Homosexuality in a Heterosexual World
analytical Essay
1081 words
A man ostracized by society for his sexual preference, discriminated against and victimized, because he is straight. This world where heterophobia runs rampant and homosexuality is stigmatized is from a story called The Crooked Man, which was written by Charles Beamont and published in Playboy magazine. That world is one that many would fear and think of unjust, but is that not what happening right now in the world in the other spectrum. According to the Advocate, Hugh Hefner, create of Playboy, wrote that, “If it was wrong to persecute heterosexuals in a homosexual society, then the reverse was wrong too.” in response to the harsh backlash that the article garnered over half a decade ago.
Americans have come a long way since the mid-20th century in acceptance and understanding of other human beings. Just over the past 10 years the support for marriage equality has grown from one third to almost one half of Americans in favorable views. At this current trend, it is inevitable that equality for homosexuals will be reached at the level it is available for heterosexuals within the next two decades. A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center between 2003 and 2013 studied the views of the American people on homosexuality and marriage equality over the past 10 years. In 2003, 58% of Americans were against same-sex marriage, while only 33% were in favor. The newest study in 2013 determined that the number Americans in favor for marriage equality for same-sex couples rose to 49%, while the opposition dropped to 44%.
The sub-group with the largest increase in favorable views toward marriage equality was the millennial generation (born in 1980-2000), with an increase of 19% in favor from 51% in 2003 to 70% in 2013. This also constitu...
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Levay, S. "A Difference in Hypothalamic Structure between Heterosexual and Homosexual Men." Science 253.5023 (1991): 1034-037. Print.
Marcus, Eric. Is It a Choice?: Answers to the Most Frequently Asked Questions about Gay and Lesbian People. San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2005. Print.
Mondimore, Francis Mark. A Natural History of Homosexuality. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins UP, 1996. Print.
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Wolfson, Evan. Why Marriage Matters: America, Equality, and Gay People's Right to Marry. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2004. Print.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning communities are denied many rights, including the right to marry and divorce, child custody, adoption, employment equality, medicaid, joint taxes, social security benefits and survivor benefits.
- States that corber, robert j., homosexuality in cold war america: resistance and the crisis of masculinity.
- Analyzes how the crooked man portrays a world where heterophobia runs rampant and homosexuality is stigmatized. in 2003, 58% of americans were against same-sex marriage, while 33% were in favor.
- Explains that the defense of marriage act (doma) is ironic as it does not actually protect marriage.
- Explains the global divide on homosexuality. pew research centers global attitudes project rss.
- States that u.s. acceptance of gay/lesbian relations is the new normal. wolfson, evan. why marriage matters: america, equality, and gay people's right to marry.
Related
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- Homosexuality Researchopinionated essayCan our Genes determine our sexual preferences? Draft 2 3/18/2014 Luke Hudson-Piccione Table of Contents Rationale 1 Introduction 1 Maternal Immune Hypothesis 1 Early Fixation Hypothesis 2 Are Sexual Preferences Hereditary? 2 Could Homosexuality be a result of epigenetic development?
In this essay, the author
- Explains that they chose this topic because there is an issue of homophobia around the world. this area of research directly relates to the age old question of "nature vs.
- Explains that the search for the 'gay gene' is a relatively new study. the physical sex of an organism is determined by gonad type, testes or ovaries, as well as secondary sexual traits.
- Explains that male foetuses stimulate a maternal immune reaction that becomes stronger with each male.
- Explains that prenatal hormone exposure is a primary factor in developing sexual preferences, supported by the differences seen in the brain structure and cognitive processes of heterosexual and homosexual men.
- Explains that homosexuality is highly unlikely to occur from a random epigenetic developmental disorder before birth.
- Cites a graph from chapter one of the book my genes made me do it by whitehead, n.
- Explains the two types of mutations: a gene mutation and chromosome mutation.
- Concludes that homosexuality is not caused by mutation, although it could be an allele that is passed down on the x chromosome. there are many theories as to why there are homosexuals.
- Explains that the x chromosome promotes homosexuality and increases fertility in females on the maternal side. other genes must be present in order for it to be inherited.
- Explains that homosexuality is not a single gene mutation because it occurs too regularly.
- Describes the exotic becomes erotic theory, which explains how children who do not conform to the ‘normal’ activity relating to their gender are attracted to activities enjoyed by children of the same gender.
