Same-sex Couples Research Articles

When the individual comes into play: The role of self and the partner in the dyadic play fighting of rats

Social play in rats is rewarding and important for the development of brain and social skills. There are differences in the amount of play behavior displayed among individuals, with earlier studies suggesting that, despite variation across trials, individual differences tend to be consistent. In the present study, juvenile Lister-hooded rats were paired with a different, unfamiliar same-sex partner on three days and based on the amount of play each individual initiated, it was characterized as a high, medium or low player. Using this categorization, we explored three features related to individual differences. First, we show that by increasing the number of test days from two, as was done in a previous study (Lesscher et al., 2021), to three, characterization was effectively improved. Secondly, while the earlier study only used males, the present study showed that both sexes exhibit a similar pattern of individual differences in the degree of playfulness. Even though low players consistently initiated less play than medium and high players, all rats varied in how much play they initiated from one trial to the next. Thirdly, we assessed two potential mechanisms by which the playfulness of one rat can modify the level of playfulness of the other rat (i.e., emotional contagion vs homeostasis). Analyses of individuals’ contribution to the play of dyads suggest that rats consistently adjust their play behavior depending on the behavior displayed by the partner. Since this adjustment can be positive or negative, our data support a homeostatic mechanism, whereby individuals increase or decrease the amount of play they initiate, which results in the experience of an overall stable pattern of play across trials. Future research will investigate the neural bases for individual differences in play and how rats maintain a preferred level of play.

Violence in Queer Families: Symbolic Recognition of Same-Sex Relationships in Russian Law

PurposeThis paper deals with criminal court cases of intimate partner violence in queer families (IPV) in Russia. It aims to uncover ways for these families to be recognized in law, even if only for the purposes of deciding cases of violence among LGBT + partners.MethodsThe study deploys methods of discourse analysis to uncover powers which produce the texts of court rulings. The article is based on close examination of nine cases of IPV occurred in various places across Russia. Eight cases concern bisexual and lesbian women; one case is about men in a same-sex partnership.ResultsThe analysis suggests that only the most severe cases of IPV reach criminal courts in Russia (murder, manslaughter, and serious injuries). As courts deal with violence among intimate same-sex partners, they have to discuss LGBT + identities, queer sexualities, and same-sex families more broadly, as well as such forms of violence which are not criminalized but build up to the ultimate violent act (psychological and financial violence, battery).ConclusionsRegardless of reluctance to recognize queer families in family law, same-sex relationships are already recognized in the legal discourse with the help of various categories for the purposes of processing criminal cases. However, this recognition casts queer families as subordinate and pathological, especially through the widespread invocation of traditional values rhetoric.

Queering the Mainstream: Anna Melikian’s About Love (2015)

ABSTRACT About Love (2015), Anna Melikian’s fourth film, is her first attempt at mainstream cinema. Mimicking the form of an almanac film, it comprises five apparently discrete but intimately interconnected short films, or novellas, all set in Moscow. Their most obvious link is the film’s central thread: a lecture about love at the Strelka Institute, attended by the protagonists of some of the novellas and delivered by one of them: an expert on the topic, played by Renata Litvinova. None of the novellas directly addresses non-heteronormative sexualities, through focussing on same-sex relationships. However, the centrality of Litvinova – arguably Russian cinema’s most prominent queer icon – introduces an unignorable note of the queer. On closer viewing, moreover, it becomes clear both that the film does depict queer identities, subjectivities and relationships and that it is queer in other ways. Drawing on various queer and feminist theoretical approaches, this article therefore argues that About Love depicts post-2013 Moscow as a place that can accommodate and celebrate queerness, demonstrating that Melikian’s representation of love challenges the ostensible narrative assumptions of heterosexual normativity and offers, as a queer counterpoint to the mainstream, a range of compelling non-normative representations of love and the self.

Same-sex relationships and recriminalisation of homosexuality in Ghana

Most Ghanaians conveniently ignore or vehemently deny the existence of homosexual relationships in precolonial Ghanaian cultures. The denial of these relationships in precolonial Ghanaian cultures has gained attention due to section 104 of the Criminal Offences Act of Ghana which criminalises ‘unnatural carnal knowledge’ and the ‘promotion of proper human sexual rights and Ghanaian family values bill, 2021’ (anti-LGBTQI+ bill), currently being debated in Ghana’s Parliament. Historical evidence suggests, however, that Western European researchers who first visited Africa and Ghana suppressed evidence of homosexuality, while indigenous people unwittingly concealed homosexual relationships because of a ‘culture of silence’ surrounding sex and sexuality in precolonial Ghana. From a decolonial theoretical perspective, this article argues that the non-appreciation of precolonial Ghanaian (homo)sexual history partly accounts for the criminalisation of same-sex sexual relationships, homophobia, violence, and violations of the rights of sexual minorities in contemporary Ghana. The paper connects the presence of same-sex sexual intimacies in the Gold Coast (now Ghana), and the absence of criminal sanctions as a basis for rethinking current attempts in Parliament to recriminalise homosexual relationships, in order to chart a path of the equal legal protection of every person, regardless of their sexual orientation.

