Sexuality & Identity Flashcards
What does Weeks say about homosexuals vs heterosexuals?
Straight people wouldn’t say ‘I am heterosexual’ in relation to their identity, but to say ‘I am gay’ is a statement about belonging to a group.
Who talks about ‘the homosexual role’?
McIntosh
What is ‘the homosexual role’?
Effeminate mannerisms, a higher voice and attention to appearance.
What leads to the ‘homosexual role’ according to McIntosh?
- When the male accepts the label or identity homosexual he will fulfil the expectations.
- She states that men who see themselves as straight but still admit to attraction to males do not exhibit any other signs of homosexuality.
How has attitudes towards sexuality changed?
- Homosexuality was considered a mental illness and a criminal offence in the UK.
- Some parts of the world, like in Nigeria, regard homosexuality as a crime.
What do studies suggest about the homosexual identity?
Sexual attraction doesn’t create the ‘homosexual’, instead it’s the acceptance and internalisation of the identity
What does Weeks say about sexuality and identity?
- It is a ’strange thing’ and complex compared to other aspects of identity.
- Some people identify as gay and participate in the community but don’t participate in same sex sexual activity.
- Some people have same sex encounters but don’t identify themselves as gay.
What study supports Weeks’ argument for sexual identification?
Reiss’ study found young male prostitutes (rent boys) regarded themself as heterosexual but had sex with men for money. They despised the men as a way of neutralising behaviour.
How does Plummer support McIntosh’s ideas?
They see homosexuality as a process discussing the ’homosexual career’.
Who discusses the ‘homosexual career’?
Plummer
What is the ‘homosexual career’?
Where men who have accepted the label with seek out others and join a subculture where stereotypes become the norm.
What did the Gay Left Collective say about homosexuality?
It’s a difficult process of ‘becoming the other’
Who said women’s sexuality is oppressed by men in a patriarchy?
Rich
How is womens sexuality oppressed by men in society?
- Marriage
- Sexual violence
- Sexual objectification
Who talks about ‘compulsory heterosexuality’?
Rich
What is ‘compulsory heterosexuality’?
The way women are socialised into a subordinate and heterosexual role ensuring their availability to men.
It is forced upon them
What does Rich say about the lesbian identity?
It challenges male dominance and power over women and so it’s been constructed as abnormal.
What pieces of legislation support sexuality as an identity?
- Age of consent was equalised in 2000
- Equality Act 2010 made it unlawful to discriminate
- Same sex marriage act 2014
What sociologist highlights how sexuality and partners can be more of a fluid, political choice?
Atkinson - ‘Political lesbianism’
