Throughout history we have learned numerous social aspects about sexually and the influence it has toward different cultures around the world. The identity of homosexuality is an important topic in history because it uncovers the change of perspective within a culture and how those cultures manage to respond back to those adjustments. In the article “Homosexuality in the African context” by Busangokwakhe Diamini, the author talks about the identity of homosexuality of both genders in Africa and how it was seen normal when an African individual dated the same sex. The author goes more into depth on homosexuality because he is arguing whether or not the labeling of homosexuality was developed based upon the colonization. In the article called …show more content…
In the article “Gay and Lesbian Movement in India” by Sherry Joseph, the author showed these types of suppressions through a movement that was created based on illegal arrest toward homosexuals. Sherry Joseph says. “Being identified as mentally ill meant that homosexuals could be stripped off their civil and human rights which the heterosexual population enjoyed.”(Pg. 2228) This shows how the rise of medicine and psychology had a great impact defining the identity of homosexuality and it was considered as a mental illness that arouse promiscuity within the same sex. At this point of history, in India, science had created an impact toward identity judgment and defining abnormality of human sexual desires within the public. Sherry Joseph talked about the mistreatment amongst homosexuals, he says, “The demonstration was a protest against the unwarranted and illegal arrest of 18 people suspected to be homosexuals. The demonstration was organised under the banner of ABVA, the activist group working against the human rights violation of marginalised groups. However, gays and lesbians also joined hands with other social workers and human rights activists. This incident received wide publicity in the media.”(Pg. 2231) This shows that throughout India many homosexual individuals were shamed based on their homosexuality identity. …show more content…
This has caused many cultures to shift their perspective of homosexuality as a sin and an inappropriate act representing their beliefs. In the article “Homosexuality in the African context” by Busangokwakhe Diamini, the author elaborate more on the assumption that homosexuality existed in Africa even before colonial rule. During the colonial rule, Europeans started to label individuals as homosexuals. According to Busangokwakhe Diamini, he says, “She perceives the well developed and unique patterns of homosexuality in Africa as evidence that homosexuality has always been part of African culture, cosmology and spirituality”(Pg.129) This shows how homosexuality in Africa was more common amongst the public and were not seen as sinful as the Europeans have did. In the article, the author goes into greater depth about how the normality to be homosexual for Africans were more than just a label. Diamini also said, “Observation that the categorisation of people is inextricably rooted in the experience of colonial rule… maintains that in Africa, sexual expression is considered a spectrum of activity spanning an individual 's entire life, rather than the hallmark of distinct and separate lifestyles or identities, as is the case in the West.”(Pg.130) This shows how European colonization has created a
As generations proceeded, institutions such as the American Psychiatric Society began to classify homosexuality as a disease, which was later retracted in the 1970’s and was no longer considered a mental disorder. At this time many homosexuals decided to start “coming out”, a process in which people talk freely about their sexual orientation to family and friends. Then in the1980’s new adversary for the gay community became the forefront of debates worldwide. The AIDS crisis, which seemed to be only contracted in the gay male population, paved the way for brutalizing words such as “queer” that was used to describe all sexual minorities. In the 1990’s where the gay rights movement saw more victories with the United States military instituting the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy.” This policy gave homosexuals the right to serve within the military. Then in the year 2000, Vermont became the first state to allow same sex civil unions (Pitas).
For many generations, especially in North America, homosexuality was not accepted in any way, shape, or form. Many believed that it was a medical illness that was curable, when in reality, people were, and still are, ignorant and could not come to terms that everyone in this world is different from one another. For many instances of being treated unjust, many individuals in the gay community did not want to “expose” themselves and remained in the “closet”. As means to make gays and lesbians proud and take a stand for who they are, a movement spread across internationally. This movement is known as “The Gay Liberation” movement which occurred between the late 1960s and the early to mid 1970s (“Gay Liberation”). The Gay Liberation movement urged individuals of the gay community to “come out,” revealing their sexuality to their loved ones as a form of activism, and to counter shame with gay pride (“Gay Liberation”). The Stonewall Riots are believed to have been the spark that ignited the rise of the Gay Liberation movement; it influenced the way the gay community is viewed socially and how their rights are politically present day.
In the following essay, I will cover the history of how homosexuals has been discriminates and treated different just because of their sexual orientation, the types of prejudices against them and initiatives individuals and government has implemented in the political, sociological and educational aspect to help them reach similar standards of life as straight people; and how population is opening their minds to understand this type of behavior, helping society and job market to open their doors to employment opportunities for the gay community.
The background of homosexuality in the 1940’s and 50’s was harsh, but people started to be opened toward the rights. There were criticisms toward homosexuality in the early days of Milk. Gay men carried the labels of mentally ill or psychopathic. Often times, gay men committed suicide from harsh judgement and criticism that always followed them. Even though population of homosexuality grew and had jobs, they were harassed and beaten by the police. There were a lot of disapproval and hostility of homosexuality. Anita Bryant, a singer, made a campaign to oppose the rights of homosexuals. Christian forces and activists withdrew gay-right legislation which lead to Proposition 6. The harshness from background of homosexuality back in the 1940’s and 50’s took the freedom away from the homosexuals. After the harshness, there came a little bit of hope for the homosexuals in San Francisco. Castro, a city in San Francisco, became the center of gay neighborhood. In 1964, gay men formed Society of Individual Right (SIR), and 1,200 members joined. Homosexuals started having good views when Sipple who was gay saved the president from a gunshot. Finally in 1972, Board of Supervisor banned the discrimination law for homosexuals. Even though in 1940...
