Same-sex Intimate Relationships Research Articles

Demographic characteristics, torture experiences, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among asylum seekers and refugees persecuted for same-sex behaviors.

Increasingly, lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals are fleeing the 67 countries that criminalize consensual same-sex intimate relationships, seeking asylum in countries such as the United States. Minority stress theory posits that compared with non-LGB refugees and asylum seekers (RAS), LGB RAS are likely to face persecution, rejection, and discrimination and have a higher risk of experiencing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. This study assessed differences in sociodemographic characteristics, persecution experiences, and mental health outcomes among 959 RAS persecuted for same-sex behavior (pLGB RAS) who presented for care and social services at the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights. Data were derived from intake interviews with RAS clients that elicited torture experiences and assessed PTSD symptoms using the Short Screening Scale for PTSD. Over 11% of the total sample were pLGB RAS. Compared with non-pLGB RAS, pLGB RAS reported higher PTSD symptom levels, β = .08, p = .031; more difficulty loving others, d = 0.13, p < .001; and feeling more isolated, d = 0.10, p = .005. pLGB RAS reported more persecution, d = 0.31, p = .002; physical assaults, d = 0.22, p = .029; and psychological assaults, d = 0.20, p = .047; and were more likely to be asylum seekers, d = 0.11, p = .001, and have experienced persecution in Uganda, d = 0.39, p < .001, and other countries that criminalize same-sex acts, d = 0.26, p < .001. More research is needed to understand clinical outcomes and implications of treatment for this population.

A Duty of Support for All South African Unmarried Intimate Partners Part I

The democratic Constitutional dispensation has led to the gradual extension of spousal duties of support to unmarried couples who hitherto could not legally claim support from their partners or from third parties who had unlawfully caused the death of their partners. The new recipients of rights to support can be divided into three groups: wives in Muslim religious marriages, partners in same-sex intimate relationships and unmarried opposite sex cohabitants whose relationships closely resemble civil marriage in both form and function. However, certain distinctive features of customary marriage, the continuing consequences of apartheid policies for African families and certain distinctive patrilineal features of traditional African families have largely excluded African women – who constitute the largest and most economically vulnerable group of women – from the benefits of these developments. Part one of this two-part article analyses the trajectory of the developing right to support intimate partnerships which appears to be based either on marriage (in the case of Muslim marriages) or similarity to marriage, including monogamy and permanent co-residence in the case of same-sex and opposite sex partners. This leaves no room to extend rights to unmarried intimate partners whose relationships do not fit the template of civil marriage, and, in particular, excludes many disadvantaged African women from obtaining legal rights to support from their relationships.&#x0D; &#x0D;

The Sexual in Chinese Sociology: Homosexuality Studies in Contemporary China

Through a meta-literature review, this paper examines the changing contours of Chinese sociology of homosexuality in contemporary China. It unfolds the different theoretical orientations and methodologies that construct the modern male homosexual subject under major socio-economic and political changes. Chinese sociology of homosexuality started in the reform era and has been dominated by Western knowledge production and the political ideology of the communist party-state. Fused with the bio-medical model and the state's modernization project in the 1980s–1990s, the sociological study adopted a functionalist and positivistic approach with survey-based methodology in the main which focused on the etiology of homosexuality. A new transnational knowledge production of sociology of homosexuality has formed since the 2000s which has shifted towards a constructivist/ post-structuralist approach and reflexive qualitative methodology. The new sociological study examines the rise of male (as well as female) homosexual identity in China, questions the hetero/homosexual binary and discusses how an individual makes sense of homosexual identity to form same-sex intimate relationships. By tracing the epistemology of homosexuality in contemporary China, this paper rethinks the dominance of the Western construction and the role of the state in shaping the knowledge of homosexuality and proposes alternative spaces for theorizing Chinese sexual identities, desires and practices.

