M Mccormack
Biographic Data
| ID | 17340 |
|---|---|
| NAME | M Mccormack |
| GIVEN NAMES | M |
| FAMILY NAME | Mccormack |
| SIGNATURE | MCCORMACK M |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Roehampton |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8772-0814 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 40 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 447 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 40 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2010 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 11 |
The Case for Classifying Authority Transfer Relationships as a Form of BDSM
Authority transfer relationships (ATR), as described by Casey and Sagarin (2025), are a consensual inegalitarian relationship form that should be distinguished both from other relationship forms (egalitarian and traditional patriarchal) and from other forms of sexual diversity, most notably “exist[ing] outside” of kink and BDSM. Casey and Sagarin’s concern is that seeing ATR as a form of BDSM can downplay the intentionality of these relationships…
Poppers, the Politics of Exemption and the Characteristics of Poppers Users in the annual English Festival Study, 2014–23
This paper explores the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics, self-reported alkyl nitrite (‘poppers’) use and sexual behaviours against a backdrop of UK policy change and ambiguity surrounding legal status. In 2024, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs recommended a unique, government-initiated, legal exemption from the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 for poppers, because of its use by gay and bisexual men to reduce the …
Building Back Queerer? Mainstreaming, Commodification, and Intersectional Inequalities in London's Queer Nightlife Post-Covid-19
Queer nightlife occupies a contradictory position of operating in the spheres of mainstreaming and marginality simultaneously, alongside broader challenges of gentrification, technological innovation, and major shocks such as COVID-19. Yet, mainstreaming is a nebulous concept, and its role and impact on queer nightlife is often unclear sociologically. Drawing on a mixed-method study of queer creatives who are part of London’s queer nightlife, thi…
Impossible visibilities of Black and Global Majority staff at an ethnically diverse English university
This qualitative study explores how Black and Global Majority faculty at an English university with an ethnically diverse student population perceive race and racism on campus. Informed by a theoretical framework drawing on Critical Race theory (CRT), CRT methodology and critical whiteness studies, we adopt counter-narrative story telling as a method of analysis. This research foregrounds BGM faculty's everyday experiences of racism in their prof…
The Kink Orientation Scale: Developing and Validating a Measure of Kink Desire, Practice, and Identity
Kink, often referred to as BDSM, is an important aspect of a sizable minority's sexual desires, practices, and personal relationships, yet there are few ways to assess kink engagement in a holistic manner. This study aimed to develop the Kink Orientation Scale (KOS), a novel short tool for measuring different aspects of kink sexuality. In phase one, 27 items were created and included in the initial scale based on a literature review and focus gro…
Relationships, technology and the role of living arrangements during social lockdown related to Covid-19
COVID-19-related social lockdowns had profound consequences in all aspects of social life, yet technology’s role in mediating relationships during lockdown has received little attention. Drawing on a survey of 565 young adults in the UK, we used mixed methods to explore (a) differences in technology use by people in serious romantic relationships (cohabiting vs. living apart together), casual relationships or single; and (b) how COVID-19 influenc…
Autistic Traits of People Who Engage in Pup Play: Occurrence, Characteristics and Social Connections
Pup play is a kink or BDSM activity and subculture that provides opportunities for social and sexual play and exploration. While growing scholarly attention has focused on the diverse dynamics of pup play cultures, and reasons for participation within them, no research has considered how pup play may be attractive for neurodivergent people. This study sample consisted of 413 pup play practitioners from an international internet survey to examine …
Friendship dynamics of young men with non-exclusive sexual orientations: Group diversity, physical intimacy and emotionality
Non-exclusive sexuality identity labels such as "mostly straight" and "mostly gay" describe distinct sexualities. While research documents their existence and distinctiveness, little focus has been given to friendship dynamics with these groups and research on friendship has a heteronormative bias. In this study, we use data collected with 25 men with non-exclusive sexualities from a university in the northeastern United States to examine their f…
