Heterosexual women's perceptions of their marriages to bisexual or homosexual men

Twenty-one heterosexual women who were or had been married to bisexual or homosexual men and had children by them responded to a 28-page questionnaire that explored their experiences as wives and mothers. All of the married women expected a lasting, monogamous marriage. Only three had partial knowledge of their husband's sexual orientation before marriage. All of them went through a painful grief reaction when they learned that their husbands had emotional or sexual, or both, attachments to other men. The suffering was aggravated by feeling deceived or stupid for not having guessed the truth. What made it difficult for them to seek support from family and friends was the fear of encountering social disapproval or ostracism. They were afraid for themselves, their husbands, and their children. At the time of the study 11 of the 21 women were still married and living with their husbands, but most of them felt unsure that the marriage would last. Ten were in transition, separated, or divorced. Only three of the still married wives had complete confidence in the future stability of their relationships. These marriages were characterized by good communications, husbands who considered themselves bisexual, and an open marriage contract whereby wives could have heterosexual affairs. Findings cannot be generalized from this small convenience sample, but will hopefully encourage further research. The writers are also soliciting more subjects to enlarge the sample.     

Factors associated with 'feeling suicidal': the role of sexual identity

This paper examines factors associated with feeling suicidal in a large sample of urban men in Sydney and Melbourne, aged 18-50, including heterosexual, gay and bisexual men, HIV antibody positive and HIV antibody negative. As in previous research, sexuality (being homosexual or bisexual) was found to be a major predictor of suicidality. The research went some way towards explaining the close relationship between feeling suicidal and sexual orientation. Sexuality interacts with feeling bad in that, once men feel moderately bad/depressed, they are more likely to feel suicidal if they are homosexual or bisexual than if they are heterosexual. In addition, the research found that experience of verbal abuse and physical assault (harassment) increased feeling suicidal for both heterosexual and gay/bisexual men, not just for homosexual men as suggested by previous research, and that social isolation in the form of living alone is a further risk factor. Seeking counseling help and taking sexual risks were also independently associated with feeling suicidal. These actions may result from feeling suicidal rather than the reverse, and their association with feeling suicidal warrants further research. Many of the 46 independent variables examined in the research, including HIV antibody status and closeness to the HIV/ AIDS epidemic, were related to feeling suicidal only through their association with being gay/bisexual. Celibacy and general risk taking were not related to feeling suicidal in this study.     

Looking beyond HIV: eliciting individual and community needs of male internet escorts

In evaluating the needs of male sex workers (MSWs), past research and community-based outreach efforts have assumed they should receive counseling and be educated regarding drug abuse and HIV/STI prevention. These assumptions have been based upon studies that predominantly sampled heterosexually identified men who work on the street as 'hustlers.' The purpose of this study was to set aside previous assumptions, and elicit directly from MSWs their perceived needs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 46 gay and bisexual male escorts who advertise on the Internet, an understudied group that is expected to differ greatly from street-based MSWs. The men identified several areas where attention should be directed beyond safer sex, such as business advice (e.g., taxes, income investment) and assistance with navigating legal issues. These findings have direct implications for community-based organizations, advocates for MSWs, and men in the commercial sex industry.     

Battered gay men: an exploration of abuse, help seeking, and why they stay

In comparison to a large body of literature about battered heterosexual women and a growing body about battered lesbians, this is one of the first published studies that investigates the experiences of battered gay and bisexual men. Results indicated that these men suffered patterns, forms, and frequencies of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse similar to what has been documented by research on battered heterosexual and lesbian women. Likewise, the most commonly reported reasons for staying--namely, hope for change and love for partner--appear to be universal to the experience of being battered. Unlike battered heterosexual women, respondents in this study were not likely to report that being financially trapped was a major reason why they had remained. HIV-status, however, appears to significantly influence their decision to remain. Moreover, lack of knowledge about domestic violence and the lack of availability of appropriate resources play a significant role in same-gender domestic violence victims' decisions to remain. Like battered lesbians, battered gay men infrequently sought assistance from battered women's services and perceived these services as not helpful. By contrast, individual counselors and agencies who provided individual counselors were rated as quite helpful.     