A Case Study of Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy for Combat-Related PTSD in a Same-Sex Military Couple

Military deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan are associated with increased risk for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and relationship impairment. Unfortunately, the perceived stigma associated with seeking deployment-related behavioral health care in military settings has been a significant barrier to care. Historically, active-duty military service members involved in same-sex intimate relationships have experienced further stressors and barriers to care related to additional stigma and lack of social support. Prior federal regulations excluded sexual minorities from openly serving in the military, thereby limiting the available behavioral health services for same-sex couples. Since this ban was lifted after the repeal of the U.S. policy known as "Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" in 2010, gay and lesbian service members have increased opportunities to obtain behavioral health care. One therapy that is newly available to sexual minority military couples is Cognitive-Behavioral Conjoint Therapy (CBCT), which effectively addresses co-occurring PTSD and relationship dysfunction. This case study illustrates the use of CBCT for the treatment of deployment-related PTSD in a same-sex active-duty military couple. After completing all 15 CBCT sessions, the couple reported clinically meaningful changes in the service member’s PTSD symptoms, which was maintained at the 2-month follow-up. The results of this case study indicate that CBCT for PTSD can have positive treatment outcomes with military same-sex couples. Further clinical implications are discussed.

Are same-sex relationships anti-family?: Investigating relationship stability among interracial gay partners in South Africa

One of the main heteronormative beliefs, especially in South Africa, is that same-sex partners do not enjoy stable relationships and that their relationships are often consciously short-term and lack enduring forms of commitment. The last three decades have witnessed the production of some studies (mostly in Europe and America) on same-sex intimate relationships and familial arrangements. Most of these studies compared same-sex and heterosexual relationships. Past studies found some similarities between love and satisfaction in heterosexual and same-sex intimate relationships. In this regard, this study examined relationships stability and satisfaction ingredients among interracial gay partners living in selected Johannesburg suburbs. This study is based on an eight-month qualitative study among 10 interracial gay partners living in some selected Johannesburg suburbs. Data were collected through in-depth interviews from 10 interracial gay men (comprising 20 men who are between 23 and 58 years at the time of the research) in intimate relationships. This study finds that relationship stability and satisfaction was linked to effective communication, trust and equity as the main elements of the interracial gay partnerships. Gay men in this study have similar desires for close intimate bonds and stable households – and adopt numerous resilience strategies to ensure that these relationships remain intact. This contradicts the general stereotype that gay men are anti-family and averse to monogamy. In line with the exchange theory, participants’ exchange of intangible resources, such as trust and effective communication, are associated with their satisfaction and relationship stability.

Risk and Protective Factors of Same-Sex Intimate Partner Violence in Hong Kong

Numerous studies have assessed risk and protective factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) among heterosexual couples around the globe. Nevertheless, few have addressed the same issue among same-sex couples, especially in cultures where same-sex intimate relationships have gained little acceptance. This exploratory study evaluated the substantial risk and protective factors for same-sex IPV based on gender-neutral theories. Three hundred and six Hong Kong residents who have been in a same-sex romantic relationship completed a web-based questionnaire. Logistic regression analyses indicated that relationship conflict and poor anger management were risk factors both of psychological and physical perpetration. Dominance and substance abuse were respectively associated with psychological aggression and physical battering despite their small effect sizes. Psychological aggression was also found to mediate the relationship between conflict and physical assault, and that between anger management and physical assault. Interventions related to the array of risk and protective factors were discussed and recommended.

Homophobia, Heteronormativism and Hegemonic Masculinity: Male Same-Sex Intimate Violence from the Perspective of Brisbane Service Providers

Few studies have explored the problem of male same-sex intimate partner violence, especially in the context of Australia. Utilizing in-depth interviews with gay-friendly service providers in Brisbane, the research presented in this article sought to ascertain whether (a) intimate partner violence occurs in male same-sex intimate relationships, (b) if so, what form this violence takes, (c) what contextual triggers underpin this violence, (d) what barriers victims face in exiting abusive relationships and seeking support, and (e) what services are available and appropriate to the needs of men in violent intimate relationships with other men. Results suggest that the prevalence, types and contextual triggers of violence in male same-sex relationships parallel abuse in opposite-sex relationships. Heteronormativism, homophobia, and its close association with hegemonic masculinity, however, emerge as features unique to the male same-sex intimate partner violence experience.