Kink in an English Field: The Drinking, Drug use and Sexual Practices of English Festival-Goers Who Engage in Kink
Little is known about the other leisure activities of people who engage in kink, including sexual practices and the use of alcohol and other drugs. This article examines the drinking, illicit drug use and sexual practices of people who engage in kink from a novel sample of attendees at an English festival. Of 966 respondents, 64 reported having engaged in kink within the past 12 months. We provide evidence of these respondents' self-reported demo…
Findings From a Community Survey of Individuals Who Engage in Pup Play
This study presents findings from a community survey on pup play. Pup play is a kink activity and a form of role play that is growing in popularity internationally, and gaining increasing attention in sexology, yet prior research on pup play has almost entirely employed qualitative methods and primarily involved gay and bisexual men. Using survey data of 733 pup play participants primarily from the US, but also internationally, this study reports…
Drag Performers' Perspectives on the Mainstreaming of British Drag: Towards a Sociology of Contemporary Drag
Drag performance has entered mainstream British culture and is gaining unprecedented appreciation and recognition, yet no sociological accounts of this transformation exist. Using an inductive analysis of in-depth interviews with 25 drag performers, alongside netnography of media and other public data, this article develops a sociological understanding of the mainstreaming of drag. There are two clear reasons for the success of drag. First, there…
The Normalization of Leisure Sex and Recreational Drugs: Exploring Associations Between Polydrug Use and Sexual Practices by English Festival-Goers
The relationship between drug use and sexual practice is complex. Significant focus has been placed on risky practices, yet the broader associations between drug use and sexual activities remain elusive outside such contexts. This is despite similar trends of liberalizing attitudes and practices being identified in each area, theorized as the normalization of recreational drug use and the liberalization of consensual sexual practice. In this arti…
Changes in Sexual Desire and Behaviors among UK Young Adults During Social Lockdown Due to Covid-19
This study examined self-reported changes in young adults' sexual desire and behaviors during the most significant social restrictions imposed to deal with COVID-19. Drawing on a survey of 565 British adults aged 18-32 collected at the peak of social lockdown restrictions, we document an overall decrease in sexual behaviors consistent with abiding by social restrictions. We found that the levels of sexual desire reported by women (but not men) de…
Older Iranian Muslim women's experiences of sex and sexuality: A biographical approach
Muslim women in Iran live in a patriarchal society which significantly restricts their freedom and agency. While there is a growing understanding of social change as it relates to younger Muslim women in Iran, the perspectives and experiences of older women are marginalized; mirroring problems with the intersections of age, gender, and sexuality in the West. In order to address this occlusion, this article draws on life history interviews with 30…
Gender-collaborative training in elite university sport: Challenging gender essentialism through integrated training in gender-segregated sports
Competitive teamsport at university level is predominantly segregated by gender in many western countries, despite concerns that gender segregation in sport can perpetuate sexism and gender inequality. While policies and activities seek to challenge sexism and gender inequality, the use of gender collaboration within a gender-segregated system as a method to achieve this has received little attention. In this article, we draw on a year-long ethno…
On the construction of an artificial paradox: A critical commentary on Diefendorf and Bridges’ ‘On the enduring relationship between masculinity and homophobia’
The social trend of decreasing homophobia and liberalizing attitudes toward homosexuality is a contentious sociological issue. In a recent article in this journal, Diefendorf and Bridges contend that differences in findings of quantitative and qualitative research related to masculinities and homophobia demand new theories and methods to chart the enduring relationship between homophobia and masculinity. In this critical commentary, I demonstrate…
Advocacy Research on Homophobia in Education: Claims-Making, Trauma Construction and the Politics of Evidence
Sociology has an ambivalent relationship with advocacy research because the benefits of participation and engagement must be balanced with concerns about bias. The current study uses 10 recent research reports on homophobia in British educational settings, written and funded by campaigning charities, as a case study of contemporary advocacy research. Presenting a sociological analysis of these documents and adopting a social problems approach, cl…
