ABSTRACT
Attachment longings lie deep within all of us regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation . Whether in a same-sex or heterosexual couple, the yearning, searching, and reaching for an emotionally accessible and responsive partner to assuage distress is a lifelong endeavor . Sensitive responding to attachment-related emotions and needs defines the self and other in a positive manner . Inaccessibility evokes attachment fears, redefines the self and other in negative terms, and evokes self-protective strategies, anxious preoccupation, or emotional avoidance . For example, Jane desperately pursues Mary for contact comfort and reassurances in a lesbian relationship in similar fashion that Tom pursues Margaret in a heterosexual relationship . Protective strategies are similar in same-sex and heterosexual relationships (Ridge & Feeney, 1998) with insecurity associated with diminished relational commitment (Kurdek, 2002) and satisfaction (Elizur & Mintzer, 2003) .
