Societal attitudes towards homosexuality

Societal attitudes towards same sex relations, construed in radically different ways, have varied over the centuries, usually exhibiting a combination of admiration and disapproval depending on the form of the relations.

Statistics

73% of the general public in America in 2001 knew someone who is gay, lesbian, or bisexual according to a study by the Kaiser Family Foundation. This is up from 24% in 1983, 43% in 1993, 55% in 1998, and 62% in 2000. The percentage of the general public who say there is more acceptance of LGB people in 2001 than before was 64%. Acceptance was measured on many different levels - 87% of the general public would shop at a store owned by someone who is gay or lesbian all the way down to 46% of the general public would attend a church or synagogue where a minister or rabbi is openly gay or lesbian. Only 38% of the general public think that "homosexual behavior" is wrong. When broken down by gender males are more likely to think it is wrong and people over 65 years old are more likely to think it is wrong. Among people who don't know someone who is LGB 61% think the behavior is wrong, which bears out the common wisdom that coming out helps the fight for GLBT equality. Broken down by religion, 60% of evangelical christians think that it is wrong, whereas only 11% with no religious affiliation are against it. 57% of the general public think that gays and lesbians experience a lot of discrimination, making it the group believed to be the most discriminated against (African Americans come in second at 42%). [1]

In terms of support of public policies, according to the same 2001 study, 76% of the general public think that the law should protect GL people from job discrimination, 74% from housing discrimination, 73% for inheritance rights, 70% support health and other employee benefits for domestic partners, 68% support social security benefits, and 56% support GL people openly serving in the military. 73% favor sexual orientation being included in the hate crimes statutes. Only 39% support gay marriage, while 47% support legal unions, and 46% support adoption rights.

A separate study shows that, in America at least, the younger generation is very supportive of gay rights. For example a 2001 Kaiser Family Foundation study found that 18-24 year olds strongly support gay rights.

Culture

In some cultures, such as Ancient Greeceand pre-modern Japan, pederasticpractices were the foundation of religion, education, philosophy and military culture. The Bedaminipeople of New Guineabelieve that pederastic activities promote growth throughout nature, while excessive heterosexual activities lead to decay in nature.

In other cultures, specifically those dominated by Christian or Muslim dogma, certain forms of same-sex love and attraction were punished with torture and death.

In the east, attitudes have changed radically in the past hundred and fifty years, swinging from complete openness to an antagonism mimicking Victorian attitudes, which now is slowly relaxing back towards a more balanced view.

The Chinese Psychiatrists? Association removed homosexuality from the list of mental illnesses in April 2001. However, as scriptwriter and teacher Cui Zi?en, one of the few openly gay intellectuals in today's China, points out, it?s still seen as a psychological disorder. "In the West, it?s frowned on to criticize homosexuals and even more to make them feel different," says Cui Zi?en, contrasting it with Chinese society which, "is changing, but there?ll always be people who?ll feel disgust."

Law

In most developed countries, same-sex relationships are accepted, and are accorded legal protection. Many governments have established formal structures for confirming legal relationships (either as marriage or partnership) between people of the same sex.

In some cultures influenced by anti-gay religious dogma, homosexuality is still considered unnatural, a perversionand has been outlawed (see sodomy law, public order crime). In some Muslimnations it remains a capital crime.

See also: Homosexuality laws of the world

Religion and morality

Many religious establishments welcome homosexual individuals, either on a footing of equality with heterosexuals (such as the Unitarian Universalist congregation or the Anglican congregation in North America) or even according them special status as possessing enhanced spiritual abilities (as many Native religions do).

At the same time, some moralists and religious groups view homosexuality to be a sin. John Boswellargued that church stance has varied over time, and that during several periods in European Christian history homosexuality was not repressed and was even celebrated, as with heterosexuality. See the article on Religion and homosexualityfor a discussion of how homosexuality is viewed in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhismand in neo-paganreligions.

Also see Homosexuality and morality.

Repression

Violence against homosexualsremains common; the experience of gays during the Holocaustis an egregious case.

Rhetoric

• Gay bashing
• Anti-gay slogans

History in the West

McCarthyism

In the 1950s in the United States, homosexuality was taboo. Senator Joseph McCarthyused accusations of homosexuality as a smear tacticin his anti-Communist crusade.

