The blue and the pink
Grit, Guts, and Vanilla Beans: Godly Masculinity in the Ex-Gay Movement
Lynne Gerber
Gender & Society, February 2015, Pages 26-50
Abstract:
Ex-gay ministries, like many evangelical groups, advocate traditional gender ideologies. But their discourses and practices generate masculine ideals that are quite distinct from hegemonic ones. I argue that rather than simply reproducing hegemonic masculinity, ex-gay ministries attempt to realize godly masculinity, an ideal that differs significantly from hegemonic masculinity and is explicitly critical of it. I discuss three aspects of the godly masculine ideal — de-emphasizing heterosexual conquest, inclusive masculinity, and homo-intimacy — that work to subvert hegemonic masculinity and allow ministry members to critique it while still advocating for innate gender distinction and hierarchy. I conclude by arguing that gender theorists need to be more precise in distinguishing conservative religious masculinities from hegemonic ones.
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Upset Over Sexual versus Emotional Infidelity Among Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Heterosexual Adults
David Frederick & Melissa Fales
Archives of Sexual Behavior, forthcoming
Abstract:
One hypothesis derived from evolutionary perspectives is that men are more upset than women by sexual infidelity and women are more upset than men by emotional infidelity. The proposed explanation is that men, in contrast to women, face the risk of unwittingly investing in genetically unrelated offspring. Most studies, however, have relied on small college or community samples of heterosexual participants. We examined upset over sexual versus emotional jealousy among 63,894 gay, lesbian, bisexual, and heterosexual participants. Participants imagined which would upset them more: their partners having sex with someone else (but not falling in love with them) or their partners falling in love with someone else (but not having sex with them). Consistent with this evolutionary perspective, heterosexual men were more likely than heterosexual women to be upset by sexual infidelity (54 vs. 35 %) and less likely than heterosexual women to be upset by emotional infidelity (46 vs. 65 %). This gender difference emerged across age groups, income levels, history of being cheated on, history of being unfaithful, relationship type, and length. The gender difference, however, was limited to heterosexual participants. Bisexual men and women did not differ significantly from each other in upset over sexual infidelity (30 vs. 27 %), regardless of whether they were currently dating a man (35 vs. 29 %) or woman (28 vs. 20 %). Gay men and lesbian women also did not differ (32 vs. 34 %). The findings present strong evidence that a gender difference exists in a broad sample of U.S. adults, but only among heterosexuals.
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Penalized or Privileged? Sexual Identity, Gender, and Postsecondary Educational Attainment
Leigh Fine
American Journal of Education, February 2015, Pages 271-297
Abstract:
Prior literature on educational attainment indicates that there is both a female advantage and an LGB bonus: women are more likely to have earned bachelor’s degrees than men, and lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) persons are more likely to have earned a bachelor’s degree than heterosexuals. Using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health, I run logistic regressions on respondents’ likelihood of having a bachelor’s degree as a function of both gender and sexuality. I find that the female advantage and LGB bonus do not hold for sexual minority women, who are the gender and sexuality group least likely to have completed college.
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Vickie Pasterski et al.
Hormones and Behavior, March 2015, Pages 98–105
Abstract:
The masculinizing effects of prenatal androgens on human neurobehavioral development are well established. Also, the early postnatal surge of androgens in male infants, or mini-puberty, has been well documented and is known to influence physiological development, including penile growth. However, neurobehavioral effects of androgen exposure during mini-puberty are largely unknown. The main aim of the current study was to evaluate possible neurobehavioral consequences of mini-puberty by relating penile growth in the early postnatal period to subsequent behavior. Using multiple linear regression, we demonstrated that penile growth between birth and three months postnatal, concurrent with mini-puberty, significantly predicted increased masculine/decreased feminine behavior assessed using the Pre-School Activities Inventory (PSAI) in 81 healthy boys at 3 to 4 years of age. When we controlled for other potential influences on masculine/feminine behavior and/or penile growth, including variance in androgen exposure prenatally and body growth postnatally, the predictive value of penile growth in the early postnatal period persisted. More specifically, prenatal androgen exposure, reflected in the measurement of anogenital distance (AGD), and early postnatal androgen exposure, reflected in penile growth from birth to 3 months, were significant predictors of increased masculine/decreased feminine behavior, with each accounting for unique variance. Our findings suggest that independent associations of PSAI with AGD at birth and with penile growth during mini-puberty reflect prenatal and early postnatal androgen exposures respectively. Thus, we provide a novel and readily available approach for assessing effects of early androgen exposures, as well as novel evidence that early postnatal androgen exposure influences human neurobehavioral development.
