What Do Women Want? - Discovering What Ignites Female Desire - NYTimes.com

What Do Women Want? - Discovering What Ignites Female Desire - NYTimes.com

All was different with the women. No matter what their self-proclaimed sexual orientation, they showed, on the whole, strong and swift genital arousal when the screen offered men with men, women with women and women with men. They responded objectively much more to the exercising woman than to the strolling man, and their blood flow rose quickly — and markedly, though to a lesser degree than during all the human scenes except the footage of the ambling, strapping man — as they watched the apes. And with the women, especially the straight women, mind and genitals seemed scarcely to belong to the same person.

Is bisexuality the same in men and women? | Psychology Today

Is bisexuality the same in men and women? | Psychology Today

There has been a lot of scientific and cultural interest lately in differences in the sexuality between men and women. For example, my colleague Dr. Meredith Chivers has been publishing some fascinating research showing major differences in the ways in which men and women experience sexual attractions. She has found that men are fairly specific in what turns them on sexually, whereas women in general have more flexibility. Men who identify as heterosexual become aroused when watching films of women but not men. Gay men tended to be aroused by films of men. This is very different with the women in her research. No matter how they identified in terms of their sexual orientation, they were more likely to show the same pattern of arousal to men, women, and both. Her research was featured in a New York Times Magazine cover story.

Largest national sex survey ever publishes highlights sexual behavior and condom use among Americans ages 14 to 94 | Psychology Today

Largest national sex survey ever publishes highlights sexual behavior and condom use among Americans ages 14 to 94 | Psychology Today

Readers of the Sexual Continuum blog may be most interested in the findings about same-sex behavior and sexual orientation. I created the graph below, which shows the percentage of individuals who identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual by age and gender. As shown, 3.3% of males between the ages of 14 and 17 identified as gay or bisexual, whereas 8.4% of girls in the same age group identified as bisexual. The numbers increased with age for men and decreased with age for women. Similar to many previous studies, more women identified as bisexual than lesbian, whereas more men identified as gay than bisexual. Some have suggested this indicates that sexual orientation is different in men and women, as reviewed in one of my previous blog posts.

It Gets Better Project | Take the It Gets Better pledge

It Gets Better Project | Take the It Gets Better pledge

Take the pledge and help spread our message of hope. It Gets Better.

THE PLEDGE: Everyone deserves to be respected for who they are. I pledge to spread this message to my friends, family and neighbors. I'll speak up against hate and intolerance whenever I see it, at school and at work. I'll provide hope for lesbian, gay, bi, trans and other bullied teens by letting them know that "It Gets Better."

Is the 'Bullying Epidemic' a Media Myth? - Newsweek

Is the 'Bullying Epidemic' a Media Myth? - Newsweek

A decade ago a cruel classmate might have simply taunted Clementi for being gay or kissing a man, or perhaps described seeing them together. That could be upsetting enough. But now, a Webcam allowed Clementi's roommate, Dharun Ravi, to post the video live—Clementi's sexual life was instant fodder for potential campuswide mockery. And it was far too easy to gather: Ravi simply turned on his computer remotely, and saw Clementi kissing another man. On Sept. 19, he tweeted "Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay." In the new world, even the alleged suicide note became a piece of social media when Clementi wrote on his Facebook page "Jumping off the gw bridge sorry."

Is the 'Bullying Epidemic' a Media Myth? - Newsweek

Is the 'Bullying Epidemic' a Media Myth? - Newsweek

It's not that bullying isn't a problem, particularly for kids who are gay, lesbian, or transgender. Research shows it affects one in five American students each year, and nine in 10 LGBT students, according to the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network. It is also known to increase levels of depression—and, thus, suicide. (Though teen suicide rates are down since 2004, according to the CDC, LGBT kids are four times more likely to commit it.)

2007 National School Climate Survey: Nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT Students Harassed

2007 National School Climate Survey: Nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT Students Harassed

The survey of 6,209 middle and high school students found that nearly 9 out of 10 LGBT students (86.2%) experienced harassment at school in the past year, three-fifths (60.8%) felt unsafe at school because of their sexual orientation and about a third (32.7%) skipped a day of school
in the past month because of feeling unsafe.

That's So Gay - Wanda Sykes

That's So Gay - Wanda Sykes

FOXNews.com - Lawsuit Claims College Ordered Student to Alter Religious Views on Homosexuality, Or Be Dismissed

FOXNews.com - Lawsuit Claims College Ordered Student to Alter Religious Views on Homosexuality, Or Be Dismissed

"[Augusta State University] faculty have promised to expel Miss Keeton from the graduate Counselor Education Program not because of poor academic showing or demonstrated deficiencies in clinical performance, but simply because she has communicated both inside and outside the classroom that she holds to Christian ethical convictions on matters of human sexuality and gender identity," the 43-page lawsuit reads.

