Introduction
Homophobia refers to an acute fear of homosexuals. It can also be used to refer to discrimination on people of the same sex. It is not only the fear of these two groups of persons’ that is referred to homophobia but the discrimination of such groups of people is in this category as well. Having different opinions regarding same sex couples should not be misconstrued to mean that one is a homophobic.
There are many instances when people will have different opinions on different matters and this should not be termed as fear or discrimination of the other party. This research paper seeks to show why homophobia exists in the United States despite it being one of the most modernized societies allowing the freedom of speech and expression. The paper further shows how cultural norms and religion have been strong tools that have made homophobia like a thorn in the flesh in our society. (Gregory, 1991)
To achieve this, the research will look in to detail the background information on homophobia then give evidence to show that homophobia exists in America today. The paper will also show which communities are homophobic in the U.S. today. It will also look at the reason why these communities are homophobic and how they persecute homosexuals. Finally the paper will look at some of the arguments that these homosexual communities create against the persecuting societies.
The aim of this paper is to highlight the persecutions that homosexual people go through in the midst of our society. It will also seek to show why it is important for all of us to accept homosexuals as a part of our society. (The Economist, 2007)
Main Discussion
In order to understand the real history behind homophobia it is important to first look at the history of homosexuality. According to different theories, homosexuality has had its roots as long as humanity has been in existence. The history of the church has been filled with cases of homosexuality though it has been quick to refute this claim. The founders of the Catholic Church viewed homosexuality as okay and practiced it as well. In the African society homosexuality was also a culture that was practiced albeit by a few people. In America this practice was common among the Native Americans from the Anglican Church that viewed their ancestors who were homosexuals as empowered spiritually.
This shows clearly that homosexuality has been a common phenomenon in our society. The fact that some people have not been open about their sexual orientation should not be misconstrued to mean that this practice was not a feature in the olden days. In our society today homosexuality is prevalent than any time in history. One thing that can cause homosexuality would be in a case where men are removed from people of the different gender.
This is reason why the practice is common in institutions like jails. It is palpable that majority of men at one time in life experience sexual feelings toward their fellow men. In some societies there have been cases of homosexuality between older and younger people. These relationships occur between older men who have failed to marry simply because they are not interested in ladies and young boys who behave like women. This clearly shows that homosexuality is more sociological than physical. (Washington Post, 2004)
Another group of men are sexually inclined to both the opposite sex and their own gender. This is why people are given an option of choosing which side they feel more inclined to. However, there has been a rumor that this kind of sexual orientation is a thing that was never happening in the olden days. To them, moral degradation and the loss of family values are to be blamed for this new culture. One thing they however fail to factor is that this kind of sexual leaning is not a yesterday thing but one that has roots dating back to the olden days. (Sullivan, 1998)
In order to understand the truth about this new school of thought, a research was done on what was considered in looking for a marriage partner. What was found out was that gender was not a determining factor in choosing ones partner in marriage. What was considered was the difference in their age and the family relationship. Gender was not at all considered and hence the homophobias’ of today have nothing to base their statements on if history is considered.
In the western countries homophobia has its roots from the church. Many of them associated homosexuality with wild animals like the hyena that was believed to dig up graves and eat up dead bodies. This was of course a myth but it did not deter people from viewing those who practiced homosexuality as equal to those animals. This is a wrong belief since those who were now fronting this new belief failed to realize that their forefathers supported this practice. (Sullivan, 1998)
This kind of belief by the leaders of the church led to the birth of homophobia as we know it today. Some of these leaders were Clement and Augustine who also forced people to become Christians. They used these teachings to terrorize those who were viewed to be homosexuals. However, this practice was so widespread back then that these leaders had problem affecting the decree. People viewed this kind of law as equal to being told to remain unmarried. This was due to the many books that had been left by the predecessors of these leaders celebrating this same practice. This was way before the church and state joined to become almost the same. (Washington Post, 2004)
As time went on it came to a point that the people felt that they needed to go back to that time in life when the Roman Empire was a strong rule. To achieve this, the church felt that it needed to merge with the state in order to make itself strong. The state accepted this and as time went on it became hard to differentiate the two from each other. This cooperation brought a new force to those laws that the church was fronting since they now had the support of the state.