‘‘My Ever Dear’’

Same-sex intimate relationships were central to the lives of many of social work’s early women leaders. Recognizing these relationships is important to address the erasure of sexuality in the profession’s historical record and to give sexual minority social workers access to their history. This article explores conceptual issues in lesbian historical scholarship, describes the same-sex relationships of four remarkable social workers—Jane Addams, Mary Richmond, Jessie Taft, and Virginia Robinson—and calls for further research in this area.

Desiring Mates

SUMMARY The discourse of gay liberation reads silence surrounding personal participation in same-sex sexualized pleasures as a sign of repression, oppression and a positioning in the closet. In contrast, coming out is an important step towards accepting one's true homosexual self. The demand for the emancipation of the homosexual type further suggests that all same-sex sexualized contact signifies the homosexuality of the subjects involved, regardless of whether they recognize this or not. This compulsory homosexualization of men who have sexualized contact with men does not apply to relationships between male friends (“mates”). A “mateship” union grants a level of privacy otherwise eradicated by a gay liberation movement insistent on the public confession of a homosexual orientation. To remain silent about corporeal pleasures poses a threat to the modernist preference for control of bodies and to the established gay identity. Silence offers a space for the construction of new modes of same-sex intimate relationships within a queer framework.

Prevalence of partner violence in same-sex romantic and sexual relationships in a national sample of adolescents

Purpose To present the first national prevalence estimates of psychological and physical intimate partner violence between adolescents in same-sex relationships. Methods Analyses focus on 117 adolescents aged 12–21 years (50% female) from Wave II of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health who reported exclusively same-sex romantic or sexual relationships in the 18 months before interview. Items from the Conflict Tactics Scale were used to measure partner violence victimization. Data analysis included computation of prevalence estimates and a logistic regression analysis to assess associations between sociodemographic characteristics and violence victimization. Results Almost one-quarter of adolescents with same-sex romantic or sexual partners reported some type of partner violence victimization; about 1 in 10 reported physical victimization. Significant sex differences were found (OR = .29, CI = 0.08, 1.00), with males being less likely than females to report “any violence.” Of six other sociodemographic characteristics examined, importance of religion (OR = .27, CI = 0.07–1.07) and school size (OR = .32, CI = 0.09–1.11) were associated with victimization at the p < .10 level. Adolescents who reported that religion was important to them and adolescents who attended larger schools were at lower risk of “any violence.” Conclusions As with opposite-sex relationships, psychological and minor physical violence victimization is common among adolescents involved in same-sex intimate relationships. Males reporting exclusively same-sex relationships were less likely than females to report experiencing the violence behaviors examined.

Same-Sex Sexual Desire and the Re-Imagining of the South African Family

Many individuals who form same-sex intimate relationships argue that the social and legal protection associated with heterosexual marriage should be extended to their relationships. This is understandable because marriage in South Africa remains the focal point for the protection and regulation of the interests of individuals who engage in intimate relationships of any kind. However, merely extending marriage rights to same-sex couples whose relationships mirror the idealised heterosexual norm will be problematic. Because of homophobia and prejudice many individuals in same-sex intimate relationships will not be able to freely ‘choose’ to get married. Others will form intimate relationships that will not be recognised because they will be insufficiently similar to the traditional heterosexual notion of marriage. Those who do not marry will therefore once again be marginalised and the law will once again fail to protect the weaker and more vulnerable partners in such relationships. The early case law of the Constitutional Court recognised that the right to substantive equality entails a right to equal concern and respect across difference and thus hinted that not only marriage-like intimate same-sex relationships, but also non-traditional forms of suchrelationsh ips should be constitutionally protected and respected. However, later judgments seem to suggest that intimate relationships that stray too far from the model of traditional heterosexual marriage, are less worthy of respect and protection. This narrow conception of what constitutes worthy intimate relationships is deeply problematic, not only for individuals in non traditional same-sex relationships but also for the millions of individuals in different-sex relationships who are not married, because it marginalises them and fails to extend legal protection to some of the most vulnerable members of society. The legal regulation of intimate relationships should therefore completely move away from the marriage model and should instead be based on a functional model which takes account of the unequal power relations in intimate relationships.