Understanding LGBQ identities today Flashcards
How does the life satisfaction and social support of asexual individuals compare to non-asexual LGBQ people?
Asexual individuals have similar levels of romantic relationship involvement, life satisfaction, social support, and life wellbeing compared to non-asexual LGBQ people.
How is asexuality categorized?
Asexuality may be romantic or aromantic, with about 3/4 of asexuals identifying as romantic.
Why do asexual individuals engage in sex?
Asexual individuals may have low levels of attraction but may engage in sex for reasons such as pleasing romantic partners or seeking physical pleasure.
What is the current debate about asexuality as a sexual orientation?
There is modest support for asexuality as a unique sexual orientation, but insufficient evidence to classify it as a psychological disorder or sexual dysfunction
What is identity-behavior discordance?
- occurs when individuals who experience same-sex attraction or contact identify as straight
- 2/3 of people who experience same-sex attraction identifying as straight.
- Reasons include cultural misalignment, anti-LGBTQ prejudice, and differences in how people view romantic vs. physical attractions.
How does sexual identity relate to social attitudes?
LGBTQ people are more likely to hold left-leaning political views, in part because of life experiences, and left-leaning individuals are more likely to adopt LGBQ identities.
What challenges do gay Asian North American men face?
Gay Asian men experience gendered racism and are often perceived as feminine, leading some to distance themselves from other Asian men and seek relationships with white men.
How do gay Latino men approach dating?
Gay Latino men often prefer masculine friends and partners, sometimes exclusively dating other masculine men to maintain good relations with their families.
What is the butch/femme dynamic in black lesbian communities?
The butch/femme dynamic is more common in black lesbian communities than in other racial/ethnic groups, where it expresses both African American culture and lesbian group membership.
What is heteroflexibility?
Heteroflexibility
refers to individuals who define themselves as heterosexual but engage in same-sex desires and behaviors, expanding the traditional definition of heterosexuality to include these behaviors.
How does heteroflexibility differ from bisexuality?
Heteroflexibility
Heteroflexible individuals reject the label of bisexuality publicly and maintain a straight identity, despite engaging in behaviors that might be seen as bisexual.
How is sexual fluidity different from heteroflexibility?
Heteroflexibility
- Sexual fluidity involves shifting sexual orientation identities over time based on life circumstances
- heteroflexibility involves maintaining a straight identity despite same-sex behaviors.
What is the main logic behind heteroflexibility?
Heteroflexibility
Heteroflexible individuals perceive heterosexuality as having a higher social status than bisexuality or homosexuality, and they see no advantage in leaving behind their heterosexual lives despite engaging in same-sex behaviors.
How do straight-identified women often view their same-sex attractions?
Heteroflexibility
dismiss their same-sex attraction, due to the pressures to conform to societal expectations like being a wife or mother, and interpret their bisexual behaviors as driven by men’s sexual desire
What is the perception of same-sex attraction for straight-identified men?
Heteroflexibility
- often claim they are not attracted to men, seeing their same-sex experiences as fantasies or explorations
- tend to see their same-sex behaviors as less significant and less fulfilling than their heterosexual behaviors, which they view as central to their identities
How do some straight-identified men view sex with men differently from sex with women?
Heteroflexibility
see sex with men as less complicated and with fewer emotional strings attached, which can make it more exciting and recreational
How do heteroflexible individuals both challenge and reinforce the concept of fixed sexual identities?
Heteroflexibility
challenge fixed sexual categories by engaging in same-sex behavior, but they reinforce the status of heterosexuality by maintaining a straight identity and privileging heterosexual norms.
What does the term “femme” mean?
Mignon
refers to a feminine style of dress combined with an assertive or outspoken personality, not necessarily tied to specific personality traits or ideologies.
How do Black femme lesbians experience femininity differently from White lesbians?
Mignon
Black femme lesbians experience femininity with power, independence, and leadership, and are less affected by “patriarchically imposed femininity”
What is a “gender-blender”?
Mignon
- style that combines masculine and feminine elements, often referred to as “soft butch” or “futch,”
- tends to be identified as a lesbian in lesbian spaces, but not necessarily in heterosexual ones.
How do transgressive women present themselves?
Mignon
Transgressive women lean towards a boyish style of dress and mannerisms, seeking comfort and authenticity in their clothing, and often incorporate Black cultural markers and masculinity
How does gender presentation affect social interactions in Black lesbian communities?
Mignon
used to organize social interactions and attract partners with complementary gendered styles, providing sexual freedom while maintaining societal norms.
How does social class influence gender presentation in Black lesbian spaces?
Mignon
- Middle-class Black lesbians are less likely to embrace transgressive gender presentation and tend to have more assimilationist views
- working-class lesbians resist societal norms through nonconforming gender styles.
What dangers do Black transgressive women face?
Mignon
face societal fear and violence associated with Black masculinity, which is seen as a threat and can lead to harassment and alienation.
What do gay Asian men in the study perceive as the cause of gay racial stigma?
Managing and Negotiating Gay Racial Stigma
- seen as rooted in their supposedly feminine characteristics, leading them to attempt to neutralize these perceived feminine traits.
- They try to pass as masculine, distance themselves from femininity, or pass as non-Asian, often by emphasizing positive aspects of being Asian within the gay community
How are gay Asian men viewed in the larger gay community?
Managing and Negotiating Gay Racial Stigma
often ignored or passed over for white men, due to the community’s narrow focus on white masculine norms of physical attractiveness.
What does “passing” mean in the context of gay Asian men managing stigma?
Managing and Negotiating Gay Racial Stigma
Passing refers to concealing one’s stigma (e.g., race or femininity), often by masking their Asian identity, though this strategy is not always effective and can harm self-esteem.
How does “affiliating” work as a stigma management strategy?
Managing and Negotiating Gay Racial Stigma
Affiliating is about aligning oneself with gay white men or non-stigmatized groups, attempting to neutralize perceived femininity and increase desirability, though it may not always resolve stigma.
How does the competition among gay Asian men for white partners contribute to stigma?
Managing and Negotiating Gay Racial Stigma
The competition for “rice queens” (white gay men who are attracted to Asians) contributes to the stereotype that all gay Asian men are willing to sleep with any gay white man
What does “promoting racial visibility” involve for gay Asian men?
Managing and Negotiating Gay Racial Stigma
challenging stereotypes about gay Asian men, promoting a more positive and accurate racial identity, and encouraging ethnic solidarity rather than distancing from it.
