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UFE 1103
General Psychology
Title of the Paper: Homosexual and the Society
Name:
Section:
8C
Abstract.......................................................................................................... 2
2.0
Introduction..................................................................................................... 3
3.0
3.1
3.2
3.3
4.0
Conclusion..................................................................................................... 11
5.0
Reference...................................................................................................... 12
6.0
Appendix...................................................................................................... 14
6.1
Appendix A................................................................................................ 14
6.2
Appendix B................................................................................................ 18
Abstract
The term homosexual describes those who have sex with, or are sexually
attracted to, persons of the same (Greek: homo) sex .In modem Western usage,
male homosexuals are referred to as "gay" and female homosexuals as "lesbian".
In all societies men have had sex with men (and probably women with women,
though this is less well documented), but having this behavior as a basis for a
social -and especially an organizing or life- long - identity is a resent. Sexual
deviance is a common problem in any society. Due to the rapid social and
economic changes this problem has become a more complex issue. The shift in
both popular attitudes towards homosexuality disrupts the social organizations,
their homosexual identity and sub culture. It can be seen largely as a
consequence of the rise of a lesbian and gay movement. In this article, it will
outline the definition of homosexuality, the causes of homosexual occurred,
homosexuality in various countries, the view of public on homosexuality and the
impact that the homosexuality has brought to the society nowadays.
Introduction
Homosexuality in Ancient Greek it means "same", and in Latin sexus, it means "sex".
It is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between members of the same
sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional,
romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to people of the same sex. It "also refers to a person's
sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a
community of others who share those attractions."
Homosexual can be defined as "Gay" and "Lesbian". 'Gay' is a term often used to
refer to homosexual men. 'Lesbian' is a term often used to refer to homosexual women. Along
with bisexuality and heterosexuality, homosexuality is one of the three main categories of
sexual orientation within the heterosexualhomosexual continuum. There is no consensus
among scientists about why a person develops a particular sexual orientation. Many scientists
think that nature and nurture a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental
influences factor into the cause of sexual orientation. They favor biologically-based
theories, which point to genetic factors, the early uterine environment, both, or the inclusion
of genetic and social factors. There is no substantive evidence which suggests parenting or
early childhood experiences play a role when it comes to sexual orientation; when it comes to
same-sex sexual behavior, shared or familial environment plays no role for men and minor
role for women. While some people believe that homosexual activity is unnatural, scientific
research has shown that homosexuality is an example of a normal and natural variation in
human sexuality and is not in and of itself a source of negative psychological effects. Most
people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation, and there is
insufficient evidence to support the use of psychological interventions to change sexual
orientation.
Psychologist believes that homosexual/ gender identity disorder can be caused by
prenatal influences, early childhood experiences, biological influences, environmental
influences and culture and gender causes. Aside Biology, environment, and culture may all
have an influence on differences in gender behavior. The sex differences will also be caused
by our brain. It is said that the male and female brains are different. Psychologist Eleanor
Maccoby (1998) believes that the biological differences between males and females help to
create distinct contexts in which boys and girls are raised. If there were sex differences in the
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3.1
age of consent. Some jurisdictions further recognize identical rights, protections, and
privileges for the family structures of same-sex couples, including marriage. Some nations
mandate that all individuals restrict themselves to heterosexual relationships; that is, in some
jurisdictions homosexual activity is illegal. Offenders can face the death penalty in some
fundamentalist Muslim areas such as Iran and parts of Nigeria. There are, however, often
significant differences between official policy and real-world enforcement.
Although homosexual acts were decriminalized in some parts of the Western world,
such as Poland in 1932, Denmark in 1933, Sweden in 1944, and the United Kingdom in 1967,
it was not until the mid-1970s that the gay community first began to achieve limited civil
rights in some developed countries. On July 2, 2009, homosexuality was decriminalized in
India by a High Court ruling. A turning point was reached in 1973 when the American
Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders, thus negating its previous definition of homosexuality as a clinical
mental disorder. In 1977, Quebec became the first state-level jurisdiction in the world to
prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. During the 1980s and 1990s,
most developed countries enacted laws decriminalizing homosexual behavior and prohibiting
discrimination against lesbian and gay people in employment, housing, and services. On the
other hand, many countries today in the Middle East and Africa, as well as several countries
in Asia, the Caribbean and the South Pacific, outlaw homosexuality. In six countries,
homosexual behavior is punishable by life imprisonment; in ten others, it carries the death
penalty.
There have the laws affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people
vary greatly by country or territoryeverything from legal recognition of same-sex marriage
or other types of partnerships, to the death penalty as punishment for same-sex
romantic/sexual activity or identity. LGBT rights are considered human rights by the
Amnesty International and civil rights by some.