This led to persecution for those who failed to obey those rules that the church laid down. Though in essence this rules were meant to protect the minority in the society, it ended up repressing them instead. This was due to the fact that the church was ardent in fighting those whom it felt had loose morals among them. This automatically included homosexuals and other people who were considered as having loose morality. This fight was also meant to weed out those people the church considered to be its enemies.
This included people who had different beliefs from theirs. A good example was the Muslims who were considered as defiant to all the church rules. They were branded as people who supported homosexuals an accusation that was not true. This led Muslims to strongly defend their position becoming one of the most vocal crusaders against homosexuality. This has been the reason why Muslims are among the leading homophobias in the world today. At one time this new force between the Church and the State banned all forms of sex other than that involving man and woman. This was passed in to law and became the beginning of the ban on homosexuality by the Catholic Church. (Washington Post, 2004)
This kind of intolerance led people to rebel against these rules. However, this kind of rebellion was fronted by the intellectuals in the society who viewed the ban on homosexuality as a gross violation of human rights. This rebellion was begun by Martin Luther with other people who viewed the church as a hindrance to freedom of speech and expression. This did not however stop the spread of this hate on same sex relationships and especially homosexuals.
Homophobia then has its roots on a lie that people chose to believe. Over the years it has been carried through generations by people who chose to believe in a lie and became ignorant of the truth concerning the truth about the origin of homosexuality. It’s then important for people to understand that homosexuality is not a modern occurrence but one that began during the days of our fore fathers. (The Economist, 2007)
Despite America being a world leader in matters of democracy, there have been numerous reports of intolerance towards homosexuals. When the AIDS disease was first reported, there were reports that homosexuals were responsible for this scourge. This led them to be singled out for ridicule by many people who associated this disease with gays. During that time in America, there were reports that attacks on gays had increased during the time this pandemic was first reported.
There are reports that show that a large percentage of gay people are abused while still a larger number are verbally abused. This calls for a fast action and tolerance from all stakeholders. Statistics also show that one person is murdered after every three days for being a gay. Some other governments have legalized homophobic acts while worse others like Iran have executed gays in their midst. (Sullivan, 1998)
The research also found out that different communities view homosexuality differently from others. Some communities only put restrictions on the age of those who can be allowed to engage in gay relationships while in other communities the practice is not allowed at all. In America 49% of the population believe that homosexuality should be legalized against 44% who feel that the practice is altogether unacceptable. Just like in the cultural front, different religions have different altitudes towards homosexuality. Some of them have allowed people of the same gender to get married among even their clerics. An example of this is in the Anglican Church where there has been a split in the ranks of the church after the fathers of the church voted to allow relationships between gays. (Stonewall, 2008)
Most religions however have completely banned homosexuality within their ranks and anyone practicing such an act is immediately excommunicated from the church. Religions like Islam, Catholics, Budhissits, and Judaism among many other. People in these churches are the worst homophobias since they view those who practice this acts as violating the laws laid down by their respective religions and hence deserve to be punished. In 2006, there was protest in San Francisco in the United States organized by groups of Christians who were against a gay pride event that was taking place during that time. There is also another group called conservatisms.
