Are You Straight, Gay, or Somewhere Between? | Psychology Today

Contents:

• ARE YOU STRAIGHT, GAY, OR SOMEWHERE BETWEEN?
• KEV SPACEY DEFENDS COMG OUT AS GAY AFTER BEG ACCED OF SEXUAL MISNDUCT: ‘I WAS UNR A LOT OF PRSURE’

ARE YOU STRAIGHT, GAY, OR SOMEWHERE BETWEEN?

In recent years, the ia that sexual orientatn exists on a ntuum om homosexual to heterosexual wh varyg gre of bisexualy -between (ntuy) and that one’s preference for men vers women n shift overtime and ntext (sexual fluidy) has been on the ascendancy wh amia, LGBTIQ + activism, and popular culture. Reflectg this trend, a recent YouGov poll found that Amerins are now evenly spl on whether they view sexual orientatn as a ntuum (40%) vers as a gay/straight bary (42%)6—suggtg the notn of the sexual orientatn ntuum has now permeated the broar culture, 70 years on om Aled Ksey first troducg the Ksey Sle7. Typilly, is found that believg homosexualy to be blogilly termed and immutable, rather than chosen or malleable, is associated wh more acceptance of sexual mori, prumably bee gay/lbian dividuals are seen as ls blameworthy for their sexuali8, 9, 10, 11.

On the other hand, viewg sexual orientatn as existg bary gay/straight tegori predicts more prejudice, perhaps bee leads gay/lbian dividuals to be seen as more fundamentally different8, 10. Relatedly, heterosexual mal more so than heterosexual femal, are motivated to mata rigid distctns between themselv and homosexual dividuals of the same genr—and exprs more homophobic attus when this distctivens is threatened28— orr to assert their heterosexualy.

MaterialsDemographicsParticipants dited their age, ethnicy, religsy, polil orientatn, birth sex, prent genr inty, and sexual orientatnA 9-pot Ksey-type ntuum31, was ed to asss sexual orientatn (1 = exclively heterosexual, 2 = almost exclively heterosexual, 3 = mostly heterosexual, 4 = heterosexual-leang bisexual, 5 = bisexual, 6 = homosexual-leang bisexual, 7 = mostly homosexual, 8 = almost exclively homosexual, 9 = exclively homosexual). ” at both pre and orientatn uncertatySexual orientatn uncertaty was measured g the sexual orientatn uncertaty subsle (4 ems) of the Lbian Gay Bisexual Inty Sle32 wh ems adapted for heterosexuals.

KEV SPACEY DEFENDS COMG OUT AS GAY AFTER BEG ACCED OF SEXUAL MISNDUCT: ‘I WAS UNR A LOT OF PRSURE’

Experimental manipulatnThe wordgs ed the ntuo and discrete ndns were closely matched—wh both g the same template—but wh specific aspects of sentenc changed to reflect eher sexual orientatn as existg on a ntuum or as existg three discrete tegori (heterosexual, bisexual, or homosexual). First, to pacify ncerns that our ntuo manipulatn may not have aquately primed ntuy, was revised to emphasize the existence of potentially fe gradatns of sexual orientatn between exclively heterosexual and exclively homosexual, rather than merely the existence of addnal termediate tegori (i.

96) orientatn uncertatyAs wh Study 1, sexual orientatn uncertaty was measured g the 4-em sexual orientatn uncertaty subsle of the Lbian Gay Bisexual Inty32 adapted for heterosexuals. Post-manipulatn ratgs of sexual orientatn, sexual orientatn uncertaty and willgns for same-sex enunters ntrol, ntuo, discrete, fluid, and stable size tableFigure 2Sexual orientatn self-ratgs om Exclively Heterosexual through to Exclively Homosexual after readg a ntrol article or a ntuo, discrete, fluid, or stable acunt of sexual orientatn. As perceptns of homogeney are nsired to be central to sentializg social tegori based on elements such as sexual orientatn39, and this sentialist tenncy plays a role makg the members of such groups (e.

Future rearch may exame this trigug possibily is that heterosexuals who hold a ntuo or fluid view of sexual orientatn are ls prejudiced toward gay, lbian, or bisexual peopl. On the other hand, a recent study found that when heterosexual men are exposed to rmatn that blurs the distctn between themselv and homosexual men, they enact greater homophobia, to re-tablish their distctivens28.