On the assessment of sexual orientation: a reply to Anderson

In response to Anderson's (1975) objections to Stone and Schneider's validation study of the Wheeler signs of homosexuality in the Rorschach, both the scientific and ethical-moral grounds for assessing sexual orientation were discussed. With respect to these two issues, it was argued that (a) an individual's sexual behaviors and attitudes, which includes sexual object preference, exert a significant influence on major portions of an individual's life and thus requires clinical assessment, and (b) only by gathering knowledge about human functioning in all domains can we effectively combat inappropriate stereotyping and prejudice, such as that which still exists towards homosexuals today.