Gay News Brief Archive

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Coupling Reduces Stress

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Editor
– August 19, 2010Posted in: Cover Stories, Features, Gay Marriage, Gay News Brief, Health & Fitness, The Whole Man

Newswise — Being married has often been associated with improving people’s health, but a new study suggests that having that long-term bond also alters hormones in a way that reduces stress.
Unmarried people in a committed, romantic relationship show the same reduced responses to stress as do married people, said Dario Maestripieri, Professor in Comparative Human Development at the University of Chicago and lead author of the study, published in the current issue of the journal Stress.
“These results suggest that single and unpaired individuals are more responsive to psychological stress than married individuals, a finding consistent with a growing body of evidence showing that marriage and social support can buffer against stress,” Maestripieri writes in the article, “Between- and Within-sex Variations in Hormonal Responses to Psychological Stress in a Large Sample of College Students.”
The team of researchers from the University of Chicago and Northwestern University studied 500 masters’ degree students at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. About 40 percent of the men and 53 percent of the women were married or in relationships. The group included 348 men with a mean age of 29 and 153 women with a mean age of 27.
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The students were asked to play a series of computer games that tested economic behaviors, and saliva samples were taken before and after to measure hormone levels and changes.
Each student was told that the test was a course requirement, and it would impact their future career placement. That made the test a potentially stressful experience that could affect levels of cortisol, known as the stress hormone.
The researchers found cortisol concentrations increased in all participants, but that females experienced a higher average increase than males. The exercise also decreased testosterone in male subjects, but not in females, a stress effect previously observed in humans and animals.
But a piece of personal information collected before the test provided another interesting difference within the subjects. “We found that unpaired individuals of both sexes had higher cortisol levels than married individuals,” Maestripieri said.
“Although marriage can be pretty stressful, it should make it easier for people to handle other stressors in their lives,” Maestripieri said. “What we found is that marriage has a dampening effect on cortisol responses to psychological stress, and that is very new.”
The study also found that single business school students also displayed higher baseline testosterone levels than their married or committed colleagues, a finding that mirrors previous human research as well as animal observations.
Maestripieri, who conducts the majority of his research on monkeys in Puerto Rico, said that in species of primates and birds where males assist females with rearing offspring show similar changes. In species that show monogamous pairing and shared rearing of offspring, testosterone levels in males drop as they engage in more fatherly behavior.
Maestripieri’s co-authors are former University of Chicago student Nicole Baran, AB ’09, now a graduate student at Cornell University; Luigi Zingales, the Robert C. McCormack Professor of Entrepreneurship and Finance, University of Chicago Booth School of Business; and Paola Sapienza, Professor of Finance at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
The Templeton Foundation helped support the study with a grant.

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Adoptive Children of Lesbian and Gay Couples Developing Well

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Editor
– August 10, 2010Posted in: Cover Stories, Daily, Features, Gay Marriage, Gay News Brief, Politics

Newswise — Should the sexual orientation of prospective adoptive parents be considered when placing children in adoptive homes?
According to the results of a new University of Virginia study, the answer may be “no.”
In a sample of 106 adoptive children living in different parts of the United States, youngsters were developing well regardless of whether they were living with lesbian, gay or heterosexual parenting couples. The study found that whether or not adoptive children were developing in positive ways was unrelated to the sexual orientation of their adoptive parents.
The finding appears in the August issue of the journal Applied Developmental Science.
“We found that children adopted by lesbian and gay couples are thriving,” said U.Va. psychology professor Charlotte J. Patterson, who led the study. “Our results provide no justification for denying lesbian or gay prospective adoptive parents the opportunity to adopt children. With thousands of children in need of permanent homes in the United States alone, our findings suggest that outreach to lesbian and gay prospective adoptive parents might benefit children who are in need.”
The research assessed adjustment and development among preschool-aged children adopted at birth by lesbian, gay or heterosexual couples. Using standardized assessment procedures, researchers found that parents and teachers agreed, on average, that the children were developing in typical ways. Measures of children’s adjustment, as well as parenting practices and stress, were found to be unassociated with the parents’ sexual orientation. And, regardless of their parents’ sexual orientation, how well children were adjusted was significantly associated with how warmly their parents were oriented to them.
Adoption of minor children by same-sex couples has been a controversial topic. Same-sex couples are prohibited by law from adopting children in Florida, Mississippi and Utah. Voters in Arkansas passed a ban on adoptions by same- and opposite-sex unmarried couples in 2008, only to have it overturned by the courts. That case is currently on appeal.
In the last few years, legislatures in a number of other states have also debated proposals to prohibit adoptions by same-sex couples. On the other hand, joint adoptions by same-sex couples are permitted in many states, including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont.
The study was authored by Patterson, who also is a faculty member and research scientist at the Fenway Institute’s Center for Population Research in LGBT Health in Boston; Rachel H. Farr, a U.Va. doctoral candidate; and Stephen L. Forssell, a faculty member in psychology at George Washington University. It was funded by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.

