Non-heterosexual Women Research Articles

‘I am who I am’? Navigating norms and the importance of authenticity in lesbian and bisexual women's accounts of their appearance practices

This article explores how lesbian and bisexual women negotiate pressures to look like an authentic lesbian and an authentic individual in their accounts of their clothing and appearance practices. Thirty women responded to a ‘paper-and-pen’ qualitative survey about lesbian and bisexual women's dress and appearance. Two main themes were generated from the data: ‘norms and conformity’ and ‘freedom and authenticity’. Conformity to appearance mandates raised questions about individual authenticity; the women negotiated this dilemma either by presenting their conformity as active and strategic, a means to an end (subverting normative assumptions of heterosexuality, being recognised by other non-heterosexual women) or as an almost unconscious expression of their inner dyke. For feminine and other non-conforming women, their lack of conformity raised questions about their authenticity as a non-heterosexual woman (and their feminist credentials), and some of these women negotiated this dilemma by presenting their femininity as a subversion of heteronormative assumptions by showing that any woman can be a lesbian. We conclude this article by highlighting the potential for over-reading sexuality in accounts of sexuality and appearance practices.

Identidade de gênero/sexo de atletas e sedentários

Existem diferenças no processo de estruturação da identidade de gênero/sexo de atletas e não-atletas? Este estudo teve como objetivo comparar a identidade de gênero/sexo autopercebida e autoquantificada de atletas de diferentes modalidades (180 homens e 180 mulheres) em relação a sedentários (22 homens e 22 mulheres), no tocante a personalidade e preferências lúdicas da infância. Os homens se perceberam mais masculinos e as mulheres mais femininas. Encontraram-se mais mulheres não heterossexuais do que homens, entre as atletas. Os homens assumiram-se mais propensos a gostar de quebrar as regras e sonhavam em ser campeão esportivo quando crianças. As atletas mulheres que brincaram mais com meninos na infância se avaliaram como mais masculinas, ousando em transgredir as fronteiras dos papéis de gênero, o que pode ter facilitado o interesse delas pelo treinamento esportivo.

Olfactory ability to detect ovulatory cues: A function of biological sex, sexual orientation, or both?

For two decades, psychologists studying ovulation have successfully employed a series of “T-shirt studies” supporting the hypothesis that men can detect when a woman is most fertile based on olfactory detection of ovulatory cues. However, it is not known whether the ability to detect female fertility is primarily a function of biological sex, sexual orientation, or a combination of both. Using methodologies from previous T-shirt studies, we asked women not using hormonal contraceptives to wear a T-shirt for three consecutive nights during their follicular (ovulatory) and luteal (non-ovulatory) phases. Male and female participants of differing sexual orientations then rated the T-shirts based on intensity, pleasantness, and sexiness. Heterosexual males were the only group to rate the follicular T-shirts as more pleasant and sexy than the luteal T-shirts. Near-significant trends also indicated that heterosexual men and non-heterosexual women consistently ranked the T-shirts, regardless of menstrual stage, to be more intense, pleasant, and sexy than did non-heterosexual men and heterosexual women. Recommendations for future research, including suggestions for methodological changes, are discussed.

Prenatal Influences on Sexual Orientation: Digit Ratio (2D:4D) and Number of Older Siblings

Prenatal androgen levels are suggested to influence sexual orientation in both sexes. The 2D:4D digit ratio has been found to associate with sexual orientation, but published findings have often been contradictory, which may partly be due to the large ethnic diversity between and within studied populations. In men, number of older brothers has been found to correlate positively with homosexuality. This phenomenon has been explained with a maternal immune reaction, which is provoked only by male fetuses and which gets stronger after each pregnancy. Here we assessed the relationship of sexual orientation to 2D:4D ratios and number of older siblings in Finland, where the population is found to be genetically relatively homogeneous. As in many previous studies, heterosexual men had lower 2D:4D than non-heterosexual men, which supports the notion that non- heterosexual men experience higher androgen levels in utero than population norms. Contrary to previous reports, non-heterosexual women had higher 2D:4D than heterosexual women. Non-heterosexual men had more older brothers and older sisters than heterosexual men. The greater number of older sisters in non-heterosexual men indicates that there are other factors that contribute to the higher birth order of homosexual men than the maternal immunization.