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Figure 3.1.1
Figure 3.1.2
LGBT Symbol
Disease
-2% of U.S. population is gay yet it accounts for 61% of HIV infection: "Men who have sex
with men [MSM] remain the group most heavily affected by new HIV infections. While the
CDC estimates that MSM represent only 2 percent of the U.S. population, they accounted for
the majority (61 percent; 29,300) of all new HIV infections in 2009. Young MSM (ages 13 to
29) were most severely affected, representing more than one quarter of all new HIV
infections nationally (27 percent; 12,900 in 2009)."
cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/HIVIncidencePressRelease.html)
-"A recent CDC study found that in 2008 one in five (19%) MSM in 21 major US cities were
infected with HIV, and nearly half (44%) were unaware of their infection."
-25% of HIV infected in U.K. unaware of their infection: "Of the estimated 86,500 people
living with HIV in the United Kingdom, about 25 percent are not aware they are infected, the
Health Protection Agency said recently."
Through the research above, it stated that homosexual lifestyle is harmful not only to
themselves but also to others, especially when you note that in both the U.S. and U.K. large
percentages of HIV infected people don't know they are infected. This is a danger to society
since it supports the spread of disease on a large scale.
Decrease chance of reproduction
It is said that it needed one man and one woman to produce children. Two same
genders cannot be producing any children. Therefore, if our society produce no children, our
society will die. There won't be enough people to support the infrastructure, medical needs,
economic development and more. That is a fact. So, common sense would tell us that
homosexuality is a danger to society since it cannot produce children to further the society.
Financial Impact
-$12.1 Billion annual cost in US: "a new study showed, the United States every year will cost
$12.1 billion annually in future treatment for the 40,000 people infected with HIV ."
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Conclusion
Lastly, from my standpoint, I dont think the homosexuality should be banned or
being prejudice to those homosexual. Everyone has the rights to live the life they want. One
of the main arguments of anti-gay marriage activists is the idea that gay marriage is
detrimental to family values, because a man and woman need to be the ones creating
children. Technological and social advancements have proven that it is not necessary for both
a man and a woman to produce. These advantages also challenge the idea that it is necessary
for both a man and a woman to be participants in raising a child. This pamphlet is intended to
give an overview on nontraditional forms of reproduction as well as give insight into the fact
that same-sex parenting is not detrimental to the wellbeing of the child for voters who are
considering voting against gay marriage under the assumption, that gay and lesbian couples
are not capable of raising children. There have been no studies done to prove that children
raised in homosexual families are in some way damage. One of the most important arguments
in the case against gay marriage is that children need both a mother and a father to be
normal.
There have been no significant findings that reveal that children with homosexual
parents are psychologically impaired. There has also been no study done that proves that the
children of homosexual parents are much more likely to turn out homosexual as well. The
biggest difference between children raised by homosexual parents versus heterosexual
parents is that they are more likely to be stigmatized within society. Anti-gay marriage
activists advocate that it is necessary to have a man and a woman raise a child but why do
they argue this? What different qualities do both a man and a woman bring that are necessary
in raising a child? The biological differences between men and women to not account for the
differences between the role of mother and father. The way western society views
motherhood and fatherhood is socially constructed. Parenthood is constantly changing in
terms of the roles each parent takes on, and what that role means to the child. Same-sex
parenting is just another variation of parenting and it takes on much more social meaning
than is necessary.
11
Reference
Book:
Vern L. Bullough & Bonnie Bullough. (2014). Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia.
Washington, DC: Routledge.
In-text reference: (Vern L & Bonnie, 2014)
Website:
Alpineski. (2014, Feb 16). Homosexuality and its Negative effects on Society. Retrieved
From The Conservative Papers website:
http://conservativepapers.com/news/2014/02/16/homosexuality-and-its-negative-effects-onsociety/
In-text reference: (Alpineski, 2014)
Essays, UK. (2013, November 14). Homosexuality and its effect on society. Retrieved
From UKESSAYS website: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/sociology/homosexuality-andits-effect-on-society-sociology-essay.php
In-text reference: (Essays, UK, 2013)
12
Pew Research Center. (2013, May 13). Most Say Homosexuality Should Be Accepted By
Society. Retrieved
From Pew Research Center website: http://www.people-press.org/2011/05/13/most-sayhomosexuality-should-be-accepted-by-society/
In-text reference: (Pew Research Center, 2011)
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Appendix
6.1
Appendix A
Many Native American tribes have long recognized the role of the male winkte (a
contraction of the Lakota word winyanktehca, meaning to be as a woman or
twosouls
person) in their societies. These tribes traditionally were not only tolerant of such
different individuals but also had important places for them in the social structure as
caretakers of children, as cooks, and as menders and creators of clothing. The winkte
also performed certain rituals for bestowing luck upon a hunt (Medicine, 2002).