LGBT civil rights movement

Beginning in the 20th century, Gay rightsmovements, as part of the broader civil rights movements, have led to changes in social acceptance and in the media portrayal of homosexuality. The legalization of same-sex marriageand non-gender-specific civil unionsis one of the major goals of gay rights activism. (See Category:LGBT civil rights.)

Attitudes of Western societies regarding homosexuality have led to a greater acceptance of gay men and women into both secular and religious institutions starting in the latter part of the 20th Century.

Psychology and modification of sexual orientation

Some religious movements and other advocates believe that they can heal or cure homosexuality through "reparative therapy." However, all mainstream Western health and mental health professional organizations have concluded this therapy is ineffective, unnecessary, and potentially harmful. The mainstream medical and scientific communities of the West regard sexual orientation un-changeable. In 1973, the (US) American Psychological Associationremoved homosexuality from mental disorders. However, in some other parts of the non-Western world it is still considered to be a mental disorder and illness, although there is no consensus on what causes it or whether it is inborn.

Attitudes of Western societies regarding homosexuality have led to a greater acceptance of gay men and women into both secular and religious institutions starting in the latter part of the 20th Century.

Stereotypes

In Western culture, gay men are often stereotyped as effeminate or sometimes as hypermasculinized (see homomasculinity). The severely homophobic sides of these stereotypes are the effete man in a position of moral authority (such as the pedophile priest or boy scout leader), and the muscle-bound prison rapist.

Lesbians are often stereotyped as being overly masculine or Butch and Femme. Bisexuals are often stereotyped as promiscuous, manipulative, and insincere.

Blame for plagues and disasters

The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrahas takes place in the Bibleis often attributed to homosexuality, but this is disputed.

Since the middle ages, sodomites were blamed for "bringing down the wrath of God" upon the land, and their pleasures blamed for the periodic epidemics of disease which decimated the population. This "pollution" was thought to be cleansed by fire, as a result of which countless individuals were burned at the stake or run through with white-hot iron rods.

Since the end of the 1980's similar accusations have been made, inspired by the AIDSepidemic. In the years since, the epidemic has spread and now has many more heterosexual victims than homosexual. Much more is also known about the source of the syndrome (HIV) and its means of transmission, which does tend to reduce finger-pointing.

Other modern American examples:

• Jerry Falwellmade remarks interpreted as blaming "pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gaysand the lesbianswho are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People for the American Way" for the September 11thattacks, but later apologized for his remarks. (Pat Robertsonwas also participating in the broadcast.)
• Baptist Minister Fred Phelpsblames homosexuals for September 11thand his sect blames the Indian Ocean tsunami of December, 2004 on American and Swedish sodomites and fornicators in Thailand [2]

Association with child abuse and pedophilia

Relations between adults and youths, both male and female, were practiced historically dating back to at least antiquity; see Lucian's Erotes.

Some people fear exposing their children to homosexuals in unsupervised settings, lest they be molested, raped, or recruited to be homosexuals themselves. The publicity surrounding the Roman Catholic Church sex abuse scandal, which included many cases of same-sex child abuse, has heightened these concerns.

Studies by Dr. Carole Jenny, Dr. A.W. Richard Sipe, and others have not found evidence that homosexuals (those attracted to same-sex adults) are more likely to molest childen than heterosexuals (those attracted to opposite-sex adults).[3][4]One study by researcherDr. Kurt Freund suggested a higher occurrence of pedophiliaamong homosexuals, but didn't indicate a greater likelihood to molest children.[5]

Some researchers, like Johns Hopkins UniversitypsychiatristDr. Frederick Berlin, say it's flawed to assume that men who molest young boys are attracted to adult men and say that attaction to children is a separate orientation of its own. Others, like psychotherapistDr. A.W. Richard Sipe, also argue that the sexual deprivation that occurs in the priesthoodcould lead one to turn to children and that boys are more accessible to priests and other male authority figures than girls.[6]A study by Dr. A. Nicholas Groth found that nearly half of the child sex offenders in his small sample were exclusively attracted to children. The other half regressed to children after finding trouble in adult relationships. Noone in his sample was primarily attracted to same-sex adults.[7]

The question of whether it is possible to "recruit" children into a homosexual orientation is a matter of sharp debate; see Environment, choice, and sexual orientation.

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It uses material from the http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Societal+attitudes+towards+homosexuality Wikipedia article Societal attitudes towards homosexuality.