Sub-Culture of Homosexuality - Coursework Example

Running Header: Homosexuality Student’s Name: Name of Institution: Instructor’s Name: Course Code: Date of Submission: Homosexuality Introduction The purpose of this essay is to investigate and study the sub-culture of homosexuality and give clear descriptions about the past and current life situation of this group. This will be achieved by highlighting all the forms of stereotyping and discrimination that the members of this group face. This paper will describe homosexuality, its origin/history/past, its orientation, its current situation and its future prospects. Carter (2005) notes, that in the late 19th century, Karoly Maria Benkert, a German psychologist, coined the term ‘homosexuality’. Even though homosexuality is a relatively new term, there have been numerous discussions about sexuality in general, particularly same-sex attraction ever since the days of Plato’s symposium to the recent queer theory. The understanding of these concepts is relevant in studying the history of cultural understandings of same-sex attractions. In many regions across the world, and the West in particular, the concept of natural law and other interpretations of this law strongly forbid homosexuality (Bernstein, 2005). Contemporary debates on homosexuality still make reference to natural law in courtrooms, politics, religion and many other sectors. There have been numerous social changes that involve homosexuality but one of the most recent and significant ones perhaps is the emergence of the liberation movement for gays in the West. According to Beemyn (1996), the queer theory raises questions as to whether homosexuality is purely driven by biological forces or it is just socially constructed. These same debates have also included bisexuality and heterosexuality (Crompton, 2003). There have been a number of casual factors that have ultimately influenced the origination of homosexuality in individuals. Homosexuality has had a number of impacts on the society at large and on individuals. Different scholars have defined homosexuality in different ways. According to Welch (2000), homosexuality has been defined as any sexual and/or romantic behavior or attraction between people of the same gender or sex. He further labels homosexuality as a sexual orientation that refers to a disposition or enduring pattern to experience affectional, romantic or sexual attractions that are primary or exclusive to people of the same sex. He is of the opinion that an individual’s social and personal identity that are based on these attractions which are openly expressed can be referred to as homosexuality. Homosexual people can either be men or women. Women homosexuals are commonly referred to as lesbians while their male counterparts are popularly known as gays. However, more often than not, the term gay is generally used to refer to both homosexual men and women. Many researchers have noted that it has been difficult to accurately and exactly estimate the proportion of people with same-sex experiences. In recent times, 2% to 13% of the population in the modern west confessed to have had some form of same-sex contact at some point in their lifetime. A study conducted in 2006 in the United States of America showed that 20% of the population agreed to have had homosexual feelings (Wayne, 1990). According to the dictionary of homosexuality (1990), homosexuality has been explained as a condition whereby an individual expresses sexual behavior or desire towards a person or people of one’s same sex. Homosexuality has had a long history that is often linked to the Western world. It was first witnessed by same-sex marriages in the West that were surprisingly tolerated and celebrated by the early western societies. Many researchers on same-sex relationships point out that it is quite not clear when and where the first same-sex unions were evident. However, there have been evidences that link the first same-sex marriages to Rome. Later evidences also cite medieval Europe and ancient Greece. Other evidences also show that the Native Americans and Africans were involved in same-sex marriages. Later on in China for example, male love was encouraged. Men were even allowed to marry other youth men, especially in the province of Fujian, in elaborate and public ceremonies. In ancient Greece, same-sex relationships were in fact a societal norm. Even though these relationships did not replace those between man and woman, they occurred before and besides them (Boyarin, 1997). A subculture is defined as a group of people who have a culture that differentiates them from members of the larger culture that they belong to. The members of the subculture can have cultures that are either hidden or distinct. Homosexuality is therefore a subculture because its members are people who practice sexual behaviors that are different from what other people normally do. A subculture is explained as that which is often sought by a minority and not common among the majority (Johnson, 2004). According to observations by Parker and John (2000), for a long time, there has been the misconception among those who are against homosexuality that it is a psychiatric disorder which is caused by distant fathers and overbearing mothers. This is far from the truth. The society has had varied attitudes towards homosexuality for quite a long time. These