Perceptions of instability and choice across sexual orientation groups

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 257-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara E. Burke ◽  
Marianne LaFrance
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Sexual Minorities ◽  
Target Group ◽  
Negative Evaluation ◽  
Gay And Lesbian ◽  
Target Groups ◽  
Lifestyle Choice ◽  
Sexual Orientations ◽  
Nuanced Understanding ◽  
Perceived Choice

Some have described gay and lesbian people as making a “lifestyle choice” while others assert that bisexuality is not a stable or valid identity. This paper examines the possibility that perceived instability and perceived choice, and their associations with prejudice, differ depending on both the sexual orientation of the participant and the target group. Participants varying in sexual orientation were randomly assigned to evaluate heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual targets. Results indicated that negative evaluation of the various target groups was more closely associated with perceived instability than it was with perceived choice. This relationship was moderated by both participant and target sexual orientation; for example, it was weaker for bisexual targets, whose sexual orientations were rated as unstable even among nonbisexual participants who evaluated them positively. A more nuanced understanding of the beliefs underlying prejudice against sexual minorities can be developed by considering targets and participants of many sexual orientations.

LAW, RELIGION, AND THE POLITICIZATION OF SEXUAL CITIZENSHIP IN KENYA

2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-129
Author(s):  
Damaris Seleina Parsitau
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Sexual Difference ◽  
Family Values ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Legal Norms ◽  
Sexual Orientations ◽  
Before And After

AbstractIn Kenya, debates about sexual orientation have assumed center stage at several points in recent years, but particularly before and after the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya in 2010. These debates have been fueled by religious clergy and by politicians who want to align themselves with religious organizations for respectability and legitimation, particularly by seeking to influence the nation's legal norms around sexuality. I argue that through their responses and attempts to influence legal norms, the religious and political leaders are not only responsible for the nonacceptance of same-sex relationships in Africa, but have also ensured that sexuality and embodiment have become a cultural and religious battleground. These same clergy and politicians seek to frame homosexuality as un-African, unacceptable, a threat to African moral and cultural sensibilities and sensitivities, and an affront to African moral and family values. Consequently, the perception is that homosexuals do not belong in Africa—that they cannot be entertained, accommodated, tolerated, or even understood. Ultimately, I argue that the politicization and religionization of same-sex relationships in Kenya, as elsewhere in Africa, has masked human rights debates and stifled serious academic and pragmatic engagements with important issues around sexual difference and sexual orientation while fueling negative attitudes toward people with different sexual orientations.

scholarly journals Resilience in LGB Youths: A Systematic Review of Protection Mechanisms

2017 ◽  
Vol 27 (66) ◽  
pp. 69-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniela Fonseca Freitas ◽  
Susana Coimbra ◽  
Anne Marie Fontaine
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Health Disparities ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Sexual Minorities ◽  
Protective Mechanisms ◽  
Positive Adjustment ◽  
Lgb Youth ◽  
Protection Mechanisms ◽  
Heterosexual Youth

Abstract: Given the mental health disparities among LGB and heterosexual youth, literature has increasingly emphasized the need to identify the mechanisms that promote resilience among sexual minorities. This systematic review sought to answer the question: what are the protection mechanisms against homophobia among LGB youth? Of the 147 references located in the search, 13 studies were analyzed. The identified protection mechanisms were organized by two criteria: specific to sexual orientation or general, and considered to be at the personal, relational and contextual level. Most of the mechanisms revealed to solely promote the positive adjustment in the presence of risk. General protective mechanisms frequently revealed to be more compensatory of the risks than those specific to sexual orientation.

Freedom’s Frontiers: The Travails of LGBT Travelers

Pólemos ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 271-295
Author(s):  
David Austin ◽  
Mark E. Wojcik
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Sexual Minorities ◽  
Positive Change ◽  
Legal Rights ◽  
Tourist Industry ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Time And Space ◽  
Same Sex Couples ◽  
Cross Border ◽  
The Status

Abstract This article considers the status of same-sex couples whose lawful marriage in one jurisdiction may not be recognized in another, or who may face discrimination and criminal penalties for their sexual orientation. The article surveys positive developments that promote equality for sexual minorities rather than their punishment. The degree of positive change varies across countries. While traveling across borders, sexual minorities are often subjected to strange dislocations in time and space: they can accelerate through centuries of struggle to find freedom in foreign lands, or they can be hurled back into the darkness of the closet or, worse, detained in a prison cell. The article also focuses on some of the positive developments – legal and otherwise – that have led to the growth of a gay tourist industry; some of the problems that gay travelers may potentially encounter when crossing into countries where the legal rights of sexual minorities are not safeguarded; and some potential “solutions” that will allow gay travelers to engage in cross-border travel without feeling that they are being forced back into the limiting borders of the closet’s confines.