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Susan Cochran & Vickie Mays
American Journal of Public Health, February 2015, Pages 358-364
Objectives: We investigated the possibility that men who have sex with men (MSM) and women who have sex with women (WSW) may be at higher risk for early mortality associated with suicide and other sexual orientation–associated health risks.
Methods: We used data from the 1988–2002 General Social Surveys, with respondents followed up for mortality status as of December 31, 2008. The surveys included 17 886 persons aged 18 years or older, who reported at least 1 lifetime sexual partner. Of these, 853 reported any same-sex partners; 17 033 reported only different-sex partners. Using gender-stratified analyses, we compared these 2 groups for all-cause mortality and HIV-, suicide-, and breast cancer–related mortality.
Results: The WSW evidenced greater risk for suicide mortality than presumptively heterosexual women, but there was no evidence of similar sexual orientation–associated risk among men. All-cause mortality did not appear to differ by sexual orientation among either women or men. HIV-related deaths were not elevated among MSM or breast cancer deaths among WSW.
Conclusions: The elevated suicide mortality risk observed among WSW partially confirms public health concerns that sexual minorities experience greater burden from suicide-related mortality.
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Michelle Birkett, Michael Newcomb & Brian Mustanski
Journal of Adolescent Health, forthcoming
Purpose: The mental health and victimization of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth have garnered media attention with the “It Gets Better Project.” Despite this popular interest, there is an absence of empirical evidence evaluating a possible developmental trajectory in LGBTQ distress and the factors that might influence distress over time.
Methods: This study used an accelerated longitudinal design and multilevel modeling to examine a racially/ethnically diverse analytic sample of 231 LGBTQ adolescents aged 16–20 years at baseline, across six time points, and over 3.5 years.
Results: Results indicated that both psychological distress and victimization decreased across adolescence and into early adulthood. Furthermore, time-lagged analyses and mediation analyses suggested that distress was related to prior experiences of victimization, with greater victimization leading to greater distress. Support received from parents, peers, and significant others was negatively correlated with psychological distress in the cross-sectional model but did not reach significance in the time-lagged model.
Conclusions: Analyses suggest that psychological distress might “get better” when adolescents encounter less victimization and adds to a growing literature indicating that early experiences of stress impact the mental health of LGBTQ youth.
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Sex hormones in early infancy seem to predict aspects of later language development
Gesa Schaadt, Volker Hesse & Angela Friederici
Brain and Language, February 2015, Pages 70–76
Abstract:
Sex differences in the development of cognitive behavior such as language have long been of great research interest. Lately, researchers have started to associate language function and brain differences with diverse sex hormones (e.g., testosterone/estradiol). However, results concerning the impact of early postnatal sex hormone concentration on the child’s later language development are rare. Here, we analyze the impact of testosterone and estradiol in girls and boys as well as their neurophysiological phonemic discrimination at age 5 months on language development at age 4 years. Interestingly, we found strong positive estradiol and negative testosterone impact on later language performance at age 4 years, which was true for both girls and boys. These results demonstrate that postnatal sex hormone surge might be viewed as one factor determining later language development, independent of gender.
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Sarah Calabrese et al.
Psychology of Women Quarterly, forthcoming
Abstract:
Black sexual minority women are triply marginalized due to their race, gender, and sexual orientation. We compared three dimensions of discrimination — frequency (regularity of occurrences), scope (number of types of discriminatory acts experienced), and number of bases (number of social statuses to which discrimination was attributed) — and self-reported mental health (depressive symptoms, psychological well-being, and social well-being) between 64 Black sexual minority women and each of two groups sharing two of three marginalized statuses: (a) 67 White sexual minority women and (b) 67 Black sexual minority men. Black sexual minority women reported greater discrimination frequency, scope, and number of bases and poorer psychological and social well-being than White sexual minority women and more discrimination bases, a higher level of depressive symptoms, and poorer social well-being than Black sexual minority men. We then tested and contrasted dimensions of discrimination as mediators between social status (race or gender) and mental health outcomes. Discrimination frequency and scope mediated the association between race and mental health, with a stronger effect via frequency among sexual minority women. Number of discrimination bases mediated the association between gender and mental health among Black sexual minorities. Future research and clinical practice would benefit from considering Black sexual minority women’s mental health in a multidimensional minority stress context.
