This document discusses research on a new sexual orientation group called "mostly straight" (MS). It summarizes studies finding that MS individuals, who report some attraction to the same sex but identify as mostly heterosexual, make up a larger population than other non-heterosexual groups. The document reviews research showing that, compared to exclusively heterosexual and bisexual individuals, MS individuals tend to report higher rates of mental health issues, risky behaviors, and victimization, but lower rates on some measures compared to bisexual individuals. It also presents findings that MS attraction shows some stability over time and physiological responses between MS and other groups.

1. “Mostly Straight”:
A New Sexual Orientation
Group
~CatalystCon East 2014~
Zhana Vrangalova, PhD
New York University
@ZhanaVrangalova
Ritch C. Savin-Williams, PhD
Cornell University

2. What’s Your Sexual
Orientation?
Heterosexual
Bisexual
Gay/Lesbian

3. What’s Your Sexual
Orientation?
Heterosexual
Mostly
Heterosexual
Bisexual
Mostly Gay/Lesbian
Gay/Lesbian

4. What’s Your Sexual
Orientation?
Heterosexual
Mostly Heterosexual
Bisexual Leaning
Heterosexual
Bisexual
Bisexual Leaning
Gay/Lesbian
Mostly Gay/Lesbian
Gay/Lesbian

5. What’s Your Sexual
Orientation?
0 50 100
Heterosexual Gay/LesbianBisexual

6. Sexual orientation distribution
• Theoretically, a continuum across various SO
indicators (attraction, arousal, fantasy, behavior,
identity)
• Practically, 3 groups: Hetero, Bi, & Gay/Lesbian
• Until recently, MHs either not assessed or not
analyzed separately;
– Treated as heterosexual (most common)
– Treated as bisexual
– Treated as nonheterosexual
• Recently, more research on MHs as a separate
group

7. What does it mean you’re
Mostly Hetero?
• Actually slightly attracted to same-sex
• Interest in women vs. men different quality
• Just trying to be politically correct (“straight
but not narrow”)
• It’s more about friendly/romantic love
• Aesthetic judgment (“I can tell they’re
attractive, but I’m not attracted to them”)
• Open to future possibilities (“Straight until the
right guy comes along”)
• Confused
• Other…?

8. Josh Hutcherson
"I would probably list myself as
mostly straight. But who knows?
In a fucking year, I could meet a
guy and be like, 'Whoa, I'm
attracted to this person … I've
met guys all the time that I'm
like, 'Damn, that's a good-looking
guy,' you know? But I think
defining yourself as 100%
anything is kind of near-sighted
and close-minded."

9. “I’m heterosexual with...”
Some bisexual tendencies
Slight homosexual feelings
Some homosexual experience
Most of my sex with opposite-sex
Somewhat attracted same-sex others
Attracted/Aroused slightly to same-sex

10. Identity, Attraction, Fantasy,
Feelings, Desires, Eroticism, Sex
Partners, Crushes, Romance
 What minimal percent—1%? 5%? 10%?
 What percent is too much & is bisexual?
 Should sex count or too circumstantial?
 What is most, slight, primarily, ever?
 And, what about those “pesky” nonexclusive
heterosexuals?

11. Mostly Heterosexual Prevalence
 Larger than all other nonheterosexuals
combined (for both sexes)
 Across definitions, ages, subgroups:
 Females: 4% to 24%, 9% median
 Males: 2% to 9%, 4% median

12. Men
(Savin-Williams, Joyner, & Rieger, 2012)
Figure 1. Change in sexual orientation identity between waves.
Wave 3 Wave 4
Men N = 5,527 (Kendall's Tau-B = 0.646***)
100%$heterosexual$ 100%$heterosexual
N = 5,204 (94.16%) N = 5,159 (93.34%)
Mostly$heterosexual Mostly$heterosexual
N = 174 (3.15%) N = 184 (3.33%)
Bisexual Bisexual
N = 36 (0.65%) N = 29 (0.52%)
Mostly$homosexual Mostly$homosexual
N = 40 (0.72%) N = 51 (0.92%)
100%$homosexual 100%$homosexual
N = 73 (1.32%) N = 104 (1.88%)
5,064
105
1116
82
71
6
8
85
8
10
3
0 2
58
58
8
7
5
5
18
17
0
0
10