Heterosexual Marital Intention: Effects of Internalized Homophobia,Homosexual Identity,Perceived Family Support,and Disclosure Among Chinese Gay and Bisexual Men

ABSTRACT

The present study explored the factors that influence the likelihood that 217 Chinese gay/bisexual men will engage in heterosexual marriage, focusing on the Chinese cultural context, in which filial duties to marry, have children, and support one’s parents in their old age are taken seriously. Data on heterosexual marital intention (HMI) were examined in relation to demographics, internalized homophobia, homosexual identity formation (HIF), perceived family support, and disclosure. We estimated a multinomial logistic regression model for HMI. Internalized homophobia was a predictor for HMI. Lower levels of HIF and disclosure were found in gay/bisexual men who have married or who intend to marry; and the more family support gay/bisexual men perceived, the more likely they were to enter heterosexual marriages. The findings could help to better evaluate and comprehend the factors leading to heterosexual marriages involving Chinese gay/bisexual men. The social implications of this research are also discussed.     

An Exploration of Sexual Minority Stress Across the Lines of Gender and Sexual Identity

Despite growing evidence to suggest that gays, lesbians, and bisexuals experience a range of stressors and consequences related to their sexual minority status, no known studies to date have employed focus group discussion to explore and document their perceptions of sexual minority stress. In this exploratory study, we present focus group data on a range of sexual minority stressors as described by 43 gay men, lesbians, and bisexual men and women. We explore gender and sexual identity differences in the respondents' perceptions of heteronormativity, disclosure issues in different social settings, sources of support, and strategies for coping with stress. Respondents reported that women's same-sex relationships were eroticized and distorted to accommodate heterosexual male desire, while men were negatively depicted as sexually promiscuous and deviant. These differing stereotypes held important consequences for disclosure decisions and affected men's and women's social interactions with heterosexual men. Bisexual respondents reported unique strategies to cope with exclusion and isolation associated with misunderstandings about their sexual identities. Directions for future research on sexual minority stress are discussed.     

Wives' reactions to learning that their husbands are bisexual

Interviews with 33 women, plus data from 70 more, explored wives' reactions to being informed by their husbands that their husbands were bisexual, the consequences of disclosure, and the factors determining those reactions and consequences. Findings suggest that wives struggled less with the homosexuality itself than with problems of isolation, stigma, loss, cognitive confusion and dissonance, and lack of knowledgeable, empathic support or help in problem solving. Moreover, faulty assumptions about "disclosure" seem to have led to serious misconceptions about the wives, on the part of husbands, researchers, and therapists alike. These misconceptions and the "realities" are discussed.     

Measurement of attitudes toward bisexual men and women among South African university students: the validation of an instrument

Research was conducted investigating university students' prejudicial attitudes toward bisexual men and women in South Africa. The combined male and female Attitudes Regarding Bisexuality Scale (ARBS) showed unacceptable internal consistency reliabilities, especially for the Black-African participants. An expert focus group was convened in order to elaborate on and clarify the low reliability coefficients. The ARBS was then adapted for the South African population and resulted in two separate instruments designed to measure attitudes regarding bisexual men and bisexual women separately. Five hundred eighty seven university students completed these scales. The results indicated that the attitudes of heterosexual, homosexual, and asexual students toward bisexual men and women are more negative than the attitudes of bisexual students.     

Spousal Support of Older Women with Osteoporotic Pain: Congruity of Perceptions

ABSTRACT

Thirty-four couples were interviewed to assess the congruity of husbands' and wives' perceptions of the wives' osteoporotic pain and the exchange of instrumental support within the marital relationship. Moderate correlations were found between the husbands' and wives' ratings of two specific dimensions of the wives' pain experience: interference with daily life and pain severity. Wives who perceived their pain as more severe but as having a lesser impact on their personal lives provided the most frequent help to their husbands. The wives' pain perceptions were not predictive of the amount of assistance they perceived receiving from their spouses. Husbands' perceptions of their wives' pain experience were not predictive of the frequency of instrumental support they either received from or gave to their wives.     

