Kevin Ho (C02335428)
Professor Corine Sutherland
PHIL 115 – Logic and Critical Thinking
17 May 2014
Argumentative Paper: Homosexuality is Natural
In just the last 50 years, gay marriage and more specifically, homosexuality, has made great strides in social reform. For example, as of May 2014, 18 states in the United States have legalized same-sex marriage with some other states allowing same-sex unions. The main issue during these last 50 years is the debate between fundamentalists and scientists who argue the controversial debate of nature vs. nurture. Some fundamentalists argue that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice. Conversely, some scientists argue that homosexuality is biologically-determined in the womb due to genes or hormones. Moreover, research conducted by the journal Science and other sources will be examined within this paper that denotes that homosexuality is biologically-determined. This paper will argue that homosexuality is natural. The crux of the issue is that homosexuality is natural due its biological roots and ancestry in humans and animals.
Humans are essentially complex animals and animals form the backbone of what humans evolved from. Researchers in the University of Oslo has found that homosexuality is predominant in the animal kingdom with a recorded amount of over 1500 animals who engage in same-sex activities (M. News, 2006). Animals exhibit the most pure form of natural instincts. Stigma is a big concern in human life as humans collectively decide which acts are deemed in tune with society. Homosexuality is exhibited and is essential in the lives of some animal species, therefore homosexuality holds ancestry from the animal kingdom and thus is natural. Homosexuality would be unnatural if...
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...rebrums that prove that homosexuality is a biologically determined factor. Thinking critically upon the supposed issue of homosexuality, at the end of the day, homosexuals and heterosexuals are all people. People who have the same thought processes, wills to live, and people who need to eat, breathe, and sleep. Since homosexuals were not given the choice to choose their social role in society (which is on the end of the ladder), homosexuals should not be defined by their social upbringing or by their environment -- an environment that rejects them. Having the mentality that homosexuality is grounded in biological determination, society will be able to foster the growth of humanity solely. Homosexuality is natural due to this biological determinism and the fact that it is grounded in our history, our genes, and evident in the animal society surrounding us.
Let us first consider the premise that homosexuality is contrary to Natural Law, because the Natural Law dictates that sexual relationships must be heterosexual and have as a (perhaps eventual) goal of reproduction. According to an Australian newspaper, there are 450 species of animals on the Earth that practice homosexuality. Although asexual worms may come to mind at first, the article clearly states that the most frequent occurrences are by pygmy chimpanzees (50% of all sexual activity), and that "wild bottlenose dolphins can form long-lasting male-male pair bonds." The behaviors of only these two species can begin to show us the flaws with human Natural Law Theory. Even if we do not believe in evolution, chimpanzees still share 98% of human DNA, and dolphins are humanity's acknowledged "intellectual cousins." If one is inclined to discredit this comparison on grounds that humans are the only rational species, then consider this quote. "[Homosexuality]...could be linked to a genetic tendency for heightened sexual activity, giving the animals a reproductive advantage, or it could have s...
Homosexuality is a sensitive topic and often avoided in conversation. For centuries the human race has oppressed and persecuted others strictly because they are gay, lesbian, bisexual etc. Although it is disturbing to most of us, these actions still occur in our society today, as many believe that homosexuality is abnormal and disgraceful. One supporter of this belief is Michael Levin, who strongly believes that homosexuality is highly abnormal and thus, undesirable. Although his beliefs and theories supporting this claim are subjective, there is evidence that can support his stance on this topic; we will analyze this claim in further detail and how it relates to his other views mentioned in this essay.
Imagine a government that denies 1,138 rights and benefits to a certain group of people who have not broken any laws. Would you support this government? In the United States, same-sex couples face exactly this kind of discrimination. Since the 1920’s the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bi, Trans) community has been fighting for equality, starting with the Society of Human Rights in Chicago, the earliest known gay rights organization (“American” 1). The movement transformed completely from a couple of activists to a widespread protest in the 1969 Stonewall Riots. A gay bar in New York, called the Stonewall Inn, experienced a late night police raid for supposed bootlegging of alcohol. However, after the officers began frisking lesbians and assaulting gay men, the crowd rebelled and refused to be arrested or subdued. Three days of rioting occurred throughout New York streets with cries of “Gay Power!” and “We Shall Overcome!” This powerful uprising sparked the gay liberation movement and pride in sexual orientation (“American” 1). Recently, a spotlight has been thrown on gay marriage, or as Liz Feldman puts it, “marriage. You know, because I had lunch this afternoon, not ‘gay lunch’. I parked my car; I didn't ‘gay park’ it.” Advocates of same-sex marriage emphasize the disparity between the religious aspect of marriage and the civil portion that establishes economic and legal ties. The church can set their own standards in their private domain; however, the government represents a diverse population and should remain unprejudiced in administering its civil policies (Roleff 68). Government action is exactly what the LGBT community needs in order to attain their goal of equality. A boost in civil unions and same-sex marriage legalization is sweepi...
Queer animal sex and non-human mammal homosexual activities can be expressed through both illustration and content with chapter two of Stacy Alaimo’s Exposed. A multitude of strange and unique ideas will emerge in her argument. Alaimo in chapter two argued the supposition that many people in modernized society have the conceptualization of homosexuality not being a byproduct of nature. The public is still in belief that queer activities are bizarre and perverse, when undoubtedly there is a vast magnitude of homosexual happenings in nature. She argues that non-human mammals in their natural habitat are found engaging in these so-called outlandish endeavors.