The acceptance of “abnormal” sexualities has been a prolonged, controversial battle. The segregation is excruciating and the prejudice remarks are so spiteful that some people never truly recover. Homosexuals have been left suffering for ages. Life, for most homosexuals during the first half of the twentieth century, was mostly one of hiding: having to constantly hide their true feelings and tastes. Instead of restaurants and movies, they had to sit quiet in the dark and meet each other in concealed places such as bars. Homosexuals were those with “mental and psychic abnormalities” and were the victim of medical prejudice, police harassment, and church condemnation (Jagose 24). The minuscule mention or assumption of one’s homosexuality could easily lead to the loss of family, livelihood, and sometimes even their lives. It was only after the Stonewall riots and the organization of gay/lesbian groups that times for homosexuals started to look brighter.
Halperin, David. "Is There a History of Sexuality?." The Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. Ed. Henry
Throughout history, efforts towards gay rights journeyed on an uphill battle and were not majorly successful until recent years. Starting with the Cold War period in the 50’s, there was a growth in homosexual couples in the urban subculture where they were investigated and harassed by the police. During the 60’s, however, the march towards gay equality took a left turn and there was an increase in gay rights activism. Some goals of the activists were to decriminalize homosexual acts, receive equal treatment under the law, and for people to be educated by unbiased facts about homosexuality. Their efforts prevailed and the activists achieved the following: the right to publish gay magazines, victory of discrimination of employment cases, constraints on police harassment, opening of dialogue in scientific and religious communities, media visibility, organizational impulse, and denunciation of how gays are a mistreated minority. Although they achieved so many things,
In the article “An Anthropological Look at Human Sexuality” the authors, Patrick Gray and Linda Wolfe speak about how societies look at human sexuality. The core concept of anthology is the idea of culture, the systems of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors people acquire as a member of society. The authors give an in depth analysis on how human sexuality is looked at in all different situations.
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
The idea of ‘one-sex’ bodies (a form of thought in Ancient Greece) began to be replaced in the 18th century with the “biological differentiation between men and women” (Mottier, 33). While a gender hierarchy remained, male and female bodies were now seen as biologically and fundamentally different. With the changes of thought during this period, a biological model of sexuality also came about. In the 19th century, the concept of ‘sexual inversion’ became popular (Mottier, 38). Homosexuals were viewed as suffering from gender disorders; they were not criminals, but abnormal and in need of a cure (Mottier, 39). What do all of these developments have to do with sexual behaviors becoming known as sexual identities?
Jacques Balthazart, in the book, Biology of Homosexuality, examines the historical and cultural context in which homosexuality is expressed and attempts to dissect homosexual behavior and cognition from a biological perspective. He explains that there are behaviors in human sexuality that exhibit greater diversity than the sexual behavior of other animals. This exertion may lead one to conclude that human sexuality, as a result of its biological and emotional components, is more complex than the sexuality of other species. (Balthazart, p.4)
Of all topics most popular in today's media, issues concerning homosexuals and homosexuality in general top the list. Homosexuality is generally defined as a sexual relationship between partners of the same sex. Debate concerning its causes and consequences has been going on for many centuries and almost in every period in human history. However, never before in human history has it been granted such wide scale acceptance in western society as it has now. The question that I seek to answer in this paper is whether such wide scale acceptance should in fact be granted to homosexual behavior? Is such behavior rational, scientifically functional or is it actually detrimental to the high level of civilization that we've achieved?
Throughout Western civilization, culturally hegemonic views on gender and sexuality have upheld a rigid and monolithic societal structure, resulting in the marginalization and dehumanization of millions of individuals who differ from the expected norm. Whether they are ridiculed as freaks, persecuted as blasphemers, or discriminated as sub-human, these individuals have been historically treated as invisible and pushed into vulnerable positions, resulting in cycles of poverty and oppression that remain prevalent even in modern times. Today, while many of these individuals are not publicly displayed as freaks or persecuted under Western law, women, queer, and intersexed persons within our society still nonetheless find themselves under constant
An overwhelming majority of African nations has reclaimed their independence from their European mother countries. This did not stop the Europeans from leaving a permanent mark on the continent however. European colonialism has shaped modern-day Africa, a considerable amount for the worse, but also some for the better. Including these positive and negative effects, colonialism has also touched much of Africa’s history and culture especially in recent years.
In North America, LGBT rights are often discussed through institutions, social media, and organizations supporting such cases. However, one can notice that leaving this North American mindset results are dramatically different in attitudes towards LBGT issues. This literature review will be centering on LGBT rights in India, and will focus upon the Supreme Court decision that upheld Section 377 of the Indian Constitution and repealed the Delhi High Court’s ruling. This research paper will additionally investigate the exact timeline of each decision by highlighting the history of Section 377 of the Penal Code of India, the ruling of the Delhi High Court in 2009 and finally what the Supreme Court’s ruling was in December of 2013. Moreover, it will focus and discuss the discourse behind why the Supreme Court reinstated criminalizing gay sex in the country. Lastly, this research paper will offer a critical perspective by addressing a possible solution in order to gain awareness and take a stand against the Supreme Court for reinstating criminalization of gay sex in the country.