Marriage between homosexual and heterosexual partners
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Marriage between homosexual and heterosexual partners
A study on the nature of mixed-orientation marriages was conducted in 2002 at Deakin University, Australia. This study was conducted on 26 men: of these 26 men, 50% thought they were gay before their mixed-orientation marriage and 85% identified as gay after their mixed-orientation marriage. An interesting finding of this study is that, "the two most common reasons cited (for engaging in mixed-orientation marriages) were that it 'seemed natural' (cited by 65.4%), and that they 'wanted children and family life' (65.4%)." This finding is later contrasted with an earlier study, "These (two) reasons seem different from the most frequent ones found by Ross (1983) which focused on social expectancy and concerns over homosexuality." Though these and other findings are of great intrigue, there are limitations as to what can be extrapolated from the data and the author of the Deakin University study agrees, "Further research with men, women and children of these 'mixed-orientation marriages' is needed to develop a theoretical understanding of the causes, processes and impact of marriage (and marriage-breakdown) in gay and bisexual men."A different study conducted in 1993 found that unfaithful marriages between a heterosexual woman and a homosexual man, where the man engages in homosexual activity, have a high probability of failure.
Joe Kort , a counselor specializing in mixed-orientation marriages, said "These men genuinely love their wives. They fall in love with their wives, they have children, they're on a chemical, romantic high, and then after about seven years, the high falls away and their gay identity starts emerging. They don't mean any harm." While many hide their orientation from their spouse, others tell their spouse before marriage. Research indicates that some people identify as exclusively heterosexual in behavior and fantasies before marriage, but grow toward a more homosexual orientation during marriage.One study states that heterosexual women in mixed-orientation marriages may be attracted to homosexual men and proceed to marry them. Kort said that "straight individuals rarely marry gay people accidentally." He theorized that some heterosexual women find homosexual men less judgmental and more flexible, while others unconsciously seek partnerships that are not sexually passionate.
What do you think about this thread's topic?
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great
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