- Analyzes how baily and pillard found that 52% of monozygotic (mz) brothers were homosexual, whereas dizygous indicates fraternal twins. hershberger compared results from 8 different twin studies.
- Explains that a domestic ram was used to study the early programming of the neural which influence homosexuality.
- Opines that the discovery of a 'gay gene' would help society, as it would explain what many people have not understood for many years.
- Opines that lokodo is saying that heterosexual rape is more acceptable than consensual homosexual sex. however, people are still being discriminated against for their choice of sexual partner.
2650 wordsRead More - Trials and Tribulations of a Homosexualexplanatory essayThe history of the gay rights movement has been a hard fought battle within the United States. In fact the first gay rights movement dates back to 1924 with the creation of The Society for Human Rights in Chicago, Illinois. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that gay rights started to make progress. In the year 1969 The Stonewall Riots took place when gay, lesbian, and transgender patrons of a New York bar were raided by the police. This forever changed the movement from isolated incidents to a world wide phenomenon.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that homophobia affects people who are glbt as well as those who don't.
- Explains that workers hide their sexual orientation for fear that they won't be accepted within the workplace. however, there have been some cases where a fellow coworker or employer discovered an employee's secret.
- Opines that homosexuals should have basic human rights, such as health insurance, parental leave, and bereavement. though some states have legalized gay marriage, there is still a battle to accept it.
- Explains the history of the gay rights movement in the united states.
- Explains that anti-gay bullying can have numerous effects on glbt youths, and there are many ways of stopping it.
1582 wordsRead More - Gays in the Militaryanalytical essayKangas, Steve. "Homosexuality is Biologically Determined." Gay Politics. 7 Nov. 1997. Rpt. In Homosexuality: Opposing viewpoints. Ed. Mary E. Williams. San Diego: Greenhaven, 1999. 17-21
In this essay, the author
- Opines that gays should not be allowed in the military, which is a hotly debated issue in curnent politics. these arguments give us insight about where our society is going and how willing we are to accept others.
- Explains that two citizens want to join the military and are identical in everyway except the fact that one is gay. they pass all tests with the same score but are not based on sexual orientation.
- Explains that homosexuality is a biologically inherited condition, and that the same percentage of people are gay everywhere on earth.
- Explains that homosexuality is also seen in countless animal species. animals lack the cognitive ability to "choose" a sexual orientation.
- Explains that psychologist michael bailey and richard pillard studied identical twins. they found that when one twin is gay there is over a 52% chance the other will be too.
- Explains that simon levay, a biologist at the salk institute for biological studies in ca, published the results of his study in 1991.
- Explains that the u.s. military's official policy to exclude homosexuals from service has been for nearly 50 years. president - elect clinton announced in 1992 that he planned to lift the ban on gays and lesbians.
- Explains that not policy is without its flaws. service members legal defense network documented 563 violations by the military authorities of "don't ask, don't tell", a jump from 443 violations in 1996.
- Analyzes how a plethysmograph measured homophobic and non-homophobe males' sexual rearousal while viewing pornographic films.
763 wordsRead More - The Homosexual Brain?opinionated essayThe quest to find a biological substrate for homosexuality resembles an earlier movement in research to determine the nature of I.Q. scores. Both revolve around finding a biological basis for differences in human behavior. Like the previous research on intelligence, the research on homosexuality is plagued with difficulties. One large obstacle in this type of research is the difficulty in making statements about causality from correlational studies (simple, linear relationships between two variables) (4). In other words, it is difficult to determine what comes first the chicken or the egg.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how dan quayle's statement counters the sentiment of many homosexuals that their sexual orientation is neither a lifestyle nor personal choice, it is innate and unchangeable.
- Explains that the quest to find a biological substrate for homosexuality resembles an earlier movement in research to determine the nature of i.q. scores.
- Explains that simon levay's work on the anterior hypothalamus is the most widely discussed and debated research in the area of sexual orientation and neuroscience.
- Explains that levay's study examines pre-existing evidence for brain differences and sexual dimorphism in humans. prenatal and perinatal hormones organize the components of the brain and produce male or female typical behavior.
- Explains that levay hypothesized that the inah 2 or 3 would be larger in men who sexually prefer females than it is for male homosexuals.
