Cognitive Aging in Same- and Different-Sex Relationships: Comparing Age of Diagnosis and Rate of Cognitive Decline in the Health and Retirement Study.

INTRODUCTION: The ongoing marginalization of lesbian, gay, and bisexual people has been hypothesized to produce poorer late-in-life cognitive outcomes, according to mechanisms posited by minority stress and allostatic load theories. Yet the existence of those outcomes remains understudied, and results of existing studies have been contradictory. Using a population-based longitudinal aging study, this paper will compare age at diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD) or a related dementia and rates of cognitive decline between participants in same-sex relationships (SSRs) and different-sex relationships (DSRs). METHODS: The study used longitudinal cognitive-health data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS; 1998-2018; N = 26,344) to analyze the onset of cognitive impairment and AD/dementia and the rates of cognitive change between participants in SSRs and those in DSRs. We hypothesized that SSR participants would have worse overall cognitive functioning in old age and would experience earlier onset of cognitive impairment. Using multiple regression, we compared the ages at which participants in SSRs and DSRs first reported AD or dementia diagnoses and the ages at which they first scored below cutoffs for cognitive impairment, not dementia (CIND) and possible dementia as determined using the cognitive assessment. The study then compared rates of cognitive decline over time across the SSR and DSR groups, including stratified analyses by education, race/ethnicity, wealth, and sex/gender. RESULTS: Participants in SSRs reported dementia diagnoses (ß = -12.346; p = 0.001), crossed the threshold into CIND (ß = -8.815; p < 0.001) and possible dementia (ß = -13.388; p < 0.001) at a younger age than participants in DSRs. When adjusted for covariates, participants in SSRs also had lower cognition at baseline (ß = 0.745; p = 0.003), though having slower rates of cognitive decline when SSR was interacted with time (ß = 0.066; p = 0.003). In separate analyses, cognitive differences for SSR participants were only found in participants without undergraduate degrees, with below-median household incomes, and women. CONCLUSION: Our findings support theories suggesting that marginalization and stigma cause premature cognitive impairment. Findings also suggest that higher education might mitigate the adverse effects of sexuality-minority status on cognitive aging. Results do not support these theories' claims of more rapid cognitive decline; the lower slopes of cognitive decline with time are compatible with the possibility of slower rates of decline for aging individuals in SSRs.

Self-rated health changes of individuals in same-sex compared to different-sex relationships: a longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Prior scholarship on same-sex relationships and health has primarily relied on cross-sectional data, leaving a number of unanswered questions about health changes of same-sex couples over time. This study examined the self-rated health statuses and changes of individuals in same- and different-sex cohabitations and marriages over time (2014-2017). METHODS: Data were drawn from the 2014 panel of the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP), a nationally representative and longitudinal study (N = 23,297) in the United States. Mixed- and fixed-effects regression models were performed to investigate the self-rated health changes of individuals in same-sex compared to different-sex relationships. RESULTS: Results show that same-sex married individuals report a faster decline in self-rated health compared to different-sex married counterparts despite similar initial health statuses. Similarly, same-sex cohabitors also exhibit a more rapid health decline as compared to different-sex cohabitors. CONCLUSIONS: The results point to health change disadvantages experienced by same-sex married and cohabiting individuals during the study period. The findings from this study advance scholarly knowledge on the health changes of individuals in marginalized intimate relationships and highlight the importance of studying sexual minorities' health using longitudinal data.

On guard: Public versus private affection-sharing experiences in same-sex, gender-diverse, and mixed-sex relationships.

This study compared public versus private affection-sharing experiences of individuals in mixed-sex (N = 1018), same-sex (N = 561), and gender-diverse (N = 96) relationships. Private affection-sharing was similar across groups, except those in mixed-sex relationships reported somewhat less comfort doing so. Despite having a stronger desire to engage in public affection-sharing, those in same-sex and gender-diverse relationships shared public affection less frequently, were less comfortable doing so, refrained from doing so more often, and experienced much higher levels of vigilance related to public affection-sharing, compared to those in mixed-sex relationships. Heightened PDA-related vigilance may have health consequences, as higher levels were associated with worse psychological and physical well-being in all groups. However, individuals in same-sex relationships showed weaker associations between vigilance and well-being than those in mixed-sex relationships, suggesting possible resilience. Still, engaging in vigilance may take its toll, potentially serving as a mechanism through which minority stress works its effects. When we controlled for PDA-related vigilance, psychological and physical well-being levels in same-sex relationships increased relative to mixed-sex peers.