“It’s a Comparison Thing, Isn’t It?”

Women’s feelings about their body and their appearance are an important aspect of their lives, yet little is known about the ways in which partner relationships shape these feelings. There has been some debate about whether or not same-sex relationships offer protection to nonheterosexual (lesbian and bisexual) women from potentially harmful social appearance pressures, but there has been little empirical exploration of this issue. We contribute to the debate by presenting findings from a British qualitative study based on interviews with 15 nonheterosexual women talking about their feelings about their bodies and their appearance in the context of partner relationships. These accounts were analyzed using a phenomenologically oriented form of thematic analysis (TA) and seven main themes were generated. The women suggested that same-sex relationships were both positive and negative influences in shaping their feelings about their body and appearance, highlighting the complexity of this issue. However, positive descriptions of empathy toward body and appearance concerns as well as diversity within same-sex attractions suggest that same-sex relationships have the potential to encourage women to feel happier with their bodies. This analysis also suggests that the theoretical debate is too simplistic and that a synthesized explanation should be explored in future research.

Complex Interactions of Sexual Identity, Sex/Gender, and Religious/Spiritual Identity on Substance Use Among College Students

Alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use pose serious health problems on college campuses. A significant body of research shows student religiosity to be a protective factor, but a very little research has examined influences of sexual identities on alcohol and other drug use among college students, and its associations with religious or spiritual identity. This study examined the relationships of sex/gender, sexual identity, and religious/spiritual identity on current alcohol use, drug use, and smoking via an online survey of 2,204 college students. We found a three-way interaction between sex/gender, sexual identity, and religious/spiritual identity, with religion showing protective value for nonheterosexual women, but not nonheterosexual men, related to alcohol use. Nonheterosexual students also showed different patterns of risk and protective factors. A subset of the sample that indicated that they did not use sexual identity labels showed very high rates of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use, often exceeding the lesbian, gay, and bisexual group on these measures. These findings provide new information on nonheterosexual student drug and alcohol use and indicate the need for additional research in this area of study.

Male Narcissism and Attitudes Toward Heterosexual Women and Men, Lesbian Women, and Gay Men: Hostility toward Heterosexual Women Most of All

The present study investigated links between heterosexual men’s narcissism and attitudes toward heterosexual and non-heterosexual women and men. Male narcissism was predicted to be associated with hostility toward heterosexual women more than toward other groups, indicating investment in patriarchal power more than in conservative gender ideology or nonspecific disdain toward all people. Hierarchical regression analyses of responses from 104 male undergraduates (95% Caucasian) from Ohio in the U.S. supported the hypothesis that men’s narcissism is related most robustly to hostility toward women, rather than to equivalent derogation of all groups. Moreover, men’s narcissism is not merely a maker of traditional gender ideology, but instead is associated with favorable attitudes toward lesbian women and is unrelated to attitudes toward gay men.

Women and body dissatisfaction: Does sexual orientation make a difference?

In this study, heterosexual ( n = 95) and nonheterosexual ( n = 84) women were asked to rate figure drawings and computer-generated images of women that varied in body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, and breast size in terms of self, ideal, and cultural ideal; discrepancy indices, indicating body dissatisfaction, were created for each body aspect. Nonheterosexual women had significantly higher body mass indices (BMIs) than heterosexual women, but when the effects of BMI were controlled, participants evidenced similar perceptions of their bodies, their ideal bodies, and the female cultural ideal, as well as similar levels of body dissatisfaction for body fat, waist-to-hip ratio, and breast size. The results of this study suggest that being a member of a society that highly values a thin, curvaceous, relatively large-breasted body puts women, regardless of sexual orientation, at risk for body dissatisfaction.

