Attitudes and Homosexuality
Attitudes and Homosexuality
At one time to be considered a homosexual or have homosexual tendencies was severely frowned upon and considered immoral in many cultures in our society. Within the last fifty years attitudes have changed towards homosexuality and what some consider their deviant behavior. The intent of this paper is to illustrate how these attitudes have changed throughout the years and give examples of the factors that have influenced our society’s attitudes toward homosexuality.
Homosexuality as defined by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary is romantic and/or sexual attraction or behavior among members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality -refers to “an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affection, or romantic attractions primarily or only to “people of the same sex;” it also refers to an individual’s sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions, behaviors expressing them, and membership in a community of others who share them. Homosexuals can either be male (gay) (may be used for female also) or female (lesbian) but whether it’s male of female many of these individuals are in committed relationships and see their relationships as normal as a heterosexual relationship.
For some time it was thought that homosexuality was caused by a chemical imbalance in a person’s brain but in 1973 the Board of Trustees of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) decided to remove homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders. What this caused was years of nonstop research and a variety of arguments within the medical community of what really causes a person to become homosexual. Some still believe that it’s a chemical imbalance in a person’s brain while others believe that it is genetic or that a person is born that way. Despite all of these arguments no one really knows why a person chooses to become a homosexual.
Although no one can say exactly when
At one time to be considered a homosexual or have homosexual tendencies was severely frowned upon and considered immoral in many cultures in our society. Within the last fifty years attitudes have changed towards homosexuality and what some consider their deviant behavior. The intent of this paper is to illustrate how these attitudes have changed throughout the years and give examples of the factors that have influenced our society’s attitudes toward homosexuality.
Homosexuality as defined by Merriam-Webster’s dictionary is romantic and/or sexual attraction or behavior among members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality -refers to “an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affection, or romantic attractions primarily or only to “people of the same sex;” it also refers to an individual’s sense of personal and social identity based on those attractions, behaviors expressing them, and membership in a community of others who share them. Homosexuals can either be male (gay) (may be used for female also) or female (lesbian) but whether it’s male of female many of these individuals are in committed relationships and see their relationships as normal as a heterosexual relationship.
For some time it was thought that homosexuality was caused by a chemical imbalance in a person’s brain but in 1973 the Board of Trustees of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) decided to remove homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Psychiatric Disorders. What this caused was years of nonstop research and a variety of arguments within the medical community of what really causes a person to become homosexual. Some still believe that it’s a chemical imbalance in a person’s brain while others believe that it is genetic or that a person is born that way. Despite all of these arguments no one really knows why a person chooses to become a homosexual.
Although no one can say exactly when
References: 1. "Kinsey Reports." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 3 Nov. 2010. Web. 06 Nov. 2010. . 2. Late, By The. "Homosexuality and the Truth." Gay Conspiracy! Mar. 1997. Web. 06 Nov. 2010. . 3. De Vries, Brian. "Sexuality Research and Social Policy." National Sexuality Resource Center (NSRC). Web. 06 Nov. 2010. .