Site MapHelpFeedbackGlossary
Glossary
(See related pages)


Sexual orientation  A person's erotic and emotional orientation toward members of his or her own gender or members of the other gender.
Homosexual  A person whose sexual orientation is toward members of the same gender.
Heterosexual  A person whose sexual orientation is toward members of the other gender.
Bisexual  A person whose sexual orientation is toward both men and women.
Lesbian  A woman whose sexual orientation is toward other women.
Gay  Homosexual; especially male homosexuals.
Straight  Heterosexual; that is, a person whose sexual orientation is toward members of the opposite gender.
Homophobia  A strong, irrational fear of homosexuals; negative attitudes and reactions to homosexuals.
Antigay prejudice  Negative attitudes and behaviors toward gays and lesbians. Also termed sexual prejudice.
Heterosexism  The belief that everyone is heterosexual and that heterosexuality is the norm; homosexuality is denigrated.
Covert homosexual  A homosexual who is "in the closet," who keeps his or her sexual orientation a secret.
Overt homosexual  A homosexual who is "out of the closet," who is open about his or her sexual orientation.
Coming out  The process of acknowledging to oneself, and then to others, that one is gay or lesbian.
Gay bar  A cocktail lounge catering to lesbians or gays.
Gay baths  Clubs where gay men can socialize; features include a swimming pool or whirlpool and access to casual sex.
Medical model  A theoretical model in psychology and psychiatry in which mental problems are thought of as sickness or mental illness; the problems in turn are often thought to be due to biological factors.
Conversion or reparative therapy  Any one of a number of treatments designed to turn LGBs into heterosexuals.
Polymorphous perverse  Freud's term for the infant's indiscriminate, undifferentiated sexuality.
Negative Oedipus complex  Freud's term for the opposite of the Oedipus complex; in the negative Oedipus complex the child loves and sexually desires the parent of the same gender and identifies with the parent of the other gender.
Homoseductive mother  Irving Bieber's term for the mother who is seductive toward her son, traumatizing the boy and turning him into a homosexual.
Sexual identity  One's self-identity as homosexual, heterosexual, or bisexual.
Deprivation homosexuality  Homosexual activity that occurs in certain situations, such as prisons, when people are deprived of their regular heterosexual activity.







Understanding Human SexualityOnline Learning Center

Home > Chapter 15 > Glossary