News: The New Clash of Rights - Inside Higher Ed

News: The New Clash of Rights - Inside Higher Ed

Now a new issue is emerging that involves a similar set of players and issues: public universities, anti-bias rules, and the rights of gay people and Christian students. On Tuesday, a federal judge upheld the right of a counseling program at Eastern Michigan University to kick out a master's student who declined to counsel gay clients in an affirming way -- as required by the university program and counseling associations. The judge found that the university was enforcing a legitimate curricular requirement -- namely that counseling students learn to work with all kinds of clients in ways that did not judge their values or orientations.

Paula Rodriguez Rust - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paula Rodriguez Rust - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Paula Claire Rodriguez Rust (born 1959) is an American sociologist who studies sexual orientation, especially bisexuality.[1] Rust is author of Bisexuality in the United States and Bisexuality and the Challenge to Lesbian Politics: Sex, Loyalty, and Revolution.[2]

Christian Counselors Claim Discrimination over Gays, Religion Today Persecution News

Christian Counselors Claim Discrimination over Gays, Religion Today Persecution News

Julea Ward, a conservative Christian student at Eastern Michigan University, was a few credits away from finishing her master's degree in counseling in 2009 when she was assigned a student who had previously been counseled about a homosexual relationship.

"She went to her supervisor and said, `I may not be the best person for this particular client," said Jeremy Tedesco, Ward's attorney, who has advised his client not to speak publicly about the case.

Ward was later brought up on disciplinary charges, and eventually dismissed from Eastern Michigan for violating the American Counseling Association's Code of Ethics and demonstrating an unwillingness to change her behavior.

Perry v. Schwarzenegger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Perry v. Schwarzenegger - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Kristin M. Perry v. Arnold Schwarzenegger is a federal lawsuit decided by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California that challenged the federal constitutional validity of California's Proposition 8. The court found that Proposition 8 violated the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause of the Fifth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, respectively, effectively rendering it unconstitutional on August 4, 2010.

YouTube - After Calif. Same-Sex Marriage Ruling, What's Ahead Legally for Both Sides?

YouTube - After Calif. Same-Sex Marriage Ruling, What's Ahead Legally for Both Sides?

Evo Morales: 'Chicken causes baldness and homosexuality' | La Plaza | Los Angeles Times

Evo Morales: 'Chicken causes baldness and homosexuality' | La Plaza | Los Angeles Times

If you don't want to end up bald or gay, don't eat chicken, says Bolivian President Evo Morales. Speaking at an environmental conference this week in Cochabamba, Bolivia, (officially titled the World People's Conference on Climate Change and the Rights of Mother Earth) Morales told attendees in an inaugural address that chicken producers inject female hormones into the fowl, "and because of that, men who consume them have problems being men."

It turns out, people like gays and lesbians more than they like homosexuals:

Sociological Images » Seeing is Believing

A recent CBS/New York Times poll reveals how words matter. They asked 500 respondents how they felt about permitting “homosexuals” to serve in the military; then they asked a different 500 how they felt about “gays/lesbians” serving in the military. It turns out, people like gays and lesbians more than they like homosexuals:

BBC News - Glee triumphs at gay media awards

BBC News - Glee triumphs at gay media awards

US musical TV series Glee has been named best comedy series at the Glaad media awards in the US for its positive portrayal of gay characters.

Creator Ryan Murphy revealed that Kurt, played by actor Chris Colfer, would have a boyfriend in the next series and the pair would be school prom kings.

Jennifer Knapp Comes Out | Music | Christianity Today

Jennifer Knapp Comes Out | Music | Christianity Today

Seven years ago, while at the top of her game, Jennifer Knapp announced what seemed to many a sudden decision: She was stepping away from Christian music, taking an indefinite hiatus. Rumors began to swirl—she was burned out, she needed a rest, she was upset about something, she was gay. Turns out that all the rumors were true, as Knapp reveals in this rambling, exclusive interview with Christianity Today.

On the Outs | The American Prospect

On the Outs | The American Prospect

But it's worth stepping away from the cable-news chyrons and juvenile jokes to ask: Who are we really shaming when we mock politicians who are outed as gay? Are we training a spotlight on how America is still so homophobic that politicians in many areas of the country must keep their gay identities under wraps? Or are we doing the opposite and actively fueling a broader, more pernicious narrative that being gay is something to be ashamed of?

Acceptance of Gay People in Military Grows Dramatically

Acceptance of Gay People in Military Grows Dramatically - washingtonpost.com

Seventy-five percent of Americans in a new Washington Post-ABC News poll said gay people who are open about their sexual orientation should be allowed to serve in the U.S. military, up from 62 percent in early 2001 and 44 percent in 1993.