Medicalization, menopausal time and narratives of loss: Iranian Muslim women negotiating gender, sexuality and menopause in Tehran and Karaj
Young men’s rationales for non-exclusive gay sexualities
Recent evidence suggests it is useful to distinguish sexual identities among young men at the gay end of the spectrum because of group differences between primarily gay, mostly gay and gay orientations on several assessed physiological, behavioural and self-report measures. However, little is known about individuals' rationales for choosing sexuality labels beyond traditional gay or bisexual categories. We addressed this issue by interviewing 24 …
Experiences of HIV stigma in rural Southern religious settings
Experiences of stigma, including stigma in religious settings, among individuals who are HIV positive have been widely documented. However, research related to stigma has predominantly focussed on urban locations. As a result, stigma incurred via religious settings in non-urban areas has been underexplored. The aim of this study is to uncover the experiences of individuals who are HIV positive with religious institutions, leaders and congregants …
A Mixed-Method Study of Same-Sex Kissing Among College-Attending Heterosexual Men in the U.S
This is the first research to assess the prevalence of same-sex kissing among college-attending, heterosexual men in the United States. We utilized a mixed-method study of 442 quantitative surveys and 75 in-depth interviews with participants from 11 universities in order to understand the frequency, context and meanings of same-sex kissing. We found that the prevalence of kissing on the cheek among these participants was 40%, and kissing on the l…
Full Issue
This issue of The Foundation Review offers new insights into the growing field of global community philanthropy. Several articles look more deeply into specific nations: retrospective assessments of the development of community giving in Vietnam and Russia sit alongside a more theoretical reflection grounded in the South African experience of community giving as a vehicle for consciousness-raising. This issue also offers more practical assessment…
An Exploratory Study of a New Kink Activity: “Pup Play”
Gay, Mostly Gay, or Bisexual Leaning Gay? An Exploratory Study Distinguishing Gay Sexual Orientations Among Young Men
Enjoyment, Exploration and Education: Understanding the Consumption of Pornography among Young Men with Non-Exclusive Sexual Orientations
This qualitative research examines the influence of pornography consumption on young men with non-exclusive sexual orientations. Drawing on 35 in-depth interviews with young men from an elite university in the north-eastern United States, we examine how pornography was experienced as a leisure activity to be consumed in free time. Rather than focusing on the potential harms of pornography, we use an inductive analytic approach to explore the broa…
The Influence of Declining Homophobia on Men’s Gender in the United States: An Argument for the Study of Homohysteria
Hierarchy without Hegemony: Locating Boys in an Inclusive School Setting
In this article, the author details how 16-18-year-old boys ascribe to the tenets of inclusive masculinity in a U.K. secondary school that the author calls 'Standard High.' Drawing on five months of participant observation and twelve in-depth interviews, this article demonstrates that the boys' masculinities are predicated in opposition to the orthodox values of homophobia, misogyny, and aggressiveness. Accordingly, the practices of subordination…
Cuddling and Spooning: Heteromasculinity and Homosocial Tactility among Student-athletes
This article examines the prevalence of homosocial tactility and the contemporary status and meaning of heteromasculinity among British male youth. Drawing on in-depth interviews with forty student-athletes at a British university, we find that thirty-seven participants have cuddled with another male. In addition to this cuddling, participants also engage in 'spooning' with their heterosexual male friends. Demonstrating the pleasurable aspects of…
Homohysteria: Definitions, Context and Intersectionality
Changes in Sexual Desire and Behaviors among UK Young Adults During Social Lockdown Due to Covid-19
This study examined self-reported changes in young adults' sexual desire and behaviors during the most significant social restrictions imposed to deal with COVID-19. Drawing on a survey of 565 British adults aged 18-32 collected at the peak of social lockdown restrictions, we document an overall decrease in sexual behaviors consistent with abiding by social restrictions. We found that the levels of sexual desire reported by women (but not men) de…
Male Team Sport Hazing Initiations in a Culture of Decreasing Homohysteria
In this longitudinal ethnographic research, we report on 7 years of hazing rituals on two separate men’s sports teams at one university in the United Kingdom. Using 38 in-depth interviews alongside naturalistic observations of the initiation rituals, we demonstrate that hazing activities have changed from being centered around homophobic same-sex activities to focusing on extreme levels of alcohol consumption. We show that whereas same-sex activi…
