SWK 513 Ch13

Understanding Human Behavior and the Social
Environment
Eleventh Edition
Chapter 13
Sexual Orientation
and Gender Identity
Copyright © 2019 Cengage. All Rights Reserved.

Learning Objectives (1 of 2)
• LO 13-1 Explain sexual orientation and gender
identity (including concepts such as homosexuality,
bisexuality, and transgender people)
• LO 13-2 Review stereotypes about lesbian and gay
people
• LO 13-3 Discuss conceptual frameworks
concerning sexual orientation
• LO 13-4 Address discrimination and the impacts of
homophobia

Learning Objectives (2 of 2)
• LO 13-5 Describe lesbian and gay lifestyles
(including lesbian and gay relationships, sexual
interaction, gay pride, and empowerment and a
sense of community)
• LO 13-6 Explore significant issues and life events
for lesbian and gay people (including legal
empowerment, violence against them, coming out,
ethnicity, adolescence, parenting, aging, and
HIV/AIDS)
• LO 13-7 Recognize gay and lesbian pride,
empowerment, and a sense of community

LO 13-1 (1 of 3)
• Explain Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
– Dimensions of Sexuality
 It is a mistake to view sexuality as static and binary (i.e., male-
female, gay-heterosexual).
– Biological dimension
 This dimension refers to an individual’s chromosomal and
genital structure.
– Sexual Orientation Dimension
 This dimension refers to romantic and sexual attraction.
– Gender Dimension

LO 13-1 (2 of 3)
– The Fluidity of Sexuality
 Stereotypes refuse to take into account individual differences.
 They negate the value and integrity of the individual.
– What Does Being Gay/Lesbian Mean?
 Many people who are not lesbian or gay have traditionally used
the term gay to refer both to lesbians and gay men.
– Bisexual People
 Kinsey and his associates (1953) found that between 8 and 20
percent had had some type of same-sex intimate contact
between ages 20 and 35.
 A significantly smaller percentage of each group had exclusively
same-sex sexual experiences throughout their lifetimes.

LO 13-1 (3 of 3)
– Numbers of Lesbian and Gay People
 Based on Kinsey’s work, “many authors have used 10 percent
as the proportion of men who are gay.”
– Transgender Persons
 A transsexual is a person who has a persistent desire to
transition to living as, and being perceived as, the sex that is
consistent with his or her gender identity.
 Transgender persons are often subjected to extensive
discrimination.

LO 13-2
• Review Stereotypes About Lesbian and Gay
People
– Lesbian and gay people are not only the victims of
homophobia, but also the targets of derogatory,
inaccurate stereotypes.
• The Queen and the Butch
– Playing Male and Female Roles
– The Myth of Child Molesting

LO 13-3 (1 of 2)
• Discuss Conceptual Frameworks Concerning
Sexual Orientation
– Biological Theories
 The genetic explanation for same-sex sexual orientation
supports the idea that people’s sexuality is programmed
through their genes.
– Psychosocial Theories
 Psychosocial or behavioral theories suggest that same-sex
sexual behavior is learned, just as any other type of behavior is
learned.
– The Evaluation of Theory: What Is the Answer?

LO 13-3 (2 of 2)
– Interactionist Theory
 Many experts agree that gay/lesbian orientation probably
results from some mixture of both biological and psychosocial
variables.
– Ethical Issues Related to Theory
 Research indicates that sexual orientation develops very early
in life.
– Other Research on the Origins of Same-Sex Sexual
Orientation

LO 13-4
• Address Discrimination and the Impacts of
Homophobia
– Our common language is filled with, derogatory terms
referring to lesbian and gay people.
– It is not clear how homophobia originated.
– Some feel that the term homophobia is too strong
because the word phobia means “an intense and
persistent fear of an object or situation.”

LO 13-5
• Describe Lesbian and Gay Lifestyles
– Lesbians and gay men have lives that are just as varied
as those of heterosexuals.
– Lesbian and Gay Relationships
 Major social and legal obstacles do exist that prevent lesbian
and gay people from establishing long-term relationships.
– Sexual Interaction
 Many people find it hard to imagine what lesbian and gay
people do sexually.

LO 13-6 (1 of 3)
• Explore Significant Issues and Life Events for
Lesbian and Gay People
– Discrimination may frequently limit the alternatives
available to them.
• The Impacts of Social and Economic Forces: Legal
Empowerment and Social Justice
– LGBT people “suffer pervasive discrimination in
employment, housing, public accommodation,
education, medical care,” and a host of other avenues in
their everyday lives because they are not legally
protected.

LO 13-6 (2 of 3)
• Community Responses: Violence Against LGBT
People
– Coming Out
 Lesbian and gay people today usually become aware that they
are different from most others in terms of sexual orientation
before the age of 20.
– Ethnicity and Sexual Orientation
– Lesbian and Gay Adolescents
 Lesbian and gay adolescents have to deal with not only their
identity development in general but also their identities as
lesbians or gay males in a heterosexual world.

LO 13-6 (3 of 3)
– Empowering Lesbian and Gay Parents
– As Lesbians and Gay Men Age
– Social Work with LGBT People: Promoting Optimal Well-
Being
– Gay and Lesbian People and AIDS
 Any social worker who works with a gay or lesbian client needs
to be aware of the ramifications and emotional impacts AIDS
has had.

LO 13-7
• Recognize Gay and Lesbian Pride, Empowerment,
and a Sense of Community
– All people, gay, lesbian, and heterosexual, need places
to socialize, to feel free to be themselves, and to feel
that they belong
– Gay and lesbian pride and the sense of community are
important concepts

SWK 513 Ch13

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SWK 513 Ch13