DOCSLIB.ORG

Master Reference

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Master Reference Master Same-sex attraction in homophobic men: The role of impulsive processes GUERRA MENESES, Adrianne Abstract While the underlying causes of homophobia are not fully understood, one theory claims it stems from an unconscious or denied attraction to the same-sex. A study by Adams, Wright, and Lohr (1996) found evidence of this same-sex attraction in homophobic men, but other studies have shown mixed results. Drawing on dual-process models, this study tested the assumption that in homophobic men, sexual interest in homosexual stimuli depends on their specific impulses towards these stimuli. Thirty-eight heterosexual men (Mage = 22 years, SD= 4.74) first completed a questionnaire measuring negative attitudes towards homosexuals. Impulsive tendencies to approach homosexual stimuli (IAH) were then evaluated via a manikin task. Next, participants completed a picture-viewing task with simultaneous eye-tracking recording to assess viewing time of visual areas of interest (i.e., face and body). In our main hypothesis, we expected that in highly homophobic men, IAH would predict viewing time of pictures of homosexual couples, but not of heterosexual couples. Overall, the results of the linear mixed model analyses supported this hypothesis: [...] Reference GUERRA MENESES, Adrianne. Same-sex attraction in homophobic men: The role of impulsive processes. Master : Univ. Genève, 2015 Available at: http://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:81099 Disclaimer: layout of this document may differ from the published version. 1 / 1 Same-sex attraction in homophobic men: The role of impulsive processes MÉMOIRE RÉALISÉ EN VUE DE L’OBTENTION DE LA MAÎTRISE UNIVERSITAIRE EN PSYCHOLOGIE ORIENTATIONS PSYCHOLOGIE COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGIE CLINIQUE PAR Adrianne Guerra Meneses DIRECTEUR DU MEMOIRE Julien Chanal Co-directeur Boris Cheval JURY Boris Cheval Julien Chanal Roland Maurer GENÈVE, décembre 2015 UNIVERSITÉ DE GENÈVE FACULTÉ DE PSYCHOLOGIE ET DES SCIENCES DE L’ÉDUCATION SECTION PSYCHOLOGIE Acknowledgements I would like to express my sincere gratitude to all the people who have made this work possible. I would first like to thank my supervisor, Boris Cheval, for his invaluable guidance and encouragement throughout the entire process. Next, I would like to thank Julien Chanal and Roland Maurer for taking the time to read and evaluate my work. I would also like to thank my research partner, Gwendoline Peyratout, for her 2 years of collaboration. Last but not least, a special thanks to Duarte for his unconditional and endless support. Abstract While the underlying causes of homophobia are not fully understood, one theory claims it stems from an unconscious or denied attraction to the same-sex. A study by Adams, Wright, and Lohr (1996) found evidence of this same-sex attraction in homophobic men, but other studies have shown mixed results. Drawing on dual-process models, this study tested the assumption that in homophobic men, sexual interest in homosexual stimuli depends on their specific impulses towards these stimuli. Thirty-eight heterosexual men (Mage = 22 years, SD= 4.74) first completed a questionnaire measuring negative attitudes towards homosexuals. Impulsive tendencies to approach homosexual stimuli (IAH) were then evaluated via a manikin task. Next, participants completed a picture-viewing task with simultaneous eye-tracking recording to assess viewing time of visual areas of interest (i.e., face and body). In our main hypothesis, we expected that in highly homophobic men, IAH would predict viewing time of pictures of homosexual couples, but not of heterosexual couples. Overall, the results of the linear mixed model analyses supported this hypothesis: homophobic men looked significantly longer at homosexual pictures only when they had a high IAH. Table of Contents 1. Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Homophobia ................................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 Dual-process models of behavior ............................................................................................... 3 1.2.1 The impulsive or hot system ................................................................................................. 3 1.2.2 The reflective or cool system ................................................................................................ 4 1.2.3 Measuring impulsive and reflective precursors of behavior ................................................. 5 1.2.4 Interactions between the two systems ................................................................................... 6 1.2.5 The present study .................................................................................................................. 7 2. Method .................................................................................................................................. 8 2.1 Participants ................................................................................................................................. 8 2.2 Materials and Procedure ............................................................................................................ 9 2.2.1 Sexual Orientation ................................................................................................................. 9 2.2.2 Modern Homonegativity Scale (MHS) ................................................................................. 