An African moral approach against the perverted faculty argument: Ukama, partiality and homophobia in Africa.

In Africa, homosexuality is routinely understood as a form of immoral behaviour. This has great implications for the physical and psychological well-being of homosexuals in Africa. One of the reasons why homosexuals are sometimes understood to be behaving immorally is because it is believed that same-sex relations are unnatural. I think that this conception of unnatural is grounded on the perverted faculty argument, although this is not often expressed in such terms. In this article, I will develop a concept of natural grounded on the concept of Ukama. I will show that despite Ukama implying a functional conception of nature, just like in the perverted faculty argument, it does not imply that homosexuality is immoral.

Sexuality, Migration, and LGB Policy: A Portrait of Immigrants in Same-Sex Couples in the United States

Both internationally and in the United States, the policy landscape for same-sex couples is changing rapidly, and surveys report swiftly increasing numbers of immigrants in same-sex couples in the US. Yet few researchers have examined immigrants in lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) couples on a large scale, especially regarding their relationship to LGB policy. Are these immigrants disadvantaged and fleeing anti-LGB contexts, or are they empowered to migrate by progressive origin-country LGB policy? Using American Community Survey data from 2008 to 2019 and original datasets indexing LGB policy changes in 122 countries and all US states, this study assesses and characterizes the scale of LGB migration to the US as well as the role of LGB policy. Compared to immigrants in different-sex couples, those in same-sex couples come from richer, more democratic countries that are less represented among immigrants in the US. They also tend to be more highly educated, work in more prestigious occupations, and have higher incomes. While previous work largely focuses on LGB immigrants from repressive contexts, fixed-effect models show that higher proportions of these immigrants come from LGB-friendly countries, and they are more likely to live in progressive US states. These findings highlight how sexuality as well as state policies seemingly unrelated to migration can shape migratory pathways.

THE CHALLENGES BISEXUAL HUSBANDS FACE IN TRYING TO KEEP THEIR MARRIAGE TOGETHER: A CASE STUDY IN MALAYSIA

Bisexual men who are married to heterosexual women and at the same time have alternative relationships with same-sex partners are an invisible community in society, especially in Malaysia. A marriage involving one of these non-heterosexual partner such bisexual men will only be known when a divorce or marriage annulment case is settled in court. In Malaysia, although there are statistics that showcase divorce or annulment of marriages, the reality is that there are still “mixed-orientation couples” who manage to maintain their marriages to this day. To maintain a marriage, of course, there are challenges faced by them, which are the focus of this study. A total of 15 informants who claimed to have a bisexual orientation and were legally married to a heterosexual woman were interviewed in depth. The results of the study are divided into two main themes, namely, internal challenges and external challenges. Internal challenges includes unsatisfying sex life, controlling men-sex-men addiction, financial matters, and negative’s attitudes from wives, while external challenges only family in-laws involvement. Overall, the findings of this study are expected to be used by government agencies responsible for empowering families, such as the Department of Religion and the Ministry of Women, Family, and Community Development, will design and help married bisexual men navigate their distinct challenges, encouraging more fulfilling marital relationships. They can enhance their relationship, promote understanding, and assure the duration and happiness of their marriage by doing so.

Violation of the Right to Private and Family Life in Case of Lack of Official Recognition of Same-sex Relationships

The present study focuses on presenting the positive obligations of the signatory states of the European Convention on Human Rights, under Art. 8 of the Convention, to provide a legal framework enabling same-sex couples to enjoy adequate legal protection of their relationship. In order to achieve the proposed research objective, we considered the most recent cases before the European Court of Human Rights, namely the case of Buhuceanu et al. against Romania, respectively the case of Fedotova against Russia.