AniLid: A. Augspurg i L. Gustava Heymann – feministki i pacyfistki z przełomu wieków jako patronki współczesnego ruchu lesbijskiego w Niemczech

Lida Gustava Heymann and Anita Augspurg - activists of the first-wave radical German feminist movement - recently became the patrons of contemporary nonheterosexual women in their struggle for women's rights. This choice of patrons is not accidental: for more than 40 years, Anita and Lida Gustava constituted a community of interests, activism, and emotions. But what does this couple, which lived a century ago and never came out of the closet, have in common with the contemporary feminist and lesbian movement? Was this choice unquestionably right? It certainly forces us to ask whether the contemporary feminist-lesbian movement is a new quality or whether it continues attitudes and postulates from a hundred years ago. Augspurg's and Heyman's example (the way their memory is present in the contemporary lesbian movement) is significant. The two figures, their commitment, their influence on the women's and pacifist movement, as well as their attitude towards homosexuality constitute the main themes of this introductory paper.

Pregnancy loss in lesbian and bisexual women: an online survey of experiences

BACKGROUNDAlthough pregnancy loss is a distressing health event for many women, research typically equates women's experiences of pregnancy loss to ‘married heterosexual women's experiences of pregnancy loss’. The objective of this study was to explore lesbian and bisexual women's experiences of miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death.METHODSThis study analysed predominantly qualitative online survey data from 60 non-heterosexual, mostly lesbian, women from the UK, USA, Canada and Australia. All but one of the pregnancies was planned. Most respondents had physically experienced one early miscarriage during their first pregnancy, although a third had experienced multiple losses.RESULTSThe analysis highlights three themes: processes and practices for conception; amplification of loss; and health care and heterosexism. Of the respondents, 84% conceived using donor sperm; most used various resources to plan conception and engaged in preconception health care. The experience of loss was amplified due to contextual factors and the investment respondents reported making in impending motherhood. Most felt that their loss(es) had made a ‘significant’/‘very significant’ impact on their lives. Many respondents experienced health care during their loss. Although the majority rated the overall standard of care as ‘good’/‘very good’/‘outstanding’, a minority reported experiencing heterosexism from health professionals.CONCLUSIONSThe implications for policy and practice are outlined. The main limitation was that the inflexibility of the methodology did not allow the specificities of women's experiences to be probed further. It is suggested that both coupled and single non-heterosexual women should be made more visible in reproductive health and pregnancy loss research.

Women's Sexual Identity Patterns: Differences Among Lesbians, Bisexuals, and Unlabeled Women

To better understand women with same-sex attractions who do not identify as lesbian or bisexual (i.e., unlabeled women), we examined differences and similarities among self-designated lesbian, bisexual, and unlabeled women. Two hundred eight non-heterosexual women ranging in age from 18 to 69 years (85% identified as White) completed an online survey examining indicators of sexual orientation and beliefs and self-perceptions associated with sexual identity. Compared to lesbians, unlabeled women reported the weakest collective sexual identities and, along with bisexuals, they were less likely to view sexual orientation as fixed, being more focused on the “person, not the gender.” Unlabeled women reported the greatest likelihood that their sexual identity would change in the future. These findings highlight the complexity of women's sexual identities and question the adequacy of categorical approaches.

Sexuality as a Structural Principle in Sport Participation

In this article we present the results of a Dutch study about sport participation among self-identified homo/bisexual men and women, compared to a matched group of heterosexual men and women. It is argued that quantitative research can further enrich the existing knowledge in the field of sport and sexuality, which is mainly based on qualitative studies from a poststructuralist perspective. Findings both challenge and confirm stereotypical images of sport involvement by gays and lesbians. The results show that sexual `mappings' of different sports spaces do not only exist cognitively, but influence the actual sporting biographies of men and women with different sexual identifications. Gay men are underrepresented in mainstream club sports and traditional `masculine' team sports and over-represented in commercially based fitness sports. However, most non-heterosexual women and men have discovered mainstream sports spaces where they can participate without being confronted too much with homonegativity and heteronormativity. Simultaneously, many are reluctant to join `counter spaces', like LGTB sports organizations and reflect a certain compliance with heteronormativity.

