People’s sexual identities and behaviors don’t always line up in the way that you might expect. For example, a lot of people who identify as heterosexual or straight report having had partners of the same sex or gender. And there are a lot of different reasons for this! My guest today has identified at least six different types of people who identify as heterosexual, but engage in same-sex behavior. So, we’re going to break it down for you.

I am joined by Dr. Arielle Kuperberg, an Associate Professor of Sociology and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Arielle recently published a study about heterosexually-identified college students who reported same-sex hookups and we explore her key findings. Among the topics we discuss are:

Why sexual identity and sexual behavior don’t always match up.
Which heterosexual people who engage in same-sex behavior are likely to change their sexual identity labels in the future.
The roles of college culture and alcohol in sexual self-exploration.
Why some heterosexual people engage in same-sex behavior for attention or performance.
The influence of religion and politics on sexual identity.
Why we need to measure more than sexual identity if we really want to understand someone’s sexuality.

Check it out! To learn more about Arielle, follow her on Twitter @ATKuperberg and visit her website here.

Level-up your intimate life with Beducated, the Netflix of better sex! They have a whole library of online courses to teach you what you need to know. Enjoy a free trial today and get 70% off their yearly pass by using my last name – LEHMILLER – as the coupon code. Sign up now at: http://beducate.me/pd2215-lehmiller

The Kinsey Institute’s (kinseyinstitute.org) 75th anniversary is underway and you are invited to join in the celebration! Follow @kinseyinstitute on social media to learn more about upcoming events. Also, please consider a gift or donation to the Institute to support sex research and education. Click here to donate.

This podcast was made on Zencastr. Join Zencastr today and receive 40% off of their professional plan for 3 months with my exclusive discount code: sexandpsych

***

Want to learn more about Sex and Psychology? Click here for previous articles or follow the blog on Facebook, Twitter, or Reddit to receive updates. You can also follow Dr. Lehmiller on YouTube and Instagram.

Listen and stream all episodes on Apple, Spotify, Google, or Amazon. Subscribe to automatically receive new episodes and please rate and review the podcast!

Credits: Jonathan Raz (Podcast editing) and Shutterstock/Florian (Music). Image created with Canva; photos used with permission of guest.

Episode 84: Straight People Who Have Gay Sex

Sex and Psychology Podcast

Episode 84: Straight People Who Have Gay Sex