Gay, Straight, and In-Between: The Sexology of Erotic Orientation [Paperback]

 

 

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John William Money, Ph.D. (1921-2006), New Zealand born psychologist and sexologist, in "Gay, Straight, and In-Between" (1988), investigates sexual orientation, explaining how some find themselves swimming outside of the mainstream.

In the first of this book's four chapters, "Prenatal Hormones and Brain Dimorphism" covers how before birth the neuroendocrine/central nervous systems, endocrine glands and some visceral tissues secrete into the bloodstream chemicals disbursing information to other bodily organs and cells, which, in turn, affect individuals portraying defective characteristics of both sexes after birth.

Second, in "Gender Coding," Money describes what it is collectively hormonal, genetic and social that impacts on one's mind, body and behaviour, causing them in childhood to be--through "identification," behaving like someone else, and "complementation," behaving unlike another person (both applied to G-I/R, gender-identity/role)--totally female, male or androgynous.

Chapter three, "Gender Crosscoding," delves the conflict between one's gender and behaviour, cross-purposed against external genitals, found in, for instance, homophilia, transvestism and transexualism.

Finally, chapter four, "Lovemaps and Paraphilia," the author expounds on mental templates of the brain, which, because of development, represent one's ideal sexual proclivities/partner(s). Some of which are thought of as egregious perversions. However, Money doesn't believe homosexuality, with its lovemap, is a paraphilia (declassified as one in 1973 from the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders" of the American Psychiatric Association; and Sigmund Freud, in a 1935 letter to an American mother of a gay son, said homosexuality wasn't an illness, nor could it be changed). Irving Bieber, et al, in "Homosexuality" (1962) said, "Freud's formulation of the etiology of homosexuality postulated a continuum between constitutional and experiential elements." That is, a causation based on what one is physically born with versus what they experience. Money proclaims, "Biology and social input interact at a crucial phase of maturation. It is their interaction that determines the outcome." Further, he states homosexuality is, if anything, understood through the developmental determinism principle, outlining just when the brain becomes heterosexualized, or homosexualized, and to what length, magnitude and permanence.

Such development occurs in stages with several causes. In the prenatal stage, causatively, male sex hormones may masculinize and not defeminize the brain, but a hormonal lack may demasculinize and not feminize, same. During the prenatal/early-newborn phase, preponderant male sex hormones oblivious to female sex hormones, a propensity, but not a predestination, to homosexuality is ratified. From infancy to childhood, the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal system that deals with secretion of hormones is quiescent, where the causative agents enter the brain, to varying degrees, through the sense organs, i.e., social conditioning or learning based on experience and familiarity, called "apperceptive assimilation." Identification with an "exemplar" or model representing one's own sex, and complementation with same of the opposite sex, brings about heterosexuality. When there is discordance, instigated by amerced prepubertal, boy-girl sexual rehearsal play, homosexuality might ensue. The author says the "Exigency theory," that describes requirements intrinsic to one's human existence, by bonding(s), being sustained, typecast and destined by fate, through using/restraining/unfolding mechanisms, unites all sexological theories here.

At the conclusion of this work is a handy, forty-five page glossary, followed by an appendix, exploring treatments for sex offenders.

"Gay, Straight, and In-Between" by John Money is well worth reading to discover what makes one tick sexually, where congested paths regale in the touch at each profound juncture.

Please read of this man's (...) in the work of John Colapinto cited above--As Nature Made Him (it is the story of an identical twin whose circumcision was botched, and
Money recommended that he be raised as a girl--this Money "guineau pig" committed suicide last week--age 38, but not before he had many, many negative words for the misguided "work" of Money). Colapinto is his exclusive biographer.
The fact that Money's name remains prominently on the syllabus of many women's study courses is a considerable shame to both fields of psychology and women's studies.
Recommended reading of real scholarship in the area of biological and social determination pertaining to sexual and homosexual behavior: Mean Genes by Terry Burnham and Jay Phelan

Contrary to one poster who called Money the foremost thinker on this subject, the reality has proven that Money is the foremost [suspect]. His "groundbreaking" experiment in gender identity has been shown to be a complete fabrication on his part.

While he may be a great theorizer (anyone can concoct a ridiculous and salacious theory), reality has demonstrated that his theories are false.

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4.0 out of 5 stars excellent, provocative work
on the formation of gender identity. Money is unquestionably one of the foremost thinkers on human sexuality of the modern era. Read more

Published on Dec 5 2003

1.0 out of 5 stars Read "As Nature Made Him" by John Colapinto
Read "As Nature Made Him" by John Colapinto

Published on Mar 8 2001 by Read

1.0 out of 5 stars LIES, LIES and more LIES!
John Money is a joke. No REAL dr./scientist would make up ficticious results in case studies! He has lost ALL credibility and is an embarrassment to others in his profession... Read more

Published on Feb 9 2000 by Pat O'Butter

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