Enjoyment, Exploration and Education: Understanding the Consumption of Pornography among Young Men with Non-Exclusive Sexual Orientations
This qualitative research examines the influence of pornography consumption on young men with non-exclusive sexual orientations. Drawing on 35 in-depth interviews with young men from an elite university in the north-eastern United States, we examine how pornography was experienced as a leisure activity to be consumed in free time. Rather than focusing on the potential harms of pornography, we use an inductive analytic approach to explore the broa…
The declining significance of homohysteria for male students in three sixth forms in the south of England
English schools have traditionally been institutions with high levels of homophobia. This is attributed to the need that heterosexual boys have to maintain a heteromasculine identity. However, by drawing on 44 in‐depth interviews and 12 months of participant observation across three sixth forms, I detail the ways in which homophobia holds little cultural sway with the heterosexual male students in these settings. Here, the majority of students in…
An Exploratory Study of a New Kink Activity: “Pup Play”
Identities and Identifications: Changes in Metropolitan Bisexual Men's Attitudes and Experiences
Drawing on 90 interviews with men who identify as bisexual from Los Angeles, London, and New York, this article examines how bisexual men from three different age cohorts remember first experiencing bisexuality, how they identify today, and how this is changing with younger groups of men. Using an innovative recruitment strategy, the majority of participants in this study are not affiliated with bisexual community groups or counselling services. …
Heteronormativity in the University Classroom: Novelty Attachment and Content Substitution among Gay-friendly Students
This article explores the complex relationship between an openly gay instructor, homophobia, and heteronormativity in a university classroom. The authors first tabulated the frequency with which the instructor used the lives of heterosexuals and homosexuals as examples of content or as content itself, and then they interviewed 32 students about their perceptions of these frequencies. They found that students significantly overestimated lesbian, g…
The changing experiences of bisexual male adolescents
Drawing on in-depth interviews with 15 openly bisexual male youth from sixth forms across the UK, this article documents positive experiences of bisexual male youth in school: participants had positive coming out experiences and did not encounter significant discrimination or harassment because of their sexual identity. Participants attribute this to the inclusive environments of their schools and local cultures. Examining the narratives of two p…
Comparing the Black and Gay Male Athlete: Patterns in American Oppression
In this article, we examine the political stratifications of society by race and sexuality, and the processes by which sport helps subordinate members of each group. In applying social movement theory to gay and black men in sport, we highlight the historically similar patterns of oppression levied upon each group. We develop a four stage social movement theory model that may be useful in predicting the future patterns of homophobic discriminatio…
Metropolitan Bisexual Men's Relationships: Evidence of a Cohort Effect
Drawing on 90 interviews with openly bisexual men from three metropolitan cities, this research explores experiences related to relationships. In using a comparative cohort research design, the authors demonstrate the presence of a generational effect, with members of the youngest cohort finding that their partners grant the greatest legitimacy to their bisexual identities. The authors also show that men of the older cohort maintained more hetero…
Older Iranian Muslim women's experiences of sex and sexuality: A biographical approach
Muslim women in Iran live in a patriarchal society which significantly restricts their freedom and agency. While there is a growing understanding of social change as it relates to younger Muslim women in Iran, the perspectives and experiences of older women are marginalized; mirroring problems with the intersections of age, gender, and sexuality in the West. In order to address this occlusion, this article draws on life history interviews with 30…
The Decreasing Significance of Stigma in the Lives of Bisexual Men: Keynote Address, Bisexual Research Convention, London
This article is constructed around a keynote address given at the Bisexual Research Convention, held in London 2010. The keynote was delivered by sociologist Eric Anderson, on behalf of himself and the other authors of this article. The keynote reflected upon a body of ongoing research, funded by the American Institute of Bisexuality and collected by this team of researchers, into the changing relationship between men and homophobia. It first con…
