TEAROOM SEX STUDY
Group 7
By:Jeanne Ward
Tina Wright
Stephanie Young
November 19, 2016
University of West Alabama
In the 1960's, Laud Humphrey, a student at Washington University, conducted a study titled The
TeaRoom Study. The purpose of the study was to discover why men were participating in impersonal homosexual sex in public. There were many questions raised on the ethical violations committed by Humphrey, due to the fact that much of his study was conducted without the consent of the men involved. The controversy focused on the topic, as well as illicit, anonymous male-to-male sexual encounters using public bathrooms. Humphrey used numerous unethical means to collect his data. He used police data to trace the car license plates of the male participants in the tearoom, and he deceptively interviewed men in their homes posing as a health service interviewer, asking them questions about their race, marital status, occupations, and so on.
During the time of the study, homosexuality was not acceptable. Many upstanding men were arrested for the "tearoom sex". 'Tearoom' is described as a men's public restroom in which impersonal homosexual acts occurred. Humphrey wanted to uncover how the men in the study defined their own sexuality and the status of their public and private lives.
Group 7
By:Jeanne Ward
Tina Wright
Stephanie Young
November 19, 2016
University of West Alabama
In the 1960's, Laud Humphrey, a student at Washington University, conducted a study titled The
TeaRoom Study. The purpose of the study was to discover why men were participating in impersonal homosexual sex in public. There were many questions raised on the ethical violations committed by Humphrey, due to the fact that much of his study was conducted without the consent of the men involved. The controversy focused on the topic, as well as illicit, anonymous male-to-male sexual encounters using public bathrooms. Humphrey used numerous unethical means to collect his data. He used police data to trace the car license plates of the male participants in the tearoom, and he deceptively interviewed men in their homes posing as a health service interviewer, asking them questions about their race, marital status, occupations, and so on.
During the time of the study, homosexuality was not acceptable. Many upstanding men were arrested for the "tearoom sex". 'Tearoom' is described as a men's public restroom in which impersonal homosexual acts occurred. Humphrey wanted to uncover how the men in the study defined their own sexuality and the status of their public and private lives.