HOMOSEXUALITY AS DEVIANCE IN THE NIGERIAN PERSPECTIVE
“Homosexuality” is basically the romantic and sexual attraction between individuals of same sex specifically male. The female homosexuality is often referred to as lesbianism; the nickname “gay” is frequently used as a general name for both “homosexual” and “lesbian” alternatively "Homosexuality." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, n.d. Web. 7 Mar. 2014. . This behavior has been approved of, encouraged, tolerated or banned depending on the period of time and culture.
This paperdiscusses homosexuality as a form of deviant behavior in Nigeria. In so doing, the paper will examine the nature of homosexuality, its causes and even consequences of this particular behavior to those who engage in it as well as to the larger Nigerian society. The paper also seeks to outlineany previous attempts that have been employed to address homosexuality, including their success and failures. Lastly, the paper also looks intohow widespread homosexuality is in Nigeriaand gives suggestions as to how the behavior can be addressed more effectively.
GOODLUCK JONATHAN, Nigeria’s president, signed a bill on January 13th that criminalizes same-sex relationships, arguing that the new law is in line with the country’s religious and cultural beliefs.In the aspect of religion both Christianity and Islam condemns homosexuality, in Christianity Passages in the Old Testament book Leviticus that prohibit "lying with mankind as with womankind: it is abomination" and the story of Sodom and Gomorrah have historically been interpreted as condemning homosexual acts, and in IslamShari’ah law is extracted from both the Qur'an and Muhammad's Sunnah (found in the ...
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...e in the mortar” or “a rope in a well”.
The purpose for this paper was to discuss homosexuality in the Nigerian perspective which I have outline the nature of homosexuality as deviant behavior, why it is being considered deviant, the cause of this behavior using examples, also the consequences of this behavior, the attempts used to address including the success and failures, how widespread homosexuality has become in the Nigerian society and a preferable approach to the issue of homosexuality being seen as deviant. Personally I believe that every country is entitled to make their own laws and also punish its violators in the same manner, however homosexuality should not just been seen as criminal but should be studied as an object and then Nigeria would achieve the common goal to promote stability not only within the society less discriminative social interaction.
“The unprecedented growth of the gay community in recent history has transformed our culture and consciousness, creating radically new possibilities for people to ‘come out’ and live more openly as homosexuals”(Herdt 2). Before the 1969 Stonewall riot in New York, homosexuality was a taboo subject. Research concerning homosexuality emphasized the etiology, treatment, and psychological adjustment of homosexuals. Times have changed since 1969. Homosexuals have gained great attention in arts, entertainment, media, and politics. Yesterday’s research on homosexuality has expanded to include trying to understand the different experiences and situations of homosexuals (Ben-Ari 89-90).
19). Same-sex marriages may seem an abomination to the union of man and woman through marriage, but just because it was not written in the Bible does not mean that it goes against Christianity. Some traditions from the Bible is not valid today because it is either not relevant nowadays or it attacks the morals of humanity. An example of a tradition is forcing women to marry the man who rapes them (Deut. 22:28-29). In the Old Testament there’s a story in Genesis 19:1-11 about the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. It is interpreted that God punished the city because of its homosexual acts. This reasoning is flawed. The story actually begins at Genesis 18, when the Lord revealed to Abraham that He would go to Sodom and judge the fatality of their sins. In the book “A Question of Truth” by Gareth Moore, he states that: “Abraham’s hospitality and the destruction of Sodom are closely linked” (Moore, 70). In Genesis 18, Abraham showed hospitality and welcomed three strangers and served them as if he was their servant. Later on, the man who remained revealed Himself as the
Sexual orientation is a term used to describe a person’s physical, sexual, and romantic attraction to another person, whether they be Male or Female. The term is relatively new and the idea of having a homosexual identity has only been around for one-hundred years at the most (APA).
Many may argue that the gay lifestyle was hidden from society until recent years, however, many books argue otherwise. It is surprising to know just how massive and significant gay society was in the beginning of the twentieth century. It is also important to understand how society’s acceptance of the gay lifestyle has changed over time. All four books I reviewed speak on gay society and how it flourished on its own, separate from “regular” society despite existing within it. Much of the content in all books is presented with an oral history methodology. Accounts of interactions between gay individuals are presented and described to validate points made by the authors. Overall, the books help modern readers understand the history of gay society
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 ...
Jonathan Katz talks about the initial creation of the term “heterosexuality” and how it was used to classify certain groups of people’s way of practicing sex. Along with the negative ideology the term reflected upon society. The author talks about the early definition of the term “heterosexuality”. Katz closely examines the different cultures and what sex meant to them prior to the term and over all labeling of “heterosexual” and what become of them after the fact. Katz illustrates the many faces of the term “heterosexual” starting with the early definition of the word, which was at the
Homosexuality has become a hot topic of acceptability within the past few decades. The United States has its own fair share of legislation and debate among different cultural groups with the society. However, some societies across the world have instances of ritualized homosexuality as passage to adulthood. Gilbert Herdt is a noted cultural and clinical anthropologist who has conducted extensive research on human sexuality. He is a founder of the Department of Sexuality studies in San Francisco State University and maintains a position as a professor (Gilbert Herdt 2010). He has become an international figure in regards to child and adolescent sexuality, the gender relations involved in cultural views and development of sexuality, and orientation. His work The Sambia: Ritual and Gender in New Guinea, has gained recognition and highlighted the dichotomy of gender in relation to sexuality and power. He won the Ruth Benedict Prize in 1988 for his research (Gilbert Herdt 2010). The Sambia are a “rugged mountain people” that call the rainforest of Papua New Guinea home (Herdt 2006: 1). Herdt began his research in 1974 to discover a group of people who broke the preexisting stereotypes of overly aggressive behavior (Herdt 2006: xvii). His ethnographic research included field observations through participant observation and interactions with informants (Herdt 2006: xxi). His close relations to his informants allowed him insight into traditions and the associate change. He looked to the evident gender differences in the Sambian society that preoccupied the people to the ritual initiation th...