Drag Performers' Perspectives on the Mainstreaming of British Drag: Towards a Sociology of Contemporary Drag
Drag performance has entered mainstream British culture and is gaining unprecedented appreciation and recognition, yet no sociological accounts of this transformation exist. Using an inductive analysis of in-depth interviews with 25 drag performers, alongside netnography of media and other public data, this article develops a sociological understanding of the mainstreaming of drag. There are two clear reasons for the success of drag. First, there…
On the construction of an artificial paradox: A critical commentary on Diefendorf and Bridges’ ‘On the enduring relationship between masculinity and homophobia’
The social trend of decreasing homophobia and liberalizing attitudes toward homosexuality is a contentious sociological issue. In a recent article in this journal, Diefendorf and Bridges contend that differences in findings of quantitative and qualitative research related to masculinities and homophobia demand new theories and methods to chart the enduring relationship between homophobia and masculinity. In this critical commentary, I demonstrate…
Advocacy Research on Homophobia in Education: Claims-Making, Trauma Construction and the Politics of Evidence
Sociology has an ambivalent relationship with advocacy research because the benefits of participation and engagement must be balanced with concerns about bias. The current study uses 10 recent research reports on homophobia in British educational settings, written and funded by campaigning charities, as a case study of contemporary advocacy research. Presenting a sociological analysis of these documents and adopting a social problems approach, cl…
Gay, Mostly Gay, or Bisexual Leaning Gay? An Exploratory Study Distinguishing Gay Sexual Orientations Among Young Men
The Kink Orientation Scale: Developing and Validating a Measure of Kink Desire, Practice, and Identity
Kink, often referred to as BDSM, is an important aspect of a sizable minority's sexual desires, practices, and personal relationships, yet there are few ways to assess kink engagement in a holistic manner. This study aimed to develop the Kink Orientation Scale (KOS), a novel short tool for measuring different aspects of kink sexuality. In phase one, 27 items were created and included in the initial scale based on a literature review and focus gro…
Autistic Traits of People Who Engage in Pup Play: Occurrence, Characteristics and Social Connections
Pup play is a kink or BDSM activity and subculture that provides opportunities for social and sexual play and exploration. While growing scholarly attention has focused on the diverse dynamics of pup play cultures, and reasons for participation within them, no research has considered how pup play may be attractive for neurodivergent people. This study sample consisted of 413 pup play practitioners from an international internet survey to examine …
The Normalization of Leisure Sex and Recreational Drugs: Exploring Associations Between Polydrug Use and Sexual Practices by English Festival-Goers
The relationship between drug use and sexual practice is complex. Significant focus has been placed on risky practices, yet the broader associations between drug use and sexual activities remain elusive outside such contexts. This is despite similar trends of liberalizing attitudes and practices being identified in each area, theorized as the normalization of recreational drug use and the liberalization of consensual sexual practice. In this arti…
Friendship dynamics of young men with non-exclusive sexual orientations: Group diversity, physical intimacy and emotionality
Non-exclusive sexuality identity labels such as "mostly straight" and "mostly gay" describe distinct sexualities. While research documents their existence and distinctiveness, little focus has been given to friendship dynamics with these groups and research on friendship has a heteronormative bias. In this study, we use data collected with 25 men with non-exclusive sexualities from a university in the northeastern United States to examine their f…
A Mixed-Method Study of Same-Sex Kissing Among College-Attending Heterosexual Men in the U.S
This is the first research to assess the prevalence of same-sex kissing among college-attending, heterosexual men in the United States. We utilized a mixed-method study of 442 quantitative surveys and 75 in-depth interviews with participants from 11 universities in order to understand the frequency, context and meanings of same-sex kissing. We found that the prevalence of kissing on the cheek among these participants was 40%, and kissing on the l…
Comparing the Black and Gay Male Athlete: Patterns in American Oppression
In this article, we examine the political stratifications of society by race and sexuality, and the processes by which sport helps subordinate members of each group. In applying social movement theory to gay and black men in sport, we highlight the historically similar patterns of oppression levied upon each group. We develop a four stage social movement theory model that may be useful in predicting the future patterns of homophobic discriminatio…
