Laud humphreys controversy

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Laud Humphreys

Robert Allan Humphreys (–), known as Laud Humphreys, was an American sociologist and Episcopal priest. He is noted for his research into sexual encounters between men in public bathrooms, published as Tearoom Trade () and for the questions that emerged from what was overwhelmingly considered unethical research methods.^[2] He influenced generations of scholars who research issues related to sexuality and sexual identity.^[3]

Biography

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Robert Allan Humphreys was born on October 16, ,^[4] in Chickasha, Oklahoma, to Ira Denver Humphreys and Stella Bernice Humphreys.^[5] "Laud" was chosen as his first name when he was baptized again upon entering the Episcopal Church.

Education

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Humphreys graduated from Chickasha High School (Chickasha, Oklahoma) in ^[5] He then attended Colorado College, graduating with his BA in He attended Seabury-Western Theological Seminary (in Evanston, Illinois), graduating with the MDiv degree in In , he entered graduate school at Washington University to pursue a PhD in sociology.^[6] His dissertation adviser was Lee Rainwater. Humphreys obtained two pre-doctoral research fellowships from the National Institute of Mental Health to fund his dissertation resear

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Laud Humphreys and the Tearoom Sex Study

Laud Humphreys, a sociologist, recognized that the public and the law-enforcement authorities hold highly simplistic stereotyped beliefs about men who commit impersonal sexual acts with one another in public restrooms. "Tearoom sex," as fellatio in public restrooms is called, accounts for the majority of homosexual arrests in the United States. Humphreys decided that it would be of considerable social importance for society to gain more objective understanding of who these men are and what motivates them to seek quick, impersonal sexual gratification.

For his Ph.D. dissertation at Washington University, Humphreys set out to answer this question by means of participant observation and structured interview. He stationed himself in "tearooms" and offered to serve as "watchqueen" - the individual who keeps watch and coughs when a police car stops nearby or a stranger approaches. He played that role faithfully while observing hundreds of acts of fellatio. He was able to gain the confidence of some of the men he observed, disclose his role as scientist, and persuade them to tell him about the rest of their lives and about their motives. Those who were willing to talk openly with him tended to be among the bett