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APA Praises Prop 8 Decision as Victory for Science, Human Dignity

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Editor
– August 5, 2010Posted in: Cover Stories, Features, Gay Marriage, Gay News Brief

Newswise — The American Psychological Association hailed Wednesday’s ruling overturning Proposition 8, in which voters had taken away the right of same-sex couples to marry in California.
“The U.S. District Court ruling today affirming the right of same-sex couples to marry in California is a victory for both science and basic human dignity,” said APA President Carol D. Goodheart, EdD. “The American Psychological Association is gratified that the court agreed that there is no justification for denying marriage equality to same-sex couples. The research shows that same-sex couples are similar to heterosexual couples in essential ways and that they are as likely as opposite-sex couples to raise mentally healthy, well-adjusted children. Thus, there is no scientific justification for denying marriage equality, when research indicates that marriage provides many important benefits.”

APA, the largest professional society representing psychology, has been a strong advocate for full equal rights for LGBT people for nearly 35 years, based on the social science research on sexual orientation. APA has supported legal benefits for same-sex couples since 1997 and civil marriage for same-sex couples since 2004. APA has adopted policy statements, lobbied Congress in opposition to the Defense of Marriage Act and the Federal Marriage Amendment, and filed amicus briefs supporting same-sex marriage in legal cases in Oregon, Washington, New Jersey, New York (three times), Maryland, Connecticut, Iowa, and California. In California, the APA brief (http://www.apa.org/about/offices/ogc/amicus/marriage.aspx) was cited by the state Supreme Court when it ruled that same-sex marriage was legal in May 2008.

APA holds its annual convention Aug. 12-15 in San Diego, where it will present a full program of sessions highlighting the latest and best research into same-sex couples and families. This research has been key in recent same-sex marriage court cases and other legal decisions supporting equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Sessions will feature the latest scientific research into same-sex couples’ relationships and family formation among lesbian, gay and bisexual people, as well as the effect of sexual stigma on individuals and families. Experts will explain how the most recent scientific evidence and legislation support same-sex marriage and adoption and counter prejudice and discrimination.
“The fact that we are meeting in California at this time has given us an unmatched opportunity to focus public attention on the scientific research into the benefits of marriage to mental health and, conversely, on the pernicious health effects of discrimination and stigma,” Goodheart said. “We hope that policymakers everywhere will avail themselves of this information as the issue of same-sex marriage continues to be considered in courts and legislatures across the country.”
The American Psychological Association, in Washington, D.C., is the largest scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States and is the world’s largest association of psychologists. APA’s membership includes more than 152,000 researchers, educators, clinicians, consultants and students. Through its divisions in 54 subfields of psychology and affiliations with 60 state, territorial and Canadian provincial associations, APA works to advance psychology as a science, as a profession and as a means of promoting health, education and human welfare.

Popularity: 4% [?]

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Whence Next, Best Men?

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Editor
– August 5, 2010Posted in: Cover Stories, Culture, Gay Marriage, Gay News Brief, Politics

Two steps forward, one step back and then waiting in the wings may best describe the next moves for Proposition 8.

U.S. District Chief Judge Vaughn R. Walker ruled Aug. 4 that Prop 8, California’s ban on same-sex marriage, is unconstitutional. That led to hasty predictions that the issue was fast closing in on the U.S. Supreme Court.

But both sides may have to wait years for a final decision on the matter, according to Susan Frelich Appleton, JD, the Lemma Barkeloo and Phoebe Couzins Professor of Law at Washington University in St. Louis.

Supporters of the ban already have requested a stay, pending the outcome of another round of arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit. After a panel of three 9th Circuit judges decides the case, it could get reheard “en banc,” or by a larger group in the same circuit.

The next step after the 9th Circuit is the U.S. Supreme Court, and both sides have vowed to take Perry v. Schwarzenegger to the nation’s top judges.