The first possible cause of homosexuality is genetic factors. Homosexuality is a trait from birth (Buchanan, 2000). Studies found that identical twins share many common traits. A study found that identical twins normally share homosexual behavior if one of them is homosexual. This proved that genes are likely to cause homosexuality. In addition, according to (Santinover, 2002), homosexuality is a heritable behavior. Based on heritability studies, almost any human trait is heritable including the homosexual behavior. He stated that behavioral genes are found in specific chromosome. Thus, the behavior is obviously heritable. Moreover, Italian University of Padova (2004) believes that homosexual trait is passed from mother to male offspring by natural ...
In this paper I plan to showcase the nature of sexual identity, and to do this I will draw from examples in the book As Nature Made Him written by John Colapinto. This book offers two contrasting opinions, one that says it is nature that determines the sexual orientation of a person, and one that says it is how one is raised. As a well-researched book, it offers a great foundation for this paper, and the issues discussed within. To start out, we will begin with John Money’s belief on sexuality, notably that it comes from nurture, and not nature.
Though many researchers will agree that homosexuality is not genetic, still, others beg to differ. HRC.org published an article entitled “Guide to Coming Out,” the article states ‘sexuality and gender identity are not choices any more than being left-handed or having brown eyes or being heterosexual are choices…The choice is in deciding how to live your life.’ With society always shoving their view into the minds of Americans second of everyday, it is not that hard to see where the confusion arises.
From the moment people born, there are certain basic functions that will be with them throughout their lives. The abilities to eat, breathe, sleep, or to have the capacity to learn are a natural occurrence for most people. There are, however, traits that are specific to each individual. They are traits that set them apart from everyone else. The traits such as eye color, ones dominate hand, or susceptibility to a specific disease are a few traits that aren’t easily changed. However, there are some that are controversially questioned as to whether or not one is born with the trait or if it is a learned behavior. One of the biggest of these controversies is the question of whether sexual orientation is a choice or something that is beyond the individual’s influence. Although the evidence is commonly disregarded because of personal beliefs or opinions, sexual orientation is not a choice.
In the beginning God created Adam and then Eve from Adam’s rib. According to God’s word and plan women were created for men. In Genesis 2:20-22 it states but for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. Marriage is designed to be sacred between men and women. Relationships were supposedly designed for men and women. Relationships that are between men and women are heterosexual relationships. In cases of a male or female being interested in the same sex this is called homosexuality. Individuals who are attracted to those of both sexes are considered bisexual. Lastly, individuals who were born male/female but feel they are trapped in that body as the opposite of how they were born are considered transgender. This paper will explore human sexuality and the choices males and females make in today’s society. Sexual orientation is it formed at birth or is it development based on the environment one was raised in.
My arguments will be ignoring a major element in factoring the morality of homosexuality, the law. Yes, many people know that stealing and murder are both wrong, but this is based on socialization and learning passed down from previous generations. The aim isn’t to ignore the rules, but examples from history relating to homosexuality will not aid in proving ground for its ethics. A rational, autonomous decision making process must be used in order to decipher right from wrong, which can lead to solid, concrete answers.
Gay marriage is one of todays most talked about subjects in the news. But for many, including myself, do not see why this barbaric belief and view is still in existence in the twenty-first century. Anybody would think that a perfect law abiding, tax paying citizen of the United States, should have every equal opportunity as any other American. But still there are so many people who are still taught or learned to believe that everyone is not created equal and does not have the same rights as other Americans. Although a majority of Americans believe that the gay community should not have the same rights as any other American, many Americans also believe in equality for everyone for the following reasons: Equality is a simple American right and should not be dictated otherwise
Why isn’t gay marriage legal yet? How does gay marriage affect people that aren’t gay? Why does it matter to those people? Why can’t gay people have the same rights as straight people? Gay marriage should be legal worldwide. Gay marriage or same-sex marriage is when a man and man or women and a woman get married. Same-sex marriage impacts society in different types of ways, some people are affected by it because they think it is against the bible, others seem to have no impact or problem with same-sex marriage. However for the gay community it affects them, because in some states they are not allowed to marry the one they are in love with it. Also it impacts them because there are groups of people against same-sex marriage and the gay community is constantly being judged by people opposed to same-sex marriage. Seventeen states have legalized same-sex marriage; Thirty-three states banned same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage provides a more stable environment for children of gay couples. Legalizing same-sex marriage does not affect or harm heterosexual marriages. Marriage is a union of love, not a union of genders.
The treatment of the LGBT community in American Society is a social injustice. What most people think is that they just want to be able to marry one another and be happy but that’s not it. They want to be treated like humans and not some weird creatures that no one has ever seen before. They want to be accepted for who them are and not what people want them to be and they deserve the right to be who they are just the same as any other human being. After all the discrimination they have endured they should be allowed to be who they are and be accepted as equals just like people of different skin color did in the times of segregation. We have a long way to go as a country but being the greatest country in the world in the eyes of many great America will make big steps to make things fair.
Why do people have cognitive sexual orientations and how can this affect the mind. What are the reasons for sexual orientation? And is it normal? Many people make decisions regarding sexual orientation based on their mental patterns of emotional, romantic, and sexual attraction. The most common forms of human sexuality would include heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality. Furthermore, a lot of research has been focused on the reasons behind these different types of sexuality with the consideration and fascination with the opposite and with the same sex. Since bi-sexuality is lightly considered a variant of homosexuality in popular culture. Several research studies have found there are natural' reasons behind sexual
Homosexuality Sexual orientation refers to a person’s preference for emotional and sexual relationships with individuals of the same sex, the other sex, or either sex. Homosexual orientation is the sexual or romantic attraction to a person of the same sex, the words gay and straight have become widely used to refer to homosexuals and heterosexuals. Homosexuality represents normal expressions of human sexuality that vary by culture. Homosexuality can be the result of early learning, socialisation, or being raised by gay or lesbian couples. It is believed being homosexual is rooted in biology, influenced by genetics, mainly from the mother and by environmental factors. (Sarah Knapton,2014)