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thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
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 Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 5:35 am Post subject: Here for a good time - and a long time |
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New research challenges the stereotype that gay couples aren't as committed as heterosexual ones
VANCOUVER � Murray Corren of Vancouver recalls precisely when his spouse, Peter, entered his life nearly 37 years ago. The date was July 11, 1971.
The two men met at a bar in London and have been together ever since. They merged their last names, Cook and Warren, to Corren.
They adopted a teenage son together, the first such adoption by a same-sex couple in British Columbia. And after it became legal to do so, they married in 2004.
"Our family is as ordinary as many others," Mr. Corren said. "Just as any couple, we argue about things, about very trivial things and sometimes about perhaps a bit more important things. But by and large, we get along really well and have done so all these years."
Theo Wouters, left, and Roger Thibault at their home in Pointe Claire, Que. The couple, together for more than 35 years, officially tied the knot in 2002.
Now, researchers have scientific evidence to back up what the Correns have known all along - that same-sex couples are just as committed in their romantic relationships as heterosexual couples.
The findings of two separate studies, published in the January issue of the U.S. journal Developmental Psychology, challenge the stereotype that same-sex couples aren't as devoted to each other or have as healthy relationships as their heterosexual counterparts.
One of the studies found that same-sex couples were more satisfied with their relationships than married heterosexual couples were.
In that study, researchers from the University of Washington, San Diego State University and the University of Vermont followed 65 male and 138 female same-sex couples with civil unions, 23 male and 61 female same-sex couples not in civil unions and 55 heterosexual married couples over a three-year period.
The study was conducted in Vermont, the first U.S. state to legalize same-sex relationships with civil unions in 2000.
Using multiple questionnaires, researchers assessed the couples in terms of how affectionate they were, how much conflict they had, their levels of satisfaction and compatibility, as well as equality, intimacy and how they solved problems.
In most relationship areas, same-sex couples were found to be similar to heterosexual couples, and legal status did not seem to have a major affect on same-sex relationships.
However, same-sex couples reported more positive feelings toward their partners and less conflict than married heterosexual couples, the researchers said.
"Maybe by not having all the legal and institutional reasons to stay together, it could mean that [same-sex couples] are staying together because they really want to," said Kimberly Balsam, a professor at the University of Washington and one of the study's researchers.
Breakups between heterosexual couples occurred slightly less frequently, but that may just mean that heterosexual couples are staying together because it's difficult to obtain a divorce, she said.
The study showed that 9 per cent of same-sex couples who weren't in civil unions broke up, compared with 4 per cent of same-sex couples in civil unions and 3 per cent of heterosexual married couples.
In the second study, researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign compared 30 committed gay male and 30 committed lesbian couples with 50 engaged heterosexual couples and 40 older married couples, as well as with heterosexual couples who were dating.
The subjects completed a questionnaire that asked how positively they interacted with each other on a daily basis. Then, in a laboratory, researchers prompted them to discuss sticky relationship issues such as money or in-laws while they measured the couples' heart rates and how much they were sweating, in order to gauge signs of distress.
The results showed that all subjects had positive views of their relationships, but those in committed relationships - either gay or straight - were better at resolving conflict than heterosexual dating couples.
"I hope that [this research] draws attention to the disparity between what at least a segment of the population believes about same-sex couples being atypical," said Glenn Roisman, the study's lead author and an assistant professor of psychology at the university. |
http://www.theglobeandmail.com |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:35 pm Post subject: Re: Here for a good time - and a long time |
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[quote="thepeel"]
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They merged their last names, Cook and Warren, to Corren.
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That's repulsive. |
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thepeel
Joined: 08 Aug 2004
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Why? |
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shetan
Joined: 24 Apr 2006
Location: In front of my PC.
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:52 pm Post subject: Re: Here for a good time - and a long time |
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[quote="Kuros"]
| thepeel wrote: |
| Quote: |
They merged their last names, Cook and Warren, to Corren.
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That's repulsive. |
cant tell if being serious or sarcastic... |
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Kuros
Joined: 27 Apr 2004
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| Posted: Thu Jan 24, 2008 8:02 pm Post subject: Re: Here for a good time - and a long time |
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[quote="shetan"]
| Kuros wrote: |
| thepeel wrote: |
| Quote: |
They merged their last names, Cook and Warren, to Corren.
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That's repulsive. |
cant tell if being serious or sarcastic... |
C'mon, merging your last names? Its not just wierd, its positively gay. |
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