But the U.S. Supreme Court may not agree to address the constitutionality of bans on same-sex marriage until the issue has been decided by one or more additional federal courts of law — which may produce different outcomes — Appleton says.

“Sometimes a division among the courts will occur, and such splits make an issue more likely to be heard by the U.S. Supreme Court,” Appleton says.

STRATEGIC SCENARIO COULD MEAN QUICKER DECISION

On the other hand, it’s possible that the high court could take the case immediately after the 9th Circuit ruling. While Gregory Magarian, JD, Professor of Law at WUSTL, agrees that the U.S. Supreme Court may very well postpone a decision until further rulings are made, he says the justices could also proceed quickly as a strategic move.

“If we assume that the justices know their minds on this issue, then the justices who believe they will prevail may vote to take the case in order to resolve the issue now, while the numbers favor their preferred outcome,” Magarian says. “Supreme Court rules require only four votes to take a case.”

Whether it comes sooner or later, the issue warrants the U.S. Supreme Court’s attention, Magarian says.

Opponents of Walker’s ruling complain his decision amounts to “judicial activism” because it overturned an action approved by the democratic process. But Magarian points out that this argument dodges the substance of the issue.

He compares the voters’ opposition to same-sex marriage to the white majority “democratically” keeping black children in segregated schools, and the male majority “democratically” denying women equal treatment under the law.

“Often, the people ‘democratically’ deny dissidents and rabble-rousers the right to express themselves,” Magarian says. “In all of those circumstances, we welcome the courts’ intervention — at least in hindsight. “

RULING BOOSTS EQUALITY IN ALL MARRIAGES

In his decision, Walker called Prop 8 “unconstitutional under both the due process and equal protection clauses” of the 14th Amendment.

While it was two same-sex couples who filed the lawsuit, arguments against it invoked gender equality as well as gay and lesbian rights.

In his opinion, Walker made more than a dozen references to changes over time regarding gender roles in marriage. Noting that marriage once served to uphold strict gender roles such as women raising children and running a household, and men providing for the family, he pointed out that the state of California has abolished marital obligations based on gender — with no harm to the institution.

“One way to analyze Proposition 8 treats it as sexual-orientation discrimination; another way considers it as gender discrimination,” Appleton says. “Under Proposition 8, a man can marry only a woman but not a man, for example, so access to marriage turns on the combined genders of the would-be spouses.

“Judge Walker’s approach promotes marriage equality and equality in marriage, for all women and men, of any sexual orientation,” she says.

LENGTHY RULING EXPLORES SINGLE SENTENCE

Proposition 8 is only 14 words long: “Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.”

The measure landed on the ballot after the California Supreme Court decided in May 2008 that same-sex couples had a right to marry. Fifty-two percent of California voters voted for the proposition in November 2008.

Its approval prompted two couples to file a lawsuit, alleging Prop 8 violates their right to due process and equal protection guaranteed under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Previous victories for same-sex marriage were decided under state constitutional provisions.

Walker’s 138-page ruling provides a comprehensive look at the federal constitutional issues involved, and is sure to be cited in cases even beyond the 9th Circuit.

“Judge Walker’s thorough review of the evidence and meticulous findings of fact leave Proposition 8 without a constitutionally permissible or legally justifiable foundation,” Appleton says.

Appleton is a nationally known expert on family law, and has written extensively about non-traditional families. Magarian has a primary focus on constitutional law in his research and teaching .

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Study of Sex Workers in Vietnam

