Masculinity, femininity, and homosexuality: on the anthropological interpretation of sexual meanings in Brazil

This essay examines the anthropological interpretation of sexual meanings in Brazil as presented in the recent work of Peter Fry. Following Fry's lead, it places central emphasis on the study of male homosexuality and sexual ideology, suggesting that these cultural domains can be fully understood only when situated within the wider context of sexual meanings in Brazil. With this in mind, it traces the historical development of a series of analytically distinct, though practically interrelated, systems of sexual classification which structure the constitution of meaningful sexual identities in Brazilian life.     

Attitudes Toward Homosexuality in China: Exploring the Effects of Religion,Modernizing Factors,and Traditional Culture

Using the zero-inflated model and nationally representative sample data from the Chinese General Social Surveys 2013, this study systematically explored the effects of religion, modernizing factors, and traditional culture on attitudes toward homosexuality in China. The findings indicate that most Chinese people generally hold conservative attitudes toward homosexuality, as approximately 78.53% of the respondents believed that “same-sex sexual behavior is always wrong.” Modernizing factors (i.e., education, exposure to Internet information, and liberal inclinations) predicted greater tolerance for homosexuality, whereas Islamic beliefs negatively influenced respondents’ attitudes toward homosexuality. In contrast to the findings of the existing literature, Christian beliefs and traditional culture did not have significant effects on attitudes toward homosexuality. These findings may contribute to the literature by not only quantitatively testing the applicability of several factors identified in most Western studies of this topic but also providing new knowledge of attitudes toward homosexuality in the social context of China.     

The relationship between sexism and attitudes toward homosexuality in a sample of Turkish college students

This study examined the relationship of sexism, having traditional and conservative values, and contact with homosexual individuals to attitudes toward homosexuality. Two hundred seven male and female students from Middle East Technical University completed Hudson and Rickett's Homophobia scale, Glick and Fiske's Ambivalent Sexism Inventory and questions about: (1) their sexual preferences, (2) whether they described themselves as traditional and conservative, and (3) whether they knew a homosexual or not. Sexist attitudes, being more traditional and conservative, and not knowing any homosexual individuals all predicted more negative attitudes toward homosexuality. The correlation between hostile sexism and anti-homosexual attitudes was higher than the correlation between benevolent sexism and anti-homosexual attitudes. In addition, male, as compared to female, respondents were both more sexist and held more negative attitudes toward homosexuality.     

The Bible on homosexuality: exploring its meaning and authority

Even within this secular age the Bible is still referred to in controversial matters of ethics and morality. Nowhere is this more evident than in the debate over the acceptability or unacceptability of homosexuality. This paper evaluates the Bible's statements on homoeroticism by explaining their historical, cultural, linguistic and narrative contexts. It finds that while the Bible is silent on matters of orientation, it does seem to adopt a negative attitude toward at least male same-sex sexual encounters. This finding, however, is in itself irrelevant unless it is related to how communities use and make sense of the Bible. There are many biblical prohibitions and condemnations that are ignored by even the most fundamentalist Christian groups. Whether the biblical passages on homoeroticism are treated authoritatively or not rests ultimately on the outlook and interpretive framework used by a Christian community to make coherent sense of the Bible.     

Vices, gods, and virtues: cosmology as a mediating factor in attitudes toward male homosexuality

Using historical and anthropological evidence, the article examines the relationship of the polytheistic and monotheistic cosmologies and attitudes toward sexuality, in particular, male homosexuality. The polytheistic cosmology included the ideas of the continuity of creation, the generative forces of the universe as a whole, and gender blurring in the realm of the supernatural. In the monotheistic cosmology the godhead (Yahweh) is unborn and does not father any generations, the universe is desexualized, and the conception of gender is rigidified. The author concludes that polytheism created the conditions for a wide variety of sexual expression and sex-role behavior and did not preclude any particular form of sexual activity. In contradistinction, the monotheistic cosmology was highly restrictive of permissible male and female behavior and sexual expression and conduct. Consequently, polytheism was able to embrace the crossing of gender lines and homosexual relationships while monotheism was incapable of making these accommodations.     

“Fruits,” “Fags,” and “Dykes”: The Portrayal of Gay/Lesbian Identity in “Nance” Jokes of the ’50s and ’60s

ABSTRACT

What is humorous and how it is interpreted very much depends on the norms and values of a culture at a particular point in time, the characteristics of who is telling jokes, and the makeup of the audience. This article presents archival material and an analysis of an outsider's jokes about gays and lesbians. These were told to primarily heterosexual audiences by a heterosexual comic. They reveal the assumptions Americans held about gays and lesbians throughout the 1950s, 1960s, and a few years into the mid-1970s, when most of these jokes were compiled. Although generalizations about gay/lesbian humor in that period cannot be made from one person's private collection of nearly 1,000 jokes, they do reveal several clear patterns: Much of the humor about male homosexuality is used to debase men and their masculinity, by making them passive, feminine, or weak, except for their hypersexuality. The women are also depicted in the jokes as sexually eager, especially to give oral sex to possibly straight women or acting in the male insertor role. Rarely were the gay/lesbian jokes focused on political issues of discrimination, oppression, or romantic relationships.     

