本研究嘗試探討究竟什麼原因得以讓同志願意離開獨身狀態,選擇進入一個承受社會污名的伴侶關係?其伴侶選擇偏好爲何?根據15對男同志與18對女同志深入訪談的結果發現,同志伴侶關係的建立,面對未來的無法預測性,無論是:(1)積極地深思熟慮爲了避免將來後悔、無法克制要求自己;(2)強調關係建立於傻勁與衝動;或是(3)在家庭與愛情左右爲難的掙扎中消極地走一步算一步,均意味著伴侶關係組成與建立所帶來的報酬大於獨身狀態,進而「決定」進入一個承受社會污名的伴侶關係。至於在伴侶選擇偏好上,同志與異性戀者有其共同性,均強調年齡、收入、個人外在形象、內在特質與社會條件等各層面。其伴侶選擇偏好之特殊性在於低度的外在社會支持、高度的自我認同,以及彈性且「去性別化」的角色分工,呈現出豐富且異質的樣態。
This study aims at exploring why gays and lesbians in Taiwan are willing to enter into couple relationships stigmatized by the society along with their preferences for selecting partners.According to the in-depth interviews with fifteen gay couples and eighteen lesbian couples, despite the fact that they were faced with the unpredictable future as couples, they still chose to enter into couple relationships based on the following possible reasons: (1) they did not want to feel regretful in the future after serious consideration; (2) they felt that it was a decision made out of strong desire or urge; (3) they decided to go as far as they could in the relationships even in the face of struggling between affections and families.The findings showed that these couples felt that having a relationship was still better than staying single and thus motivated them to enter into couple relationships. In terms of the preferences for partner selection, gays and lesbians were similar to heterosexuals in that they also attached importance to age, income, personal images, inner qualities, and social status. The major differences discovered in the study regarding partner selection for gays and lesbians were the lower degree of support from the society, higher self-identity, and the flexibility in gender role divisions.