Re-explore Eigenberg's article.. find all authors for the specific things he or she cites so those quotes can be used. Men's Life in PrisonStatistics, Comparing Women, Why This Stuff SucksHomosexuality has been a part of prison culture since prison life was first studied. However, it is a subject that few researchers have taken the time to analyze and interpret (Sykes, 1958). Studies of prisons in the 1980s and 1990s rarely took place because they were not considered a subject worthy of study, but rather the themes covered were sexually transmitted infections, sexual assault and rape (Sit and Ricciardelli, 2013). Homosexuality was considered a form of mental illness by the American Psychological Association until 1975, when it was declared an alternative lifestyle (Eigenberg, 1992). Ironically, penal institutions around the world are home to a subculture with the greatest concentration of homosexuality, but one that is fiercely homophobic (Gear, xxxx). Researchers such as Blackburn, Fowler, Mullings, and MArquart (2010) found that time served was a significant predictor of increased tolerance. towards sexual relations between prisoners and the preference for a gay cellmate. It was not until Kinsey et al. (1953) developed the Kinsey scale to measure sexual orientation as the notion of sexual fluidity began to be taken into account in Western cultures. This was a continuum of seven categories based on two indicators: sexual fantasy and sexual experience. Fantasy and experimental measures have yielded similar results, and many have agreed that this form of measurement is better than one consisting of only a few discrete variables (Ellis, Burke, & Ames, 1987). Many myths surround penal institutions and the prisoners who constitute them. them. The media presents the prison... middle of paper ...... questions regarding gender identity and homosexuality, answers could be skewed depending on the prisoner's level of fear of being identified as homosexual in an environment hypermasculine, of himself -the refusal or lack of admission. Gibson and Hensley (2013), in their study of whether engaging in homosexual behavior affected a change in sexual orientation, had an unsurprising response rate of only 18%. Most reports note only an admission of indirect exposure; it was only heard about but not witnessed, only a select group of inmates engaged in such activity, or denied that it happened (Gibson and Hensley, 2013). Future Research Further research is needed to examine the impact of prisoners' attitudes towards homosexuality on their behavior; Does greater tolerance toward homosexuality mean that an individual is more likely to engage in homosexual behavior (Blackburn, Fowler, Mullings, & Marquart, 2010).