13. Women
Women N = 6,556 (Kendall's Tau-B = 0.484***)
100%$heterosexual$ 100%$heterosexual
N = 5,649 (86.17%) N = 5,287 (80.64%)
Mostly$heterosexual Mostly$heterosexual
N = 676 (10.31%) N = 1013 (15.45%)
Bisexual Bisexual
N = 167 (2.55%) N = 147 (2.24%)
Mostly$homosexual Mostly$homosexual
N = 34 (0.52%) N = 49 (0.75%)
100%$homosexual 100%$homosexual
N = 30 (0.46%) N = 60 (0.92%)
4,981
585
589
268
357
39
6
67
30
15
45
2
1 0
22
58
16
6
10
6
13
7
3
5
5
(Savin-Williams, Joyner, & Rieger, 2012)

14. Stability
 50% over time between early adolescence
to adulthood
 Stability lower than straights
 Stability higher than bisexual
 Come & go from straights, not gay,
lesbian, or bisexual

15. Genital Arousal*
Viewing Time
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Eye-Tracking
Eye Dilation*
“free of conscious control of self-
representation & social desirability”

16. The Eyes Have It

17. Eye Dilation
 Emotionally arousing
 Intensive aspect of attention
 Positive affect
 Immune: social desirability & social stigma
 “Processes that occur below the threshold
of consciousness” (Laeng et al., 2012, p. 18)

18. Eye Dilation & Tracking

19. Eye Dilation & Tracking

20. Sexually Explicit Stimulus
 Mild and not explicit (avoid disgust)
 Limited models (but “attractive”)
 Validated with genital arousal
 Less intrusive and comprehensive
 Consistent with other research, doesn’t
work with women (romantic, verbal,
stories, menstrual cycle)

22. p = .05
d = .58
p = .57
d = .13

23. p = .28
d = .36
p = .12
d = .56

24. Penis & Eyes
 MS more attracted to men than Straights
without giving up their attractions to women
 MS slightly less attracted to men and more
attracted to women than Bisexual-Straights

25. Mostly Straight?

26. Mostly Straight?

27. Brendon Urie: Panic! At The Disco
I find myself being attracted to
dudes all the time. I'm like, "Wow,
that's a beautiful man." There's no
shame in it; that's how I feel. I
guess if I had to classify myself, I'd
say I'm straight. But I have, in the
past, experimented in other
realms of homosexuality and
bisexuality. I'm just so insanely in
love and attracted to my wife.
"Well, OK, my love of musicals
can't trump that I love pussy.”

28. Psychological & Health Profile
of Mostly Straights
• Meta-analysis
• 60 studies, 1991-2013
• 22 samples
– most population-based
– From 5 Western countries (US, UK, Australia,
Norway, & Canada)
• MH vs. H and MH vs. B
(Vrangalova & Savin-Williams, 2014,
Annual Review of Sex Research)

29. Psychological & Health Profile of
Mostly Straights
Mostly Hetero vs.
Hetero
Mostly Hetero vs.
Bisexual
Mean # samples Mean # samples
Depression, suicidality, anxiety Higher 11-14 Lower 8-11
Body image problems/
Disordered eating
Higher 3-4 Lower 2-4
Sexual health (STIs, teen
pregnancy, abnormal PAP)
Higher 2-6 Lower (m);
Similar (w)
2-5
Substance use Higher 9-11 Similar 6-8
Sexual risk taking (early onset,
multiple partners, condom nonuse)
Higher 7-11 Lower 5-8
Victimization (sexual, nonsexual) Higher 8-11 Lower 8-10
Stressful/Risky environments Higher 3-6 Similar 2-4
Personal & social relatedness Lower 4-7 Higher (m);
Similar (w)
4-6
SES (education, income) Higher 4-7 Higher 3-5

30. Why are MHs doing worse than
heterosexuals?
• Many possible explanations, very little
evidence to evaluate them
– Minority stress hypothesis
– Nonheterosexual lifestyles
– Common causes
• Biological
• Environmental
– Nonheteros more likely to admit to negative
things
– Any other…?

31. Funding Support
American Institute of Bisexuality
Federal Formula Funds