Why do people become gay (or straight)?

Why do people become gay (or straight)?

• Biological theories

• genetic factors

• prenatal factors

• brain factors

• hormonal imbalance

• Learning theory

• people are born sexual, not heterosexual or homosexual

• + or – reinforcements (rewards or punishments) in early learning experiences result in predominant homosexuality or predominant heterosexuality

• Interactionist theory

• includes biological factors and environmental experiences

• 
  designed to explain sexual orientation rather than homosexuality
  

• Sociological theories

• Labeling theory: acceptance of label becomes self-fulfilling prophecy

• Reiss’ explanation of cross-cultural differences

• 1. societies that have high maternal & low father involvement w/infants, and that have rigid gender roles, have the highest incidence of male homosexuality

• 2. in less gender rigid societies with more permissiveness about sexuality, individuals feel freer to experiment w/same gender behavior & may find it satisfying

So, which theory is right?

• In summary, we do not know what causes sexual orientation.

• Unlike gender identity which is determined in childhood, sexual identity (and orientation) continues to evolve into adulthood for some people.

• There is probably not a single cause of homosexuality (or heterosexuality), but rather many causes.

• Why isn’t everyone bisexual?

Multicultural Differences

• 
  Less tolerance of homosexuality among non-white Americans than white Americans
  
  • 
    lowest level of tolerance in African American community
    
• 
  Black & Latino men more likely than White men to engage extensively in homosexual behavior while still considering themselves heterosexual (“down low”)
  
• 
  Mexican American men engaging in anal intercourse are more likely than White men to exclusively adopt either the role of inserting partner or receptive partner
  
  • 
    The inserting partner is not considered homosexual or stigmatized, but the receptive partner is considered unmanly, feminine, & homosexual.
    

Bisexuality

• A bisexual is a person whose sexual orientation is toward members of the same gender as well as members of the other gender.

• bisexuality is more common than exclusive homosexuality

• bisexuality is viewed with suspicion and hostility by many in the gay community

• 
  monogamy is an issue for bisexuals
  

• bisexual men and women usually begin to think of themselves as bisexual in their early to mid-twenties

• women usually have heterosexual attractions and experiences before homosexual ones

• men more likely to have homosexual experiences first, followed by heterosexual ones

Importance of late occurring experiences in shaping one’s sexual behavior and identity

• 
  unlike gender identity, which seems to be fixed in preschool years, sexual identity seems to evolve in adulthood for some people (especially women)
  

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