Week Five Assignment
Historical and Scientific Perspectives on Homosexuality
*Refer to the Course Materials Forum for information regarding successful completion of this test.
Multiple Choice:
1. The term that describes the direction of one‘s romantic interests and erotic attractions
is C) sexual orientation.
2. The term that refers to an erotic attraction to and preference for developing romantic
relationships with, members of the other sex is B) heterosexuality.
3. The term that refers to an erotic attraction to and preference for developing romantic
relationships with, members of the same sex is A) homosexuality.
4. All of the following are reasons why the term homosexuality is controversial EXCEPT
C) the term is often used to refer only to gay males.
5. Which of the following statements is most accurate in comparing the sexual
orientations of women and men? A) Women‘s sexual orientations seem to be more plastic or flexible than those of men.
6. How many points are on Kinsey's heterosexual-homosexual continuum? C) 7
7. Based on Kinsey‘s heterosexual-homosexual continuum, Mike is rated as a 6. This
Means B) Mike is exclusively homosexual.
8. According to Kinsey‘s study, approximately ________ percent of the United States
population was gay or predominantly gay. B) 10
9. The Storms (1980) model of sexual orientation is different from the Kinsey continuum
model in that it includes which additional orientation? A) asexuals
10. George is walking down the street one day and sees two men across the street
walking hand-in-hand. He is thoroughly disgusted by this. George‘s behaviors are
connected to C) homophobia, a characteristic more common in men.
11. Which of the following terms is defined as negative attitudes or feelings toward
people who are attracted to either the same or other sex? B) biphobia
12. Which of the following is characteristic of the ancient Greeks? A) Relationships were common among men and adolescent boys.
13. Which of the following is characteristic of the early Christians? D) Any nonprocreative act was viewed as sinful.
14. For which of the following religions is homosexuality still currently condemned (in
most denominations or sects)? A) All of the following still condemn homosexuality.
15. Which of the following statements about attitudes toward homosexuality in America
today is most accurate? A) The majority of Americans believe that same-sex sexual behavior is not wrong.
16. Which of the following groups hold the harshest judgments on gay people? A) young males
17. Researchers have found evidence linking a region on ________ to a gay male
sexual orientation. A) the X sex chromosome
18. Which of the following similarities regarding homosexual and heterosexual
relationships are true? D) Both A and C are true.
19. According to your text, which incidence is said to have added fuel to the fire of
hatred and prejudice towards gays? B) HIV/AIDS Epidemic
20. What two steps are evident when a homosexual person “comes out of the closet?”
A) Coming out to oneself and coming out to others.
21. Researchers found the average gap between initial attraction to members of one‘s
own sex and disclosure of one‘s orientation to other people took how long on average?
B) 10 years
22. All of the following are social structures which provide services and support for gay
men and lesbians EXCEPT: B) Housing cooperatives
23. Which of the following statements best characterizes President Clinton ‘s 1993
policy regarding gays in the military? D) Gay men and women can serve but are prohibited from revealing their sexual orientation.
24. Americans have grown more tolerant of gay people over the past few decades.
A) True
25. Heterosexual people may have occasional homoerotic interests.
A) True
26. Sexual orientations do not run in families. B) False
27. Evidence suggests that there are structural differences between the brains of
heterosexual and gay men. A) True
28. American gay people have been most politically effective in San Francisco.
A) True
29. Sexual orientation is likely to have a single cause. B) False
30. Homophobic attitudes are more common among those who hold a fundamentalist
religious orientation. A) True
Short Answer Responses: 100 + words each.
31. Discuss cross-cultural perspectives in regard to sexuality. Include the differences
among ethnic groups in America.
As it talked in the text[YUN1] , I noticed that depending on your ethical group, if you are a “lesbian or gay male sexual orientation you are more rejected by ethnic minority groups in the United States.” Being Latino American and being a lesbian can also be really hard due to their ways of life. They believe “that the man should be the strong one that supports and defends the family, while the woman is supposed to be submissive, and deferential with men.” Their independence shows a threat to the tradition of male dominance. Some societies however, find it more acceptable to engage in sexual activities with members of the same sex. Over in North Africa, the juvenile males engage in sexual activities with older men. Then again they also believe the more semen they ingest, the more strength and virility they will have.