Out of the closet? Reconstructing the personal life of pioneering sex researcher Katharine Bement Davis.

Katharine B. Davis was an important progressive-era figure, a pioneering professional, an innovative penologist, and an iconoclastic sexologist. Although scholars have long been aware of Davis's tolerant attitude toward same-sex relationships at the New York State Female Reformatory at Bedford Hills, where she was Superintendent from 1901 to 1913, and her open discussion of same-sex attraction in her study of "normal" women's sexuality, published in 1929, little has been known about Davis's personal life. Thus, it was a feminist biographer's dream come true to gain access to what Davis called her "autobiographical biography," the never-finished, never-published, story of her life. Or so I thought. As it turns out, my quest to understand Davis's personal life and how it informed her professional trajectory has been a bit more complicated.

Prevalence of Sexual Aggression Victimization and Perpetration in a German University Student Sample.

This study examined the prevalence of sexual aggression perpetration and victimization in a sample of 1,172 students (755 female, 417 male) from four universities in Germany. All participants were asked about both victimization by, and perpetration of, sexual aggression since the age of 14 years, using the Sexual Aggression and Victimization Scale (SAV-S). Prevalence rates were established for different coercive strategies, sexual acts, and victim-perpetrator relationships. Both same-sex and opposite-sex victim-perpetrator constellations were examined. The overall victimization rate was 62.1% for women and 37.5% for men. The overall perpetration rate was 17.7% for men and 9.4% for women. Prevalence rates of both victimization and perpetration were higher for participants who had sexual contacts with both opposite-sex and same-sex partners than for participants with exclusively opposite-sex partners. Significant overlap was found between victim and perpetrator status for men and women as well as for participants with only opposite-sex and both opposite-sex and same-sex partners. A disparity between (higher) victimization and (lower) perpetration reports was found for both men and women, suggesting a general underreporting of perpetration rather than a gendered explanation in terms of social desirability or the perception of consent cues. The findings are placed in the international research literature on the prevalence of sexual aggression before and after the #metoo campaign, and their implications for prevention efforts are discussed.

A Research Note Describing a More Inclusive Approach to Identifying Same-Sex Cohabiters in the American Time Use Survey.

Identification of individuals in same-sex relationships in the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) is of increasing interest to the research community. While the ATUS interviews one person per household, by using information about who else lives in the household, researchers can easily identify respondents in coresident same-sex couple arrangements. Previous research has outlined two approaches to identifying individuals in same-sex relationships in the ATUS that use information on the sex of household members. We extend that work in this research note by using additional information collected from a direct question to identify unmarried cohabiting partners in the Current Population Survey (CPS). We identify 23% more individuals in cohabiting same-sex relationships when we use the CPS direct question information than when we use information from the ATUS alone. We argue that this identification strategy is more inclusive of individuals in same-sex cohabiting relationships.

Top, Bottom, and Versatile Anal Sex Roles in Same-Sex Male Relationships: Implications for Relationship and Sexual Satisfaction.

Across much of the gay and bisexual male research on sexual position self-label (i.e., calling oneself a top, bottom, or versatile), there exist two commonalities: (1) studies tend to focus almost entirely on individual, relationally single androphilic men; (2) studies rarely account for relationships and relationship dynamics. In response, we explored the role of self-label over sexual and relationship satisfaction among gay and bisexual partnered men. Specifically, we looked at whether adopted sexual position identities were consonant or dissonant (i.e., matching or mismatching) with enacted behavior in relationships and how that impacted men's attitudes toward different relational attributes. Through an online survey, we sampled 169 men in same-sex relationships, asking them questions about their ideal penetrative role identities and their reality penetrative roles with their partner. We then asked them to rate their relationship on 10 sexual and interpersonal attributes. Multiple regression modeling suggested ideal-reality penetrative role dissonance was predictive of sexual dissatisfaction among tops who bottomed in their relationships and, to a lesser extent, bottoms who topped. In contrast, penetrative role dissonance was predictive of relationship satisfaction among tops who bottomed in their relationship, but not bottoms who topped. We conclude that a potential reason for this paradox among tops who bottom may be sexual altruism. That is, men may be satisfied with other aspects within their relationships, understand their partner's anal sex preferences, and accommodate that position in response to their initial relationship satisfaction.