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Dating preferences among self-identified gay men of Asian descent in the United States
Eric Nehl et al.
Asian American Journal of Psychology, December 2014, Pages 335-343
Abstract:
Little is known about the dating preferences of Asian American gay men. To conceptualize the dating preferences among these men, the impact domains model (IDM) was used to investigate if nativity and/or acculturation might explain dating preferences. Previous studies have pointed out the problematic nature of a racist cultural stereotype that Asian American gay men prefer white partners (Choi, Yep, & Kumekawa, 1998; Han, 2008). The current findings do not support that Asian American gay men prefer white partners. In our sample, 17.1% preferred dating white men and over 20% preferred Asian men. Over 60% had no clear racial/ethnic dating preference. Multivariate analyses indicated that those reporting higher ethnic acculturation (p < .001) and were U.S.-born (p < .01) were more likely to prefer dating Asian men. In contrast, those younger (p < .001) and living on the East Coast (p < .01) were more likely to prefer dating white men. Limitations of the study include a self-report cross-sectional design with purposive recruitment to study HIV/STIs and sexual health rather than dating preferences. Additionally, the data set included only a coastal classification (East vs. West Coast) and an acculturation scale which included cultural identity, language, and competence. The complex effect of nativity and acculturation on dating preference warrants further investigation. The IDM may be useful to guide future studies of partner preference among Asian MSM. Researchers in future studies should pay attention to identifying the key behavioral, social, and affective beliefs that underlie partner preference and examine actual dating practices.
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Tanya Tompkins et al.
Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, forthcoming
Abstract:
Efforts to understand ways to reduce stigma toward the transgender (TG) community, a group which typically engenders a disproportionate share of prejudice and discrimination, is paramount. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a humanizing approach that incorporates vicarious contact and perspective taking in reducing stigma toward TG individuals. One hundred (53 women, 45 men, 1 TG, 1 gender-queer) undergraduates were randomly assigned into 1 of 2 groups. Those in the humanizing condition viewed a documentary depicting a child who met the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision (DSM–IV–TR) criteria for gender identity disorder (GID) and engaged in a perspective-taking writing assignment. Those in the diagnosis-centered, education-only condition were presented with diagnostic criteria for GID, viewed a videotaped interview of an expert describing GID, and engaged in a brief writing task. Both groups provided basic demographic information and completed measures of transprejudice and social distance at pretest and again following the intervention. Participants in the humanizing condition evidenced less transprejudice and a greater desire for social contact following the intervention, whereas those in the education-only condition showed no significant change in desired social distance but increased transprejudice across time. Although prior contact and gender were associated with transprejudice and social distance in expected ways, neither moderated intervention effects. Results support the importance of contact and perspective-taking in reducing stigma, adding to a growing body of literature which suggests that positive results extend to vicarious contact through media depictions of “others.” Results suggest caution in educating audiences about TG solely through a psychopathology lens.
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Jesse Fox & Katie Warber
Journal of Communication, forthcoming
Abstract:
Social networking sites can facilitate self-expression, but for some, that freedom is constrained. This study investigated factors that influence LGBT+ individuals' identity management and political expression on social media. We interviewed 52 participants aged 18 to 53 around the 2012 U.S. election. Using co-cultural theory, we investigated communicative practices employed by queer-identified individuals on Facebook. Participants whose LGBT+ identity was not known by the social network (i.e., those who were still in the closet) revealed a spiral of silence, wherein they were silenced by the perceived heteronormative majority. Participants whose identity was known (i.e., those who were out) revealed a spiral of silencing as they used the site's affordances to empower their vocal minority and silence the dominant group.
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Young gay men’s sexism predict their male facial masculinity preference in China
Lijun Zheng & Yong Zheng
Personality and Individual Differences, April 2015, Pages 183–186
Abstract:
Previous studies have indicated that sexism is related to romantic partner preference in heterosexual men and women. We examined the association between sexism and preference for male facial masculinity among 185 gay men in China. Hostile sexism (HS; hostility toward women who oppose traditional roles) was positively correlated with facial masculinity preference. Protective paternalism, a component of benevolent sexism (BS; ideation of women who conform to traditional gender roles) was negatively correlated with facial masculinity preference. These findings indicated that sexism was related to male facial masculinity preferences in gay men. Thus, regardless of sexual orientation, men high on HS tend to prefer sex-typicality in potential partners.