attitudes have seen homosexuality being repressed through judicial mechanisms and law enforcements. Others have considered it as a great sin and others view it as a minor sin. In some regions, the society accepts homosexuality while in other regions, it is proscribed under the death penalty (Johnson, 2004). Phelan (2001) observed that for a long time in the Roman Empire, there was a general tolerance for homosexual acts that prevailed. Many views of the Greeks and Romans were seen to be in support of homosexual acts. Initially, the gender that an individual was sexually and erotically attracted to was never seen as important. What was important was whether an individual exercised moderation in their sexual relations with members of the opposite sex. According to Herdt (2000), people were more concerned about their status and only free men were considered to have full status. Male slaves and women were therefore not problematic sexual partners. This meant that free men could not have sex amongst each other because this presented problems to their social status. In ancient Greek, the issue with sexual relations was whether one should take active role or a passive one. Active roles were also known as insertive roles while passive roles were commonly referred to as penetrated roles. Male youths, slaves and women who were not yet citizens were considered inferior. The passive or ‘penetrated’ role was only acceptable for them. This meant that they could not penetrate any one during sexual encounters but would only be the ones to be penetrated (Fausto-Sterling, 2000). The society under the Roman Empire slowly developed negative attitudes and views against same-sex sexuality. This was probably as a result of the economic and social turmoil that homosexuality entailed. With time, Christianity became influential and people developed more negative attitudes towards homosexuality because of what was said in the scriptures found in the Bible. Many passages found in different texts from that time henceforth were seen as condemnations of homosexuality with famous authors such as Boswell (1980), noting that homosexuality in the Bible was not taken as immoral but rather an out of the ordinary. Obula (2009) pointed out that in Europe, strict laws were soon created to prohibit homosexuality and they came with severe penalties. Prosecution was the main problem because many cases in some regions would pass without any prosecutions whatsoever. The Dutch began to mount very harsh anti-sodomy campaigns because they viewed homosexuality as sodomy. They would even torture suspects so that they would get confessions out of them. This saw hundreds of young boys being executed and others being denied burial. However, the degree that sodomy and same-sex marriages were accepted and tolerated varied by social class, aristocracy and nobility. Despite the risk of severe punishments, same-sex oriented subcultures would still flourish in the big cities and only authorities would suppress them some of the times. Homosexuality was now considered a crime in many countries. It was totally unacceptable for individuals of the same sex to openly exhibit sexual attraction, desire or behavior towards each other (Duberman, 1997). Secular interpretations and arguments became increasingly common in the 18th and 19th centuries. Homosexuality discussions were most common in the secular domains of psychology and medicine. These interpretations and arguments came up as a result of the concern that the country still needed its population to grow and that it needed to have well defined gender roles, intact families and good soldiers among others (Myers, 2003). During this period, it was a common scenario to find doctors being called to courts of law to examine sex crime defendants. There was a sudden dramatic increase in the school attendance rates. The average amount of time that same-age students would spend together in school was also found to be unusually high. With time, this saw same-sex relations become the norm between persons that were roughly the same age. Throughout recorded history, homosexual acts and relationships have been admired by some and condemned by others. This has mostly depended on the form in which these homosexual acts and relationships took place and the cultural contexts in which they occur. The 19th century has seen the formation of movements that have been in the forefront in advocating for recognition, legal rights and visibility of homosexual people. These groups have also been fighting for other rights such as the right to homosexual marriages and civil unions, parenting, equal access to services such as healthcare, military service, employment parenting and adoption. The need to fight for their rights arose from the fact that there are other groups of people that stereotype, stigmatize and discriminate against them (Bernstein, 2005). Discrimination and stereotyping of homosexuals has taken many different forms. There are people who strongly hate homosexuals, a condition that is referred to as homophobia. Homophobia is the fear of homosexuals because one feels threatened by them for having sexual preferences that are different from theirs. This may make them discriminate against the homosexuals. Discrimination and dealing with homophobes and stereotypes has been one major problem faced by homosexuals. Through research, it has been found out