Introduction
Deviant behavior is behavior that violates rules that are formally enacted or formal social norms. The concept includes any behavior that differs from formal and informal norms and standards set out by society (Bader & Baker, 2019). Homosexuality – sexual attraction between the members of the same sex – is a deviant behavior because it violates the informal social norms of American society. It opposes the traditional views of relationships between men and women. Several social theories can help gain a better understanding of the history of homosexuality, including structural functionalism, conflict theory, and social interactionism. This paper will discuss the history of homosexuality from the perspective of three theoretical lenses.
History of Homosexuality in the United States
From the earlier research, sexuality existed long ago in the 1960s, but it was never discussed in open forums like it is today. The topic attracted minimal discussion during the 20th century, and it became more rampant in the late 20th century. In Europe and North America particularly, gays and lesbianism came in the knowledge of the heterosexual population for the first time late in the 20th century (Bader & Baker, 2019). Early before this, offenses such as lesbianism, gays, and sodomy were considered criminal offenses and were punishable by corporal punishment. In some states, even cross-dressing was a capital offense whose punishment was imprisonment.
The first case of heterosexuals in North America came to public notice in 1566, and it was considered deviant behavior; a death sentence punished it. In the 1960s, there were transitions; young gays and lesbianism adopted the liberation philosophy struggled with a broader perspective which aimed at dismantling racism, sexism, western imperialism, and traditions regarding sex and drugs (Fisher, 2019). This saw movements such as the civil rights movement, black power movements, feminist movements, and anti-war movements come into place.
Liberalization movements for gay, such as gay liberation forum and gay activists’ alliance, also came into place. They spread rampantly throughout the world, an action which greatly influenced many of the modern-day rights organization. As a result of many movements and organizations that demanded homosexual people be treated like other people and have their rights, sexual relations between same-sex couples and the same gender was decriminalized for the first time in Illinois in 1962 by the state legislature. These organizations continued to get decriminalized from state to state over the next couple of decades, and by the 1970s, all the states had decriminalized homosexuality.
As a result of decriminalization, policies concerning homosexuality were put into place, and anybody who went against the policies would face criminal law. The Law also reinforced the longstanding prohibition of homosexual people to serve in the American military under “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” DADT. A congressional policy of 1993 allowed homosexual people to serve in the military on conditions they did not disclose their sexual directions. The activism of homosexuality came to a turning point in 2008 when the California state supreme court ruled that the policies that burned the legalization of homosexuality were unconstitutional under the US constitution. The election of President Obama as the first African American president marked the beginning of federal policies for LGBT citizens.
President Obama reversed the policies of President Bush and signed a UN declaration that called for the decriminalization of homosexuality. He also declared the month of June to be LGBT pride month in the United States. He also signed a presidential memorandum that declared that people of the same sex in federal employment should receive certain benefits and as well signed Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr acts that added sexual orientation, gender identity, and disability in the federal hate crimes law. In 2011 the nonbinding declaration attracted the favor of more than 80 UN countries, which led to the UN endorsing the rights of transgender people, gays, and lesbians for the very first time in history of America (Byne, 2017).
Further, President Obama supported same-sex marriage in 2013, and laws were passed that fully recognized the existence of homosexuals. However, homosexuality was something that was not advocated for. The religion, too, has come to accept the religious gay men and women of faith. The United Church of Christ ordained its first gay minister in 1972. Many other churches and synagogues followed, and gays and lesbians received great support from the church, community, and homosexual rights movements. In the era of sexology studies, Roberts (2019) asserts that medical authorities also began promoting tolerance to the homosexual population. Although homosexuality is deviant behavior, it has been medically, socially, and religiously accepted in almost all parts of America. Though it was not a legal practice, it became legalized and became a legal practice that anybody can practice openly in American society.
Theories of Deviant Behavior
Different sociological theories have varying perspectives concerning the concept of sexuality. When studying homosexuality in the social context, it is essential to pay attention to the role of sex and sexuality in society. The first theory that can be used to review homosexuality is structural functionalism. Structural functionalists emphasize regulating social behaviors to achieve family stability and cohesion in marriages. Since the family is the basic unit of a stable society, functionalists emphasize maintaining a strict focus on the unit all the time. Further, they argue that maintaining good sexual behaviors in a family setup will preserve the family and favor social arrangements that support family cohesion.
Functionalists also argue that it’s the role of the family to regulate sexual activities and social norms that surround family traditions, that surrounds the believes that a certain family has, encourage sexual activities in a family setup, and discourage evil doings around the family setup such as premarital and extramarital sex. According to the functionalists, encouraging sexual activities within a family setup promotes good relationships between couples and makes sure that children are brought up in a legal and stable organization. This kind of a set brings offspring into s stable set up where they have access to fundamental resources and good chances for appropriate socialization (Jerónimo Kersh, 2020).
