The Effects of Premarital Heterosexual and Homosexual Experience on Dating and Marriage Desirability

Abstract

This study concerns the relationship between past sexual behavior and one's acceptability as a dating or marriage partner. Samples selected from two different university populations confirm an earlier finding that preference is shown by both men and women for partners without previous coital or oral heterosexual experience. We also investigated the effects of homosexual experience on dating and marriage preference. The very strong rejection of those with any form of same-sex experience overshadows all findings concerning heterosexual behaviors. This seems to represent a generalized homophobia rather than a concern about AIDS.