9 2.2.3 Manikin Task....................................................................................................................... 10 2.2.4 Picture Viewing Task .......................................................................................................... 12 2.3 Data analyses ............................................................................................................................. 13 3. Results ................................................................................................................................. 13 3.1 Descriptive Statistics ................................................................................................................. 13 3.2 Results ........................................................................................................................................ 14 3.2.1 Results of viewing time analyses ........................................................................................ 14 3.2.2. Results of analyses on explicit evaluation .......................................................................... 16 4. Discussion............................................................................................................................ 18 5. References ........................................................................................................................... 23 6. Appendices .......................................................................................................................... 27 1 1. Introduction 1.1 Homophobia In 1973 the American Psychiatric Association declassified homosexuality as a mental disorder and removed it from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM; Drescher, 2010). Just one year prior, Weinberg coined the term homophobia, which he defined as “the dread of being in close quarters with homosexuals – and in the case of homosexuals themselves, self- loathing” (as cited in Cullen & Barnes-Holmes, 2008). These two events reflect the beginning of a shift, not only within the mental health community, but a societal one as well, with a general trend of increasing liberalization of explicit attitudes towards homosexuality since the 1970s (Cullen & Barnes-Holmes, 2008). As homosexuality became more accepted by the mainstream, it was no longer the homosexuals themselves who were the problem, but rather those who feared them. The concept defined by Weinberg has spurred extensive research over the years, with over 2,700 citations returned by a search of the term “homophobia” in the PsychInfo database as of October 2015. However, the term is not consistently defined from study to study, with many studies including negative attitudes toward homosexuality in their definition, a usage criticized by those who argue that these attitudes do not necessarily arise from fear (Rye & Meaney, 2010; Smith, Oades, & McCarthy, 2012), but may, for example, result from strong religious or political beliefs (Herek, 2004). Others have questioned the validity of homophobia as an actual phobia, generally defined as a strong or irrational fear of something, and clinically defined in the most current edition of the DSM as an intense fear or anxiety about a particular object or situation (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). As a result of these objections, alternative terms have been proposed, such as homonegativity, heterosexism, and sexual prejudice. In particular, Hudson and Ricketts (1980) recommended using homonegativity to describe negative reactions to homosexuality in general, while reserving the term homophobia to those cases in which individuals experience more irrational, emotional responses such as “fear, disgust, anger, discomfort, and aversion”. Despite these attempts at differentiation, literature searches of homophobia and associated terms have found no clear consensus on the exact definition of individual terms and a similarity between terms which can render them practically indistinguishable
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Mario Mieli, an Italian, Came to London in 1971 As a Student and Joined the Gay Liberation Front
    I : ' ! L. ' m�ttiOI rhielii: I I Lj l . , 1 . :. , , , , , , . , . , " . , rt1 . · . +: ' 1h��6�eXuality{ '& ! : 1,1 : ;-- i i � . ; ; : ' : j I : l 1 __: : ; l �- · · : . b L +-+I : · · ·Lr - · · rat11ri-"'- r1 · 1 · · �� �'0�. ; . ; .. i ! ··'--!- l . ! � I I .l ' I W1�1�fs i 1 '.I �f 9aY .J� .�I• I - i � . · I . _I l. ! ! � ; 'i .Ii I i -1 . :. .J _ J I ; i i i ! I . : I li ' i I L -1-- ) I i i i 1 __ I ... ! I I_ . ; � - Gay Men's Press is an independent publishing project intending to produce books relevant to the male gay movement and to promote the ideas of gay liberation. Mario Mieli, an Italian, came to London in 1971 as a student and joined the Gay Liberation Front. The following year he returned to Italy, where he helped to found FUORJ!, the radicaJ gay movement and magazine, in which he has remained active for many years. mario mieli homosexuality and liberation elements of a gay critique translated by david fernbach GAY MEN'S PHESS LONDON First published in Great Britain 1980 by Gay Men's Press Copyright© 1977 Giulio Einaudi editori s.p.a., Turin, Italy Translation, Introduction and English edition Copyright © 1980 Gay Men's Press, 27 Priory Avenue, London N8 7RN. British LibraryCataloguing in Publication Data Mieli, Mario Homosexuality and Liberation. 1 .Homosexuality I. Title 300 HQ76.8.US ISBN O 907040 01 2 Typeset by Range Left Photosetters, London Cover printed by Spider Web Offset, London Printed and bound in Great Britain by A. Wheaton and Company Limited, Exeter Introduction by David Fernbach 7 Preface 18 Chapter One: Homosexual Desire is Universal 21 The Gay Movement Against Oppression 1.