The Decreasing Significance of Stigma in the Lives of Bisexual Men: Keynote Address, Bisexual Research Convention, London
This article is constructed around a keynote address given at the Bisexual Research Convention, held in London 2010. The keynote was delivered by sociologist Eric Anderson, on behalf of himself and the other authors of this article. The keynote reflected upon a body of ongoing research, funded by the American Institute of Bisexuality and collected by this team of researchers, into the changing relationship between men and homophobia. It first con…
Male Team Sport Hazing Initiations in a Culture of Decreasing Homohysteria
In this longitudinal ethnographic research, we report on 7 years of hazing rituals on two separate men’s sports teams at one university in the United Kingdom. Using 38 in-depth interviews alongside naturalistic observations of the initiation rituals, we demonstrate that hazing activities have changed from being centered around homophobic same-sex activities to focusing on extreme levels of alcohol consumption. We show that whereas same-sex activi…
The declining significance of homohysteria for male students in three sixth forms in the south of England
English schools have traditionally been institutions with high levels of homophobia. This is attributed to the need that heterosexual boys have to maintain a heteromasculine identity. However, by drawing on 44 in‐depth interviews and 12 months of participant observation across three sixth forms, I detail the ways in which homophobia holds little cultural sway with the heterosexual male students in these settings. Here, the majority of students in…
Hierarchy without Hegemony: Locating Boys in an Inclusive School Setting
In this article, the author details how 16-18-year-old boys ascribe to the tenets of inclusive masculinity in a U.K. secondary school that the author calls 'Standard High.' Drawing on five months of participant observation and twelve in-depth interviews, this article demonstrates that the boys' masculinities are predicated in opposition to the orthodox values of homophobia, misogyny, and aggressiveness. Accordingly, the practices of subordination…
Interfaith Relations in the United States: Toward a Multilevel Community Psychology Approach
Interest in religion within the field of community psychology has steadily emerged within the last three decades. This interest has focused almost exclusively on the social benefits of religion, glossing over the often‐contentious nature of religious life and the ways in which religious individuals and institutions can disrupt healthy human and community development. Considering the recent surge of interfaith conflicts and discriminatory practice…
Heteronormativity in the University Classroom: Novelty Attachment and Content Substitution among Gay-friendly Students
This article explores the complex relationship between an openly gay instructor, homophobia, and heteronormativity in a university classroom. The authors first tabulated the frequency with which the instructor used the lives of heterosexuals and homosexuals as examples of content or as content itself, and then they interviewed 32 students about their perceptions of these frequencies. They found that students significantly overestimated lesbian, g…
Critical reflections on making an impact in sexualities research
The changing experiences of bisexual male adolescents
Drawing on in-depth interviews with 15 openly bisexual male youth from sixth forms across the UK, this article documents positive experiences of bisexual male youth in school: participants had positive coming out experiences and did not encounter significant discrimination or harassment because of their sexual identity. Participants attribute this to the inclusive environments of their schools and local cultures. Examining the narratives of two p…
The Influence of Declining Homophobia on Men’s Gender in the United States: An Argument for the Study of Homohysteria
Homohysteria: Definitions, Context and Intersectionality
Identities and Identifications: Changes in Metropolitan Bisexual Men's Attitudes and Experiences
Drawing on 90 interviews with men who identify as bisexual from Los Angeles, London, and New York, this article examines how bisexual men from three different age cohorts remember first experiencing bisexuality, how they identify today, and how this is changing with younger groups of men. Using an innovative recruitment strategy, the majority of participants in this study are not affiliated with bisexual community groups or counselling services. …
Metropolitan Bisexual Men's Relationships: Evidence of a Cohort Effect
Drawing on 90 interviews with openly bisexual men from three metropolitan cities, this research explores experiences related to relationships. In using a comparative cohort research design, the authors demonstrate the presence of a generational effect, with members of the youngest cohort finding that their partners grant the greatest legitimacy to their bisexual identities. The authors also show that men of the older cohort maintained more hetero…
