A Natural History of Homosexuality

Rating:
Summary: The Best General Work on Homosexuality I've Encountered
Review: As a lesbian fascinated with lesbian and gay studies and history--and having participated in the making of some of it--I was more than interested in reading Dr. Mondimore's book. What I found was a book with overall balance, an excellent general source of information. I would recommend this book highly to heterosexuals, especially family members striving to deal with the homosexuality of a loved one. I would recommend it to the lesbian or gay seeking a better, broad-based understanding of themselves, their history, and the things which shape and influence them. Above all, I would recommend it to the person or group harboring an antihomosexual prejudice, be it from religious, cultural, or personal beliefs.

There are some criticisms of the book: his treatment of lesbianism and the particular issues affecting gay women is, for the most part, shallow. Granted, there is not as much material available, but there is more than he utilized. Whether from a desire not to offend or from other motivations, his record of the last 30 years of gay history is shallow, as is the discussion of groups vigorously opposing homosexuals, such as the "religious right". It would not have been difficult to employ more depth, particularly since these things impact and will continue to affect the civil rights, health, and well-being of the literally millions of homosexual women and men in this country. Greater stress on what is happening today is needed. The theological issues impacting the civil rights of the entire gay community are not really addressed, although the scholarship which leads to persecution of the gay community by religious groups is profoundly flawed and resource materials readily available.

These criticisms being understood, I would nevertheless highly recommend this book to anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, as a basic work which should be in any balanced library.

Rating:
Summary: The Best General Work on Homosexuality I've Encountered
Review: As a lesbian fascinated with lesbian and gay studies and history--and having participated in the making of some of it--I was more than interested in reading Dr. Mondimore's book. What I found was a book with overall balance, an excellent general source of information. I would recommend this book highly to heterosexuals, especially family members striving to deal with the homosexuality of a loved one. I would recommend it to the lesbian or gay seeking a better, broad-based understanding of themselves, their history, and the things which shape and influence them. Above all, I would recommend it to the person or group harboring an antihomosexual prejudice, be it from religious, cultural, or personal beliefs.

There are some criticisms of the book: his treatment of lesbianism and the particular issues affecting gay women is, for the most part, shallow. Granted, there is not as much material available, but there is more than he utilized. Whether from a desire not to offend or from other motivations, his record of the last 30 years of gay history is shallow, as is the discussion of groups vigorously opposing homosexuals, such as the "religious right". It would not have been difficult to employ more depth, particularly since these things impact and will continue to affect the civil rights, health, and well-being of the literally millions of homosexual women and men in this country. Greater stress on what is happening today is needed. The theological issues impacting the civil rights of the entire gay community are not really addressed, although the scholarship which leads to persecution of the gay community by religious groups is profoundly flawed and resource materials readily available.

These criticisms being understood, I would nevertheless highly recommend this book to anyone, regardless of sexual orientation, as a basic work which should be in any balanced library.

Rating:
Summary: Useful to inform ploarized dialogues about homosexuality
Review: I had to write a book report for Biology class and I thought this was the least boring choice on the list of acceptable books. When I got my hands on it, though, it looked so nasty, old, and clinical that I wasn't too eager to settle down and read it.

Well, it turns out the author broke the book into sections focused on particular topics, such as historical, social, and biological points of view, so that you don't get overwhelmed. Inside each topic, there are a number of sections (like for biological analysis: effects of levels of particular hormones reaching the fetus during embryonic development, retrospective and prospective studies, hormonal organizing, and tests on lab animals) so you can get at exactly what you're into.

Mondimore also makes connections from one topic to the next, and building this way makes it flow well and somewhat organizes it all as it spills into your head.

Overall, it's one of the better all-in-one overview books, and the author is queer but presents his material objectively, so if you're trying to pick out a book on this topic, I'd recommend this feller.

Rating:
Summary: An agreable discovery of facts
Review: I've just finished reading Dr. Mondimore's book. Since I am more familiar with literature and the arts there was a large spectrum I was quite ignorant of. I am Mexican and eventhough I was quite aware that the Aztecs really hated what we now call homosexuality, I was pretty ignorant of other othre views of this pehenomenon in other pre-Hispanic cultures.
Dr. Mondimore's book covers such a huge range of aspects (history, history of mentalities, medicine, psychology, sociology, politics) that I became sort of dizzy at the end. Nevertheless the author delivers all his stuff in such a lively way that once I started reading, I had great pains at stop reading.
For me the book was illuminating.

Rating:
Summary: A good summary history
Review: Mondimore, a practicing psychologist, has attempted to provide a low-cost, accessible, one-volume treatment of the issue of homosexuality on several bases. This is a book used in various courses at my seminary to help with background to address the often difficult-to-deal-with topic of homosexuality. Part of the Johns Hopkins series on Gay Studies, this book is credible and authoritative.

