Cruising, Sex and Relationships - workshop by Action for AIDS (Jul 26)

Eyes Meet Eyes, what's Next?

You are walking down the street and see someone interesting. He gives you a glance and smiles.

- What would you do?

- How do you tell him that you're interested?

- What signals would you give?

What would your response be if this happens in a club or sauna?

Come & join us for a fun-filled discussion on cruising, sex and relationship.

Date: 26th July 2008
Time: 2.00pm to 5.00pm
Venue: Sooma Café, NankinRow @ China Square Central
3 Pickering Street #01 – 14, Singapore 048660
Email: msm.resources@ afa.org.sg
Tel: 6254 0212
Price: FREE

Organised by: Action For AIDS Singapore

Reuters: Gay couples as committed as straight couples: study (Jan 22)

Jan 22, 2008

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Gay and lesbian couples are just as committed in their relationships as heterosexuals and the legal status of their union doesn't impact their happiness, according to new research.

In two new studies that compared same-sex and heterosexual couples using different factors and methods to assess their happiness, scientists found few differences.

"Among the committed couples, there were very few differences that we were able to identify either in terms of how satisfied these couples were, how effectively they interacted with one another or how their bodies responded physiologically while they were interacting with one another," Glenn I. Roisman, of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champagne, said in an interview.

He and his colleagues compared 30 gay male and 30 lesbian couples with 50 engaged heterosexual couples, 40 older, married heterosexual couples and dating heterosexual couples.

They found that regardless of sexual orientation, as the level of commitment increased, so did the ability to resolve conflict -- debunking the myth that
same-sex relationships are not built on the same level of commitment as heterosexual ones.

In the second study researchers, who focused on how legal status affected relationship quality, followed 65 male and 138 female same-sex couples in 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 researchers from the University of Washington, San Diego State University and the University of Vermont found that same-sex couples, regardless of their legal
status, were more satisfied with their relationships and reported more positive feelings toward their partners and less conflict than heterosexual married
couples.

But gay and lesbian couples not in civil unions were more likely than same-sex couples in civil unions or heterosexuals who were married to end their relationships, according to the study.

Both studies were published in the journal Developmental Psychology.

"My personal view is that I think it's very hard to make the case as has been made that these same-sex relationships are fundamentally different from opposite-sex relationships in the presence of data like these and other data in the developmental
literature," said Roisman.

Reporting by Stefanie Kranjec; Editing by Patricia Reaney

The Advocate: Gay Unions Healthier than Straight (Jan 17)

SUMMARY: Same-sex couples are more flexible about gender roles,
parenting and household responsibilities, a University of San Diego
study finds.

A recent University of San Diego study revealed some discoveries
that demonstrate how same-sex relationships may be healthier than
straight ones, according to an article by United Press
International.

The study found that couples in same-sex relationships were more
flexible in terms of gender roles, parenting and household
responsibilities.

It also found that lesbian couples are emotionally closer than gay
male couples, who, in turn, are emotionally closer than heterosexual
married couples.

"It all comes down to greater equality in the relationship, " Robert-
Jay Green of Alliant International University's Rockway Institute
said to UPI. "Research shows that lesbian and gay couples have a
head start in escaping the traditional gender role divisions that
make for power imbalances and dissatisfaction in many heterosexual
relationships. "

According to the article, the researches concluded, "heterosexual
couples could learn from gay couples about sharing housework and
child care, using softer communication in conflict, and having more
nurturing behaviors toward one another and their children." (The
Advocate)