Subjective Well-being and Partnership Dynamics: Are Same-Sex Relationships Different?

We analyze Dutch panel data to investigate whether partnership has a causal effect on subjective well-being. As in previous studies, we find that, on average, being in a partnership improves well-being. Well-being gains of marriage are larger than those of cohabitation. The well-being effects of partnership formation and disruption are symmetric. We also find that marriage improves well-being for both younger and older cohorts, whereas cohabitation benefits only the younger cohort. Our main contribution to the literature is on well-being effects of same-sex partnerships. We find that these effects are homogeneous to sexual orientation. Gender differences exist in the well-being effects of same-sex partnerships: females are happier cohabiting, whereas marriage has a stronger well-being effect on males.

Mothers in Same-Sex Relationships Describe the Process of Forming a Family as a Stressful Journey in a Heteronormative World: A Swedish Grounded Theory Study.

Objectives The aim of this study was to gain insight into how women in same-sex relationships experience the process of forming a family through the use of assisted reproduction technique (ART), from planning the pregnancy to parenthood, and their experience of parental support from healthcare professionals. Methods The participants were 20 women in a same-sex relationship who had conceived through ART at a Swedish clinic. Semi-structured interviews including open questions about pregnancy, parenthood and support from healthcare professionals were conducted. The interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analysed according to grounded theory. Results The core category, A stressful journey through a heteronormative world, emerged from the analysis, as did three subcategories: A journey fraught with difficulties and decisions; The nuclear family as the norm; and A need for psychological support. Same-sex parents expressed a need for more information about how to access ART in Sweden. Both the healthcare organization and treatment were perceived as heteronormative. In particular, these women lacked psychological support during the demanding process of utilizing a sperm donor to conceive. Conclusions for Practice Professionals in antenatal care should undergo mandatory cultural competency training to ensure cultural sensitivity and the provision of updated information, tailored brochures and early parental support for families with same-sex parents. All parents need guidance and support from competent, caring personnel throughout the entire process of forming a family.

'You have to bow right here': heteronormative scripts and intimate partner violence in women's same-sex relationships.

Intimate partner violence is increasingly recognised as occurring not only between heterosexual partners but also in same-sex relationships. Heterogendered relationship norms have been identified as intersecting with other social inequalities to create and sustain power differentials between partners - and fuel violence - yet remain largely unexplored in relation to women's same-sex relationships. Building on existing feminist research we explore the use of gendered scripts in South African lesbian and bisexual women's accounts of relationship norms and practices. We apply a feminist poststructuralist lens to focus-group discussion data to investigate how such scripts are drawn on to either uphold or challenge violent and coercive relationship practices. The findings illustrate the salience of heterogendered norms and demonstrate how violent practices become possible in contexts of deepening socioeconomic impoverishment - such as in post-apartheid South Africa - where race, space, gender and sexuality are tied to attempts at reclaiming respectable personhood. Efforts to dismantle inequitable gendered power relations and attendant violent practices require both macro-interventions aimed at shifting structural constraints on lesbian and bisexual women's agency, as well as micro-processes aimed at scripting equal power relations between partners as desirable.

Childhood Adversity, Daily Stress, and Marital Strain in Same-Sex and Different-Sex Marriages.

Childhood adversity has enduring consequences for individuals throughout life, including increased reactivity to stress that may contribute to marital strain in adulthood. Past research on gendered experiences of heterosexual spouses raises questions about how the influence of childhood adversity might differ for men and women in same-sex marriages. We analyze dyadic diary data from 756 individuals in 106 male same-sex, 157 female same-sex, and 115 different-sex marriages to consider how childhood adversity moderates the association between daily stress and marital strain. Results suggest that the negative consequences of daily stress for marital strain are amplified by past childhood adversity with variation for men and women in same- and different-sex unions, such that women and those in same-sex marriages may experience some protection from the adverse consequences of childhood adversity.

Representations of same-sex relationships between female characters in all-ages comics: Princess Princess Ever After and Lumberjanes.

Representations of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) characters in comics for an all-ages readership have emerged in the United States in the early twenty-first century. This essay examines the narrative constructions of same-sex relationships between female characters in two all-ages speculative fiction comics, Princess Princess Ever After by Katie O'Neill, and Lumberjanes, created by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, and Brooke Allen.