Measurement of Attitudes Toward Bisexual Men and Women Among South African University Students: The Validation of an Instrument

Research was conducted investigating university students' prejudicial attitudes toward bisexual men and women in South Africa. The combined male and female Attitudes Regarding Bisexuality Scale (ARBS) showed unacceptable internal consistency reliabilities, especially for the Black-African participants. An expert focus group was convened in order to elaborate on and clarify the low reliability coefficients. The ARBS was then adapted for the South African population and resulted in two separate instruments designed to measure attitudes regarding bisexual men and bisexual women separately. Five hundred eighty seven university students completed these scales. The results indicated that the attitudes of heterosexual, homosexual, and asexual students toward bisexual men and women are more negative than the attitudes of bisexual students.     

Psycho-social issues related to counseling bisexuals

An increasing number of persons who experience bisexual feelings or behaviors are seeking professional counseling. This article explores the psycho-social issues related to counseling individuals and couples concerned about their own or their partner's feelings, fantasies, or behaviors with both men and women, and the appropriateness or inappropriateness of adopting a bisexual identity or developing a bisexual life-style. The steps for helping individuals to differentiate problems, handle confusion, and conceptualize bisexuality are outlined. The counseling process with bisexuals includes developing support systems, examining internalized homophobia and sex-role stereotyping, helping them deal with heterosexual concerns, and with issues which affect partners when one or both is bisexual.     

Violence against bisexuals, gays and lesbians in Mexico City

An essential premise of this work is that three dominant ideologies explain oppression against BGL, as a result of a gender system: adhesion to gender stereotypes, androcentrism and heterosexism. Three hundred eighteen bisexual and gay males (BG) and 188 bisexual and lesbian females (BL) were surveyed. By means of a self-applied questionnaire, variables of interest were researched. The following trends were observed: an important number of men and women interviewed suffered violence in their childhood and adolescence because they defied gender stereotypes, and not because of their sexual orientation; BG males were more often victims of violence than BL females. Within the BG group, those who challenged gender stereotypes were more frequently attacked than those who did not; men were identified as aggressors more frequently than women; and in the BG group, gender stereotype transgression was associated with the perception of suffering violence in the future.     

Predictors of sports motivation among gay and bisexual men

Athletic activities are associated with reduced levels of stress and negative mood states among heterosexuals; thus, examining this association among gay/bisexual men is warranted. The current study examined the relationship between sports motivation and mood states, self-esteem, body esteem, life satisfaction, perceptions of masculinity/femininity, and parental encouragement for athletic endeavors among 195 gay/bisexual men. The results were mixed, but suggest that sports participation among gay/bisexual men may relate to a desire to express their masculinity and maintain a positive body image. Gay/bisexual men may be more likely to participate in sports if they receive positive reinforcement from others.     

Predictors of Sports Motivation Among Gay and Bisexual Men

ABSTRACT

Athletic activities are associated with reduced levels of stress and negative mood states among heterosexuals; thus, examining this association among gay/bisexual men is warranted. The current study examined the relationship between sports motivation and mood states, self-esteem, body esteem, life satisfaction, perceptions of masculinity/femininity, and parental encouragement for athletic endeavors among 195 gay/bisexual men. The results were mixed, but suggest that sports participation among gay/bisexual men may relate to a desire to express their masculinity and maintain a positive body image. Gay/bisexual men may be more likely to participate in sports if they receive positive reinforcement from others.     

