Fall 1999 Newsletter

The Mismeasure of Desire:
The Science, Theory and Ethics of Sexual Orientation

by Edward Stein '87
Oxford University Press, $35

Hailed as the first book-length critique of scientific research on sexuality, and promising to expose the flaws of such research and address the ethical dilemmas it raises, the Mismeasure of Desire: The Science, Theory and Ethics of Sexual Orientation is BiGALA member Ed Stein '87's third book. Stein, a law student at Yale and no stranger to many BiGALA members from the role he played in the early founding of the group, believes this to be his most important work yet.

"I use an interdisciplinary approach towards a range of socially, politically, and scientifically significant topics. This is an accessible and contentious book that pushes readers to question their assumptions about human sexuality. In the aftermath of the brutal killing of Matthew Shepard and in the wake of several important court cases concerning lesbian and gay rights, my discussion provides a unique foundation for thinking about sexual orientation and the panoply of issues related to it."

Tackling and analyzing the large body of evidence available concerning the origins of sexual desire and orientation is no easy task. While in recent years scientific research and popular opinion have favored the idea that sexual orientations are determined at birth, Stein argues that much of what we think we know about the origins of sexual desire is probably wrong. By analyzing all contemporary scientific research on sexual orientation, Stein shows how scientific approaches to sexual orientation are all deeply flawed.

The book is divided into three main parts. In the first part, Stein discusses what sexual orientation is, including how it relates to gender and how many sexual orientations there are. In the second part, he explores the various contemporary scientific research on sexual orientation, pointing out that this research assumes a picture of sexual desire that reflects unquestioned cultural stereotypes rather than cross-cultural scientific facts, and as such suffers from serious methodological problems. Finally in the third part, he discusses the legal, ethical, and social implications of the issues discussed thus far, including gay and lesbian civil rights and the implications of parents trying to select or change the sexual orientation of their children. Drawing largely from his teaching and studies at Williams, MIT, New York University and Yale, The Mismeasure of Desire is an important addition to the discourse on one of the most hotly debated issues of our time.

Ed Stein spoke on his new book at Williams on Wednesday, November 17 at 7 pm in a lecture cosponsored by the Dively Committee.

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