from Gay Activism in the Social Sciences

January 22, 2008 - Ritch Savin-Williams, a gay researcher at Cornell University applauds the progress being made in changing American attitudes towards homosexuality.

Writing in Developmental Psychology (2008, Vol. 44, No. 1 135-138), Savin-Williams notes:

In terms of developmental issues, 30 years ago only about 1 in 10 Americans believed that an individual is born gay. By 1995, the majority of Americans still believed that babies become gay gradually over time, usually because of bad parenting (Gandossy, 2007). Today, more Americans (42%) believe that homosexuality is something a person is born with than believe it is the consequence of upbringing or the environment (35%; Saad, 2007) As a result, the majority of the American public (56%) believes that sexual orientation cannot be changed; 10 years ago that proportion was 36% (Gandossy, 2007).

Savin-Williams believes that the time is ripe for emphasizing not what is developmentally wrong with same-sex behaviors, but for emphasizing what is right. He observes:

Although consider empirical data document gay youth as depressed, suicidal, victimized, homeless, and HIV+, might it be possible, as suggested by Luthar (2001), that experiences with adversity may precipitate not only suicide but also significant personal growth through increasing the depth and complexity in one's life? Accentuating the assets, resiliency, and complexity of same-sex oriented youth as creative, artistic, versatile, assertive, stylish, witty, sensitive, and athletic does not exist.

He continues:

Attention to the healthy lives of same-sex attracted populations as a counterweight to the usual doom-and-gloom far is long overdue. Indeed, a shift from the atypical development, whether positive or negative, to a broad exploration of the normative development of same-sex oriented individuals is now timely as increasing numbers of youth proclaim their non-heterosexual status.