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Despite the gradual social evolution towards gender egalitarianism since the middle of the 20th century, gendered courtship and dating scripts, including chivalry, have remained representative of heterosexual courtship. At the same time, marriage equality and equal rights for the LGBTQIA+ community presents an opportunity to study genderless manifestations of chivalry and “apply the lessons from LGBTQ dating and relationships to heterosexual couples” (Lamont, 2021). In this study, we investigated chivalry expectations across sexual orientation, and among interorientation couples (heterosexual-bisexual and lesbian/gay-bisexual). We found that chivalry expectations were highest for anyone dating a male, expectations were lower for bisexual men than for heterosexual men, and chivalry expectations were generally lower for those in interorientation relationships than those in relationships with someone of the same sexual orientation. Overall, bisexuals have the most egalitarian chivalry expectations, suggesting that it is possible for courtship expectations to be equal regardless of sex.

Lesbians are unlikely to ask if it is possible for women and women to be friends. Bisexuals have friends of each sex. It seems that it is primarily heterosexuals who have trouble with sex-of-attraction friendships. This study examined how participants perceived the emotional and sexual infidelity of their partner’s relationship with a friend differing across sexuality and biological sex. Our participants consisted of a combined sample across two studies (n = 532), participants completed measures of their perceived emotional and sexual infidelity towards 10 controlled behaviors that their partners committed with the partner’s friends. The data revealed that participants were more concerned with perceived emotional infidelity with sex(es)-of-attraction friends as a function of participants’ sexual orientation, sex, and their lover’s sexual orientation. Our evidence shows that when in relationships, people feel most threatened by the friend of the partner who possesses the same biological machinery as them. Furthermore, results suggest that people are also more likely to be threatened by their partner’s friend, who may have a mutual attraction towards their partner. The effect of the same biological machinery and the mutual attraction on perceived infidelity is additive. The pattern is seen across heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual relationships.

This study examined how participants’ perceived the emotional and sexual infidelity of their partner’s relationship with a friend differing across sexuality and biological sex. Our participants consisted of a combined sample across two studies (n = 532), participants completed measures of their perceived emotional and sexual infidelity towards 10 controlled behaviors that their partners committed with the partner’s friends. The data revealed that participants were more concerned with perceived emotional infidelity with sex(es)-of-attraction friends as a function of participants’ sexual orientation, sex, and their lover’s sexual orientation. Our evidence shows that when in relationships, people feel most threatened by the friend of the partner who possesses the same biological machinery as them. Furthermore, results suggest that people are also more likely to be threatened by their partner’s friend, who may have a mutual attraction towards their partner. The effect of the same biological machinery and the mutual attraction on perceived infidelity is additive. The pattern is seen across heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual relationships.