In 1970, a national survey said 70% of Americans believed “homosexuals are dangerous as teachers or youth leaders because they try to get sexually involved with children” (Herek). The idea that homosexuals are prone to child molestation has lessened in later years, however, another poll taken in 1999 stated 19% of heterosexual men and 10% of heterosexual women believed gay men are likely to molest children (Herek). Catholic officials are considering whether to ordain homosexuals as priests. This debate has been sparked by allegations, mostly by young boys and men, that priests sexual molested them. The Boy Scouts of America have declared homosexuals are not welcome in their organization, despite the fact that scoutmasters accused of molestation tend to be married. Fundamentalist Christians are determined to keep homosexuals away from children, claiming, “homosexuals molest children at a much higher rate than heterosexuals” (Traditional). This assertion is wrong, and an unfounded stereotype. Homosexuals are no more prone to child molestation than anyone else. In this paper, I will show the lack of a correlation between homosexuality and child molestation.
The committee makes several recommendations in regards to changing the laws and legislations surrounding the incrimination of homosexuals for what had previously been considered sodomy. The basic premise being that “homosexual behaviour betwe...
The concept of sexual orientation, which is a person’s romantic and emotional attraction to another person, is a modern sociological construct (Macionis, Jansson, Benoit, & Burkowicz, p. 190, 2016). The predominant classifications of this concept are heterosexuality, meaning the sexual attraction to someone of the opposite sex, and homosexuality, the sexual attraction to someone of the same sex (Macionis et. al., p. 190, 2016). With the large majority of society’s acknowledgment towards these two sexual identities, it leaves little to no room for those who find themselves in neither ends of these categories, to receive any sort of recognition. More specifically, the visibility for those who establish themselves as bisexual, defined as the sexual attraction to people of both genders, face misconceptions from a portion of society (Macionis et. al., p. 190, 2016). Whether it may be from heterosexuals or homosexuals, someone who falls in between the two identities seem to encounter greater difficulties in gaining social acceptance. Despite having its place in the term, LGBTQ, which is an abbreviation for the community of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and people of other sexual orientations and
Black South Africans are aware of a certain erosion of their culture that are occurring as a result of westernization. There is a desperate attempt by many to regain and hold true to their indigenous heritage and culture. This is where I come in as a white South African, since I have an interest in how my culture has been shaped and changed in history. So today I would like to consider the effect of the so called ‘gay agenda’ on western culture, and from that perspective predict what may happen to African Culture.
Homosexuality is a tendency of sexual desire towards members of the same sex. It is one of the three main categories of sexual orientation found in the heterosexual-homosexual continuum, along with heterosexuality and bisexuality. The causes and nature of homosexuality are still contentious topics, even presently. An article on the subject is reviewed below to provide more insight into the phenomenon. Homosexuality cannot be described fully as a paraphilia.
South Africa has one of the most complex and diverse histories regarding LGBT rights. The legal and social status of LGBT people has been greatly influenced by the effects of apartheid and the human rights movement. South Africa's post-apartheid constitution was the first (and only) in Africa to legalize same-sex marriage (“Activists Fear”). Nevertheless, LGBT South Africans continue to face significant challenges, including social status, homophobic violence (particularly corrective rape), and very high rates of HIV/AIDS infection due to the homophobic violence previously mentioned. The LGBT community faces numerous obstacles although they are making many breakthroughs.
...i-Homosexual Act in 2014 greatly stigmatizes homosexual behaviour and in the instance of David Kato, this stigmatization has led to his persecution as a perceived deviant. This blatant discrimination of homosexuals in Uganda results in their dehumanisation, self-hatred and violence towards homosexuals. As this cycle continues the promotion status quo is upheld by major institutions in Uganda and individuals will eventually become socialized to the point where they homosexuals are regarded as pariahs. The negative stereotypes towards homosexuals in Uganda are primarily, a result of homophobia in the country, which can be compared to prejudices such as sexism and racism. This negative socialization of homosexuals in Uganda can only be changed if societies are exposed to alternatives to the current prejudicial attitudes toward homosexuality and LGBT rights in Uganda.
... decades ago. This book is one that will allow the reader to view many aspects of sexuality from a social standpoint, and apply it to certain social attitudes in our society today, these attitudes can range from the acceptance of lesbian and gays, and the common sight of sex before marriage and women equality. The new era of sexuality has taken a definite "transformation" as Giddens puts it, and as a society we are living in the world of change in which we must adapt, by accepting our society as a changing society, and not be naive and think all the rules of sexuality from our parents time our still in existence now.