Allies and persecutors: science and medicine in the homosexuality issue

Using Magnus Hirschfeld (1868-1935) and his Zwischenstufentheorie (theory of intersexual stages) as an example, the problems raised for homosexuals by etiological research into homosexuality are scrutinized. Hirschfeld, one of the most influential sex researchers working in the first part of the century, fully intended his biological theory to support his campaign on behalf of homosexuals' rights. However, the Zwischenstufentheorie and modern variations of it, such as the ideas of the endocrinologist, Günter D?rner, have been converted into strategies for preventing or curing homosexuality. From an historical point of view, it becomes clear that, in a society hostile to homosexuals, the results gained from research into the causes of homosexuality can be used against homosexuals and, in fact, have been.     

The Relationship Between Socioeconomic Factors,Wellbeing, and Homosexuality in the Theatrical Profession

This article relates to the theory suggesting that there is a prevalence of male homosexuality within the theatrical profession that can be explained through male performers becoming homosexual due to their low socioeconomic position. In a questionnaire-based study, the socioeconomic status (SES) is measured of 121 homosexual performers who considered themselves to have been heterosexual at the time of joining the profession, and results are compared with a control group of 121 heterosexual male performers. The experimental group was chosen in this way due to the suggestion of the hypothesis that the change in sexual orientation occurs after the man begins performing professionally. Results were not significant and little difference was noted in any of the parameters of SES, including annual earnings and home ownership. However, a marginal though insignificant increase in SES was noted in the experimental group of homosexual men. Consequently, existing theories for homosexuality and possible reasons for the high prevalence within the performing profession are discussed; the notions of adult performing and creativity being extensions of childhood gender atypical behavior are considered and possible links between sexual orientation and these traits. Elements of genetic heritability of homosexuality are likewise implicated.     

Mirror Rubbing: A Critical Genealogy of Pre-Modern Chinese Female Same-Sex Eroticism

This article offers a critical genealogy of pre-modern Chinese female same-sex relationships. Through the analysis of the primary source materials in history, fiction, and drama, the author shows that female homosexuality is silenced and suppressed. To Confucianism, female same-sex relationships threaten to exclude men from accessing female sex and keep women away from participating in extending the family line. Even the Daoist theory of sex can be used to discriminate against female homosexuality by denying women the ability to initiate and maintain the cycle of yin-yang interaction in sexual intercourse. There are 2 recurring themes in the male writers' imaginings of female same-sex eroticism. First, heterosexuality is the preferred sexual order, and female same-sex desire arises due to the lack of sexual access to men. Second, heterosexual relationships and intercourse are the norm that female homosexuality aspires to imitate.     

On our memory of gay Sullivan: a hidden trajectory

This article examines psychiatrist Harry Stack Sullivan's approach to the issue of homosexuality. Sullivan (1892-1949), well-known for his interpersonal theory of mental illness, is believed to have accomplished a high recovery rate in his treatment of schizophrenia during the 1920s. Most of his patients, as well as Sullivan himself, were concerned about their "homosexual" orientations. He encouraged physical affection between male patients and male attendants, believing that it would free patients from their guilt for their "unconventional" sexuality. But he kept his compelling practice hidden, not bringing it into open discussion to confront the definition of homosexuality as "sickness." This article traces the process in which the omission of the important aspect of Sullivan's practice began during his lifetime and continued in the scholarship since. In so doing, the article suggests a nuanced understanding of this important figure in the U.S. intellectual and cultural history of homosexuality.     

Good Gay Buddies for Lifetime: Homosexually Themed Discourse and the Construction of Heteromasculinity Among Chinese Urban Youth

Starting as an Internet meme, the homosexually themed gao-ji discourse recently became popular among Chinese urban youth in describing intimate relationships among heterosexual men. Positioned within a body of scholarship on the interplay between language, homophobia, and the construction of heteromasculinity, this article suggests that the gao-ji discourse manifests a form of male homosociality, through which new boundaries of Chinese heteromasculinity may be renegotiated. Based on qualitative interviews with college students, the article first tracks the genealogy of the gao-ji discourse in the wake of China’s booming Internet culture. The main body focuses on unpacking the daily use of the gao-ji discourse, with an attention to the two latent functions it serves (i.e., expanding heteromasculine behaviors and reiterating heteromasculine identities). In conclusion, I argue that the prevalence of the gao-ji discourse mainly resolves straight men’s anxieties against the background of growing public awareness of homosexuality; therefore, it cannot necessarily translate into social acceptance of homosexuality.     