- Opines that levay's findings are ambiguous due to confounding factors, such as aids, and the existence of exceptions.
- Explains that even if levay's work is reproduced and receives the backing of the scientific community, the ineffable nature of human sexual preference makes this research difficult.
- Opines that further research on homosexual dimorphic brain regions is being done. allen and gorski found that the anterior commissure was larger in homosexual men than in heterosexual men and in women.
- Opines that research into the biology of homosexuality can have profound implications on american society.
- Explains that biological research into sexual preference is muddled and inconclusive, and predicts that a biological substrate for homosexuality will be found within the next ten years.
- Explains the pbs web site on twentieth-century scientific research done on homosexuals, the atlantic monthly, and johns hopkins.
- Cites the university of texas web site outlining the biological determinism of homosexuality. rice university lecture notes elucidate the relationship between hormones and behavior.
1497 wordsRead More - Heterosexuality And Homosexualityopinionated essayThe 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
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the concept of sexual orientation is a modern sociological construct. the predominant classifications of this concept are heterosexuality and homosexuality.
- Explains that members of the lgbtq encounter numerous forms of social exclusion and marginalization, mostly from people who are either homophobic or transphobia. bisexuals are often associated with stereotypes such as being perceived as indecisive or unwilling to choose between men or women.
- Explains that socialization is a contributing factor in how an individual interacts with others and their social expectations. family members are the first to reject family members because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.
- Explains that schools were created for the purpose of educating children and teaching fundamental skills that will benefit them in society, but it is also where most children meet their peers. young lgbtq adolescents are more likely to be victimized for being open about their sexuality.
- Opines that there is a downside to media portrayal of lgbtq characters because it generally creates stereotypes, which may be true for some people, but it is also false for others.
- Analyzes how society is a system of social inequalities based on class, gender, and race with benefits sought out for some categorized groups.
- Opines that people of the lgbt community are not representative in numbers proportional to people who identify as gender conforming heterosexuals.
1115 wordsRead More - Homosexuality And LGBT Culture In The LGBT Communityexplanatory essayThe LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) community has been disapproved by many since it first came about in the 1950s. Since then, the societal attitude towards homosexuality and LGBT culture has changed greatly, as much of the world has become more accepting of same-sex sexuality as it has become more common. Studies have also shown that the younger generation are more tolerant towards LGBT views. The LGBT community consists of many beliefs and values that make the community different and intriguing.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the lgbt community has been disapproved by many since it first came about in the 1950s. the societal attitude towards homosexuality and lgbt culture has changed greatly.
- Opines that the lgbt community believes love is love and that all is natural and accepted. they also believe that everyone should have the freedom of being themselves and people should be accepting of one another regardless of sexual preferences or gender.
- Argues that homosexuality conflicts with their religious beliefs because of the lack of religious teachings among its members. 51% of lgbt americans have a religion and 17% of them say that religion is important to them.
- Explains that the lgbt culture varies widely by geographical location and identity of the participants. although widely spread, not all lgbt people identify with the subculture due to geographic distance.
- Explains that homosexuality was the main term used in the late 1950s until a new "gay" culture came about. this new culture not only meant same-sex desires but also gay selves and gay social practices that are unique in our society.
- Explains that the larger lgbt culture is incorporated into lesbian cultural events, such as the michigan womyn’s music festival in hart, michigan, and the club skirts dinah shore weekend in palm springs, california.
- Explains that the bisexual pride flag was designed by michael page to give the gay, lesbian, and transgender community its own symbol.
- Explains that in transgender culture, some transsexual women and men do not identify with any part of the ‘trans’ culture.
- States that the rainbow flag is used as a symbol for the lgbt community. it originated in california, but is now used worldwide and has been used in social movements since the 1970s.
- Explains that the lgbt community has been a support system to its members. there are certain symbols, words and terms that are widely accepted and associated with lgbt culture.
- Explains the terms used by the lgbt community, such as 'coming out', ‘cross-dressing’, and ‘ally’.
750 wordsRead More - Perspectives on Homosexualityanalytical essayHomosexuality has always played a huge role in society. Views on this topic have changed immensely from the beginning of the greece era to now in modern society. People have become more appalled with this topic because now in society there are stereotypical views on “normal” ways of living. Religious views have also impacted people's decisions and thoughts about it.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how people have degraded homosexuality because of what it consist of and because the looks upon it have changed immensely.