    [Show full text]
  • A Psychodynamic View of Male Homosexuality
    A PSYCHODYNAMIC VIEW OF MALE HOMOSEXUALITY: OEDIPAL AND PRE-OEDIPAL Marianne Wilson, B.A., B.A.(Hons) A minor dissertationUniversity submitted in ofpartial Cape fulfilment Town of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology University of Cape Town October 1987 ' ·- l ~ The copyright of this thesis vests in the author. No quotation from it or information derived from it is to be published without full acknowledgement of the source. The thesis is to be used for private study or non- commercial research purposes only. Published by the University of Cape Town (UCT) in terms of the non-exclusive license granted to UCT by the author. University of Cape Town ABSTRACT For many years psychodynami cally oriented research into homosexuality has been a topic for controversy. The "gay" community as well as many more social ogi cally oriented researchers see any i nves ti gati on of the psychodynamics of this orientation as implying pathology and therefore contributing to stigmatization of homosexuals. More recently, however, psychoanalytic writers have questioned traditional assumptions and pointed to a need to look at ·the diversity of homosexual adaptations. Of interest in a more recent perspective is Socarides I (1979) classification, distinguishing between pre-oedipal and oedipal types of homosexuals. This paper argues that while generalization about "homosexuals" is impossible, a psychodynamic approach is useful in looking at the meaning and adaptive function of the homosexual orientation in each individual client and thus understand it in relation to personality organization and behaviour. A brief summary of psychoanalytic theory of male homosexuality is given with an emphasis on Socarides 1 classification.
    [Show full text]
  • The Representation of Sexuality in Nineteenth Century Literature
    Finding Queer Street: The Representation of Sexuality in Nineteenth-Century Literature Research Thesis Presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for graduation with research distinction in English in the undergraduate colleges of The Ohio State University by Marianne Manzler The Ohio State University June 2012 Project Advisor: Professor Clare Simmons, Department of English Manzler | 2 ABSTRACT This thesis explores the polarized treatment of sexuality from the beginning to the end of the nineteenth century through the works of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. By examining the exclusion of normal roles of women and the homosexual undertones present within these novels, we may begin to broaden our understanding of sexuality and its role in the nineteenth century, particularly in Britain. My approach to analyzing these texts is integrally tied to the context of the culture that produced it. Fully understanding history, philosophy, and politics gives my research a unique perspective to the literary decisions made in Mary Shelley and Robert Louis Stevenson’s works. By juxtaposing the works of both these authors, this interdisciplinary research investigates how sexuality was coded and ultimately, how writing has shaped the political, familial, and socio- identities of that time period. Manzler | 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... 2 Introduction ....................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • The Science Facts on Same-Sex Attractions
    The Science Facts on Same-sex Attractions In the past twenty years, science has come to understand same-sex attractions. It has been proven that you are not “born that way”. In the battle between nature and nurture, the latter has won. The following articles have been published on the website exgaycalling.com between 2016 and 2017 on the subject. They are stand-alone articles and can be read in any order. 01 Change in Sexual Orientation 2 02 Homosexuality is not caused by genes 4 03 People are not 'born that way' 14 04 APA proves people can change 26 05 Science Facts On Sexual Fluidity 30 06 Homosexuality is not a genetic condition 40 07 The 'gay genes' researchers won't give up 44 08 The false notion of 'sexual orientation' 55 09 Scientific Facts On SSA's 62 10 More Scientific Facts On SSA's 70 11 Narth report on psychotherapy for SSA's 80 12 Final bell tolls for the 'born that way' theory 83 13 The Mayer and McHugh report 2016 88 14 Mayer and McHugh, policy implications 92 15 Summary book, My Genes Made Me Do It 99 CHANGE IN SEXUAL ORIENTATION Huge amounts of impartial scientific evidence now make it clear that homosexuality is not biologically hard-wired and that change is possible. In New Zealand dr Neil E. Whitehead, PhD, looked for more than twenty years into 10.000 scientific pa- pers and publications on homosexuality. His book “My Genes Made Me Do It!” (2013) takes a posi- tion based on objective and thorough research.