Intimate Partner Homicide Methods in Heterosexual, Gay, and Lesbian Relationships

2008 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Krystal D. Mize ◽  
Todd K. Shackelford
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Intimate Partner ◽  
Gay And Lesbian ◽  
Heterosexual Men ◽  
Intimate Partner Homicide ◽  
Lesbian Couples ◽  
Homicide Rates ◽  
Lesbian Relationships ◽  
Heterosexual Women ◽  
And Gender

Previous research indicates that the killing method used in homicides may reflect the motivation of the offender and qualities of the victim–offender relationship. The effect of gender and sexual orientation of intimate partner homicide offenders (N = 51,007) was examined with respect to the brutality of killing methods. Guided by previous research and theory, it was hypothesized that homicide brutality will vary with the offender’s sexual orientation and gender, such that the percentage of killings coded as brutal will be higher for (a) gay and lesbian relative to heterosexual relations, (b) men relative to women, (c) gay relative to heterosexual men, and (d) lesbian relative to heterosexual women. The rates of intimate partner homicide were also hypothesized to vary with the gender of the partners, such that (a) homicide rates will be higher in gay relative to heterosexual and lesbian couples and (b) homicide rates will be lowest in lesbian couples. The results support all but one prediction derived from the two hypotheses. We predicted that men would kill their partners more brutally than would women, but the results indicate that the opposite is true.

scholarly journals Proving it: experiences of sexual minorities in the Canadian refugee determination system

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Casey Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Sexual Minorities ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Gender Identities ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Canadian Immigration ◽  
Determination System ◽  
And Gender

This paper explores refugee claimant’s experiences negotiating the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB). Focusing on claims based on sexual orientation and gender identity, this paper investigates how claimants are made to ‘prove’ their sexual orientation and gender identity. The IRB and its decision makers require that claimants prove their identity as a refugee as well as a member of a sexual minority. Through an analysis of the existing literature and by integrating queer and feminist theoretical concepts on gender, sex, performativity and representation, it is apparent that the Canadian IRB functions as a heteronormative system in which the understanding of sexual orientation and gender identities are essentialized.

scholarly journals Proving it: experiences of sexual minorities in the Canadian refugee determination system

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Casey Anderson
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Sexual Minorities ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Gender Identities ◽  
Theoretical Concepts ◽  
Canadian Immigration ◽  
Determination System ◽  
And Gender

This paper explores refugee claimant’s experiences negotiating the Canadian Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB). Focusing on claims based on sexual orientation and gender identity, this paper investigates how claimants are made to ‘prove’ their sexual orientation and gender identity. The IRB and its decision makers require that claimants prove their identity as a refugee as well as a member of a sexual minority. Through an analysis of the existing literature and by integrating queer and feminist theoretical concepts on gender, sex, performativity and representation, it is apparent that the Canadian IRB functions as a heteronormative system in which the understanding of sexual orientation and gender identities are essentialized.

Abstract P283: Disparities in Long-term Risk of Cardiovascular Disease by Sexual Orientation and Race/Ethnicity: the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health

Circulation ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 129 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cari J Clark ◽  
Iris W Borowsky ◽  
Alvaro Alonso ◽  
Rachael A Spencer ◽  
Susan A Everson-Rose
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Disease ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Longitudinal Study ◽  
Adolescent Health ◽  
Sexual Minorities ◽  
P Value ◽  
Cvd Risk ◽  
National Longitudinal Study ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Race Ethnicity

