Role of Appearance and Nonverbal Behaviors in the Perception of Sexual Orientation among Lesbians and Gay Men

2002 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 115-122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lynne Carroll ◽  
Paula J. Gilroy
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Nonverbal Behaviors ◽  
Body Type ◽  
Interpersonal Contact ◽  
Lesbian And Gay ◽  
Clothing Style ◽  
Self Protection ◽  
Antigay Violence ◽  
Zero Acquaintance

According to the zero-acquaintance paradigm gay men and lesbians possess the ability to identify other homosexuals accurately after only very brief interpersonal contact. Given the vulnerability gay men and lesbians face in terms of antigay violence and prejudice, perceptual accuracy provides self-protection. In an exploratory study, 123 respondents were classified as low, moderate, and high perceivers on the basis of their responses to a recognition index designed by the authors. Next, respondents rated on a series of 5-point Likert scales the helpfulness of several characteristics for identifying gay men and lesbians. Analysis supported the importance of eye contact for lesbians and gay men in identifying one another. For both lesbian and gay male participants, several other variables emerged as significantly helpful in identifying gay men: clothing style and fit, jewelry, facial expressions, posture, body type, walk or gait, and both the types and frequencies of gestures.

Just a Little Bit of History Repeating

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-24
Author(s):  
Michelson and
Keyword(s):  
Public Opinion ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Mentally Ill ◽  
Natural Order ◽  
Transgender People ◽  
Interpersonal Contact ◽  
Media Portrayals ◽  
Transgender Identity ◽  
The Impact

Recent vocal and vociferous anti-transgender messages parallel historical attacks aimed at gay men and lesbians throughout the 20th century. Back then, many people described gay and lesbian people as pedophiles, sexual deviants, unnatural, or mentally ill. Both historically and today, opponents to transgender equality often call into question the legitimacy of transgender identity, dismissing transgender people as predatory, deviant, a threat to the natural order, or mentally ill. While there are parallels between public opinion toward gay men and lesbians then and transgender people today, this chapter discusses three significant differences: the nature and structure of public opinion, the role of media portrayals, and the impact of interpersonal contact with outgroups. The chapter addresses each in turn, describing how the past, present, and future of transgender rights differ from those of rights for gay men and lesbians.

scholarly journals Parenting Desire and Minority Stress in Lesbians and Gay Men: A Mediation Framework

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 2318 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Amodeo ◽  
Concetta Esposito ◽  
Vincenzo Bochicchio ◽  
Paolo Valerio ◽  
Roberto Vitelli ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Orientation ◽  
Gay Men ◽  
Minority Stress ◽  
Psychological Processes ◽  
Internalized Heterosexism ◽  
Stress Theory ◽  
Negatively Associated ◽  
Lesbian And Gay ◽  
The Relationship

Despite the rapid increase in lesbian and gay (LG) people who desire and decide to become parents, LG childless individuals may encounter serious obstacles in the parenthood process, such as minority stress. Notwithstanding, the psychological processes by which prejudice events might affect the desire to become parents are still understudied. As an extension of the minority stress theory, the psychological mediation framework sheds light on these psychological processes, as it encompasses a more clinical view of stress. Within this framework, the current study aimed at assessing the role of prejudice events in affecting parenting desire in 290 childless Italian LG individuals (120 lesbians and 170 gay men), as well as the role of internalized heterosexism and sexual orientation concealment in mediating the relationship between prejudice events and parenting desire. The results suggest that only in lesbians prejudice events were negatively associated with parenting desire, and that sexual orientation concealment and internalized heterosexism were also negatively associated with parenting desire. Furthermore, sexual orientation concealment, and not internalized heterosexism, mediated the relationship between prejudice events and parenting desire in lesbians, but not gay men. The findings have important implications for clinical practice.

Intergroup Threat and Outgroup Attitudes

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 311-319 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco Brambilla ◽  
David A. Butz
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Welfare Recipients ◽  
Intergroup Attitudes ◽  
Social Policies ◽  
Intergroup Threat ◽  
Economic Threat ◽  
The Impact ◽  
General Climate

Two studies examined the impact of macrolevel symbolic threat on intergroup attitudes. In Study 1 (N = 71), participants exposed to a macrosymbolic threat (vs. nonsymbolic threat and neutral topic) reported less support toward social policies concerning gay men, an outgroup whose stereotypes implies a threat to values, but not toward welfare recipients, a social group whose stereotypes do not imply a threat to values. Study 2 (N = 78) showed that, whereas macrolevel symbolic threat led to less favorable attitudes toward gay men, macroeconomic threat led to less favorable attitudes toward Asians, an outgroup whose stereotypes imply an economic threat. These findings are discussed in terms of their implications for understanding the role of a general climate of threat in shaping intergroup attitudes.

