Study Highlights Complexity Of Same Sex Identity

Study Highlights Complexity Of Same Sex Identity

The author of New Zealand's most comprehensive study of gay, lesbians and bisexuals says that it would be inappropriate to link childhood trauma with a tendency to same-sex sexual identity based on a just-published Otago University study.

Dr Mark Henrickson, lead researcher on Lavender Islands: Portrait of the Whole Family, the first national study of gay, lesbian and bisexual New Zealanders from a strengths perspective, says the Otago University study of 13,000 people aged over 16 "begins with the assumption that heterosexuality is both statistically normative and normal, and then seeks to explain non-heterosexuality”.

The Otago study, part of a Mental Health New Zealand survey, says; "the more adverse events experienced in childhood, the more likely someone was to belong to one of the non-exclusively heterosexual groups”.

Dr Henrickson, a senior lecturer in social work at Massey's School of Social and Cultural Studies in Albany, says a "heteronormative bias" has shaped the study's discussion and conclusions. "This can lead to the unfortunate and erroneous conclusion that sexual minorities are 'that way' because they are broken. The research and social discourse has moved beyond this over the last 10 years."

He says the study lacks analysis by gender. "This is very important, because the current literature proposes that men and women arrive at their sexual identities through quite different pathways, and that women have much more fluid and flexible identities throughout their lives, while men's identities are fixed earlier on and do not change much during the life course."

"The Otago study shows no evidence of consultation with any sexual minorities in the interpretation of the findings, which would be expected in a New Zealand context, even for a biostatistical study, because of the broad implications for these groups."

He says the Otago study “problematised” sexual identity, and a significant missing element was that sexual minority groups develop resilience as a part of their identities. Dr Henrickson says data from his study shows an increasing level of satisfaction with sexual identity over the lives of sexual minorities.

The Lavender Islands survey ran from April to July in 2004, with 2269 men and women responding to online questions about identity and self-definition, families of origin, relationships and sexuality, families of choice, immigration and internal migration, wellbeing, politics, income and spending, education, careers and leisure, community connections, challenges, and spirituality. Fifteen papers and book chapters have been published from the data collected, and a second phase of the study is currently underway.

ENDS

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