The Mismeasure of Desire: The Science, Theory, and Ethics of Sexual Orientation (Ideologies of Desire)

401 Pages·1999·22.74 MB·English

by  Edward Stein

THE MISMEASURE
OF DESIRE
IDEOLOGIES OF DESIRE
David M. Halperin
Series Editor
The Female Thermometer
Eighteenth-Century Culture and the Invention of the Uncanny
TERRY CASTLE
Gide's Bent
Sexuality, Politics, Writing
MICHAEL LUCEY
The Erotic Imagination
French Histories of Perversity
VERNON A. ROSARIO II
Roman Homosexuality
Ideologies of Masculinity in Classical Antiquity
CRAIG A. WILLIAMS
Great Mirrors Shattered
Homosexuality, Orientalism, and Japan
JOHN WHITTIER TREAT
The Mismeasure of Desire
The Science, Theory, and Ethics of Sexual Orientation
EDWARD STEIN
THE
MISMEASURE
OF DESIRE
The Science, Theory,
and Ethics of
Sexual Orientation
Edward Stein
OXFORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
OXFORD
UNIVERSITY PRESS
Oxford New York
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Copyright © 1999 by Edward Stein
First published by Oxford University Press, Inc.
198 Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
First issued as an Oxford University Press paperback, 2001
Oxford University Press is a registered trademark of Oxford University Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without
the prior permission of Oxford University Press.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Stein, Edward, 1965-
The mismeasure of desire: the science, theory, and ethics of sexual orientation
/ Edward Stein.
p. cm. — (Ideologies of desire)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-19-509995-8
ISBN 0-19-514244-6 (Pbk.)
1. Homosexuality—Research. 2. Homosexuality—Philosophy.
3. Homosexuality—Moral and ethical aspects. 4. Sexual orientation—
Research. 5. Sexual orientation—Philosophy. 6. Sexual
orientation—Moral and ethical aspects. I. Title. II. Series.
HQ76.25.S69 1999 306.76'6—dc2198-55079 98-55079
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in the United States of America
on acid-free paper
For Laskar A. Wechsler, my grandfather,
for nurturing my intellectual curiosity
This page intentionally left blank
C O N T E N TS
Preface ix
Introduction 3
Part I: Metaphysics
1 Sex, Gender, and Sexual Orientation 23
2 What Is a Sexual Orientation? 39
3 Human Kinds 71
4 Essentialism and Constructionism about
Sexual Orientation 93
Part II: Science
5 The Emerging Scientific Program for the
Study of Sexual Orientation 119
6 Animal Models and Evolutionary Accounts
in the Emerging Research Program 164
7 Critique of the Emerging Research
Program 190
8 Experiential Theories of Sexual
Orientation 229
9 Sexual Orientation and Choice 258
Part III: Ethics
10 Lesbian and Gay Rights and the Science
of Sexual Orientation 277
Vlll CONTENTS
11 Selecting and Changing the Sexual
Orientation of Children 305
12 Should Scientific Research on Sexual
Orientation Be Done? 328
Conclusion 342
Notes 349
Bibliography 359
Index 383
P R E F A C E
Manyn y people find sex pleasurable. Many people also
find talking and thinking about sex to be fun and interesting. At the same time,
many people find it difficult to talk about sex, and for some, sex is the source of
anxiety and discomfort. In the last decade, a substantial portion of the thinking
and talking concerning sex has focused on sexual desires, in particular, the var-
ious sexual desires that people have and the source of these varied desires. Sex-
ual desire, it seems, comes in different forms. Some people are primarily at-
tracted to men and others are primarily attracted to women. Where do these
different sexual orientations come from? Are they based on biological differ-
ences, environmental differences, individual choices, or some combination of
these and perhaps other factors? And what is the relevance of these differences
in sexual orientation? In this book, I consider these questions in a detailed fash-
ion. In particular, I critically examine scientific research on sexual orientation.
This scientific research has received a great deal of attention in the last several
years from many people with a wide variety of political and intellectual perspec-
tives. Although science has the potential to emerge as the central perspective for
thinking about sexual orientation, I will argue that, despite interesting and
provocative current scientific research on sexual orientation, there are various
grounds for questioning its assumptions, its methods, and its relevance.
As the subtitle of this book suggests, in addition to looking at scientific
perspectives on sexual orientation, I also consider various theoretical and ethi-
cal questions about sexual orientation and sexual desires generally. I consider
what sexual orientations are, how they develop, and their ethical and legal sta-
tus. In the process of uncovering the undefended assumptions in our thinking
about sexual desire, I drawn on and reflect on scientific research, social scien-
tific research, lesbian and gay studies, lesbian and gay politics, feminist theory,
and philosophy. Despite its broad range, this book is written for a wide audi-
ence. Interested readers of any sort should find this book interesting, engaging,
and provocative.
IX