FREE ESSAY ON HOMOSEXUALS RESEARCH

HOMOSEXUALS RESEARCH

How America should react to homosexuals?
How America should react to homosexuals Many experts agree that homosexuality has
existed as long as human beings themselves, although the attitude towards them has
undergone
dramatic changes in some countries. Accepted by many societies during Greek and Roman
era,
most of the time homosexuals were considered to be sinners against nature and even
criminals. In
Medieval and modern periods homosexuals were prosecuted. Enlightenment brought some
liberation, substituting death penalty by imprisonment. 
In Nazi Germany so-called doctors tried to cure gays by the ways of castration and
extreme intimidation. Until 1973 attempts to find a cure against homosexuality, what by
majority
was viewed as a disease, were continued. Today, when research on twins suggests that
sexual
orientation is not a choice, but our genetic predisposition, homosexual acts are still
considered to
be immoral and even illegal in majority of countries and in the eyes of most religious
groups
homosexuals, probably, always will be the subjects of anathema. As much as the future may
look
gloomy for many gays and lesbians all over the world, there are remarkable changes in
public
opinion and officials' attitudes toward homosexuals in some countries. For example, in
1989
Denmark was the first to allow the same-sex marriage. In the United States the subject
of
homosexuality remains controversial. For example, In Hawaii three homosexual couples
asked
the court to recognize their right to get married and the court did. However, the state
government
refused to legalize this marriage. Consequently, a new amendment was introduced to the
state
Constitution. At the same time, majority of the states are not even considering this
option and
homosexuality itself is still illegal there. Still, not only authorities try to determine
the position
they should take towards homosexuals, many common Americans also have no clear
understanding of how to react to homosexuality. 
Why should we bother to find the answer to the questions: who are the homosexuals and
where do they belong in our society? First of all, it is important to realize that
homosexuals are
an integral part of our society. Your neighbor, your co-worker, your hairdresser, your
child and
even your spouse can be one of them. According to Richard D. Mohr [t]wo out of five men
one
passes on the street have had orgasmic sex with men. Every second family in the country
has a
member who is essentially homosexual and many more people regularly have homosexual
experiences(186). Should we avoid them, ignore, express our anger and disgust?
Unfortunately,
many people feel that way because they have a remote idea about people of different
sexual
orientation. For them homosexuality is perversion, abnormality or decease. The ignorance
may
foster fear, which in its turn leads to hostility. Homophobia is dangerous, because it
affects all
groups of people - heterosexuals and homosexuals, grown-ups and children, men and women.
It
may lead to violence and even death. There are numerous cases when people were actually
killed
because of homophobia. To name few of them - Matthew Shepard(homosexual), John Braun
(heterosexual), Steve Kennedy (homosexual) and the list can be continued. Prejudice
against
homosexuality sharply limits how all men and women may acceptably behave, among
themselves and with each other. 
It is obvious that we can no longer pretend that the homosexual issue is none of our
concern. In attempt to evaluate our attitude towards people of different sexual
orientation we will
be able to understand them better. What is more important, we may overcome our
prejudice,
which often results in discrimination of one group against another. To acknowledge that
there are
people who are different and learn to tolerate them means to live in a safer world. The
next
question is: Do we have the right to discriminate against homosexuals? Until recently
homosexuals were invisible minority. Therefore, many Americans were unaware that gays
and
lesbians were discriminated against. But homosexuals were and still are treated unfairly
on the
basis that they undermine our morality, that they present danger to our children and that
they are
transmitters of AIDS far more than heterosexuals. Today many gays and lesbians come out
of
the closet and demand the same rights that heterosexual take for granted. We have to
admit that
some steps have been made to protect homosexuals. However, many government and public
institutions and individuals still discriminate against homosexuals denying them
employment,
housing, insurance, marriage, child's custody and so on. Why is it allowed to
discriminate against
people who have different sexual orientation? Some may put forward arguments that being
gay is
immoral, that it is illegal, that it is a sin against nature and violation of God's law
and, some
people consider homosexual variety [as a] proof of existence of Satan . 
Some homophobics qualify homosexual behavior akin to lying and stealing and,
therefore, support the idea that gays and lesbians deserve to suffer. As Pete Hamill
points out
,...gay-bashing is real; homosexuals are routinely injured or murdered every day, all
over the
world, by people who fear or hate their version of human sexuality(532). But as was
mentioned
above, the medical studies confirm that being gay is not a matter of choice or
preference, but a
deviation from normal sexuality, which lays in genes and hardly can be changed. Given a
choice
many would have preferred not to be homosexual. It is hard to imagine the somebody would
voluntary give up all the privileges of being straight and subject himself to
harassment,
discrimination, assaults and scorn. Some argue that the homosexual act is unnatural since
it is not
procreative. Then why don't we discriminate against sterile couples or those of over
childbearing
age? 
Others express their concern that by granting homosexuals rights we will give our
blessing to other forms of sexual perversions such polygamy and pedophillia, for example.
Here
it is important to notice, that for one, pedophillia is not necessary a homosexual act.
Secondly, it
is immoral and unlawful because one of the partners in this case is a child or a teenager
who
more often than not has no other choice than to yield to the power of the adult. As
Joseph Geraci
and Donald H. Mader point out the power imbalance between the adult and the younger
partner
in a pedophille relationship is so great that it inevitably leads to coercion and
exploitation (969).