Patterns of Sexual Coercion in Heterosexual and Non-Heterosexual Men and Women

Heterosexual sex differences in evolved sexual interests, sexual scripts, and aggressive tendencies have each been hypothesized to be responsible for heterosexual sex differences in sexually coercive behavior. The current study compared the sexually coercive behavior of heterosexual and non-heterosexual men and women as a means of evaluating the explanatory capabilities of each of these hypotheses. A total of 414 participants were asked to provide information regarding their sexual coercion perpetration behavior since puberty by using a modified version of the Sexual Experiences Survey. Participants also completed measures of masculinity, femininity, and aggressive tendencies. Heterosexual men were significantly more likely to have perpetrated physical sexual coercion than all other participant groups. However, these group differences ceased to exist after controlling for group differences in physical aggression. Also, heterosexual men were significantly more likely to have perpetrated non-physical sexual coercion than all other groups, and non-heterosexual men were significantly more likely to have perpetrated non-physical sexual coercion than heterosexual and non-heterosexual women. Only the sexual orientation difference among men ceased to exist after controlling for masculinity or physical aggression. Discussion focused on detailing which hypotheses regarding heterosexual sex differences in sexually coercive behavior were supported as well as directions for future research.

On the Limits of “Gaie” Spaces: Discursive Constructions of Women’s Sport in Quebec

Several studies on the experiences of nonheterosexual women in sport have highlighted the development of lesbian subcultures in sport, while others have emphasized the scarcity of athletic contexts embracing sexual diversity. This article explores the narratives of 14 young Francophone sportswomen positioning themselves as “gaie,” lesbian, bisexual, or refusing labels altogether. Using a feminist poststructuralist perspective, we examine their discursive constructions of sport and argue that the discourses articulated in sport allow for the creation of a space of resistance to heteronormativity. We suggest that the sport space is constructed as a “gaie” space within which a normalizing version of lesbian sexuality is proposed. We investigate how in/ex/clusion discourses are inscribed in space and how subjects are impacted by and, in turn, impact these discourses.

A Dynamical Systems Approach to the Development and Expression of Female Same-Sex Sexuality.

Researchers have documented substantial variability in the development and expression of same-sex sexuality, especially among women, posing challenges to traditional linear developmental models. In this article, I argue for a new approach to conceptualizing the development and expression of female same-sex sexuality over the life course, based in dynamical systems theory. Dynamical systems models seek to explain how complex patterns emerge, stabilize, change, and restabilize over time. Although originally developed by mathematicians and physicists to model complex physical phenomena in the natural world, they have increasingly been applied to social-behavioral phenomena, ranging from motor development to cognition to language. I demonstrate the utility of this approach for modeling change over time in female same-sex sexuality, reviewing extant published research and also introducing data collected from an ongoing, 10-year longitudinal study of young nonheterosexual women. I provide evidence that female same-sex sexuality demonstrates the emblematic features of a dynamical system: nonlinear change over time, spontaneous emergence of novel forms, and periodic reorganizations and phase transitions within the overall system. I highlight the specific contribution of a dynamical systems perspective for understanding such phenomena and suggest directions for future study.

Empathizing and systemizing: What are they, and what do they contribute to our understanding of psychological sex differences?

Empathizing and systemizing have recently been put forward as two important individual-difference dimensions, whose different mean levels in men and women are argued to account for many psychological sex differences. This paper presents a series of studies designed to investigate the reliability and validity of the empathizing and systemizing quotients (EQ & SQ), to relate them to existing personality constructs, and to replicate reported sex and sexual orientation-related differences. Correlations with interests and social behaviour suggest the two measures are valid. However, empathizing appears essentially equivalent to agreeableness in the five-factor model of personality. Systemizing cannot be reduced to established personality dimensions, though it is moderately correlated with conscientiousness and openness. Men have higher levels of systemizing than women, and non-heterosexual women higher than heterosexuals. However, no differences were found between heterosexual and non-heterosexual men. Although systemizing and empathizing account for a number of observed sex differences, there are others they do not explain.