Receptions of the Past: Commemoration, Racism, Desire

Somatechnics ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 288-303
Author(s):  
Michael Connors Jackman
Keyword(s):  
Critical Point ◽  
Social Relations ◽  
White Privilege ◽  
Body Politic ◽  
The Body ◽  
Race And Racism ◽  
Lesbian And Gay ◽  
The Past ◽  
History Of

This article investigates the ways in which the work of The Body Politic (TBP), the first major lesbian and gay newspaper in Canada, comes to be commemorated in queer publics and how it figures in the memories of those who were involved in producing the paper. In revisiting a critical point in the history of TBP from 1985 when controversy erupted over race and racism within the editorial collective, this discussion considers the role of memory in the reproduction of whiteness and in the rupture of standard narratives about the past. As the controversy continues to haunt contemporary queer activism in Canada, the productive work of memory must be considered an essential aspect of how, when and for what reasons the work of TBP comes to be commemorated. By revisiting the events of 1985 and by sifting through interviews with individuals who contributed to the work of TBP, this article complicates the narrative of TBP as a bluntly racist endeavour whilst questioning the white privilege and racially-charged demands that undergird its commemoration. The work of producing and preserving queer history is a vital means of challenging the intentional and strategic erasure of queer existence, but those who engage in such efforts must remain attentive to the unequal terrain of social relations within which remembering forms its objects.

scholarly journals Predictors for Confidence in Self-Management of Falls and the Role of Fear of Falls

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 301-301
Author(s):  
Qiwei Li ◽  
Becky Knight
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Fall Prevention ◽  
Predictor Variable ◽  
Path Model ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Hierarchical Regression ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Self Protection ◽  
Fear Of Falls

Abstract Falls have been a crucial threat for older adults to stay independent. Once they have fallen, older adults are more likely to receive injuries and become people with disabilities. Conventionally, the measurement of fall efficacy focused on the capacity of performing certain activities such as walking or bathing without a fall. However, given the fact that one out of five older adults fall every year, self-efficacy in self-protection when falls do happen calls for a better understanding of confidence in self-management of a fall. Among predictors for fall prevention outcomes, “fear of falls” has received attention. However, “fear of falls” was largely missing in studies exploring self-management of falls in scenarios where falls do happen. This study explores the predictors for CSMoF including “fear of falls”. A series of simultaneous and hierarchical regression analyses with related interaction analyses and a path model were applied to determine the contribution of each predictor variable and the mediating role of “fear of falls”. The findings of the study reported that demographic characteristics, chronic conditions, and perceptions of falls were associated with CSMoF. The path analysis confirmed the mediating role of “fear of falls” as the indirect effects were occupying substantial percentages in the total identified effects. “Fear of falls” should continue to be a core of fall prevention programs and is particularly important for programs that aim to teach older adults what to do when they fall, whom to call for help, and how to avoid injuries upon falling.

Recently diagnosed gay men talk about HIV treatment decisions

Sexual Health ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian Down ◽  
Garrett Prestage ◽  
Kathy Triffitt ◽  
Graham Brown ◽  
Jack Bradley ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gay Men ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Hiv Treatment ◽  
Early Initiation ◽  
Sense Of Control ◽  
Bisexual Men ◽  
Treatment Results ◽  
Semistructured Interviews ◽  
Hiv Seroconversion

Background In recent years, there has been increasing evidence that early initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) may provide health benefits for those infected with HIV. There has also been significant discussion about the role of HIV treatment in preventing onward transmission of the virus. Early provision and uptake of ART to people recently diagnosed with HIV could achieve both individual and public health outcomes. The success of such an initiative relies, in part, on the preparedness of those recently diagnosed with HIV to engage with the therapy. Methods: The HIV Seroconversion Study collects both quantitative and qualitative data from people in Australia who have recently been diagnosed with HIV. During 2011–2012, 53 gay or bisexual men recruited across Australia took part in semistructured interviews as part of the study. The men were asked about their knowledge and experience of, and their decisions about whether or not to commence, HIV treatment. Results: The interviews identified differing levels of knowledge about HIV treatments and divergent views about the health and prevention benefits of ART. For some, treatments provided a sense of control over the virus; others were apprehensive and distrustful, and preferred to resist commencing treatments for as long as possible. Conclusions: If early initiation of treatment is to be encouraged, appropriate measures must be in place to ensure recently diagnosed individuals have access to the appropriate information and the support they need to enable them to make informed choices and, if necessary, to address their fears.

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