Till death do us apart? The impact of social recognition of relationships on fidelity

Although relationship satisfaction has been widely explored, there is a gap in the literature on how factors such as the legal recognition of relationships, relationship orientation and gender affect intentions to engage in infidelity. This study aimed to explore the effect of the legal recognition of relationships, relationship orientation and gender on intentions to engage in infidelity, while controlling for relationship satisfaction. Three hundred forty-seven participants were recruited. The participants were aged between 22 to 79 years (M=41.48, SD=10.16) and in a relationship between 5 and 59 years (M=15.21; SD=9.41). The countries where the participants were raised were split into three categories: no, partial and full legal recognition. The Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale Short form, The Relationship Assessment Scale, The Intentions Towards Infidelity Scale were utilised. ANCOVA indicated that legal recognition is an important factor in intentions to engage in infidelity, furthermore females in heterosexual relationships from countries with full recognition had lower intentions to engage in infidelity. This study aimed to give direction for future research by highlighting the similarity of homosexual and heterosexual relationships when legitimised and focused more on gender differences.

Marriage in Old Age: What Can We Learn About Policy Impacts on Same-Sex Couples?

Marriage in Old Age: What Can We Learn About Policy Impacts on Same-Sex Couples?

Romantic Attachment, Relationship Satisfaction, Internalized Sexual Stigma, and Motives for Parenthood in Italian Lesbian Women and Gay Men.

This study examines romantic attachment, internalized sexual stigma, relationship satisfaction, and motives for parenthood in a sample of 313 Italian lesbian women (47.9%) and gay men (52.1%) aged 18-71 years (M = 36.2; SD = 11.9) and in same-sex relationships. The following hypotheses were tested: that romantic attachment is positively correlated with internalized stigma and motives to not have children, while it is negatively correlated with relationship satisfaction; that relationship satisfaction is negatively correlated with internalized stigma and motives for parenthood; that internalized stigma is negatively correlated with motives for parenthood; and that relationship satisfaction mediates the relationships between romantic attachment and motives for parenthood and between internalized stigma and motives for parenthood. The results strongly support the hypotheses. Furthermore, the results indicate that the lesbian participants reported lower levels of avoidance and internalized stigma and higher levels of relationship satisfaction and motives to not have children, and the participants in civil unions reported lower levels of anxiety and internalized stigma and higher levels of relationship satisfaction and motives to not have children. Taken together, our findings contribute to the growing body of research on LG parenthood and may inform social policy and psychological support for LG individuals pursuing parenthood.

The Discursive Work of “Bottom-Shaming”: Sexual Positioning Discourse in the Construction of Black Masculinity

This article uses ethnographic data and interviews with young Black gay cisgender men to illustrate how masculinity is interactionally created and policed within gay communities. Here, I specifically highlight the ways Black masculinity is constructed against Latino and white men’s masculinity, discursively situating this masculinity within a racial hierarchy celebrating hypermasculinity among Black men. Black masculinity is further policed within Black gay communities through what I term sexual positioning discourse. Through the use of sexual positions within gay relationships (e.g., “top,” “bottom,” “versatile”), peers shame the act of bottoming to interactionally shore up their own masculinity through a ritualistic emasculation of other men, which simultaneously denigrates the social position of women and femininity. Building on prior empirical and theoretical work examining the use of homophobic discourse among straight men as playing a critical role in their constructions of masculinity, I show similarities and differences through an examination of gender and sexual discourse mobilized within gay communities and by Black gay cis men. Sexual positioning discourse is integral to masculinity boundary work among gay men, yet when employed by heterosexual men, this discourse calls their sexuality into question. Specifically, when Black gay men mobilize sexual positioning discourse, it serves to assert their claims to Black masculinity relative to one another; whereas when straight men use the same discourse it serves to cast doubt on their claims to “straight” sexual identities.

Same-sex sociosexual behaviour is widespread and heritable in male rhesus macaques.

Numerous reports have documented the occurrence of same-sex sociosexual behaviour (SSB) across animal species. However, the distribution of the behaviour within a species needs to be studied to test hypotheses describing its evolution and maintenance, in particular whether the behaviour is heritable and can therefore evolve by natural selection. Here we collected detailed observations across 3 yr of social and mounting behaviour of 236 male semi-wild rhesus macaques, which we combined with a pedigree dating back to 1938, to show that SSB is both repeatable (19.35%) and heritable (6.4%). Demographic factors (age and group structure) explained SSB variation only marginally. Furthermore, we found a positive genetic correlation between same-sex mounter and mountee activities, indicating a common basis to different forms of SSB. Finally, we found no evidence of fitness costs to SSB, but show instead that the behaviour mediated coalitionary partnerships that have been linked to improved reproductive success. Together, our results demonstrate that SSB is frequent in rhesus macaques, can evolve, and is not costly, indicating that SSB may be a common feature of primate reproductive ecology.

