Upcoming Talks on Straight Guise by Joe Kort, LMSW
AASECT Sponsored Talk for Mental Health Clinicians
DATE: November 1, 2008
COST: $40 (which includes 2 AASECT CE’s and 2 Michigan Social Work CE’s plus a continental
breakfast)
WHERE: Center for Sexual Health at University of Michigan Health Systems
Ann arbor, MI
East Ann Arbor Health Center
4260 Plymouth Road Ann
Arbor, MI 48109 just off the highway (us 23)
Contact: Sallie Foley salliefoley@gmail.com
Straight Guise: Treating Heterosexual Men Who Have Sex With Men
1. Description of Training
When a male client reveals he fantasizes about having sex with men, is caught looking at online gay porn and in gay chat rooms, and possibly is having sex with men, the tendency is to label the client as gay or bisexual. However, for many of these men this is not about either. A variety of reasons exist as to why men seek other men for sex which are not about a gay identity.
Therapists, being politically correct, often believe the man is in denial about his homosexuality or bisexuality and move him in a direction toward coming out gay when--in fact--he is not. This presentation will discuss ways understanding the male client’s interest in sexual contact with men, and helping him decide what course of treatment is best for him.
2. Bibliographic references for talk:
A. Mending A Shattered Heart: A Guide for Partners of Sex Addicts
A Gentle Press edited by Stephanie Carnes, Ph.D. with chapter by Joe Kort, LMSW called Straight Guise: Is My Partner Gay?
B. Psychotherapy Networker Magazine
Gay Guise: What To Do When Your Client Has Sex With Men, But Is Straight was a
case study article for therapists working with men who have sex with men (MSM) and
are heterosexual.
C. On the Down Low: A Journey into the Lives of “Straight” Black Men Who Sleep with Men
by J.L. King
D. Beyond the Down Low: Sex, Lies, and Denial in Black America by Keith Boyken
3. Objectives for talk:
- Understand the psychological meanings of the arousal template of the straight men who seek sex with men (MSM's) who are not gay or bisexual.
- Learn to help the client communicate an understanding about his sexuality and to understand what the behavior means for him.
- Address the fears, homophobia, anxieties and insecurities of these clients about their sexual behaviors and interest in engaging in sexual activity with other men.
