One of my concerns with higher education is where schools place gay studies in the curriculum. Neither UCSD nor SDSU has a gay studies program per se. At UCSD, gay studies, arguably, falls within its Critical Gender Studies Department. At SDSU, it’s within Women’s Studies. Of course, on most campuses, gay studies isn’t placed anywhere; it just doesn’t exist.

Most campuses do not offer a sexuality studies program. Sexuality issues, if discussed at all, will be lumped into “Sociology,” and homosexuality gets discussed in the context of “Deviant Behaviors.”

Some of the sociology texts have changed with the times and point out that homosexuality is hardly a deviant behavior, based upon the numbers of people who have tried it. It has become (again) so universally accepted that laws exist in many states protecting gays from bias.

The Kinsey Study from 1950 indicated that upwards of 40 percent of men had experienced a same-sex experience (at least to the point of orgasm). So it’s not that homosexuality is deviant, it’s just not talked about.

But according to Sex Crimes, a text used in sociology classes throughout the country, sociologists look at deviant behavior through four factors: statistics, cultural norms, religion, and what a person subjectively views as normal or acceptable sexual behavior.

It’s still fine, then, to talk about homosexuality within the context of deviant behavior, along with incest, rape, and pedophilia.

So how are gays portrayed? For example, sociologists Stephen T. Holmes and Ronald M. Holmes suggest that there are seven types of homosexuals.

The “secret homosexual” prefers to keep gay status hidden from family, friends, and employers.

The “blatant homosexual” is the “most visible of all homosexuals” because they make their homosexuality public knowledge, whether through dress, speech or mannerisms. Holmes & Holmes hypothesize that drag queens are usually part of this group.

The “adjusted homosexual” is quite content to be gay. The adjusted gay admits to being gay, but doesn’t flaunt his homosexuality in the same fashion as blatant homosexuals. (Is this the straight acting and appearing homosexual?)

The “institutional homosexual” does not have a gay self-image. He’s involved in gay sex because he’s in prison, the military, or lives in a seminary — places where he does not have access to the other sex. (And I always thought gay men were attracted to the military and the seminary because of the availability of same-sex partners and the lack of competition from the other sex.)

The “homosexual prostitute” is between 15 and 17 and has turned to prostitution for economic reasons. (And he has no interest in gay sex other than money, but, then, how does he perform sexually?)

The “homosexual pedophile” is attracted to children.

The whole notion of classifying gays and lesbians is ludicrous. Gays and lesbians have not been free in the U.S. to be open. Most people in the closet are not there by choice. Are there lesbian prostitutes, or lesbian pedophiles, or institutional lesbians?

Including gays and lesbians in the coverage of deviant behavior is about as fair as including racial and religious minorities in such groupings.

Federal law does prohibit schools from engaging in gender discrimination. Sexual orientation bias, at least to the extent it emanates from gender stereotyping, is covered by federal law.

California law is more specific, prohibiting all forms of gay bias in California schools.

Nevertheless, the curriculum continues to teach outmoded and hateful stereotypes of gays and lesbians. By continuing to perpetuate harmful myths about gays and lesbians, these schools do little more than foment hate.

One of my concerns is that police officers, among others, take sociology classes that focus on criminal behavior. So, often their exposure to gays and lesbians is through images of gay men portrayed in “$eviancy” classes.

Keep in mind that most of the texts used in colleges today pre-date the Supreme Court’s ruling in Lawrence v. Texas and still tout Bowers v. Hardwick as the law (i.e., homosexuals are deviants and states can imprison them for engaging in the “crime against nature”).

Only until gays and lesbians are completely free and equal with heterosexuals — in every way — will there be a basis upon which to make academic judgments between gay men and straight men. I suspect that there will be little difference between gay men and sexually secure straight men.