Partner Abuse Among HIV-Positive Sexual Minority Men: "That Was All I Deserved . . ."

Living with HIV can be both a precipitant and a consequence of partner abuse (PA) across populations, including male-male partnerships. However, overlapping experiences of living with HIV and experiencing PA are not well characterized. We conducted 24 qualitative interviews with urban HIV-positive sexual minority men (SMM) recruited from a public hospital HIV clinic in Seattle, Washington, who reported lifetime PA histories, and analyzed them using content analysis. Participants reported psychological, physical, and sexual victimization from partners, varying in severity. Themes included (a) how HIV and minority stress (e.g., through self-stigma, serosorting) and (b) familial and repeated exposure to violence (e.g., through normalization or acceptance of PA, partnering as strategy for increasing one's own safety, esteem, or social status), independently and in combination, provided a context for the men's victimization. Our findings suggest that PA-related interventions might focus on coping with stigma, expanding social networks, and educating SMM about dysfunctional relationship dynamics.

Linking Syndemic Stress and Behavioral Indicators of Main Partner HIV Transmission Risk in Gay Male Couples.

The purpose of the current study was to examine whether syndemic stress in partnered gay men might undermine communication processes essential to the utilization of negotiated safety and other harm reduction strategies that rely on partners' HIV status disclosure. Participants included 100 gay male couples (N = 200 individuals) living in the U.S., who responded to an online survey. Participants completed measures of five syndemic factors (depression, poly-drug use, childhood sexual abuse, intimate partner violence, and sexual compulsivity). They also reported on whether condoms were used during first intercourse together and the timing of first condomless anal intercourse (CAI) relative to HIV disclosure in their relationship. Results of binary logistic regression analyses supported the hypothesis that the sum of partners' syndemic stress was negatively associated with condom use at first intercourse and with HIV disclosure prior to first CAI. Syndemic stress may contribute to HIV transmission risk between main partners in part because it accelerates the progression to CAI and interferes with communication processes central to harm reduction strategies utilized by gay men in relationships. Implications for prevention strategies and couples interventions, such as couples HIV counseling and testing, that facilitate communication skill-building, are discussed.

"I've Redeemed Myself by Being a 1950s 'Housewife' ": Parent-Grandparent Relationships in the Context of Lesbian Childbirth.

This article investigates the relationship between grandparents and lesbian daughters in the context of childbirth, looking specifically at the role that pregnancy plays in shaping kinship affinities. Gender, sex, and heterosexuality are fundamental to Euro-American kinship discourse and practice; lesbian couples' parenthood through donor conception represents a significant departure from prevailing tropes of kinship. Thus, questions arise about how lesbians experience becoming and being parents, and about how their own parents may respond to becoming a genetic or nongenetic grandparent. This article draws on original data from interviews conducted in the United Kingdom with lesbians who became parents by donor conception, and grandparents with lesbian daughters in those situations where the older generation was not originally supportive of their daughters. It explores the negotiated meaning of pregnancy and how relationships with grandparents may be shaped by whether or not it is the daughter of the family who gave birth.

What Did Obergefell Change? Clearance of Intimate Partner Violence Before and After the Legalization of Same-Sex Marriage.

Historically, same-sex intimate partner violence (IPV) was ignored, and victims often experienced high rates of harassment and intimidation from police, leading to low reporting of same-sex IPV incidents, victims' unwillingness to cooperate with the police, and common arrests in such incidents. Although the Supreme Court's decision in Obergefell v. Hodges (2015) legalized and legitimized same-sex marriages and relationships in the U.S., mandating the inclusion of same-sex partners in protective order laws and yielding collateral benefits for victims of same-sex IPV, it is unclear if the decision has had a positive effect on same-sex IPV clearance rates. This study uses National Incident-Based Reporting System data to compare IPV clearance (arrest, dual arrest, victim noncooperation, and prosecution declined) pre (2013/2014) and post (2016/2017) Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). Regression results show no substantial changes in same-sex IPV clearance after Obergefell v. Hodges (2015). Compared to opposite-sex IPV, same-sex IPV was less likely to be cleared by arrest but much more likely to be cleared by dual arrest, victim noncooperation, and prosecution declined. Same-sex IPV involving Black couples and married partners were also less likely to be cleared by arrest but more likely to be cleared by dual arrest than Black/White same-sex IPV and incidents involving unmarried partners, respectively. Moreover, same-sex IPV victims experience unfavorable criminal justice outcomes in states with mandatory arrest policies but fare better in states that supported same-sex relationships prior to Obergefell. The implications of these findings for practice and research are discussed.

