Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Nike Frans
Graduate Seminar in Human Nutrition
Kansas State University Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetic, and
Health
July 7, 2016
Overview
What is homosexuality?
Homosexuality acceptance
Measuring homosexuality
Statistics
Theories and evidence regarding sexual orientation
development
Attitudes towards homosexuality
What is Homosexuality?
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction,
or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or
gender.
Homosexuality = Sexual Orientation
Sexual Orientation
Heterosexuality (attraction to members of the opposite sex)
Homosexuality (attraction to members of the same sex)
- Gay
- Lesbian
Bisexuality (attraction to members of either sex)
Pansexuality (attraction to others regardless of their gender)
Asexuality (Have no attraction to others)
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Homosexuality Acceptance
US Context:
In 1965, homosexual behavior is illegal
Source of shame
Most Americans believed that homosexuality is a mental
illness
June 2015: Every state must allow marriages between
same-sex couple
Currently, total of 21 countries have allowed same-sex
marriage
Genital measures
Statistics
Alfred Charles Kinsey (1894 1956); a professor in Indiana
University reported 10% of US population are
homosexual.
A myth?
Method
Volunteer bias
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Understanding Homosexuality:
Theories and Evidence regarding
the sexual orientation development
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Homosexuality in Animals
Some animals are reported to be routinely having samesex interaction.
Japanese macaques, Mountain gorillas, Bonobos
About 6-10% of rams (domestic sheep) choose to mount
other rams but never ewes
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Other Theories
Hormones
Finger length ratios
Sexually Dimorphic Nucleus of the Preoptic Area (SDNPOA)
Males reassigned as females early in life
Twin Studies
Molecular genetic studies
The fraternal-birth-order effect
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Is Homosexual Wrong?
National opinion poll in the US
1973 1990: 70-75% of American adults believing that
homosexuality was always wrong
1991: 76% (AIDS epidemic)
1993: 66%
2002: 50% said always wrong; >30% said not wrong at all
Until 2002, majority of American adults did not accept
homosexuality, BUT, the population are more tolerant
Australia, Britain, and Canada are more tolerant than US
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Important Notes
Sexual orientation is an important yet understudied
field because it is politically controversial.
Some studies indicate strong evidence; needs more
progressive studies
The studies in this area should be based on the
importance of the issue rather than certain political
interests
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References
1. Alfred Kinsey: A Brief Summary and Critique. (2014). Canon and Culture. Retrieved 6 July 2016,
from http://www.canonandculture.com/alfred-kinsey-a-brief-summary-and-critique/#_ ftn28
2. Association, U. (2014). Sexual Orientation & Gender Identity 101. UUA.org. Retrieved 6 July
2016, from http://www.uua.org/lgbtq/identityHomosexuality. (2016).
3. Bailey, J., Vasey, P., Diamond, L., Breedlove, S., Vilain, E., & Epprecht, M. (2016). Sexual
Orientation, Controversy, and Science. Psychological Science In The Public Interest, 17(2), 45101. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1529100616637616
4. Gates, G. (2011). How many people are lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender? The Williams
Institute. Retrieved from: http://
williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Gates-How-Many-People-LGBT-Apr-2011.pdf
5. Mason, G., & Barr, M. (2006). Attitudes Towards Homosexuality: A Literature Review. Sydney
Instiute of Criminology, University of Sydney. Retrieved from: https://
sydney.edu.au/law/criminology/ahcn/docs_pdfs/Mason_Barr_2006.pdf
6. Sexual Orientation | Psychology Today. (2016). Psychologytoday.com. Retrieved 6 July 2016,
from https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/sexual-orientation
7. Wikipedia. Retrieved 6 July 2016, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homosexuality
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