Unlike pedophillia, a homosexual act is consent between two adults, no harm to others is
done
and with our bodies we are free to do whatever we please. Therefore, there is no point to
call it
illegal. Moreover, discrimination against people of different sexual orientation will be
a violation
of the constitution, which guarantees common rights for everybody. Thus, despite our own
preference we have neither moral nor legal right to discriminate against them. 
As for disapproval of different religions of homosexuality, everyone should have the
freedom to go to hell as one wants, as Udo Schuklenk and Tony Riley put it quoting
Enlgelhardt (602). The last question that is important to discuss: Should homosexuals be
a
protected minority? Like any other minority homosexuals deserve the protection by any
government and public institution. An absence of protection against discrimination will
result in
more violence and injustice. For a example, a gay who was beaten and harassed may not
seek
justice in court because by doing so he puts himself and his loved one in the open
position for
further discrimination. Most homosexuals prefer not to engage themselves in such
procedures for
fear of losing more. Therefore, while heterosexuals feel free victimize them in different
ways,
homosexuals can not even exercise the rights given them by law. Some may argue that
homosexuals themselves often cause trouble. Gay activists harass doctors, disrupt public
meetings, and scream self-righteously about their rage(Hamill 534). It is hard to dismiss
this
point, but by denying homosexuals their rights one can not stop violence. Only by
accepting them
into the society on the same terms as we accept heterosexuals will give us a chance to
stop the
escalating rage from both sides. 
Other opponents of homosexuality argue that granting gays and lesbians the same
protection under law that is granted to other minorities is to give them special
privileges. But
homosexuals do not ask for special privileges. They want the same rights as heterosexuals
- the
right to have a job they want and be treated according to their skills and performance at
work, but
not by the fact that they share their bedrooms with the same-sex partners. They want to
live in the
house they like and be judged according to their action, but not for who they are. They
want the
same benefits from their employers and insurance companies as heterosexuals have.
Finally, they
want to get married and have children, but those basic human choices cause the main
disagreement among heterosexuals. As was mentioned above, there are many families with
homosexual members. Some parents are disappointed that their child will never be married
and
they will never have grandchildren, but most of those parents still want to see their
children
happy and hope that they will find somebody to love and share their life. Why should not
society
find it possible to share the same maturity. Moreover, in the wake of AIDS encouraging
gay
monogamy is simply rational public policy. However, according to Washington Post poll 70
percent of Americans oppose same-sex marriage, yet only 53 percent oppose homosexual
relationship between consenting adults (Francoure 246). 
Some will argue that one of the family's function is it conceive and raise children. But
today sex is not the only way to have a child. It can be conceived in vitro through sperm
and eggs
donors or by surrogate mother, and there is always such option as adoption. In addition,
the wide
spread opinion that homosexuals will raise children who also will be homosexuals has no
scientific evidence. To the contrary, some studies show that the sexuality of a child is
determined
very early, perhaps at conception and it is very unlikely that parents can have influence
on his or
her sexual orientation. As one can see, there is no justification to deny homosexuals
their rights.
In addition, if there is no other way we can provide gays and lesbians with those rights
without
making them a privileged group this is not their fault. Since homosexuals often are the
subject of
harassment, violence, mistreatment, discrimination, or illness for no fault of their own
we should
chose the position which will allow them to have the same rights as heterosexuals do. 
As science and technology moves forward, we easily accept changes in the outside world,
and yet we are reluctant to leave our beliefs and prejudices behind. I hope that people
are
becoming smarter not only in developing sophisticated methods, producing and operating
complex devices, but also in understanding other human beings. It is time to abandon our
ancient
prejudice about homosexuality and start think reasonably. We have to acknowledge the
scientific
fact that being gay is not a decease, not a curse, not an immoral act, not a preference,
but just
another type of sexuality. Gays are a permanent minority and aren't likely to go away.
So, instead
of burdening ourselves with unnecessary tension by rejecting them, we have to adjust our
apprehension, accept them for who there are and treat them fairly. By doing so we will
reduce
violence, hate crime and stress. Is it not a good reason to overcome the last of our
prejudices? 
Bibliography
Bibliography 
1. Francoeur, Robert T. Should Society Recognize Gay Marriages? Taking sides: Clashing
Views on controversial Issues. 
2. Issues in Human Sexuality. 4th Ed. Stephen Satris: The Dushkin Publishing Group, Inc,
Guilford,1994:246-247. 
3. Geraci, Joseph and Donald H. Mader. Pedophillia. Encyclopedia of Homosexuality Ed. 
4. Wayne R Dynes. Garland Publishing, Inc , New York, 1990: v2, 964-970. 
5. Hamill, Pete. Confessions of a Heterosexual. The Aims of Argument. A Rhetoric and
Reader. 2nd Ed. Timothy W. Crusius and Carolyn E. Chanell: Mayfield Publishing, Mountain
View, California,1998: 531-536. 
6. Mohr, Richard D. Gay Basics: Some Questions, Facts, and Values. Taking sides:
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Publishing
Group, Inc, Guilford,1994:186-194. 
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Publishing,
Mountain View, California, 1998:527-530. 
8. Schuklenk,Udo and Tony Riley. Homosexuality, Social Attitudes Toward. Encyclopedia of
Applied Ethics. Editor-in -Chief Ruth Chadwick. Academic Press: San Diego, 1998: v2,
597-603. 
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