The association between parenthood and health: A comparison of people in same-sex and different-sex relationships.

Understanding social inequalities in parental health is crucial for family functioning and child development. Theoretically, the double burden of parenting and minority stress may lead to the negative association between parenthood and health outcomes being stronger for people in same-sex relationships. Moreover, drawn from the social control process and the compensation mechanism, the negative association between parenthood and health risk behaviors may become stronger for people in same-sex relationships. Yet, empirical evidence on parental health disparities between parents in same- and different-sex relationships is limited. Using linear and logistic regression models, coarsened exact matching, and entropy balancing on Dutch data between 2008 and 2021 (196 people in same-sex relationships and 6948 people in different-sex relationships), we investigate the relationship between parenthood and three health outcomes (self-rated health, physical health, and mental health) and two health risk behaviors (smoking and heavy episodic drinking). We find that parents on average are less likely to experience heavy episodic drinking than non-parents. The association between parenthood and health does not differ between people in same-sex and different-sex relationships.

Validation of the multidimensional model of the subjective orgasm experience in the context of same-sex relationships.

Background/objective: The Multidimensional Model of the Subjective Orgasm Experience (MMSOE) has been validated in the context of heterosexual relationships, with no evidence in the context of same-sex relationships. This study aims to examine the association of its dimensions (Affective, Intimacy, Sensory, and Rewards) with the propensity for sexual excitation, rating of sexual arousal, rating of genital sensations, and genital response. Method: Sixty-eight young adults (34 males and 34 females) who were sexually active with people of the same sex participated in a laboratory task in which they viewed content-neutral and sexually explicit gay films. Regression models were conducted to explain the dimensions of MMSOE from measures of sexual arousal. Results: In males, the rating of sexual arousal explained the Sensory dimension, while the genital response explained the Affective dimension, with sexual arousal as a state gaining more prominence. In females, however, the propensity for sexual excitation explained the Sensory dimension, with more salience of sexual arousal as a trait. Conclusions: The MMSOE is shown to be a valid theoretical framework for the study of orgasmic experience in the context of same-sex relationships, with clear implications for clinical practice.

African American Gatekeepers or the Black Church?: Using Modified Grounded Theory to Explore the Debate on Black Homophobia.

In a comparison of attitudes concerning same-sex relationships and inclusive policies for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) persons, African Americans are more likely to possess stronger opposition than Whites. The default agent in explaining disapproving attitudes is the Black Church. However, observations from 2017 expert interviews, part of a study on causes of Black homophobia, revealed that varying experts do not affirm the Black Church as the primary actor in sustaining these attitudes. Based on this observation, this study theorizes that attitudes considered homophobic are primarily sustained by actors distinct and separate from the Black Church. This study employs a modified grounded theory to explore themes toward the creation of an expert-driven narrative that disapproval of same-sex relationships and opposition to LGBTI policies are attitudes sustained by Black gatekeepers, as they see same-sex relationships and policy as oppositional to the Black identity and Black sociopolitical progress.

Female Homosexuality and (Non)Performativity in the 21st-C. Syrian Novel: Queerness as/at Home in Samar Yazbek's Ra'ihat al-Qirfa (2008)/Cinnamon (2012).

Given the regression in empowering representations of queer women in the literary and, more generally, the cultural life of the modern Arab world, this article spotlights the hitherto under-researched literary portrayals of female homosexuality as a site of redemptive and/or reparative, queer(ed) home in 21st-century Syria. Through a close reading of Samar Yazbek's Ra'ihat al-Qirfa (2008), and, for added nuance, its English translation Cinnamon (2012), the study explores the novel's curation of home in and through the protagonist Aliyah's same-sex relationship with her employer Hanan al-Hashimi. Using Roberta Rubenstein's and Sara Ahmed's notions of fixing past homes, and of queer(ing) home, respectively, the article shows how the sense of home cushioned by the same-sex affair transcends social class and domination/submission binaries. I thus argue that even as the same-sex relationship in Yazbek's novel may not be performative from a contemporary lesbian feminist perspective, it kneads hope, not desolation, into the plot and the real-life setting it extrapolates, since it responds to the local context the characters inhabit.