- Argues that people who are against same sex marriage are formed by religious citizens.
- Explains that most say homosexuality should be accepted by society. pew research center for the people and the press.
- Explains that homosexuality has always played a huge role in society. it was accepted and even encouraged by philosophers such as plato.
- Explains that religion and stereotypes have had a huge impact on society's view of homosexuality.
- Explains chauncey, george jr., martin duberman, and martha vicinus, eds. hidden from history: reclaiming the gay & lesbian past.
1533 wordsRead More - Gays/Lesbiansanalytical essayA 2001 study by the Kaiser Family Foundation revealed that more than 76% of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals believe that there is greater acceptance of their sexual orientation by the general public (Wellner, 2001). The survey also revealed that 73% of Americans believe that laws against hate crimes should include crimes against homosexuals and bisexuals, while 76% would support extending discrimination laws in employment to protect diverse sexual orientations. Wellner (2001) noted that support for “legally sanctioned gay and lesbian marriages appears to be increasin...
In this essay, the author
- Opines that the census 2000 should be remembered as the first gay and lesbian census because the federal head-counters made a first attempt to count gay/lesbian households.
- Explains that a 2001 kaiser family foundation study revealed that 76% of lesbians, gays and bisexuals believe that there is greater acceptance of their sexual orientation by the general public.
- Explains gregory m. herek's view that there are several variables that impact public acceptance of gay and lesbian lifestyles, partnerships, and family systems.
- Explains how the 1980s and 1990s saw a shift in the focus of gay rights activism, and how corporate america responded to this.
- Opines that civil marriage is a legal opportunity to many protections, responsibilities, and benefits. wolfson (2001) believes that the "new american family" may consist of gay and lesbian partners with one or more children.
- Analyzes how the rising acceptance of homosexuality and homosexuals has created a less-defined culture.
- Analyzes how skover and testy see the primary gains made by lgbt individuals as occurring in the marketplace and not the political arena.
- Argues that normalizing strategies have helped gay/lesbians gain some rights, but it tends to reduce sexual differences into sexual identities which ignore the complexity of the issue and its intersectionality with social differences and various forms of inequality.
2053 wordsRead More - Correlations between Biology and Male Homosexualityexplanatory essay...ce of linkage to micro satellite markers on the X-Chromosome in a Canadian study," poster presentation at the International Academy of Sex Research, Provincetown, MA, 1995
In this essay, the author
- Opines that homosexuality has been rejected, persecuted, and denied, citing scientifically significant studies.
- Opines that science and society have progressed significantly since the days of nazi germany, when homosexuality was thought to come about through "seduction and mind-traps."
- Explains that hormones have been touted as the "cause" behind homosexuality, but there is no scientific evidence to prove this. there are correlations between unusual prenatal hormone levels and abnormal sexual behavior later in life.
- Explains that the most common claim relating hormones to homosexuality was that gay men had lower testosterone and higher levels of estrogen in their bloodstream and urine than their heterosexual counterparts.
- Explains that nazi concentration camps were the sites of many castrations. rather than cure gay men of their "disease," this operation only succeeded in reducing the sex drive of most subjects.
- Explains that studies done with female rats and guinea pigs have shown a correlation between exposure to androgens and male-typical behavior later in life.
- Compares young's study with rats and guinea pigs. castrated male rats didn't show male typical sexual behavior, even when supplemented with testosterone later in life.
- Explains that exposure in utero to hormone baths led to the masculinization of female monkeys as adults.
- Explains that hormone-manipulated females prefer being mounted, a blatantly heterosexual encounter, but with role reversal. studies involving sex-atypical behavior have been criticized.
- Explains that pre-natal studies have proved the role of hormones in determining homosexuality, but they have had to rely on "natural experiments."
- Explains that the hypothalamus plays a significant role in the search for biological correlations with homosexuality.
- Explains that mammals' hypothalamuses are sexually dimorphic, specifically in the medial preoptic area. the difference in size is directly correlated with hormone levels in utero and directly following birth.
- Explains that research involving hormone levels has not been done on humans. however, research has delved into sexually dimorphic regions of the brain.
- Explains that simon levay set out to find if the sexual dimorphism in inah2 and 3 could be correlated with sexual orientation.
- Explains that the anterior commissure is larger in females than in gay males. it is a group of nerve fibers, not brain cells.