    [Show full text]
  • Claudia Santos Mayer TROUBLING QUEER METRONORMATIVITY in LATIN AMERICAN CONTEXTS: INTERSECTIONALITY in MADAME SATÃ, XXY, and P
    Claudia Santos Mayer TROUBLING QUEER METRONORMATIVITY IN LATIN AMERICAN CONTEXTS: INTERSECTIONALITY IN MADAME SATÃ, XXY, AND PELO MALO Tese submetida ao Programa de Pós-Graduação em Inglês: Estudos Linguísticos e Literários da Universi- dade Federal de Santa Catarina para a obtenção do grau de Doutora em Inglês: Estudos Literários e Culturais Orientadora: Prof. Dra. Eliana de Souza Ávila Florianópolis 2017 Ficha de identificação da obra elaborada pelo autor, através do Programa de Geração Automática da Biblioteca Universitária da UFSC. Mayer, Claudia Troubling Queer Metronormativity in Latin American Contexts : Intersectionality in Madame Satã, XXY, and Pelo Malo / Claudia Mayer ; orientadora, Eliana de Souza Ávila Florianópolis, SC, 2017. 172 p. Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão. Programa de Pós Graduação em Inglês: Estudos Linguísticos e Literários. Inclui referências 1. Inglês: Estudos Linguísticos e Literários. 2. Metronormatividade. 3. Cinema Latino Americano. 4. Decolonialidade. 5. Interseccionalidade. I. de Souza Ávila, Eliana. II. Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Inglês: Estudos Linguísticos e Literários. III. Título. INSERIR FOLHA DE ASSINATURAS I dedicate this study to all of us who defend our right to free access to education and information. Always share. Acknowledgements A dear friend recently told me that getting a doctoral degree is not only about studying hard and writing a dissertation, but mostly about surviving this whole process. Writing this dissertation taught me much about the world in which I live and who I am in this world; it taught me a lot about how to survive to/in this world. My thanks to my Advisor Eliana for all I have learned from and with her.
    [Show full text]
  • Homosexuality Anxiety: a Misunderstood Symptom Of
    In: Leading-Edge Health Education Issues ISBN 978-1-60021-874-3 Editor: Lennard V. Sebeki, pp. 195-205 © 2008 Nova Science Publishers, Inc. Chapter VII Homosexuality Anxiety: A Misunderstood Form of OCD Monnica Williams University of Virginia, Department of Psychology Abstract Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) involves unwanted thoughts and repetitive behaviors that can be highly distressing and disabling. Obsessive themes typically center on contamination, illness, worries about disaster, orderliness, and loss of control. Sexual obsessions are a common form of OCD, but it is not known how many of those with sexual obsessions experience homosexuality anxiety – an obsessive fear related to homosexual feelings, thoughts, or images. The phenomenology of OCD-related homosexuality anxiety is described and contrasted with an ambivalent homosexual orientation. Examples of OCD homosexuality anxiety are provided from on online OCD support forum. Mental health professionals who are unfamiliar with OCD may mistakenly attribute symptoms to a sexual identity crisis, resulting in greater distress and confusion in the patient. It is important that clinicians properly identify and treat this manifestation of OCD. More research is needed to quantify the prevalence of homosexuality anxiety and how to best tailor treatment. Keywords: obsessive-compulsive disorder, homosexuality, anxiety, assessment, sexual obsessions, HOCD, homophobia. About OCD Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a psychiatric disorder that can cause severe distress, disability, and social impairment. Obsessions are unwanted, recurrent, disturbing thoughts that the person cannot suppress and which can cause overwhelming anxiety. 196 Monnica Williams Compulsions are repetitive, ritualized behaviors that the person feels driven to perform to alleviate the anxiety of the obsessions.