32. List and briefly discuss three of the biological perspectives on the causes of sexual
orientation.
Hormonal influences, evolution, and even genetics have been linked to shaping one’s sexual orientation. The evolutionary theory is just that right now, a theory that remains speculative[YUN2] . Genetics is the next thing that has influenced sexual orientation. It tends to run in families, and the X chromosome has been linked to the gay orientation. The third biological perspective found in the chapter was hormonal influences. Research was done in order to find this answer out. It seems that if women who are pregnant take anti-androgen drugs (that block testosterone) were given during critical [YUN3] times in which the fetus’ brains were becoming more sexually orientated, the male is more likely to show feminine traits.
33. List and briefly discuss the two major psychological perspectives that have
attempted to explain sexual orientation.
Freud tried to explain one of the psychological perspectives of sexual orientation with the Oedipus and the Electra complex. He seems to think that as boys grew older, they would grow out of their attraction for their mother’s, and fall into being with other females after they come to identify with their father’s more. The same with females and the Electra complex; the female will grow up learning to identify with their mother’s, and seek sexual stimulation with males. Freud believed that unresolved castration anxiety plays a role in a male being gay.
The second psychological perspective would be how Richard Pillard and his colleagues found a link in gay males and “distance” from their father. It seems that they either were “so uninterested in masculine activities or they were so attached to their mothers that they rebuff parental attempts in order to engage in him in conventional father-son activities.”
34. Discuss the experience of coming out and adjusting as a gay individual. What are the most common steps in the process and what are the biggest challenges?
“Coming out of the closet” can’t be easier for anyone; you have family, friends, co-workers, and many other people in your life that may frown upon this, making it uneasy for the person discovering that they are attracted to members of the same sex. First, they have to admit it to themselves. This is the most important step, because if you do not take this step, you will not accept that you are the way you are. Once you admit it to yourself, the next step is to admit it to your friends, family and whomever else. I think that the biggest challenge for most gay/lesbian people is first admitting it, and then changing over to the lifestyle that goes with being gay/ lesbian. They may be afraid of how the world may perceive them, making it even harder to “come out.”
Essay: 300 + words
35. How have historical and scientific perspectives reflected on your sexual orientation?
My sexual orientation; we could be here all day talking about what has made me the way I am today, but I will first start with genetics. In either side of my family, there are no gays/lesbians in my family. So I can say that genetics is not a causing factor in my bisexuality. When I was 11 years old, my female babysitter took off my pants and laid me back. I did not really understand what was going on. This 37 year old woman was touching me in places I had never been touched by another person, and I even reached an orgasm within seconds, which made me really uncomfortable since I was unknowledgeable to this kind of thing. Later, as life progressed, I tried to engage in as many sexual activities as I could with males to show that I was “straight”, but I could still feel attraction to women. I would fantasize about them doing the things my babysitter did to me. When I went to prison, I just fell right in with going farther with my sexual orientation, and found that women tend to help me reach orgasms better than males do! I have never actually been in a lesbian “relationship” I have only ever been in relationships with males. The man I am with now (Colt) that understands me and allows me to explore more into my sexual orientation. I can stay in the male relationship that I would rather be in while still able to engage in sexual activities with females. Being bisexual and admitting it to family was hard only because when I told my mother, she scoffed it off, and said you are just confused and don’t know what you want. I quit telling her about things like that and have eventually accepted my sexual orientation. I learned to not care what people thought about me, and learned to live for me and what I wanted out of life. I am not into religion very much so I have to say that religion has not been a factor in my life. I am actually thankful for this because I think if religion would have been in my life, things may have turned out differently. Regardless, we are born the way we are and we need to make the most out of life!
Rathus, S. A., Nevid, J.S., and Fichner-Rathus, L. (2005). Human sexuality in a world of diversity. (6thed.) Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
| Test Section | Points Earned | Points Possible |
| Multiple Choice | 55 | 60 |
| SA #31 | 5.5 | 6 |
| SA #32 | 5 | 6 |
| SA #33 | 5.5 | 6 |
| SA #34 | 6 | 6 |
| Essay | 16 | 16 |
| Total | 92 | 100 |
Good job overall. You performed well with the MC questions and gave detailed responses when assigned. Citations are required for specifically research-based information.
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