Response to Zucker commentary on Gottschalk's (2003) 'Same-sex sexuality and childhood gender non-conformity: A spurious connection'
- Authors: Gottschalk, Lorene
- Date: 2005
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Gender Studies Vol. 14, no. 2 (2005), p. 153-158
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- Description: In this reply to Zucker's commentary I point out that it is the meaning lesbians give to childhood gender non-conformity rather than the frequency of reporting childhood gender non-conformity that was discussed in my 2003 article. Indeed I did not, and do not, challenge the frequency of such reports. I also pointed to the importance of the historical, social and political context in which sexual identity formation occurs, and the influence of context on findings, and I reiterate this point in my response. Most of the articles cited by Zucker did not specifically explore the relationship between childhood gender non-conformity and adult sexuality. One of the articles cited by Zucker actually supports my argument by commenting on the importance of context. I conclude that it might be heterosexual men who are the deviation from the norm and not gay men, lesbians and heterosexual women. I suggest that this is an important area for further research. © 2005 Taylor & Francis Group Ltd.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003001222
Same-sex sexuality and childhood gender non-conformity : A spurious connection
- Authors: Gottschalk, Lorene
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Journal of Gender Studies Vol. 12, no. 1 (Mar 2003), p. 35-50
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- Description: Biological and hormonal theories of same-sex sexuality are usually based upon an assumption of congenital gender inversion, that is, that a lesbian is in some way masculinised and a gay man in some way feminised. Commonly, and also because of the assumption of biology, such evidence of gender inversion is sought in childhood. In this paper I present a challenge to the theory that childhood gender non-conformity is associated with homosexuality, noting in particular that discussions of gender non-conformity and 'homosexuality' do not attempt to explain the experiences of heterosexual women. By demonstrating that childhood gender non-conformity has been wrongly associated with same-sex sexuality and posing an alternative explanation for childhood gender non-conformity, it is my intention to present a challenge to the theory that same-sex sexuality is related to congenital gender inversion.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000601
From gender inversion to choice and back changing perceptions of the aetiology of lesbianism over three historical periods
- Authors: Gottschalk, Lorene
- Date: 2003
- Type: Text , Journal article
- Relation: Women's Studies International Forum Vol. 26, no. 3 (2003), p. 221-233
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- Description: This study examined the dominant cultural beliefs about the aetiology of lesbian sexual orientation and identity over three historical periods and sought to establish the relationship between such dominant beliefs and women's perceptions and understanding about how they became lesbians. The findings from this study add weight to arguments that women are influenced by popular ideas about homosexuality in terms of their experiences during the process of becoming lesbians, how they interpret the aetiology of their lesbianism, and the lifestyle choices they make. Throughout the 20th century, the underlying belief about the aetiology of homosexuality has been that it is essential or biologically based, although biological theories were mitigated by the theories of feminism during the 1970s. For women who became lesbians in the 1950s and 1960s, a belief in a biological basis was overwhelmingly the dominant account. In the 1970s and early 1980s, choice was the dominant account, and in the 1990s, there is a tendency to go back to biological explanations. © 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
- Description: C1
- Description: 2003000602