What Homosexuality Actually Is - Essay Example

?[Your full full November 03, Homosexuality Before going into the discussion regarding homosexuality as a sexual deviance, let us get a better understanding of what homosexuality actually is. A homosexual relationship is a relationship that exists between two persons from the same gender. In such relationships, men are attracted towards men and women are attracted towards women. “A homosexual is actually a bisexual who feels more attracted to the same sex than the opposite sex” (Roy). Homosexuality is really a social deviance because this act lies beyond the limits of morality. In the sociological context, homosexuality is a crime because it violates cultural and social norms and values. Homosexuality also harms the institution of marriage. In order to understand homosexuality in a better way, we must understand the cause of homosexuality. Love between the members of any specific gender is the cause of homosexuality. Feelings of love and care are not gender specific. It is not necessary that these feelings always arise between the individuals belonging to opposite genders. Sometimes the feelings of love and care also arise between the individuals belonging to the same gender. Those feelings become the reason for any two individuals from the same gender to get involved in a relationship between each other, which is often referred as homosexuality. “Homosexuality involves our underlying bisexuality at play when we naturally feel more attracted to the same rather than the opposite sex” (Roy). Homosexuality also gives rise to another critical issue, which is same sex marriage. The government of the United States of America does not allow same sex marriages. The government of America believes that marriage is a sacred relationship, which should always involve individuals from opposite sexes whereas gay or lesbian marriages result in destroying the basic sprit of the relationship of marriage. However, in some states of America, courts have allowed people for same sex marriages. Some of those states include Massachusetts, Vermont, and Connecticut. The courts of these states declared that marriage is a civil right, so gays and lesbians also possess this right (Cahill 4). In these states, although people belonging to same sexes are allowed to get tied in marital relationships with each other, yet their marriages or living status as a couple is not regarded by the majority of the US population. Homosexual couples face many problems in any specific society. One of the major problems, which homosexual couples face, is the discouraging behavior of the people who know them. If we talk about homosexual marriages, we can say that majority of people usually do not encourage homosexual marriages because they think that such marriages are just for the fulfillment of sexual desires instead of making a sacred relationship. People believe that gay and lesbian couples adversely affect the norms and values of a society. People also look suspiciously towards gay and lesbian couples and do not respect them as traditional couples. Therefore, such couples undergo a hard struggle in order to be accepted by the society in which they live. Another issue, which homosexual couples face, is opposition from the supporters of traditional family systems. Traditional family supporters believe that family system is essential for the existence of a society. They firmly believe that men are made for women and women are made for men. They think that gay and lesbian couples weaken the foundations of a family system because neither they can give birth to babies nor they can completely fulfill the sexual desires of each other. Traditional family supporters also think that such marriages or relationships result in decreasing the work force of the country because of their inability to give birth to babies. The viewpoint of homosexual couples is different from the traditionalists. They believe that same sex marriages do not violate the family values as they also have the feelings of love and care for each other. They believe that love is the only important feeling, which should exist in a couple, and same sex couples have very strong feelings of love for each other. It is due to the hard-fought struggle of the same sex marriage supporters that the support for same sex marriages is increasing in the western society although the pace of increase is very slow. Religious scholars also consider homosexuality to be sexual deviance. They believe that marriage is a religious institution. “Social perceptions derived from religions would have been different but most religions have systematically degraded the sexual act”. In all religions, marriage is considered a relationship, which exists only between a man and a woman. Homosexuality is strictly prohibited from religious point of view. Religious institutions promote marriages between people belonging to opposite sexes. It is evident from the researches that none of the societies supports the joining of same sex members. Religious scholars have a very negative point of view regarding same sex marriages. They believe that homosexuality should never be allowed in any case because it is not only sexual immorality but also it is strictly prohibited in all religions. We hardly find any society supporting the viewpoint of homosexuals. “Our social perceptions are strongly ingrained in us, and these social perceptions prevent us from entertaining our homosexual tendencies” (Roy). Majority of the people believe that homosexual couples are the major sources of increased cases of HIV/AIDS in the world. People, who possess homophobic nature, have great concerns about the increased rate of same sex marriages. They say that same sex marriages result in various social and health problems such as destruction to proper family system, less workforce, psychological disorders, lower life expectancy, and increased cases of HIV/AIDS. Summing it up, the institution of marriage refers to the existence of a very respectable relationship between a man and a woman. Homosexual couples destroy the moral norms and values of a society. Homosexuality is a very immoral act because it is not only against nature but also against social and moral directions and guidelines. Homosexual or same sex couples can never replace the benefits of marriage between opposite sexes because homosexual result in causing problems for themselves and for the whole society whereas joining of men and women through marriages result in strengthening the family structure and preserving the social norms and values of a society. Works Cited Cahill, Sean. Safe-Sex Marriage in the United States. Maryland: Lexington Books, 2004. Print. Roy, Saberi. “The Psychology of Homosexuality.” Ezinearticles.com, 28 Jan. 2011. Web. 03 Nov. 2011. . Read More