Although some winkte (now often referred to as people with two spirits) may have
been homosexuals, many were not and would now be recognized as having an
alternate gender identity or gender identity disorder. Unfortunately, as tribes have
modernized and become more integrated into the larger European-dominated culture
of the United States, the tolerant attitudes of other Native Americans toward the
winkte have begun to be replaced with homophobic attitudes and aggressive behavior
toward those who are different in this way (Medicine, 2002).
Although the causes of gender identity disorder are not fully understood, there is some
evidence for both prenatal influences and early childhood experiences as causes
(Stein, 1984;Ward, 1992; Zhou et al., 1995).
In most Western cultures, the pressure to be masculine is even greater for males than
the pressure to be feminine is for girls. The term tomboy is not generally viewed as an
insult, but there are no terms for a boy who acts in a feminine manner that are not
insultingsissy, for example, is not a nice term at all. And although studies of
parents influence on their childrens gender typing show that both parents have an
impact, they also show that the fathers are almost always more concerned about their
sons showing male gender behavior than they are about their daughters showing
female gender behavior (Lytton & Romney, 1991).
Several studies over the years have found differences in male and female brain
activity: When doing language tasks, women use an area of the brains right
hemisphere that is not as active in men, leading some to speculate that this is why
women seem to recover faster than men from left-hemisphere strokes that affect
language (Jaeger et al., 1998; Skrandies et al., 1999). Women seem to be better at
identifying emotions, especially fear and disgust, than are men, regardless of whether
the emotional content is auditory, visual, or some combination (Collignon et al.,
2010).
Whereas men use the right side of the brain for emotional expression and the left side
for visualspatial perception, women seem to use both sides (Argyle, 1986; Cela-
15
Another physical difference involves the proportion of gray matter and white matter
in the nervous system. Gray matter is composed of neurons, glial cells, dendrites, and
both myelinated and nonmyelinated axons, and makes up the bulk of the brain and the
interior of the spinal cord. The function of gray matter is to process incoming sensory
information and form a response to that information. White matter is composed of
myelinated axons and carries information to and from the neurons of the gray matter
(Purves et al., 2008). It might help to think of gray matter as the hardware of a
multicomputer system, and white matter as the software network connecting all the
computers. Using various neuroimaging techniques, others have found that the actual
volume of the male brain is greater than that of the female brain. However, even when
volume is taken into account, women have more gray matter, whilemen have more
white matter (Cosgrove et al., 2007).
Even in these biological differences, the influence of the environment in the form of
parenting and cultural expectations cannot be ruled out as potential causes. For
example, in Western cultures, girls are encouraged to express and use their emotions
while boys are encouraged to hide emotions and be calm, which might contribute to
the different emphasis placed on each hemisphere for the two sexes (Argyle, 1986;
Fischer, 1993; Pittam et al., 1995). Psychologist Eleanor Maccoby (1998) believes
that the biological differences between males and females help to create distinct
contexts in which boys and girls are raised. The aggressive nature of boys, for
example, causes them to engage in more roughand-tumble play and competitive
games than those in which girls would typically take part.
there were sex differences in the brain prior to birth, they would be expected to be
biologically based. A study that examined genetic expression in the cortex of the brain
strongly suggests that there are prenatal sex differences, with many genes on the Y
chromosome (which creates males) being expressed in parts of the brain before birth
(Reinius & Jazin, 2009). One thing is clear: The issue of differences between men and
women is one that will be discussed, debated, and researched for some time to come.
COGNITIVE DIFFERENCES Researchers have long held that females score higher
on tests of verbal abilities than do males, but that males score higher on tests of
mathematical skills and spatial skills (Diamond, 1991; Voyer et al., 1995). Another
study, using MRI technology, found that men listen with the left hemisphere only,
whereas women listen with both hemispheres, suggesting that women pay attention to
the tone and emotion of statements as well as the content (Lurito et al., 2000). Early
explanations of these differences in cognitive functioning involved physical
differences in the way each sex used the two hemispheres of the brain as well as
hormonal differences (Witelson, 1991). Other research, however, strongly suggests
that psychological and social issues may be more responsible for these differences, as
these differences have become less and less obvious (Hyde & Plant, 1995; Kimura,
1999; Voyer et al., 1995; Watt, 2000). In particular, the supposed differences in math
abilities between boys and girls have now been shown to be more the effect of girls
lack of confidence rather than any biological difference in the working of the brain
(Else-Quest et al., 2010). That the disparities seem to be disappearing as society has
begun to view the two genders as more equal in ability is taken as a sign that more
equal treatment in society has reduced the gender difference.
6.2
Appendix B
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