1. Tearoom Trade (1970) is one of the most notorious studies in deviance, and it is widely read by scholars in the field of sociology and criminology (including your humble instructor). Why do you think this article has garnered so much sustained attention in the near 40 years since Humphrey’s published his work?
2. What is the most egregious ethical violation in this work? Justify your answer.
3. What are the potential social benefits of this study, if any?
4. Are the ethical breaches in this study worth the potential benefits of the findings? Justify your answer.
5. If you were charged with revising Humphrey’s protocol such that it met with IRB approval, what three changes would you make?
Sample Answer
Tearoom Trade (1970) remains a highly discussed study due to its profound ethical controversies and its significant, though flawed, contributions to the understanding of deviant behavior.
1. Sustained Attention
Tearoom Trade has garnered sustained attention for several reasons. Firstly, it revealed a hidden social world, challenging the prevailing stereotypes of men who engaged in impersonal sexual encounters in public restrooms ("tearooms"). Humphrey's findings demonstrated that these men were not a singular, marginalized group; many were married, middle-class individuals living conventional lives, a finding that dramatically expanded the understanding of sexual deviance. Secondly, the study is a powerful case study in research ethics. It is often used as a pedagogical tool to illustrate what not to do in human subjects research, making it a staple in sociology, criminology, and ethics courses. The tension between the sociological insights gained and the ethical lines crossed fuels its enduring legacy.