Lesson 2.2.

Diversity of Sexual Behavior

Source: https://www.dzbreaking.com/2017/12/11/english-teacher-difference-sex-gender/
 Sexual Orientations
Terms Definition
LGBTQ+ an umbrella term for a wide spectrum of gender identities, sexual
orientations, and romantic orientations.
Lesbian females who are exclusively attracted to women
Gay males who are exclusively attracted to any other males. It can also refer
to
anyone who is attracted to his or her same gender.
Bisexual someone who is sexually/romantically attracted to both men and women.
Transgender an umbrella term for people who do not identify with the gender
assigned to them at birth. Trans woman is an identity label adapted by
male to female trans people to signify that they identify themselves as
women. A
trans man is an identity label adapted by female to male trans people to
signify that they identify themselves as men.
Transsexualism people who believe they were born with the body of the other gender.
Transsexuals sometimes seek sex-change operations.
Queer/Questioning a useful term for those who are questioning their identities and are
unsure
about using more specific terms, or those who do not simply wish to
label themselves and prefer to use a broader umbrella term.
Intersex people who are born with a mix of male and female biological traits that
can make it hard for doctors to assign them a male or female sex.
Asexual a person who is not interested in or does not desire sexual activity
Pansexual people who are attracted to others regardless of their sex or gender
There is preliminary empirical research that strongly suggests sexual orientation is not a
choice. Just as the majority of the heterosexual people do not choose to be attracted to the
opposite sex, the large majority of the LGBTQ+ people do not choose theirs. The only real
choice that the LGBTQ+ community has to deal with is whether to be open about their
orientation.

What determines whether people become homosexual or heterosexual?

1. Biological
― Evidence for a genetic origin of sexual orientation comes from studies of identical twins.
The studies found that when one twin identified himself or herself as homosexual, the
occurrence of homosexuality in the other twin was higher than in the general population.
― Hormones also may play a role in determining sexual orientation. Research shows that
women exposed before birth to DES (diethylstillbestrol – a drug their mothers took to
avoid miscarriage) were more likely to be homosexual or bisexual (Meyer-Bahlburg, 1997
in Feldman, 2013).
― Differences in brain structures may be related to sexual
orientation. The structure of the anterior hypothalamus
(an area of the brain that governs sexual behavior)
differs in male homosexuals and heterosexuals.
Similarly, other research shows that compared with
heterosexual men or women, gay men have a larger
anterior commissure, which is a bundle of neurons
connecting the right and left hemispheres of the brain.
― Research suggesting that biological causes are at the root
cause of homosexuality is not conclusive because most findings are based on only small
samples of individuals. Still, the possibility is real that some inherited or biological factor
exists that predisposes people toward homosexuality if certain environmental conditions
are met.

2. Child-rearing practices or Family Dynamics

― Some evidence suggests that sexual orientation is brought about by child-rearing practices
or family dynamics. Although proponents of the psychoanalytic theories once argued that
the nature of the parent-child relationship can produce homosexuality, research evidence
does not support such explanations.

3. Learning Theory
― According to this view, sexual orientation is learned through rewards and punishments. For
example, a young adolescent who had an unpleasant heterosexual experience might
develop disagreeable associations with the other sex. If the same person had a rewarding,
pleasant gay or lesbian experience, homosexuality might be incorporated into his or her
sexual fantasies. If such fantasies are used during later sexual activities – such as
masturbation – they may be positively reinforced through orgasm, and the association of
homosexual behavior and sexual pleasure eventually may cause homosexuality to become
the preferred form of sexual behavior.
― Although the learning theory explanation is plausible, several difficulties rule it out as a
definitive explanation. Because our society has traditionally held homosexuality in low
esteem, one ought to expect that the negative treatment of homosexual behavior would
outweigh the rewards attached to it. Furthermore, children growing up with a gay or lesbian
parent are statistically
 unlikely to become homosexual, which thus contradicts the notion that homosexual behavior
may be learned from others.

4. Urban Setting
― Homosexuality is positively correlated with urbanization, which was more substantial in
men than in women. Large cities seem to provide a friendlier environment for same-gender
interest to develop and be expressed than in rural areas.

Because of the difficulty in finding a consistent explanation for sexual orientation, we can’t
definitively answer the question of what determines it. It seems unlikely that any single factor
orients a person towards homosexuality or heterosexuality. Instead, it seems reasonable to
assume that a combination of biological and environmental factors is involved.

One thing is clear though: There is no relationship between sexual orientation and
psychological adjustment.