Background: Risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) may be higher in sexual minorities, but epidemiologic evidence is sparse. We used a nationally representative sample of young adults to examine sex-specific disparities in global CVD risk by sexual orientation and race/ethnicity. Methods: Data were from National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health subjects who participated in wave 4 (2008-09) and who had valid weights and non-missing data (7087 women; 6340 men). Age, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, education, financial stress, and CVD risk factors (body mass index, smoking, diabetes, systolic blood pressure, and use of antihypertensive medication) were collected via an in-home interview. We calculated the 30-Year risk for total CVD using a Framingham-based prediction model. Sex-specific differences in 30-year risk of CVD by sexual orientation were calculated with weighted linear models adjusted for age, race/ethnicity, education, and financial distress. Sex-specific interactions between race/ethnicity and sexual orientation were tested. Results: Mean age was 28.9 ± .2 years; 93% (n=5912) of male participants were heterosexual, 4% (n=258) were bisexual, and 2% (n=170) were gay. 80% (n=5713) of female participants were heterosexual, 18% (n=1243) were bisexual, and 2% (n=131) were lesbian. Average 30-year risk of CVD was 17.2 ± .5% in men and 9.0 ± .3% in women. Differences in CVD risk by sexual orientation were not detectable for men (p=.59). Compared to heterosexual women, bisexual and lesbian women had a .9% (95% CI: .3, 1.4) and 2.0% (95% CI: .7, 3.2) higher risk of CVD, respectively. In race/ethnicity stratified models (interaction p-value=.01), an increased risk among sexual minorities, especially lesbians, was detectable except among Hispanic women (Figure). Conclusion: Disparities in global CVD risk were observed by sexual orientation for women and persisted across most racial/ethnic groups. Sexual orientation may be a marker of increased risk of CVD but more research on contributing factors is needed.

Disparities in Subjective Cognitive Impairment by Sexual Orientation and Gender in a National Population Based Study of U.S. Adults, 2013–2018

2021 ◽  
pp. 089826432110464
Author(s):  
Karen I. Fredriksen-Goldsen ◽  
Hailey Jung ◽  
Hyun-Jun Kim ◽  
Ryan Petros ◽  
Charles Emlet
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Sexual Minority ◽  
Sexual Minorities ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Population Based Study ◽  
Subjective Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
National Population ◽  
And Gender

Objectives: This is the first national population-based study to examine cognitive impairment disparities among sexual minority mid-life and older adults. Methods: Using the National Health Interview Survey (2013–2018), we compared weighted prevalence of subjective cognitive impairment by sexual orientation and gender, among those aged 45 plus, applying logistic regressions adjusting for age, income, education, race/ethnicity, and survey years. Results: Sexual minorities (24.5%) were more likely to have subjective cognitive impairment than heterosexuals (19.1%). Sexual minority women had higher odds of greater severity, frequency, and extent of subjective cognitive impairment. Sexual minorities were also more likely to report activity limitations resulting from cognitive impairment and were no more likely to attribute limitations to dementia or senility. Discussion: Cognitive health disparities are of particular concern in this historically and socially marginalized population. The investigation of explanatory factors is needed, and targeted interventions and policies are warranted to address cognitive challenges faced by sexual minorities.

Sexual Orientation as a Human Right

2015 ◽  
pp. 70-85
Author(s):  
Despina A. Tziola
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Sexual Identity ◽  
Complex Problem ◽  
Same Sex ◽  
Human Right ◽  
Cultural Rights ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Sexual Orientations ◽  
The Supreme Court

In this chapter, the authors examine the matter of sexual orientation as a human right. Human rights violations take many forms, from denials of the rights to life to discrimination in accessing economic, social, and cultural rights. More than 80 countries still maintain laws that make same-sex consensual relations between adults a criminal offence. Those seeking to peaceably affirm diverse sexual orientations or gender identities have also experienced violence and discrimination. A gay man was entitled to live freely and openly in accordance with his sexual identity under the Refugee Convention (“the Convention”) and it was no answer to the claim for asylum that he would conceal his sexual identity in order to avoid the persecution that would follow if he did not do so. The Supreme Court of the United Kingdom had to solve this complex problem as many issues were raised in the hearing.

Sexual Orientation

2019 ◽  
pp. 264-295
Author(s):  
Bonnie Moradi ◽  
Stephanie L. Budge
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Empirical Research ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Sexual Orientations ◽  
Orientation Group

The clinical need for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer (LGBQ+) affirmative psychotherapies has been widely recognized; however, empirical research on the outcomes of such psychotherapies is limited. This chapter begins by offering definitions and delineating four key themes of LGBQ+ affirmative psychotherapies. The authors conceptualize LGBQ+ affirmative psychotherapies not as sexual orientation group specific but rather as considerations and practices that can be applied with all clients. The chapter then summarizes a search for studies to attempt a meta-analysis and discusses limitations and directions for research based on this search. The chapter ends by delineating diversity considerations and recommending therapeutic practices for advancing affirmative psychotherapy with clients of all sexual orientations.

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