Considers gay student organizations' rights at state-supported public institutions, discusses the First Amendment and the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Offers advice on the major principles and issues that should be taken into account in writing a campus policy regarding the rights of gay student organizations. (Author/RJM)

Reviews literature on relationships of gay men with AIDS and their families of origin. Some reasons for the absence of family from support networks include family's lack of acceptance of homosexuality and relationship with a male partner; stigma associated with AIDS; inability of family to communicate openly about homosexuality and AIDS. (FC)

Analyzes a family systems' model that organizes and integrates the sparse knowledge about the experience of heterosexual family members in gays' and lesbians' families-of-origins. Delineates impact on family system of learning that a child or sibling is gay or lesbian, and provides implications for family life education and other activities. (RJM)

Homosexual and bisexual students at an urban commuter university (N=33) evaluated academic and student services and commented on areas of needed improvement. Results suggest that these students experience harassment on campus and are ambivalent about the responsiveness of student services. Most students did not utilize many student services'…

Uses qualitative and quantitative measures to examine differences in levels of perceived alienation from campus among 41 students who identified themselves as gay, lesbian, and bisexual, and those who identified themselves as heterosexual. Found differences in alienation levels based on both sexual orientation and gender. Non-heterosexual students…

Incites inquiry as to how modern American literature reflects on the problem of identity. Spotlights the contribution to modern American writing by Wallace Thurman's "Harlem" fiction. Endeavors to link a racial imperative to a sexual imperative by means of a current theoretical discourse surrounding notions of city and community life.…

Tested a theoretical model that linked membership in a devalued social group to emotional health. Surveyed white, middle-to-upper-class undergraduate students regarding personal and collective self-esteem (by gender), attitudes and behaviors associated with female socialization, and emotional distress. Results supported the direct effect of each…

Examined relationship of positive lesbian and homosexual identity and psychological adjustment in lesbians (N=50) and homosexual men (N=50) and younger sample of college students (N=131). Two coping strategies (self-labeling as homosexual and self-disclosure of sexual orientation to others) were related to development of positive lesbian or…

Describes the experiences of heterosexual teachers in introducing the topic of sexual preference into a freshman writing course. Expounds on the pitfalls of a writing assignment in which students were asked to describe a conversation with someone about homosexuality. Includes numerous attempts at integrating lesbian and gay experiences into the…

Analysis of 100 AIDS death obituaries indicates imageries reflect much about American society, such as attitudes toward homosexuality, attitudes toward AIDS, and understanding of linkages between sexual practices and AIDS. Analysis suggests construction of AIDS obituaries may be manifestations of sociopolitical structure and a consequence of bias…

Reviews research that examines the role of sexual orientation on human development, and introduces the articles in this special issue. Argues that research on sexual orientation and human development has the potential to make important contributions to both the theory and practice of developmental psychology. (MDM)

Reviews research examining the predictive aspects of childhood sex-typed behavior for sexual orientation. Prospective studies suggest that childhood cross-typed behavior is strongly predictive of adult homosexual orientation for men, whereas retrospective studies are useful in determining how many homosexual individuals displayed cross-sex…

Examined the sexual orientation of 82 adult sons of 55 gay men. Found that more than 90% of the sons whose sexual orientation could be rated were heterosexual. Gay and heterosexual sons did not differ on potentially relevant variables such as length of time they had lived with their fathers. (MDM)

This study with 182 homosexually active adult men of Puerto Rican ancestry in New York City found that men who had been sexually abused by an older sexual partner before the age of 13 were significantly more likely to engage in high-risk sexual behavior without protection than other homosexually active men. (Author/DB)

Individual profiles from an ethnographic study of gay/bisexual male students at Pennsylvania State University are presented, focusing on the experience of coming out while in college. Issues discussed include the relationship of language, culture, and power in shaping experience; overt student actions as political statements; and efforts to open…