These are groups of people who are inclined to strong religious or traditional moral values. This group of people has become the worst homophobias that America has ever produced in a long while. (Ruscombe, 2009)There has also been violence targeted specifically toward gay people and homophobic and anti gay slogans have increased in the recent past in America. Religious leaders in America have blamed homosexuality for some of the disasters that have befallen America in the recent days. Some of these included Westboro Baptist pastor who blamed gays for the September 11 attacks on American soil and his followers have blamed homosexuals for the tsunami of 2004 December among other disasters. This in itself is a caser of homophobia. (Washington Post, 2004)
Other important personalities in America have over the years made remarks that could be perceived t o mean that they are homophobias. A good example is Jerry Farwell who blamed gays for the September 11 attacks by the Al-Qaida group led by Osama. This in itself is a misplaced belief since there is no visible connection between terrorist groups and gays. Gays have also been associated with child abuse since they are seen to lean toward those who are defenseless in the society.
This is a belief that has been discounted by studi9es done on the matter. The studies found that in the real sense heterosexuals are more inclined to molest children than homosexuals. According to Dr. Fredrick Berlin of John Hopkins University attraction towards men is a separate orientation that should not be linked to homosexuality. Senator Joseph McCarthy in his campaign linked homosexuality to communism. This just shows how the American people are intolerant towards homosexuals. (Daily Telegraph, 1983)
Many homophobias treat homosexuals differently. The worst treatment is however where gays are treated as blacks in those countries where racism still exists. There have been reports that some people lock their car doors when they see gays passing by just the same way they do when they see blacks passing by. This is exactly the same way that racists behave when they see blacks passing by. Other people have been demonized by churches who feel that gays are messengers of the devil. Homosexuals have been persecuted in different places in the world including America. This calls for people to change their way of living and their belief on gays. (Daily Mirror, 1983)
Homosexual’s world over want to come out of their closets and be viewed as normal people. It is important to them that they are not viewed by people as having a problem but that they should be viewed by all as ordinary people. To them being discriminated against is like when people view you differently because you are black or white. Unless this happens we will not be free as we purport to be as a country since being free means respecting other peoples ideas and policies. (Yancey, 2001)
Conclusion
It is clear from the study that homophobia is a sociological problem that should be dealt with if we are to be free as a country. Homophobia has its roots in a deception that was fronted by the church and people made to believe it out of ignorance. It is important to look back to the root o this problem and deal with it once and for all. It’s true that most of the people who are homophobias do this in a desire to feel good. To them they are scared that if they do not come out clearly and condemn homosexuality then people will view them as though they are homosexuals. To them condemning this is a way for them to say I detest this and I do not do it.
The end result of this is that it not only hurts those whom the attack or slander is directed to but in the long run they hurt themselves psychologically. It is obvious that these people have a problem psychologically and there is need for counseling for these people.
Failure to do this will see a breed of people who are intolerant to other people’s ideas. From this it is important for everyone to rise up as one and condemn this culture of intolerance toward other people’s beliefs. Governments and religions should rise up and condemn homophobia in the same belief that they condemn racism with. This will be important if we are to see a nation that is reproductive and believes in other people. Without this we will be left behind as the clock of time ticks by.
List of References
Daily Mirror. (1983) ‘Alert over ‘gay plague’’.
Daily Telegraph. (1983) ‘‘Gay plague’ may lead to blood ban on homosexuals’
Gregory M, (1991) ‘Stigma, Prejudice, and Violence Against Lesbians and Gay Men’, p.13. Web.
Ruscombe, R. (2009). Homophobia, prejudice & attitudes to gay men and lesbians. Web.
Stonewall. (2008) ‘Serves You Right: Lesbian and gay people’s expectations of discrimination’. Web.
Sullivan, A, (1998) Virtually Normal: An Argument About Homosexuality. Web.
The Economist. (2007).‘Gay rights in Latin America: Out of the closet, and into politics’. Web.
Washington Post. (2004) ‘In the Bible Belt, Acceptance is Hard-Won’. Web.
Yancey, G. (2001) Is Homophobia The Same As Racism/Sexism? The University of NortTexas. Web.
Appendix
Below is a table showing the rate of intolerance toward homosexuals in different countries.
Country Yes No
Source: The 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project: “Should homosexuality be accepted by society?