Judaism and homosexuality: the traditionalist/progressive debate

This article critically reviews modern Jewish teaching on Judaism and homosexuality. The historical prohibition of homosexual acts is grounded in a world-view that views heterosexuality as natural and heterosexual marriage as the only route to religious and personal fulfillment. Progressive Jews have begun in recent years to question the underlying premises of traditional Jewish teaching on sexuality. Employing the categories of covenant theology and applying the interpretative methodology of liberal Judaism, the author argues for the valuation of the person as homosexual as a legitimate expression of human and Jewish covenantal obligation.     

How Religiosity Shapes Rejection of Homosexuality Across the Globe

ABSTRACT

This study investigates to what extent different dimensions of religiosity are differentially related to rejection of homosexuality in countries around the world and, moreover, to what extent these relationships can be explained by particular mediators: authoritarianism and traditional gender beliefs. The theoretical framework includes in particular socialization and integration theories. Hypotheses are tested by employing multilevel models, using data from the World Values Survey, covering 55 countries around the world for the period 2010–2014. The results indicate that every dimension of religiosity has a positive relationship with rejection of homosexuality, rejecting some of our hypotheses: those who adhere to any denomination more often attend religious services and have stronger religious particularistic beliefs, or those who are more religiously salient do reject homosexuality more strongly. Sobel tests and bootstrapping procedures indicate that the relationships between the dimensions of religiosity and rejection of homosexuality are partially explained by authoritarianism and traditional gender beliefs.     

Developing Lesbian Identity: A Sociohistorical Approach

The process of construction of lesbian identity in a group of eight Spanish women is analyzed from a historical–cultural perspective. For that purpose, we provide a characterization of discourses about homosexuality in Spain and the way in which these discourses are intertwined with autobiographical narratives of the participants. The participants' life stories were analyzed using a qualitative methodology. We focused on the relationship between self and lesbianism and emphasized the themes related to identity issues (development of lesbian identity and reflections about identity). As a conclusion, we stress the need to deconstruct stigmatizing discourses about homosexuality for the development of a positive personal identity.     

Fear of male homosexuality: cardiac responses of low and high homonegative males

Males with high negative attitudes toward male homosexuality are often referred to in research as homophobics, yet it is unknown whether high homonegative males actually exhibit physiological responses characteristic of phobics. In a series of studies, heart rate was monitored in males with high or low negative attitudes toward male homosexuality as they viewed slides of landscapes and slides depicting explicit sexual activity. If high homonegativity is equivalent to homophobia, high homonegative males should exhibit heart rate acceleration to slides of male-male sexual activity, but, like low homonegative males, deceleration to all other slide types. Significant group effects were obtained only in the pilot study. Examination of individual response patterns in the pilot study and the two subsequent studies showed that high homonegative attitudes were necessary but not sufficient for heart rate acceleration to male-male slides. Results confirm the existence of the phobic type of heart rate acceleratory pattern among some, but not all, high homonegative males.     

On Our Memory of Gay Sullivan: A Hidden Trajectory

ABSTRACT

This article examines psychiatrist Harry Stack Sullivan's approach to the issue of homosexuality. Sullivan (1892–1949), well-known for his interpersonal theory of mental illness, is believed to have accomplished a high recovery rate in his treatment of schizophrenia during the 1920s. Most of his patients, as well as Sullivan himself, were concerned about their “homosexual” orientations. He encouraged physical affection between male patients and male attendants, believing that it would free patients from their guilt for their “unconventional” sexuality. But he kept his compelling practice hidden, not bringing it into open discussion to confront the definition of homosexuality as “sickness.” This article traces the process in which the omission of the important aspect of Sullivan's practice began during his lifetime and continued in the scholarship since. In so doing, the article suggests a nuanced understanding of this important figure in the U.S. intellectual and cultural history of homosexuality.     

China doll - the experience of being a gay Chinese Australian

This article is a stylized blend of personal history and polemical essay which investigates the relationship between race and sexuality. What starts out as a history of the narrator's experience of being a "banana"-yellow (Chinese) on the outside and white (Caucasian) on the inside-becomes a complex exploration of the various ways in which male homosexual desire is constructed and how race is both included and excluded from western constructions of homosexuality.     

A Cross-Cultural Study of Attitudes Toward and Beliefs About,Male Homosexuality

This study attempted to compare British and Japanese people's beliefs about the etiolology, manifestations, and changes of male homosexuality. A total of 208 participants completed, in their native language, a three-part questionnaire consisting of 81 items, which covered etiological explanations of homosexuality, general attitudes toward the concept and practice of homosexuality, and efficacy of strategies to change homosexuality. It was hypothesized that Japanese would exhibit more negative beliefs about homosexuality than the British and would tend to favor sociological explanations as possible etiological factors whereas British would prefer biological explanatory models. The Japanese were more unfavorable toward homosexuality, showing more reluctance in contact with homosexuals. However, while British supported biological models, Japanese' attitudes ranged widely from social, biological, to cognitive accounts. Implications for approaches to overcome social stigma in the Japanese society are discussed.