Tearoom trade a research update

While Warwick , p. Wright Mills Award for research. Following a research paper he wrote on the subject of homosexuality in Humphreys realised that very little research had taken place into the kind of people engaged in this deviant activity.

Social scientists have avoided this area of deviant behaviour…….. Humphreys , p. It was important for him to offer;. Humphreys, , p. He adopted an inductive approach to his research and believed that;. It is clear, given the lack of prior research into the area, that Humphreys had to adopt a qualitative approach to his study in order to garner an adequate depth of understanding of the subject.

Humphreys employed two distinct methods of research within the study. When someone approaches, he coughs. He nods when the coast is clear. Secondly, in order to gain reliable demographic data on the individuals taking part in the activity, Humphreys undertook a process of structured interview under the guise of a social health survey.

Burnham et al, , p. For instance Burnham et al , p. As with the majority of qualitative research, there is also the problem of whether a relatively small sample is representative of a population or ethnic group. Author: James M. Headings: Classic Historical Cases. Case Type: Decision Making. From to Laud Humphreys, an ordained Episcopalian minister, conducted dissertation research on men who have impersonal sex with men Humphreys, Among a variety of other important factors, this lack of sexual gratification motivated many subjects to frequent tearooms.

Loneliness emerged as a prominent characteristic in many of the subjects he surveyed. In addition, after publishing the study, the public expressed concern over whether a researcher should be allowed to collect data which has the potential to jeopardize the safety of the subjects if it is revealed to the public.

Firstly, Humphreys believed that a scientist should never neglect an area of study or phenomenon because it was difficult to investigate or inherently socially sensitive.

Following the release of his study, police arrests of homosexuals and raids on tearooms actually decreased in frequency, exemplifying how the understanding of human nature benefits everyone. Secondly, Humphreys believed that a scientist should take every possible precaution in order to minimize the degree to which studying a phenomenon distorts its natural occurrence.

It is universally acknowledged in scientific communities that openly observing an interaction between two subjects can change the outcome of their interaction. Publicly identifying oneself as a social researcher while observing the interaction between men who prize their anonymity in a tearoom would produce drastically different results than presenting oneself as a trusted watchqueen.

However, there were about a dozen subjects to whom Humphreys revealed his true identity in order to gain assistance in conducting the study, learning the rules, and locating tearooms. Thirdly, Humphreys believed that a scientist must protect his subjects, regardless of the cost to the researcher. At the time of this study, anti- sodomy laws were enforced nationwide. Merely engaging in sexual acts with the same gender could merit an arrest, and this risk increased significantly if the acts were conducted in a public facility.

He recorded the names, license plate numbers, and addresses of around men. He also bore witness to their illegal activity. In the event that law enforcement saw fit to arrest Humphreys for conducting this controversial study, the sensitive data he meticulously collected would be demanded by the authorities.

However, years after publishing his study, Humphreys spent some time in a jail for an unrelated incident. After spending some time in this harsh environment, Humphreys admitted that he questioned his own ability to resist if the authorities had questioned him. Tearoom trade: A research update. ConclusionLike many studies of covert deviance, this paper is based upon a captive sample of persons who have come to the attention of law enforcement agencies. The existence of Laud Humphreys' … Expand.

This article argues for the importance of homo sexuality to the criminological enterprise. It traces a course of criminological engagement with homosexuality from the works of Lombroso and the early … Expand. View 2 excerpts, cites background. Journal of homosexuality. Qualitative Sociology Review. However, his The Art of Love and … Expand.