The wage gap and the leisure gap for double-earner couples

Empirical research has consistently shown that, on average, men are paid higher wages than women. Moreover, men enjoy more leisure time than women. We develop a noncooperative model of the private provision of family public goods to analyze whether the wage gap and the leisure gap are related. Simultaneous and sequential decision-making structures within a couple lead to different empirical hypotheses. Our estimates based on the German Socio-Economic Panel data show that husbands enjoy, other things equal, more leisure time than their wives. This advantage can be explained if the husband is the Stackelberg leader in a sequential private provision game.      

Negotiating multiple identities: how African-American gay and bisexual men persist at a predominantly White institution

This consensual qualitative research (CQR) study explores factors contributing to the persistence of African-American gay and bisexual men at a predominately White institution (PWI). Eight participants consistently noted that involvement with an African-American community was crucial to navigating the challenges of attending a PWI. Participants reported that their racial identity was more salient than their sexual orientation in creating social support, and they described feeling uncomfortable using lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) resources. Implications, including education about sexual orientation within African-American campus communities, LGBT outreach to communities of color, and continued institutional support for African-American campus organizations, are discussed.     

Personality variables in males as they relate to differences in sexual orientation

This study investigated personality variable differences among men of different sexual orientations. One hundred-fourteen males completed a demographic sheet, the Sexual Screening Questionnaire (SSQ), the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale, and the Test of Attentional and Interpersonal Style (TAIS). The SSQ screened subjects into one of three categories: heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual. It was hypothesized that, based on TAIS scores, bisexuals would describe themselves as being more attentionally unfocused and more anxious, and as having lower self-esteem than the other two groups. One-way analyses of the variance (ANOVA) of these hypotheses failed to produce significant results. A post-hoc multiple discriminant function analysis revealed that the heterosexual group was significantly more competitive both physically and interpersonally, and that the bisexual group displayed significant difficulty focusing their attention in a disciplined way.     

Caregiving and Care-Receiving:

Many aspects of aging are women's issues. Yet research on aging has, until recently, focussed little attention of gender differences in the experience of growing old. Older women are more likely than older men to be poor, widowed, living alone in poor health, receiving assistance from both formal and informal supports, as well as being institutionalized in long-term care facilities. This secondary analysis of data from the 1982 Survey of the Elderly in the Waterloo Region attempts to address a gap in our knowledge concerning gender differences in the giving and receiving of social support in later years. Gender differences in (1) need for social support, (2) turning to formal assistance, (3) amount of formal assistance used, and (4) amount of informal assistance received were examined using analysis of variance and logistic regression procedures. The profile of social support that emerged suggests both similarities and differences in the way elderly men and women experience the giving and receiving of social support. Older women in this sample were found to be disadvantaged in the areas of income, health, years lived alone, and loneliness, relative to older men. Low-income was related to formal service use for older women, but not for older     

Rural Men,Sexual Identity and Community

The relationship between rurality and men's sexuality remain relatively unexplored. This study addresses the knowledge gap in the research literature by focusing on men who have sex with men in rural areas across Ontario, Canada. Employing a constructivist grounded theory methodology, interviews were conducted with 32 men across 28 geographic locales consisting of populations of less than 10,000 people. Men identified as gay, bisexual, queer/bisexual, or refused labels. These self-selected identifiers were then explored to determine how participants conceptualized and organized their sexual identities in relation to context. Participants held divergent management strategies that resulted in two general identity grouping: “natives” and “transplanters.”     

Several Common Bonds: Addressing the Needs of Gay and Bisexual Men in LGBT-Specific Recovery Housing

ABSTRACT

Recovery housing is a promising way to augment the substance use continuum of care, but we know little about the experiences of members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community who live in them or about residences specifically for them. Within the LGBTQ community, gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (MSM) often experience co-occurring syndemic conditions (e.g., trauma, depression, HIV) that present unique recovery challenges. Using qualitative data gathered from residents living in a recovery residence specifically for gay and bisexual men and from community key informants, we examine the experiences of men living in the home and factors that facilitate operating it. Findings highlight the need for residences that can address syndemic burden among gay and bisexual men in recovery and identify programmatic and community-level factors critical to operating residences for this population.