Summary of Paper

BY EVELYN HOOKER, PHD.

VALUE-CONFLICT AND VALUE-CONGRUENCE OF A HOMOSEXUAL GROUP IN A HETEROSEXUAL SOCIETY. (FIRST READ AT THE AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION MEETING IN CINCINNATI, SEPTEMBER 1959; ALSO READ AT ONE INSTITUTE JANUARY 1960.)

WITHIN THE PICTURE OF GENERAL CONGRUENCE WITH THE VALUES OF THE DOMINANT CULTURE, THERE ARE MANY CONTRADICTIONS. THE HOMOSEXUAL WHO VERBALIZES HIS LONGING FOR AN ENDURING PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP, OR EVEN WHO HAS ONE, MAY FREQUENT "GAY" BATHS OR BARS, OR STREETS OR PARKS, IN SEARCH OF NEW CONQUESTS FOR THE NIGHT. IT IS A SEARCH MOTIVATED LESS BY SEXUAL DESIRE THAN BY A WISH FOR DANGER AND EXCITEMENT. THERE IS MUCH HERE THAT RESEMBLES THE "CAT CULTURE" OF THE DRUG ADDICTS, AS DESCRIBED IN THE NEW YORK AND CHICAGO REPORTS. "THE 'KICK', DEFINED BY FINESTONE AS 'ANY ACT TABOOED BY "SQUARES" THAT HEIGHTENS AND INTENSIFIES THE PRESENT MOMENT OF EXPERIENCE AND DIFFERENTIATES IT AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE FROM THE HUMDRUM ROUTINE OF DAILY LIFE" IS CENTRAL TO HOMOSEXUAL CULTURE, TOO EXCEPT THAT IT ALWAYS INVOLVES SEXUALITY,

MILLER'S CHARACTERIZATION OF LOWER-CLASS CULTURE IS APPROPRIATE FOR HOMOSEXUAL CULTURE: "FOR MANY LOWER-CLASS INDIVIDUALS, THE RHYTHM OF LIFE FLUCTUATES BETWEEN PERIODS OF RELATIVELY ROUTINE OR REPETITIVE ACTIVITY AND SOUGHT SITUATIONS OF GREAT EMOTIONAL STIMULATION. MANY OF THE MOST CHARACTERISTIC FEATURES OF LOWERCLASS LIFE ARE RELATED TO THE SEARCH FOR EXCITEMENT OR 'THRILL'."

YOUTH CULTURE, LOWER-CLASS CULTURE, IN ITS EMPHASIS ON DANGER, EXCITEMENT, THRILL, AND ON MASCULINITY; UPPER-MIDDLE INTELLECTUAL, IN ITS EMPHASIS ON ESTHETIC VALUES; AND, WITH ALL OF THIS, THE VERBALIZATION OF MIDDLE-CLASS SEXUAL VALUES OF MONOGAMOUS, ROMANTIC LOVE-ATTACHMENTS: MANY KINDS OF CULTURAL VALUE-CONFLICT ARE EVIDENT IN THE HOMOSEXUAL SUB-CULTURE. IT IS A HYBRID OF MANY DIVERSE STRAINS. ONE FACTOR WHICH MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THIS IS THE COMPARATIVE LACK OF CLASS OR ETHNIC SEGREGATION IN HOMOSEXUAL GROUPS. ARTICULATE AND SOPHISTICATED HOMOSEXUALS OFTEN SPEAK OF