that discrimination has caused homosexuals to have reduced access to medical care. Homosexuals usually hesitate and wait for long before seeking medical attention or treatment because they are afraid of being discovered. These homosexuals also face problems such as being less well screened for medical problems as compared to the heterosexuals. Even though homosexuals are diverse people, most of them share many experiences of discrimination. In the Australian society, heterosexuality is generally regarded as the most acceptable and normal sexual orientation. This has seen gay men; lesbian women and bisexuals face discrimination and marginalization. The Victorian Gay and Lesbian Rights Lobby reveal that 84% of homosexuals, including bisexuals, gays and lesbians, had faced serious discrimination because of their sexuality. Another study conducted in 2006 on 5,500 gays, lesbians, bisexual and transgender people in Australia showed that nearly 70% of these people have to modify their daily activities and behaviors because they fear being judged, prejudiced and discriminated against (Bradley, 2001). This people are afraid of coming out in the open because of how the rest of the society will view them. They prefer to hide their true sexual orientation and only a few will come out in the open (Vanita, 2002). Some societies have begun to increasingly accept homosexuality even though there are some people who are still strongly against it. This increase in the acceptance of homosexuality has led to a decrease in discrimination. According to figures collected in the US for example, more and more people are considering homosexuality to be morally acceptable. Surveys show that the acceptance of homosexuality in Asia and the West has greatly increased over the past few decades. This has seen the decrease in the support of discriminatory laws and policies such as those prohibiting same sex marriages and unions (Bullough, 2002). In the context of the tourism and hospitality sector, there has been the recent rise of gay tourism which is marketed to the homosexual community. This means that there have been tourist destinations such as cities that have been offering travel motivations, holiday experiences and destination choices for the gay and lesbian communities. These gay tourist destinations offer incentives for homosexual tourists to visit them because they are discriminated against in their own countries. They provide holiday experiences which allow the homosexuals to openly exhibit their sexual attraction towards their same-sex partners. These destinations attract homosexuals to visit them because they provide them with an environment where they can freely be homosexuals without being judged or discriminated against. Nepal for example began to sell itself as a gay wedding destination. While at home, these people may not reveal their true sexual orientation because of the fear of issues such as violence or discrimination that may arise. When these homosexuals visit these tourist destinations, they feel free to be themselves and do not have to hide their sexual orientations. That is why many researchers today have started to show deep interest in homosexual tourism as a field of study because of its importance (Welch, 2000). Conclusion Homosexuality has been an issue that has been met by different attitudes and feelings. There are those that have been against it and others that support it. Homosexuality has a strong history that dates back to many centuries ago and it has had interesting turns of events over the years. Homosexuals have faced discrimination from people that do not subscribe to their school of thought. However, there has been an increasing acceptance of homosexuality in many societies today with more and more people ending the previous discrimination against homosexuals. In my opinion, homosexuality is a matter of choice that an individual makes. It is a person who chooses whether to be gay or lesbian. References Beemyn, B. & Mickey, E. (1996). Queer Studies : A Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Anthology. New York: New York University Press. Bernstein, E. & Schaffner, L. (2005). Regulating Sex: The Politics of Intimacy and Identity. New York: Routledge. Boyarin, D. (1997). Unheroic Conduct: The Rise of Heterosexuality and the Invention of the Jewish Man. Berkeley: University of California Press. Bradley, G. V. (2001) “The End of Marriage” South Bend, IN: St. Augustine's Press. Bullough, V. L. (2002). Before Stonewall: Activists for Gay and Lesbian Rights In Historical Context. New York: Routledge. Carter, J. (2005). “On Mother-Love: History, Queer Theory, and Nonlesbian Identity” Journal of the History of Sexuality, Vol.14: 107-138. Crompton, L. (2003). Homosexuality and Civilization. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Duberman, M. (1997). A Queer World: The Center for Lesbian and Gay Studies Reader. New York: New York University Press. Fausto-Sterling, A. (2000). Sexing the Body: Gender Politics and the Construction of Sexuality. New York: Basic Books. Fox, E. F. & Virtue, D. W. (2002). Homosexuality: Good and Right in the Eyes of God? Virginia: Emmaus Ministries. Herdt, G. (1997). Same Sex, Different Cultures: Gays and Lesbians Across Cultures. 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Homosexuality: Speaking the Truth in Love. Michigan: P & R Publishing. Read More