Perspektif Penonton 2Gether: The Movie Terhadap Hubungan Relasi Seksual Sejenis

In recent years, the Thai entertainment industry has begun to increase the number of productions of male love TV drama series. Fans of boys love content are now spread in various countries in the world. The popularity of the boys love genre series has penetrated to various countries including Indonesia. This study contains the views or perspectives of viewers of boys love genre films on same-sex relationships. The method used in this study is qualitative with a reception analysis approach. Sampling using purposive sampling techniques with data collection techniques in the form of interviews conducted online with 7 informants. Stuart Hall's Reception Analysis Theory and Judith Butler's Queer Theory were chosen as audience Reception analysis knives. Based on the results of the study that informants do not mind every scene in the 2Gether movie. But there are some informants who consider homosexuality only in boys love shows, because homosexuals are different or contrary to the culture and religion in Indonesia.

‘Papa, I am gay, please, love me’: Politics of censorship and queer representation in Bollywood

The article explores the problematic issues that arise between Bollywood films projecting homosexual relationships and the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) filtering their contents. Queer popular cultural representations in India face challenges to get release certification because of their inherently debatable contents including ‘non-normative’ sexual relationships which are largely identified as a potential threat to the existing heteronormative, majoritarian culture. By giving reference to two queer films, Unfreedom and Angry Indian Goddesses, this article explores the politics of censorship in the light of Foucauldian power relations and the discourse of knowledge production. I argue that by proscribing representations of queer sexualities in films, the CBFC has acted on behalf of the state in decelerating the formation and proliferation of a counter cultural movement to balance homophobia discursively and to peddle majoritarian power politics, and thus the notion of heterosexuality as compulsory form of sexual behaviour is popularized and consolidated in Indian society.

Fulfillment of homosexual desires as a radical action in bethan roberts' novel my policeman: Slavoj Žižek's perspective

The purpose of this study is to reveal the subjectivity of the character Tom in the novel My Policeman in fighting symbolic norms to fulfill his desires as a homosexual. Based on these objectives, interesting researchers In conducting this research researchers used the novel My Policeman, in the analysis will focus on the main character, namely Tom who is a homosexual. The purpose of this research is to reveal the subjectivity of the character Tom in the novel My Policeman in fighting the symbolic order to fulfill his desires as a homosexual. In explaining the subjectivity of the characters, the subject theory proposed by Slavoj Žižek is used. The method used in conducting this research is a qualitative descriptive method. The results of the study show that Tom's actions to follow his desire to enter into same-sex relationships make him classified as homosexual and ignore the sanctions he will receive, as a form of cynical subject. Tom fights against the symbolic dimension as a form of radical action by having same-sex relationships or being a homosexual. The radical action taken by Tom is a form of fulfilling the desire that is in him to achieve freedom. The freedom that kept him together with Patrick was due to a different kind of sexual urge that arose within Tom. Tom fights against the symbolic dimension as a form of radical action by having same-sex relationships or being a homosexual. The radical action taken by Tom is a form of fulfilling the desire that is in him to achieve freedom. The freedom that kept him together with Patrick was due to a different kind of sexual urge that arose within Tom. Tom fights against the symbolic dimension as a form of radical action by having same-sex relationships or being a homosexual. The radical action taken by Tom is a form of fulfilling the desire that is in him to achieve freedom. The freedom that kept him together with Patrick was due to a different kind of sexual urge that arose within Tom.

The Supreme Court in Modi’s India

Twenty-first-century elected right-wing regimes share many similarities apart from being led by “authoritarian populists” who centralize power in themselves and represent ethnic or religious majorities at the expense of other citizens. Since higher judiciaries are key to ensuring executive accountability and the separation of powers in a liberal democratic constitutional setup, they are on the front lines of authoritarian attempts at institutional capture. Unlike earlier dictatorships that suspended existing constitutional protections or imposed martial law, current authoritarian regimes maintain a semblance of legality and constitutionalism while in practice attempting to remake the judiciary in their own image. This phenomenon has been variously termed “autocratic legalism,” “abusive constitutionalism,” and “populist constitutionalism.”In this article, I look at how the Indian Supreme Court (SC) has responded to executive incursions under the Narendra Modi regime since 2014. Even today, the court continues to deliver important democracy-enhancing judgments, breaking away from India’s colonial inheritance in matters like criminalizing same-sex relationships and adultery. However, the last decade is strongly marked by two features: first, an unwillingness to hear major constitutional issues that might challenge the regime; and second, judgments that serve as an advertorial for the regime, reinforcing an antiminority ideological orientation, justifying the government’s actions, and promoting Modi’s personality cult. By outsourcing several political decisions to a seemingly disinterested and neutral judiciary, the Modi government has been far more successful than it would have been if it had imposed those decisions purely by legislative majority. In turn, by addressing a variety of political issues as purely legal matters and not addressing them as constitutional questions, the courts have collaborated in the delegitimization of dissent and reinforced the claims of the Modi regime.

