[net.motss] Just what do you mean by Homosexuality, anyway?

gam@proper.UUCP (Gordon Moffett) (12/23/83)

There is a tendency to see homosexuality and heterosexuality as
opposites, bisexuality in the middle somewhere.  This is misleading:

"Exclusive heterosexuality and exclusive homosexuality can be seen as
the two extremes of the human sexual spectrum... Some people combine
approximately equal amounts of heterosexual and homosexual activity
during all periods of their sexual lives.  Others may appear to be
exclusively heterosexual in one period and exclusively homosexual in
another.  Yes others are predominately heterosexual or predominately
homosexual all through their lives, but show varying degrees of sexual
involvement with persons not of their preferred sex.

"... [In Kinsey's surveys] only 51% [of single males] were rated
exclusively heterosexual, while a total of 31% were rated predominately
or exclusively homosexual.  92% [of married males] were rated 
heterosexual only... 84% [of single females were rated exclusively
heterosexual].  92% [of married females were rated exclusively heterosexual]."
[from "Sex:  A User's Manual" by the Diagram Group]

Kinsey's scale ranges from 0 (exclusively homosexual) to 6 (exclusively
heterosexual), with logical gradations between.  This defies the idea
that people are gay OR straight OR "50-50".  As in other things, there
is variety in human sexual orientation.

It is appropriate, then, that this newsgroup is called "motss:  members
ORIENTED to the same sex", as that describes behavior and does not attempt
to categorize people. (same is true of motos).