- Explains that significant studies relating heredity to homosexuality began with richard pillard and james weinrich in the 1980's.
- Explains that dean hamer began the search for the genes that cause homosexuality by compiling a sample of gay men who had significant numbers of homosexual men within their pedigrees.
- Explains that hamer's study does not prove that male homosexuality is caused by gene(s) found within the xq28 region of the 26th chromosome.
- Explains that the research done by hamer has not yet been replicated in a laboratory in canada.
- Explains that the human genome project is making significant progress in identifying distinct differences between gay and straight men on the basis of more than just fashion sense and stereotypes.
- Explains allen, l.s., and gorski, r.a.
- Explains bailey, j.m., and r.c. pillard's "a genetic study of male sexual orientation."
- Explains chandler burr's a separate creation: the search for the biological origins of sexual orientation.
- Explains that diamant, louis and mcanulty, eds., the psychology of sexual orientation, behavior and identity: a handbook.
- Explains engelhardt, jr., tristram, and caplan, eds. scientific controversies: case studies in the resolution and closure of disputes in science and technology.
- Explains gorski, r.a., et al, evidence for a morphological sex difference within the medial preoptic area of the rat brain.
- Explains goy, r.w., "differentiation of male social traits in female rhesus macaques by prenatal treatment with androgens" in m.j.
- Explains hamer, dean, and peter copeland's the science of desire: the search for the gay gene and the biology of behavior.
- Explains isay, richard a., being homosexual: gay men and their development. new york: farrar, straus, and giroux.
- Explains king, m., and mcdonald, "homosexuals who are twins: a study of 46 probands," british journal of psychaitry 160: 407-409.
- Explains simon levay's queer science: the use and abuse of research into homosexuality.
- Analyzes the relationship between adult erotosexual status and fetal hormonal masculinization and demasculinization.
- Describes phoenix, c.h.et al., "organizing action of prenatally administered testosterone propionate on the tissues mediating mating behavior in the female guinea pig."
- Opines that pillard, r.c., and weinrich, "evidence of familial nature of male homosexuality," archives of general psychiatry 43: 808-812.
- Presents rice, g. et al., "male homosexuality: absence of linkage to micro satellite markers on the x-chromosome in a canadian study."
- Explains slimp, j. c., b.l. hart, and r.w. goy, heterosexual, autosexual and social behavior among adult male rhesus monkeys with medial preoptic-anterior hypothalamic lesions.
- Explains that soulairac, a., and m. l. soulaurac's "effets de lésions hypothalamiques on le comportement sexuel and le tractus génital du rat male."
- Explains stein, edward, the mismeasure of desire: the science, theory, and ethics of sexual orientation.
- Explains whitman, diamond, and marin, "homosexual orientation in twins: a report on 61 pairs and three triplet sets."
3553 wordsRead More - Homosexuality Essayargumentative essayThere is abundant evidence that brain size and structure differences can result in homosexuality. Brain scans conducted in Sweden show that straight male’s brains are similar to lesbians, and gay male’s brains are similar to a straight woman. These similarities are in shape and structure, and a reflection that they function in a similar way as well. Key parts of the brain that control anxiety, aggressiveness, and mood are similar in homosexual males and heterosexual females, same with heterosexual males and homosexual females (Roman). A study published by the journal Science in 1991 showed that the hypothalamus was twice as large in heterosexual men than homosexual men. The hypothalamus of the brain controls the release of sex hormones. Also, neurons in INAH3 are packed more closely together than in straight men (Malory). However, science is yet to determine if homosexual practices change the brain or if the brain results in homosexual practice (Deem).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that homosexuality is an extremely elaborate trait possessed by about 19% of the world.
- Explains that gay women and gay men are more likely to be left-handed or ambidextrous than heterosexual men and women.
- Explains that genes and genetics can be important in determining the sexuality of the child.
- Explains that sibling and family members play a major role in homosexuality. men with older biological brothers are more likely to be gay than men without older siblings.
- Explains that environmental and cultural factors play a crucial role in determining homosexuality.
- Argues that while environment plays an extreme role in determining homosexuality, it is hard to argue against the view that "nature" plays a serious role.
- Concludes that homosexuality is a complex topic with thousands of components. many scientists suspect that the root causes are more varied and complex than just one simple explanation.
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