(Re)making the Other, Heterosexualising Everyday Space

In this paper I develop conceptions of sexualised space as continually becoming by exploring the (re)creation of heterosexual spaces through the processes of power that hierarchise sexualities and how they are narrated. I seek to gain insights into the subtle operations of power between momentary enactments and stabilised manifestations of power. Central to this are the (invisiblised and unnamed) microlevel processes and the ‘common sense’ assumptions. In the empirical research I interrogate how twenty-eight nonheterosexual women discuss their experiences of eating in restaurant spaces to examine othering processes, rather than solely relying on categories of difference or named discriminations in theorising the (re)formation of spaces. From this it is possible to render the contingency of heterosexualised spaces visible, if reiterated and congealed in part (and para-doxically) through an absence of naming. I conclude by contending that focusing on (re)productive practices could expand our understandings of the hierarchical (re)construction of space.

A party with politics? (Re)making LGBTQ Pride spaces in Dublin and Brighton

This paper examines the politics of pleasure at the site of the carnival. Carnival spaces have long been celebrated as subversive where both sexualized and gender boundaries are contested and rendered contingent. The place and performance of ‘party’ in the spaces of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) Prides in Dublin and Brighton and Hove are the focus. Specifically, I address the parade through each city and the ‘party’ after this parade. Drawing on empirical research (221 self-reporting questionnaires undertaken by non-heterosexual women and qualitative research with forty-nine women) the paper examines the messy (re)constitution of Pride spaces through politics, fun and commercialization. I argue that the tensions between politics, the party and payment offer nuanced conceptualizations of Pride spaces in ‘liberal’ societies. Hedonistic Pride spaces, whilst challenging heteronormativity, are sites of fun. I argue they are best conceptualized as ‘parties with politics’, once again moving discussions of political action between the politics–party binary. In conclusion, I suggest that, alongside discussions of discriminations, abuse and prejudices, examinations of ‘sexual deviancy’ should include fun and partying in the performance of politics. Here, hedonism and enjoyment are read as central to a party with politics and thus the (re)constitution of sexed spaces, bodies and identities.

Relationship status and testosterone in North American heterosexual and non-heterosexual men and women: Cross-sectional and longitudinal data

Previous research has found that single heterosexual (Het) men have higher salivary testosterone (T) concentrations than partnered Het men. Here, we used both longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses to examine a more diverse population (n = 258) that included Het and non-heterosexual (Non-Het) women and men. Results showed that, for Het men (but not Het women) and Non-Het women (but not Non-Het men), baseline T was significantly lower in partnered than unpartnered individuals. Longitudinal analyses indicated that changes in partnered status were not associated with changes in testosterone concentrations; instead, women and men with lower T at baseline were significantly more likely to be partnered at follow-up. These findings thus suggest that partnered status is associated with stable, trait-level T values, rather than current state. Furthermore, the observed effect is limited to individuals (male or female) who are oriented toward female partners. The results are discussed in terms of evolutionary trade-offs between single and multiple partners, and the possibility of female choice and/or disinterest.

Fecal Matters: Habitus, Embodiments, and Deviance

This article examines fecal matters—namely, the social concerns that can accompany defecation and flatulence. Researching 172 university students, we show how aspects of the socio-cultural context as “embodied” in four groups of participants (heterosexual women and men and non-heterosexual women and men) mediate the operation of the “fecal habitus”—that part of culture that interprets and organizes fecal events (Inglis 2000). The study finds that the heterosexual women and the non-heterosexual men show the greatest commitment to the habitus and the heterosexual men the least. It provides some evidence that the non-heterosexual women also show a decreased commitment. Theoretical contributions show how the concept of embodiment can highlight everyday “social problems prevention work” by paying attention to the role of the different senses, the emotional components involved in bodily mishaps, gender discrimination and the privileging of male status, and the elaboration of stigma theory.