Differences Between Previously Married and Never Married ‘Gay’ Men

ABSTRACT

Despite a large body of literature on the development of sexual orientation, little is known about why some gay men have been (or remain) married to a woman. In the current study, a self-selected sample of 43 never married gay men (‘never marrieds’) and 26 gay men who were married to a woman (‘previously marrieds’) completed a self-report questionnaire. Hypotheses were based on five possible explanations for gay men's marriages: (a) differences in sexual orientation (i.e., bisexuality); (b) internalized homophobia; (c) religious intolerance; (d) confusion created because of childhood/adolescent sexual experiences; and/or (e) poor psychological adjustment. Previously marrieds described their families' religious beliefs as more fundamentalist than never marrieds. No differences were found between marrieds' and never marrieds' ratings of their sexual orientation and identity, and levels of homophobia and self-depreciation. Family adaptability and family cohesion and the degree to which respondents reported having experienced child maltreatment did not distinguish between previously marrieds and never marrieds. The results highlight how little is understood of the reasons why gay men marry, and the need to develop an adequate theoretical model.

Key Words:

• Bisexual
• sexual orientation
• gay identity
• family environment
• marriage
• men who have sex with men (MSM)
• ‘gay and married’