Sexual Orientation Notes
Sexual Orientation
Definitions Biphobia: Irrational fears or hatred of bisexuality; the fear or hatred of bisexual feelings in oneself Bisexual: An individual who is attracted to people of both the same sex and of the opposite sex Gay: A male homosexual Heterosexual: A person whose primary erotic, psychological, emotional, and social interest is toward members of the opposite sex. Homophobia: Irrational fears or hatred of homosexuality; the fear of homosexual feelings in oneself; selfhatred because of one’s homosexuality Homosexual: A person whose primary erotic, psychological, emotional, and social interest is toward members of the same sex, even if those interests may not be overtly expressed Lesbian: A female homosexual Transsexual/Transgender: A person whose physical sex does not match the sex with which they identify Past Ways of Dealing with Mismatched Sexuality 1800's - castration 1940's - lobotomy 1950 to early 1980's - psychotherapy, drugs, hormone treatment, shock treatments 1973 - The American Psychological Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders and urged mental health professionals to help erase the stigma of mental illness associated with homosexuality Current Ways of Dealing with Mismatched Sexuality Rejecting, punitive - these people are unconditionally rejected, may be threatened or physically assaulted Rejecting, non-punitive - non-heterosexuality is inherently unnatural and must be condemned, but the people are not condemned Qualified acceptance - mismatched sexuality is a sin, but it is acknowledged that it is not changeable by contemporary medicine or psychological science Full acceptance - sexuality is important to the capacity for human love. Ethical sexual relationships include commitment to one another, trust, tenderness, and respect for one another, regardless of the sex of the partners. Theories of How People Become “Mis-matched” Sexually Psychosocial: (not proved by research) Parenting problems - a bad
Definitions Biphobia: Irrational fears or hatred of bisexuality; the fear or hatred of bisexual feelings in oneself Bisexual: An individual who is attracted to people of both the same sex and of the opposite sex Gay: A male homosexual Heterosexual: A person whose primary erotic, psychological, emotional, and social interest is toward members of the opposite sex. Homophobia: Irrational fears or hatred of homosexuality; the fear of homosexual feelings in oneself; selfhatred because of one’s homosexuality Homosexual: A person whose primary erotic, psychological, emotional, and social interest is toward members of the same sex, even if those interests may not be overtly expressed Lesbian: A female homosexual Transsexual/Transgender: A person whose physical sex does not match the sex with which they identify Past Ways of Dealing with Mismatched Sexuality 1800's - castration 1940's - lobotomy 1950 to early 1980's - psychotherapy, drugs, hormone treatment, shock treatments 1973 - The American Psychological Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders and urged mental health professionals to help erase the stigma of mental illness associated with homosexuality Current Ways of Dealing with Mismatched Sexuality Rejecting, punitive - these people are unconditionally rejected, may be threatened or physically assaulted Rejecting, non-punitive - non-heterosexuality is inherently unnatural and must be condemned, but the people are not condemned Qualified acceptance - mismatched sexuality is a sin, but it is acknowledged that it is not changeable by contemporary medicine or psychological science Full acceptance - sexuality is important to the capacity for human love. Ethical sexual relationships include commitment to one another, trust, tenderness, and respect for one another, regardless of the sex of the partners. Theories of How People Become “Mis-matched” Sexually Psychosocial: (not proved by research) Parenting problems - a bad