    [Show full text]
  • APA Handbook Born That Way Not True 16-9-21 Haynes Update
    APA on Sexual Orientation Laura Haynes, Ph.D. Page 1! THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION SAYS BORN-THAT-WAY-AND- CAN’T-CHANGE IS NOT TRUE OF SEXUAL ORIENTATION AND GENDER IDENTITY By Laura A. Haynes, Ph.D., California Psychologist. 9/27/2016. Contact: www.laurahaynesphd.com. In its “Series Preface,” the APA Handbook on Sexuality and Psychology (American Psy- chological Association, 2014) states, With the imprimatur of the largest scientific and professional orga- nization representing psychology in the United States and the largest as- sociation of psychologists in the world, and with content edited and au- thored by some of its most respected members, the APA Handbooks in Psychology series will be the indispensable and authoritative reference resource to turn to for researchers, instructors, practitioners, and field leaders alike. (p. xvi). The American Psychological Association (APA) could not confer any higher authority on the APA Handbook of Sexuality and Psychology than it does, bestowing its “imprimatur” and calling it “authoritative.” In the APA Hand- book, the American Psychological Association itself is now saying that born-that-way-and-can’t-change’ is not true. In addition, Dr. Lisa Diamond, a self-avowed lesbian, is co-editor-in-chief of the Handbook, and she authors and co-authors chapters in it. She qualifies as one of the APA’s “most respected members.” In her APA Handbook chapters where she is speaking for the APA itself, in her own book, and in a YouTube lecture, she says sexual orientation does not come in two types—exclusively homosex- ual and exclusively heterosexual—that are rigid and unchangeable.
    [Show full text]
  • The Legal Construction of the Fantasy That Gay and Lesbian Youth Do Not Exist Teemu Ruskolat
    Minor Disregard: The Legal Construction of the Fantasy That Gay and Lesbian Youth Do Not Exist Teemu Ruskolat I hate that I grew up thinking I was the only queer in the world, and I hate even more that most queer kids still grow up the same way. Anonymous Queers' I think many adults (and I am among them) are trying, in our work, to keep faith with vividly remembered promises made to ourselves in childhood: promises to make invisible possibilities and desires visible; to make the tacit things explicit, to smuggle queer representation where it must be smuggled and, with the relative freedom of adulthood, to challenge queer-eradicatingimpulses frontally when they are to be so challenged. Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick2 INTRODUCTION Gay and lesbian3 youth live in a different place. That place lies beyond our t J.D. Yale Law School, 1995; associate, Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton (New York), 1995-96; M.A. expected, Stanford University, 1997. 1 would like to express my gratitude to Professor Vicki Schultz for the inspiration and suggestions she has provided in the preparation of this Article. I would also like to thank Professor Reva Siegel and the participants in her Feminist and Critical Race Theory Workshop at the Yale Law School. I have also benefited from comments by Hubert Allen, Hinrich Schuetze, Aamer Mumtaz, and Portia Wu, among others, whom I thank for their insights. Finally, I gratefully acknowledge the editorial assistance of Susannah Pollvogt, Rebecca Tushnet, and the other members of this journal who have worked on this Article. 1. Queers Read This (Anonymous Queers, New York, N.Y.), June 1990, reprinted in LESBIANS, GAY MEN, AND THE LAW 45, 46 (William B.
    [Show full text]
  • Paranoia and Sexual Orientation
    Paranoia and Sexual Orientation A Hermeneutic Literature Review Paul Wilson A dissertation submitted to Auckland University of Technology In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Psychotherapy 2017 Supervisor: Dr. Paula Collens Faculty of Health and Environmental Sciences Discipline of Psychotherapy Table of Contents Attestation of Authorship .......................................................................................... 4 Acknowledgements ................................................................................................... 5 Abstract..................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 1 – Introduction ............................................................................................... 7 About the Question ................................................................................................... 7 About the Researcher ................................................................................................ 9 Defining Paranoia .................................................................................................... 10 Defining Sexual Orientation ..................................................................................... 11 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................... 14 Overview of Following Chapters .............................................................................. 14 Chapter 2
    [Show full text]
  • 'Staying Bush' – a Study of Gay Men Living in Rural Areas
    ‘STAYING BUSH’ – A STUDY OF GAY MEN LIVING IN RURAL AREAS EDWARD JOHN GREEN A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of New South Wales 2006 PLEASE TYPE THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: Green First name: Edward Other name/s: John Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: PhD School: Social Work Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences Title: ‘Staying Bush’ – A Study of Gay Men Living in Rural Areas Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE) This study explored the experience of what it is to be a gay man and to live in a rural community. It sought to understand why gay men would want to live in places that are said to have a reputation for hostility towards them. The empirical data from the semi-structured interviews with twenty-one gay men living in fifteen small-town locations across New South Wales, Australia, was analysed using a qualitative method derived from phenomenology, ethnography and modified grounded theory. The distinctive findings of this thesis centre on these men’s desire and determination to stay in the bush. They chose to stay in rural locations and effectively employed a diverse range of strategies to both combat the difficulties of rural life and enhance its advantages. The bush was the place in which these men could find themselves, be themselves and also find others like themselves. The space and the isolation of the bush gave them the latitude and the scope to live gay lives.
