled bisexual women faced a penalty of 11 per cent, as did bisexual men at the median (8 per cent penalty). In the public sector low-skilled lesbians and low-skilled bisexual women significant experienced wage premiums. Between 2010–2012 and 2015–2017 the pay position of highly skilled gay men has significantly improved with the convergence driven by favourable wage (rather than composition) effects. Practical implications The results provide important benchmarks against which the treatment of sexual minorities may be monitored. Originality/value The analysis of the sexual minority wage gaps by sector and position on the wage distribution and insight into the effect of institutions on the wages of sexual minorities.

Sexuality

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asifa Siraj
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Separate Entity ◽  
Religious Identities ◽  
Making Sense ◽  
Bisexual And Transgender ◽  
Race Ethnicity

This chapter explores how three Scottish Muslim gay men struggle to integrate their sexual and religious identities as they navigate their sexual orientation within an existing condemnatory religious, social and cultural context. The present study illuminates the heterogeneity and diversity of experiences within the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) population. It further raises the importance of providing a nuanced portrayal of the lives of men, who do not necessarily incorporate Western discourses into making sense of their identity as gay men (Rahman, 2015). The chapter begins by highlighting the very limited research carried out on the lives of gay people in Scotland. This is followed by an overview of the theory of intersectionality in order to understand and situate how sexuality is not a separate entity of one’s identity, but is interconnected to other parts. Adopting an intersectional framework allows us to appreciate how gay men experience different forms of oppression in relation to their race/ethnicity and sexuality in ways that are distinct from their White counterparts and/or heterosexual men (cf. Crenshaw,1996).

scholarly journals Kisspeptin Expression in the Human Infundibular Nucleus in Relation to Sex, Gender Identity, and Sexual Orientation

2016 ◽  
Vol 101 (6) ◽  
pp. 2380-2389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Taziaux ◽  
Annemieke S. Staphorsius ◽  
Mohammad A. Ghatei ◽  
Stephen R. Bloom ◽  
Dick F. Swaab ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Sex Difference ◽  
Sexual Differentiation ◽  
Animal Studies ◽  
Outcome Measure ◽  
Sex Reversal ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Homosexual Men ◽  
Brain Sexual Differentiation ◽  
Male To Female

Abstract Context: Since the discovery of its central role in reproduction, our functional neuroanatomical knowledge of the hypothalamic kisspeptin system is predominantly based on animal studies. Although sex differences in kisspeptin expression have been shown in humans in adulthood, the developmental origin of this sex difference is unknown. Objectives: Our objectives were to determine the following: 1) when during development the sex difference in kisspeptin expression in the infundibular nucleus would emerge and 2) whether this sex difference is related to sexual orientation or transsexuality. Design and Setting: Postmortem hypothalamic tissues were collected by The Netherlands Brain Bank, and sections were stained for kisspeptin by immunohistochemistry. Patients: Hypothalami of 43 control subjects were categorized into three periods: infant/prepubertal (six girls, seven boys), adult (11 women, seven men), and elderly (six aged women, six aged men). Eight male-to-female (MTF) transsexuals, three HIV+ heterosexual men, and five HIV+ homosexual men were also analyzed. Main Outcome Measure: We estimated the total number of kisspeptin-immunoreactive neurons within the infundibular nucleus. Results: Quantitative analysis confirmed that the human infundibular kisspeptin system exhibits a female-dominant sex difference. The number of kisspeptin neurons is significantly greater in the infant/prepubertal and elderly periods compared with the adult period. Finally, in MTF transsexuals, but not homosexual men, a female-typical kisspeptin expression was observed. Conclusions: These findings suggest that infundibular kisspeptin neurons are sensitive to circulating sex steroid hormones throughout life and that the sex reversal observed in MTF transsexuals might reflect, at least partially, an atypical brain sexual differentiation.

scholarly journals THE HOMOSEXUAL LIFESTYLE: TIME USE IN SAME-SEX HOUSEHOLDS

2016 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 365-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E. Martell ◽  
Leanne Roncolato
Keyword(s):  
Labor Market ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Comparative Advantage ◽  
Time Use ◽  
Household Labor ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Lesbian Women ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Use Patterns

AbstractWe are among the first to use American time-use data to investigate non-market behavior in gay and lesbian households. We contribute to a literature that has documented a gay disadvantage and lesbian advantage in the labor market. Many have proposed that this pattern reflects, relative to their heterosexual counterparts, higher levels of household labor among gay men and lower levels of household labor among lesbian women. Results show that gay men, parents in particular, spend more time in household production than heterosexual men. We find evidence of different time-use patterns for lesbians, but they are driven by characteristics not sexual orientation. These results also contribute to the economics of the household showing that time use in same-sex households with weaker gender constructs does not conform to the predictions of models that highlight comparative advantage as a source of specialization.