Cuddling and Spooning: Heteromasculinity and Homosocial Tactility among Student-athletes
This article examines the prevalence of homosocial tactility and the contemporary status and meaning of heteromasculinity among British male youth. Drawing on in-depth interviews with forty student-athletes at a British university, we find that thirty-seven participants have cuddled with another male. In addition to this cuddling, participants also engage in 'spooning' with their heterosexual male friends. Demonstrating the pleasurable aspects of…
The After-effects of Decreasing Homophobia
Full Issue
This issue of The Foundation Review offers new insights into the growing field of global community philanthropy. Several articles look more deeply into specific nations: retrospective assessments of the development of community giving in Vietnam and Russia sit alongside a more theoretical reflection grounded in the South African experience of community giving as a vehicle for consciousness-raising. This issue also offers more practical assessment…
An Exploratory Study of a New Kink Activity: “Pup Play”
Gay, Mostly Gay, or Bisexual Leaning Gay? An Exploratory Study Distinguishing Gay Sexual Orientations Among Young Men
Enjoyment, Exploration and Education: Understanding the Consumption of Pornography among Young Men with Non-Exclusive Sexual Orientations
This qualitative research examines the influence of pornography consumption on young men with non-exclusive sexual orientations. Drawing on 35 in-depth interviews with young men from an elite university in the north-eastern United States, we examine how pornography was experienced as a leisure activity to be consumed in free time. Rather than focusing on the potential harms of pornography, we use an inductive analytic approach to explore the broa…
Young men’s rationales for non-exclusive gay sexualities
Recent evidence suggests it is useful to distinguish sexual identities among young men at the gay end of the spectrum because of group differences between primarily gay, mostly gay and gay orientations on several assessed physiological, behavioural and self-report measures. However, little is known about individuals' rationales for choosing sexuality labels beyond traditional gay or bisexual categories. We addressed this issue by interviewing 24 …
Experiences of HIV stigma in rural Southern religious settings
Experiences of stigma, including stigma in religious settings, among individuals who are HIV positive have been widely documented. However, research related to stigma has predominantly focussed on urban locations. As a result, stigma incurred via religious settings in non-urban areas has been underexplored. The aim of this study is to uncover the experiences of individuals who are HIV positive with religious institutions, leaders and congregants …
A Mixed-Method Study of Same-Sex Kissing Among College-Attending Heterosexual Men in the U.S
This is the first research to assess the prevalence of same-sex kissing among college-attending, heterosexual men in the United States. We utilized a mixed-method study of 442 quantitative surveys and 75 in-depth interviews with participants from 11 universities in order to understand the frequency, context and meanings of same-sex kissing. We found that the prevalence of kissing on the cheek among these participants was 40%, and kissing on the l…
Medicalization, menopausal time and narratives of loss: Iranian Muslim women negotiating gender, sexuality and menopause in Tehran and Karaj
On the construction of an artificial paradox: A critical commentary on Diefendorf and Bridges’ ‘On the enduring relationship between masculinity and homophobia’
The social trend of decreasing homophobia and liberalizing attitudes toward homosexuality is a contentious sociological issue. In a recent article in this journal, Diefendorf and Bridges contend that differences in findings of quantitative and qualitative research related to masculinities and homophobia demand new theories and methods to chart the enduring relationship between homophobia and masculinity. In this critical commentary, I demonstrate…
Advocacy Research on Homophobia in Education: Claims-Making, Trauma Construction and the Politics of Evidence
Sociology has an ambivalent relationship with advocacy research because the benefits of participation and engagement must be balanced with concerns about bias. The current study uses 10 recent research reports on homophobia in British educational settings, written and funded by campaigning charities, as a case study of contemporary advocacy research. Presenting a sociological analysis of these documents and adopting a social problems approach, cl…
Psychology (32 works) · Sociology (32 works) · Gender Studies (28 works) · Social Psychology (26 works) · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy (21 works) · Gender Studies (19 works) · Social Psychology (19 works) · Human sexuality (18 works) · Sexuality, Behavior, and Technology (14 works) · Developmental psychology (13 works)