    [Show full text]
  • A Comparison of Gay and Lesbian Sensitivity Trainings on Student Counselorsâ•Ž Attitudes Toward Same Gender Sexual Behavior
    Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Dissertations Graduate College 12-1996 A Comparison of Gay and Lesbian Sensitivity Trainings On Student Counselors’ Attitudes Toward Same Gender Sexual Behavior H. Dean Dorman Western Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations Part of the Counseling Commons, and the Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons Recommended Citation Dorman, H. Dean, "A Comparison of Gay and Lesbian Sensitivity Trainings On Student Counselors’ Attitudes Toward Same Gender Sexual Behavior" (1996). Dissertations. 1690. https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dissertations/1690 This Dissertation-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A COMPARISON OF GAY AND LESBIAN SENSITIVITY TRAININGS ON STUDENT COUNSELORS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD SAME GENDER SEXUAL BEHAVIOR by H. Dean Dorman A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of The Graduate College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education Department of Counselor Education and Counseling Psychology Western Michigan University Kalamazoo, Michigan December 1996 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. A COMPARISON OF GAY AND LESBIAN SENSITIVITY TRAININGS ON STUDENT COUNSELORS’ ATTITUDES TOWARD SAME GENDER SEXUAL BEHAVIOR H. Dean Dorman, Ph.D. Western Michigan University, 1996 This study explored the effect of both gender and three different panel dis­ cussion formats on the positive modification of attitudes toward same gender sex­ ual behavior. Subjects were randomly assigned to either a control group or one of three treatment groups: (1) a live panel discussion, (2) a videotape of the live panel discussion with a facilitator, or (3) a videotape of the live panel discussion without a facilitator.
    [Show full text]
  • Gay Panic Defense, 42 U.C
    113A AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION ADOPTED BY THE HOUSE OF DELEGATES AUGUST 12-13, 2013 RESOLUTION RESOLVED, That the American Bar Association urges federal, tribal, state, local and territorial governments to take legislative action to curtail the availability and effectiveness of the “gay panic” and “trans panic” defenses, which seek to partially or completely excuse crimes such as murder and assault on the grounds that the victim’s sexual orientation or gender identity is to blame for the defendant’s violent reaction. Such legislative action should include: (a) Requiring courts in any criminal trial or proceeding, upon the request of a party, to instruct the jury not to let bias, sympathy, prejudice, or public opinion influence its decision about the victims, witnesses, or defendants based upon sexual orientation or gender identity; and (b) Specifying that neither a non-violent sexual advance, nor the discovery of a person’s sex or gender identity, constitutes legally adequate provocation to mitigate the crime of murder to manslaughter, or to mitigate the severity of any non-capital crime. 1 113A REPORT Executive Summary Jorge Steven Lopez-Mercado, age 19, was decapitated, dismembered and burned for being openly gay, but according to the police investigator on the case, “people who live this lifestyle need to be aware that this will happen.” When Matthew Shepard, age 21, made a pass at two men in a gay bar, he should have expected to be beaten, pistol-whipped, tied to a fence, and left to die. When Emile Bernard was stabbed, beaten and blinded after coming on to a hitchhiker, his assailant claimed he could not be guilty since the victim “was asking for trouble” by making sexual advances.
    [Show full text]