In the first half of Mondimore's book, he explores historical and biological issues. Part I deals specifically with history. He starts by stating frankly a fact most people don't realise -- the word homosexuality did not exist prior to 1869, when it appeared (in Germanic form) in a governmental pamphlet. Prior to this, there had been euphemisms and other definitive terms, but this word itself did not exist. Mondimore explores the concept, therefore, rather than instances of the word, in cultures from ancient Greece and Rome, to Native American cultures, through old Europe and into the present. One of Mondimore's shortcomings must surely be the Euro-centric focus, although early in the book he addresses African, Asian and Pacific peoples.

In Part II, Mondimore addresses the scientific/biological bases for homosexuality, both historical fictions and the extent to which modern science has (and has not) gotten in this area of research. The nature-vs.-nurture debate is here in full force. Issues of heredity, hormonal influences on the embryo, theories of brain constructions and variations, and psychological-impact on physical development are all considered here. The famous twins studies, the ideas of cooperation/competition between nature and nurture for various kinds of patterns of action, orientation, and growth are considered in sufficient detail to make the text interest for the scientific literati as well as remaining accessible to those who find scientific explanations a challenge.

In the second half of Mondimore's book, as he says, 'we will now leave behind hormones and neurons and molecules and talk about people.' Parts III and IV are devoted much more to psychological, sociological, and political issues.

Part III begins with Mondimore asking the questions What makes someone come to identify himself or herself as having sexual orientation? What is the process by which people come to identify themselves as homosexual?

Mondimore asserts that the first step in this process is the learning of labels and understanding categories of sexual orientation. Gender identity is reinforced early in communities and assumed by children, which is not necessarily sexual at this time. Some children begin to sense a differentness, which is borne out in studies of homosexual adults who have a higher-than-average tendency toward things associated with the opposite gender (play activities, etc.). Children often become aware of their own differentness as well as labels at the same time, often early in life, which can lead to prehomosexual children (a term used by Mondimore from sociologies Richard Troiden) to have a wide range of psychological reactions in trying first to understand their own feelings, which are confusing during adolescence to begin with, and then to reconcile their feelings with the expectations of family and community. Rationalisation, coping mechanisms, denials, and other reactions are discussed.

In concluding Part III, Mondimore turns to a discussion of what homosexuality is not, and issues of bisexuality and transgender identities. Bisexuality is controversial is many ways, including within the gay community, and its definition varies depending upon the frame of reference (constructionist versus essentialist). Any number of individuals who label themselves heterosexual or homosexual may under some constructs be classified as bisexual depending upon their past experiences or fantasies. Many have a difficult time accepting bisexuality but rather see it as a lack of acceptance by many homosexuals to accept that identity. Again, this tends to be different in women, who studies indicate seem to be more fluid in their sexual orientations and less categorised at the extremes of the spectrum.

In Part IV, Mondimore discusses the politics of sexual orientation issues. He begins with another brief historical survey, including the Knights Templar in the early 1300s, the trials of Oscar Wilde in England and Philip von Eulenburg in Germany in the late 1800s/early 1900s, the homosexual persecution during the Holocaust, and a brief summation of the aftermath, making some parallels to modern day legal statutes and the potential for persecution in the present.

Then Mondimore turns to a discussion of ex-Gay ministries and programs, such as Exodus, Homosexuals Anonymous, Love in Action, the organisation NARTH and the various issues such organisation have. Mondimore discounts the effectiveness and often the motivations behind these organisations, comparing their tactics to cults which use indoctrination and isolation, and playing often upon the internal insecurities of the individuals who come to them for help. Reparative therapy is a controversial issue not only among the gay community but also among the medical/therapeutic community who view currently their methods and theories with suspicion.

Mondimore in conclusion addresses many unanswered questions, particularly how these issues relate to other cultures and communities, how individuals in those communities differ in their development, precisely how homosexuals are a minority (in the legal/political sense) if indeed they are.

Mondimore does a good job providing an overview of the complexity of issues that surround the history and current situation and study of homosexuality. I found myself at many points wanting more details, but the point of the book explicitly stated in the preface was to be a survey. Mondimore's bias against certain points of view is apparent, particularly in his discussions of psychiatry/psychology, both the politics and the therapies, and, as Mondimore is a clinical psychiatrist, it makes sense that this would be very important to him.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent summary for the general reader
Review: This is a very good book for the general reader. The author is a practicing psychiatrist (which aroused some of my worst fears), but he will not tolerate any of the psychiatric nonsense which has been written about homosexuality. In particular, the Freudian antagonism to same-sex behavior is very accurately dismissed as "based on faith," a clear indication that the author has tumbled to Freudianism as a religion, just as much as Christianity, Judaism, or Marxism.

The author rightly gives more attention to Kinsey than to Freud, and I say "rightly" because Kinsey was a scientist and Freud was not.