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Editor
– July 31, 2010Posted in: Culture, Features, Gay News Brief, Health & Fitness
More than a million dollars in U.S. federal funds will be used to examine homosexual male prostitutes in Vietnam.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded $1.44 million for a “study of drug and sexual risk among young male sex workers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.”
“There are an estimated 8.3 million individuals with HIV infections in Asia, one-fifth the disease burden worldwide,” the project abstract states. “Initially thought to be confined to circumspect populations of male (injection-drug users) and female sex workers, it is now clear that men who have sex with men are also at high risk.”
Along with rapid increases in cases of HIV and sexually transmitted infections among young men in the region, the abstract states that there’s also been an “expansion of markets for male sex work and international male sex tourism.” Many of the male prostitutes also have female partners.
The agency says the first study will “describe the settings, venues, and overall social milieu in which male sex work is being situated.”
The second study will conduct a survey to “estimate the size of the male sex worker population in each city.”
The third study will be a broad cross-sectional study to construct a “comprehensive ethno-epidemiological profile of behavioral HIV risk among male sex workers.”
Study 4 will assess negative medical consequences in the population and screen for the presence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections.
“In Study 5, we will recruit young men who have recently initiated male sex work for participation in a one-year series of ethnographic interviews to describe the unique vulnerabilities associated with the early course of male sex work,” the abstract states.
Study 6 will use data from earlier studies to assess the impact of behavioral risk among male sex workers on the diffusion of HIV-1 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Under a section titled “Public Health Relevance,” the agency explains why the project is needed:
This study seeks to address an important public-health question: what is the impact of male sex work on the growing HIV epidemics in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam? HIV rates in Vietnam are rapidly increasing, and yet there are limited data on the role that different populations play in this increase. Existing data are based on the assumption that HIV is found primarily in injection-drug users and female sex workers, with only recent attention being paid to men who have sex with men. … Through comprehensive behavioral interviews, detailed ethnography and state-of-the art biological tests (including tests for HIV and (hepatitis C) subtypes and HIV treatment resistance), we will describe the demographic, social and economic characteristics of the male sex worker population in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, as well as the unique vulnerabilities associated with the onset and early social course of male sex work. …
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, a component of the National Institutes of Health, is listed as the funding entity, and the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine is the grant recipient. According to the institute website, the institute supports more than 85 percent of the world’s research on drug abuse and addiction.
It receives its funding through congressional appropriations, and the institute is also authorized to accept donations.
The following are recent award amounts for the Vietnam study:
Fiscal year 2010: $442,340
Fiscal year 2009: $465,974
Fiscal year 2008: $534,201
A total of $1,442,515 in federal funds has been awarded to the project.
<a href=http://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=7797618&icde=4252393 target=awer>Read the details here.</a>

More than a million dollars in U.S. federal funds will be used to examine homosexual male prostitutes in Vietnam.
The National Institutes of Health has awarded $1.44 million for a “study of drug and sexual risk among young male sex workers in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.”
“There are an estimated 8.3 million individuals with HIV infections in Asia, one-fifth the disease burden worldwide,” the project abstract states. “Initially thought to be confined to circumspect populations of male (injection-drug users) and female sex workers, it is now clear that men who have sex with men are also at high risk.”
Along with rapid increases in cases of HIV and sexually transmitted infections among young men in the region, the abstract states that there’s also been an “expansion of markets for male sex work and international male sex tourism.” Many of the male prostitutes also have female partners.
The agency says the first study will “describe the settings, venues, and overall social milieu in which male sex work is being situated.”
The second study will conduct a survey to “estimate the size of the male sex worker population in each city.”
The third study will be a broad cross-sectional study to construct a “comprehensive ethno-epidemiological profile of behavioral HIV risk among male sex workers.”
Study 4 will assess negative medical consequences in the population and screen for the presence of HIV and sexually transmitted infections.
“In Study 5, we will recruit young men who have recently initiated male sex work for participation in a one-year series of ethnographic interviews to describe the unique vulnerabilities associated with the early course of male sex work,” the abstract states.  Study 6 will use data from earlier studies to assess the impact of behavioral risk among male sex workers on the diffusion of HIV-1 in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
Under a section titled “Public Health Relevance,” the agency explains why the project is needed:
This study seeks to address an important public-health question: what is the impact of male sex work on the growing HIV epidemics in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam? HIV rates in Vietnam are rapidly increasing, and yet there are limited data on the role that different populations play in this increase. Existing data are based on the assumption that HIV is found primarily in injection-drug users and female sex workers, with only recent attention being paid to men who have sex with men. … Through comprehensive behavioral interviews, detailed ethnography and state-of-the art biological tests (including tests for HIV and (hepatitis C) subtypes and HIV treatment resistance), we will describe the demographic, social and economic characteristics of the male sex worker population in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, as well as the unique vulnerabilities associated with the onset and early social course of male sex work. …
The National Institute on Drug Abuse, a component of the National Institutes of Health, is listed as the funding entity, and the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine is the grant recipient. According to the institute website, the institute supports more than 85 percent of the world’s research on drug abuse and addiction.
It receives its funding through congressional appropriations, and the institute is also authorized to accept donations.
The following are recent award amounts for the Vietnam study:
Fiscal year 2010: $442,340Fiscal year 2009: $465,974Fiscal year 2008: $534,201A total of $1,442,515 in federal funds has been awarded to the project.
<a href=http://projectreporter.nih.gov/project_info_description.cfm?aid=7797618&icde=4252393 target=awer>Read the details here.</a>

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