Gender, sexual orientation and body dissatisfaction: a meta-analysis covering four decades of research

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Huerga Malillos ◽  
Elena Theofanous ◽  
Keith R. Laws ◽  
Paul Jenkinson
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Body Dissatisfaction ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Pairwise Comparisons ◽  
Lesbian Women ◽  
Heterosexual Women ◽  
Meta Analyses

Background: Four decades of research has assessed how gender and/or sexual orientation contribute to levels of body dissatisfaction (BD). The findings have proven somewhat equivocal and little attention has been paid to potential moderators. Method: The current meta-analysis compared BD in gay and heterosexual men (38 overall effects), and lesbian and heterosexual women (25 overall effects). Additional pairwise comparisons explored differences between heterosexual men and heterosexual women, gay men and lesbians, gay men and heterosexual women, and heterosexual men and lesbian women. Results: Random effects model meta-analyses revealed greater levels of BD in gay men compared to heterosexual men (g = -0.36, 95% CI -0.43, -0.29). By contrast, BD was greater in heterosexual women than lesbians (g = 0.09 95% CI 0.03, 0.15). Year of publication and mean difference in age between gay and heterosexual samples moderated the relationship between BD and sexual orientation, but only for men. Pairwise comparisons indicated that BD is highest in heterosexual women and lowest in heterosexual men.Conclusions: Findings indicate that both gender and sexual orientation influence BD. We identified a number of limitations in the existing research base, and make recommendations for future research.

scholarly journals Sexual Orientation and Job Satisfaction: Survey-Based Evidence from Sweden

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 69-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Aldén ◽  
Mats Hammarstedt ◽  
Hanna Swahnberg
Keyword(s):  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Driving Forces ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Gay Males ◽  
Career Plans ◽  
Job Satisfaction Survey ◽  
Heterosexual Women

AbstractWe present results from a unique nationwide survey conducted in Sweden on sexual orientation and job satisfaction. Our results show that gay men are more likely to be very satisfied with their job than heterosexual men, both in general and with different aspects of the job. In contrast, lesbians appear less satisfied with their job in general and with promotion prospects than heterosexual women. Among women, we find no differences in the probability of being very satisfied with the job by sexual orientation. However, the issue of sexual orientation and job satisfaction is complex since gay men, despite that they more often are very satisfied with the job, like lesbians find their job more mentally straining than heterosexuals. We conclude that gay men and lesbians are facing other stressers at work than heterosexuals do. We also conclude that the worker’s own expectations about the job and possibilities to fulfill career plans may be possible driving forces to our results. Previous research has documented discrimination against gay males and lesbians in hiring. Our results underline that measures to prevent discrimination in hiring is not enough to create an equal working life for homosexuals and heterosexuals. Measures within the workplace are also needed.

scholarly journals Male homosexuality and maternal immune responsivity to the Y-linked protein NLGN4Y

2017 ◽  
Vol 115 (2) ◽  
pp. 302-306 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony F. Bogaert ◽  
Malvina N. Skorska ◽  
Chao Wang ◽  
José Gabrie ◽  
Adam J. MacNeil ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Brain Development ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Brain Structures ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Male Homosexuality ◽  
Specific Antibodies ◽  
Older Brothers ◽  
Maternal Immune Response ◽  
Immune Assays

We conducted a direct test of an immunological explanation of the finding that gay men have a greater number of older brothers than do heterosexual men. This explanation posits that some mothers develop antibodies against a Y-linked protein important in male brain development, and that this effect becomes increasingly likely with each male gestation, altering brain structures underlying sexual orientation in their later-born sons. Immune assays targeting two Y-linked proteins important in brain development—protocadherin 11 Y-linked (PCDH11Y) and neuroligin 4 Y-linked (NLGN4Y; isoforms 1 and 2)—were developed. Plasma from mothers of sons, about half of whom had a gay son, along with additional controls (women with no sons, men) was analyzed for male protein-specific antibodies. Results indicated women had significantly higher anti-NLGN4Y levels than men. In addition, after statistically controlling for number of pregnancies, mothers of gay sons, particularly those with older brothers, had significantly higher anti-NLGN4Y levels than did the control samples of women, including mothers of heterosexual sons. The results suggest an association between a maternal immune response to NLGN4Y and subsequent sexual orientation in male offspring.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document