Deck 3: Lgbtq Families

Question 1

Using three examples from Mezey's reading, explain what other historical events and movement were taking place in the middle of the 20th century that contributed to the development of the gay liberation movement in the United States.

Answer 1

Varies. May include the following:
-Alfred Kinsey published the Kinsey Scale, which identified a spectrum of sexual identities and desires.
-Gay men (Mattachine Society), lesbian women (Daughters of Bilitis), and bisexual people (Sexual Freedom League) began to organize and facilitate exploration and positive self-image.
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights groups provided examples for how to organize and protest.
-Feminists encouraged self-exploration and sexual freedom, as well as created spaces for women to meet together.
-Safer and better reproductive and contraceptive technologies were developed, expanding childbearing and childrearing options for LGBTQ families.

Question 2

According to Mezey, why can terms of sexual identity like "heterosexual" or "homosexual" be problematic?

A) These do not fully capture the breadth of emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction experienced by some people.
B) These terms depend on a person's understanding of their own gender, but gender identity is not always static.
C) No person ever feels fully aligned with just one sexual identity.
D) Mezey does not find these terms problematic.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which of the following is NOT included Mezey's definition of a family?

A) Family is a social institution.
B) Family is found in all societies.
C) Families are comprised of two or more people related by birth, law, or affection.
D) Families are headed by two sexually intimate adults.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Similar to the early feminist movement, what challenge did the gay liberation movement face in the first half of the 20th century in the United States?

A) Swinger communities only included strictly heterosexual people.
B) People of color were excluded from the larger fight against discrimination and instead created smaller, separate groups.
C) People did not want to label themselves "feminist" or "gay."
D) There was no scientific support for the existence of varying sexual identities.

Question 5

Which of the following is a potential harmful impact of the legal definition of family differing from sociological definitions?

A) The lesbian partner of a woman in a car crash is unable to visit her partner or learn details of her partner's condition.
B) The adopted child of gay couple is teased at school.
C) A child has four mothers.
D) The legal definition of family is the same as sociological definitions.

Question 6

The increasing number of LGBTQ families in the United States indicated that the family landscape is changing. What do sociologists propose as an explanation for this and other shifts?

A) Increasing population increases the amount of variability in families.
B) Each generation is shifting further away from traditional family values.
C) Families are social constructs developed by cultural, economic, political, and historical contexts.
D) Biology is the sole influence on families.

Question 7

What was one important effect of the HIV/AIDS epidemic on the development of LGBTQ families?

A) HIV/AIDS heightened homophobia and biphobia.
B) HIV/AIDS frightened LGBTQ families into reducing the number of children they adopted or gave birth to.
C) The epidemic demanded that homosexual, bisexual, and transgender people from differing race, class, and ethnic backgrounds banded together, a change from early, more exclusionary times.
D) The epidemic prompted medical professionals to stand up for the rights of LGBTQ persons.

Question 8

According to Mezey, which of the following is NOT a myth or assumption that supports the false notion that LGBTQ people are harmful to families?

A) Laws regarding the rights of LGBTQ families are constantly shifting.
B) Gays and lesbian cannot have children.
C) All LGBTQ people have experienced rejection and alienation from their families of origin.
D) Family structure is more important than the quality of family relationships for the wellbeing of children.

Question 9

Compare and contrast how conservatives and progressives view the changing fabric of American families. Then, explain your point of view.

Question 10

Which of these statements from Mezey supports the notion that families are the reflection of social conditions, rather than the cause of them?

A) Societal problems such as divorce, unemployment, and poverty developed from the breakdown in "family values."
B) Men are biologically predisposed to be breadwinners, whereas women are biologically predisposed to be caregivers.
C) Married people benefit from greater mental and physical health, financial stability, and even live longer.
D) The "traditional" nuclear family and the increase of social problems such as unemployment and the decrease of the middle class grew out of the same structural changes, such as the industrial revolution, globalization, the Great Depression, and World War II.