The historical treatment is a little weak, but this does not harm the book fatally, in my opinion. The coverage of the Ancient Greeks is fairly good, although I am a little bit reluctant to follow the author down the current modern trail in discussion of Greek pederasty. What had been a scornful and shocked moral condemnation now seems to have been replaced by a condemnation based on "power differences" between the mature erastes and the younger eromenos. This is clearly an argument which stems from feminist philosophy, and it is not one which I think any man or boy involved in such a relationship would accept. The primary factor in such relations is love, according to the people involved. And, indeed, the younger partner holds all the power in many cases.

Leaving that aside, the major weakness in the historical account is that Mondimore accepts John Boswell as his only source for "gay history" between the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages. This is simply an error, and a regrettable one. Boswell was a propagandist, not a historian.

There are several good chapters on biology and genetics, and Mondimore correctly notes that "there is now little doubt that sexual orientation is substantially influenced by hereditary factors in both males and females."

Having covered the history of the subject (with the errors noted), and the science which needs to be understood by both experts and laypersons, Mondimore winds up with a good overview of the struggle for gay emancipation, AIDS, and the rest of the modern tale, which bring us up to the present day. The book closes with a stirring call for acceptance and freedom.

The only thing I really missed hearing about in this book is something most Americans never fully appreciate because it is such a fundamental component of American culture: the taboo against two males displaying physical affection for one another. Aside from a few jocular exceptions (for example, during combat or sports), this taboo is part of the air we breathe. The taboo is not enforced too strictly against little boys, but once puberty sets in, God help the boy who wants to hold his boyfriend's hand, or walk arm-in-arm, or just sit comfortably nestled with male friends.

This taboo against any display of physical affection at all is absolute. School principals will punish boys who violate the taboo. So will peers and so will parents. At the first hint of physical affection, the hatred begins flowing: "Faggot! Queer! Sissy!" It's enough to make Americans believe that every society must act like this, but this is a radically false concept. Other societies accept male friendship and rejoice in it; in some cultures it has been normative.

So this is a slight difference in perspective: where Mondimore calls for acceptance and freedom, I would suggest that we simply need to dump a trashy and stupid taboo. But, again, like the Boswell mistake, this does not destroy the book. It's a good one, suitable for reading by anyone, and highly informative.

Rating:
Summary: An excellent summary for the general reader
Review: This is a very good book for the general reader. The author is a practicing psychiatrist (which aroused some of my worst fears), but he will not tolerate any of the psychiatric nonsense which has been written about homosexuality. In particular, the Freudian antagonism to same-sex behavior is very accurately dismissed as "based on faith," a clear indication that the author has tumbled to Freudianism as a religion, just as much as Christianity, Judaism, or Marxism.

The author rightly gives more attention to Kinsey than to Freud, and I say "rightly" because Kinsey was a scientist and Freud was not.

The historical treatment is a little weak, but this does not harm the book fatally, in my opinion. The coverage of the Ancient Greeks is fairly good, although I am a little bit reluctant to follow the author down the current modern trail in discussion of Greek pederasty. What had been a scornful and shocked moral condemnation now seems to have been replaced by a condemnation based on "power differences" between the mature erastes and the younger eromenos. This is clearly an argument which stems from feminist philosophy, and it is not one which I think any man or boy involved in such a relationship would accept. The primary factor in such relations is love, according to the people involved. And, indeed, the younger partner holds all the power in many cases.

Leaving that aside, the major weakness in the historical account is that Mondimore accepts John Boswell as his only source for "gay history" between the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages. This is simply an error, and a regrettable one. Boswell was a propagandist, not a historian.

There are several good chapters on biology and genetics, and Mondimore correctly notes that "there is now little doubt that sexual orientation is substantially influenced by hereditary factors in both males and females."

Having covered the history of the subject (with the errors noted), and the science which needs to be understood by both experts and laypersons, Mondimore winds up with a good overview of the struggle for gay emancipation, AIDS, and the rest of the modern tale, which bring us up to the present day. The book closes with a stirring call for acceptance and freedom.

The only thing I really missed hearing about in this book is something most Americans never fully appreciate because it is such a fundamental component of American culture: the taboo against two males displaying physical affection for one another. Aside from a few jocular exceptions (for example, during combat or sports), this taboo is part of the air we breathe. The taboo is not enforced too strictly against little boys, but once puberty sets in, God help the boy who wants to hold his boyfriend's hand, or walk arm-in-arm, or just sit comfortably nestled with male friends.

This taboo against any display of physical affection at all is absolute. School principals will punish boys who violate the taboo. So will peers and so will parents. At the first hint of physical affection, the hatred begins flowing: "Faggot! Queer! Sissy!" It's enough to make Americans believe that every society must act like this, but this is a radically false concept. Other societies accept male friendship and rejoice in it; in some cultures it has been normative.

So this is a slight difference in perspective: where Mondimore calls for acceptance and freedom, I would suggest that we simply need to dump a trashy and stupid taboo. But, again, like the Boswell mistake, this does not destroy the book. It's a good one, suitable for reading by anyone, and highly informative.