“Family” Is a Verb: A Study on External Negotiation of Family Identity Among Same-Sex Couples With Children

<p>本研究以共文化理論為框架，試圖理解臺灣同志家庭與外部社會協商家庭認同之溝通取徑與傾向。研究者與五個女同志、三個男同志家庭家長進行長期、數次深度訪談後發現，受訪同志家庭嘗試以「堅定自信」、「非堅定自信」與「挑釁」等溝通取徑，預期達到「順應」與「同化」等家庭認同的協商結果。論文指出共文化理論化框架需結合弱勢群體「交織性」及「非典型弱勢身份原型」等概念綜合討論，以強化其理論內涵。研究結果同時反映受訪同志家長的「厚交織」與「交織階序隱形」身份，對於家庭認同協商過程的具體影響。</p> <p> </p><p>The current study adopts Mark Orbe’s co-cultural theory as the research framework and aims to understand the communication approaches and orientations used by Taiwanese same-sex families to negotiate their family identities with the outside world. After conducting a series of long-term in-depth interviews within two years with five lesbian and three gay parents of same-sex families, the researcher found that the interviewed same-sex families tended to use co-cultural communication approaches, such as “assertive,” “non-assertive,” and “aggressive.” It is expected to achieve the results of “accommodation” and “assimilation” of family identity negotiation. The study suggests that the theoretical framework of cocultural communication should take into account the concepts of "intersectionality" and "atypical prototype" of minority groups in order to become more solid and comprehensive. The findings of the research also reflect the importance of “thick intersectionality” and “intersectional hierarchy invisibility” of the interviewed samesex parents in shaping the negotiation process of their family identities.</p> <p> </p>

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Resilience Among Cis-gendered Heterosexual and LGBTQIA+ Individuals in India

Background: In 2018, India decriminalized same-sex relationships, marking a major victory for the LGBTQIA+ community. However, it’s well known that only policy reforms are not enough for revolutionary changes. One starting point is the exploration of the quality of life, health, and wellness of these populations through careful research and examining the threats they are facing today so that early interventions can be initiated to improve the conditions and reduce the pain. Objective: To assess whether a relationship exists between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and resilience in cis- gender heterosexual and LGBTQIA+ individuals in India and whether a significant difference exists between the two samples in their measures of the same. Method: Online forms were circulated through various social media platforms, the sample consisted of 81 participants (48 cis-gender heterosexual individuals, 33 LGBTQIA+ individuals) within the age range of 18-25 years residing in Urban areas of India. The forms consisted of two questionnaires: The ACEs Questionnaire, and Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). For Data analysis, the Pearson Product moment correlation, and the Non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis H test were carried out. Results & Conclusion: Findings reveal a negative correlation between ACE and resilience amongst cis-gender heterosexuals r(46) = 0.47, p < .01, a negative correlation between ACE and resilience amongst the LGBTQIA+, r(31) = 0.13, p = .47, a significant difference between cis-gender heterosexual individuals and LGBTQIA+ individuals in the ACE scores, H (1) = 16.65, p < .01, a significant difference between cis-gender heterosexuals and LGBTQIA+ in the Resilience scores, H (1) = 5.35, p < .05. The results indicate that the LGBTQIA+ individuals did experience more adverse experiences in their childhood as compared to cis-gender heterosexual counterparts, one of the many reasons could be homonegative and trans negative attitudes towards this population. Limitations of the study are that it was only a quantitative study, with a small sample size, and not all communities were equally represented, that is, more data is required from people who identify as pansexual and transgenders. Future directives for researchers are to become gender and culture-informed and conduct deeper research using narrative analysis approaches.

Victimization and Perception of Abuse in Adolescent and Young Homosexual and Heterosexual Couples in Spain.

Currently, violence in adolescent and young couples has a significant social impact on young people's physical and psychological health. However, the study of violence in homosexual couples must also be addressed. This research analyzes the levels of violent victimization and the perception of abuse in both homosexual and heterosexual couples. Participants' ages ranged between 14 and 29 years (M = 20.14, SD = 3.464). We used The Dating Violence Questionnaire-Revised (CUIVNO-R), which was applied in two consecutive studies. The results indicate high levels of victimization, especially in the sample of homosexual participants. The scores generally show a low perception of couple violence but high victimization rates. The results of this study reveal the importance of the issue of violence in couples from minority groups and suggest that couple violence should not be understood as unidirectional, i.e., exclusively from men to women. These findings show the need for education in healthy relationships and consideration of different types of couples in these relationships.