When Laud Humphreys was a sociology graduate student at Washington University in St. Louis, he wrote his dissertation on the "tearoom trade," anonymous homosexual encounters in the men's rooms of public parks. To gather data, he acted as a lookout for his subjects, but he also surreptitiously noted license-plate numbers as the men left, so he could get their names and addresses. The next year, he picked about 50 men from the "tearooms" and interviewed them in their homes, claiming to be performing a health survey. His descriptions of the interviews made it possible for many of the men (and their families) to recognize themselves when the dissertation was published. Why do many sociologists consider this research method to be unethical?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The research method used by Laud Humphreys in his dissertation on the "tearoom trade" is considered unethical because it failed to protect the biographical anonymity of his subjects by noting license-plate numbers and gathering their names and addresses without their knowledge or consent. This could have potentially harmed the privacy and safety of the individuals involved.

When Laud Humphreys Was a Sociology Graduate Student at Washington