From the functionalist point of view, homosexuality cannot be permitted in a society on a large scale and cannot be accepted as a substitution for heterosexuality. They argue that if homosexuality was permitted, then eventually, procreation will decline. Additionally, if homosexuality is allowed to predominate a certain population, then there will be a dysfunctional society which eventually, the society will be dominant. However, the functionalism theory does not consider the increasing legal acceptance of same-gender marriages or the increasing number of lesbians and gay couples who have chosen to bear and bring up children through various resources at their disposal.
When it comes to conflict theory, its perspective of sexuality is that it is an area that has a power differential. Various dominant groups are constantly fighting to promote their economic interest and worldviews. The standpoint of the conflict theory is that there are two elements for debate over same-sex marriages. One is the economic dimension, and the other is the ideological dimension (Tay et al., 2018). The dominant group, which are the heterosexuals, is fighting for their worldview. They have embraced the nuclear family and the traditional marriage systems to win over what they see as an individual-driven view and an intrusion into the secular world.
On the other hand, homosexuals appreciate that a legal marriage is a basic unit that cannot be denied considering sexual orientation. Still, they also argue that marriage laws provide a percentage for change. An example of such is the legalization of long, forbidden interracial marriage. From the economic perspective, same-sex marriage activists argue that legal marriages come with many responsibilities, including medical insurance, benefits of social security, and financial entitlements (Ormerod, 2020). However, they argue that even if you aren’t a heterosexual, denying these responsibilities is wrong, and as long as both groups struggle to meet these responsibilities, there will always be conflicts in society.
When it comes to social interactions, the theory pays attention to the meanings associated with sexual interactions and sexuality. Davison (2021) and Lissitsa and Kushnirovich (2020) consistently note that considering felinity is devalued in American society, those who have such behaviors are subjected to ridicules, and this is the case, especially with men and boys. American psychology association defines homosexuality as deviant behavior or abnormal behavior (Drescher, 2020). Psychological association was powerful in the shaping of the social attitudes towards homosexuality by defining it as pathological.
Besides that, the interest of interactionist also focuses on how discussions concerning homosexuals often focus exclusively on the sexual lives of gays and lesbians. In most cases, men are considered to be hypersexual and, therefore, deviant (Macnow, 2019). They also focus on how many people perceive homosexuals and argue that people who are homosexual have high chances of getting depression, and most of them commit suicide.
According to the three theories, conflict theory seems to support the historical evolution of homosexuality. The theory argues that the two sides, homosexuals and heterosexism, are constantly fighting for their views to win. Homosexuals also argue that formal marriage comes with social security, insurance cover, and financial insurance, which homosexuals cannot be denied. Also, laws or marriage provide for a percentage of change, and therefore their behaviors should be accepted and practiced legally. This gives us a historical evolution of the deviant behavior (Slootmaeckers, 2018)
Interpretation of Homosexuality in Different Social, Cultural, and Political Contexts
Different cultural, social, and political contests interpreted homosexuality in varied ways. The social imagination of homosexuality in contemporary American society has changed over time. The social interpretation of this term changed from a mental illness perspective to deviant behavior between 1969 and 1974 and later shifted between 1987 and 1992 from deviant behavior to collective identity. Griffith and Wickham (2019) attribute these changes to the increased LGBT movements that championed homosexual rights.
The two changes mark a turning point in the social context. Initially, there was a misconception in society that people who were attracted to members of the same sex were mentally challenged. Many people in society believed that pro-gay movements were advocating for a deviant behavior that negates established social norms and values. Due to the rapid increase of institutionalized claims to the scope of influence and expertise, significant changes in how homosexuality was represented and established by the homosexual community caused the public imagination to shift. Through the medicalization of homosexual behavior, most American societies continued to view homosexuality as deviant behavior.
In the cultural contests, people perceived homosexuality as a taboo, and there was no point in discussing such matters in public. Despite being practiced by some people, and this behavior was intolerable and punishable according to the cultural values of the community (Agovino, 2021). However, the increasing pro-gay movements and activism led to changes in attitudes towards same-gender marriages, a clear representation of a cultural shift. Though there is no clear consensus on the nature of the cultural shift, American society has increasingly adopted the practice and does not see it as deviant behavior anymore.
Many sociologists, however, have tried to explain public opinion based on the nature of cultural change. The increased interactions of gays and lesbians, especially in higher learning institutions, contributed to increased recognition and acceptance of homosexuality. In this case, sociologists explain that both human interactions and education bring tolerance to homosexuality. To expound on this cultural acceptance of homosexuality, we can argue that just as an individual imagination leads to the formation of an image, the process of social imagination produces a change in the way the society views things. This shift leads to concepts, prototypes, and categories that define cultural understandings. The cultural concept of homosexuality has changed due to this chain of imagination and has led to acceptance over time.
In the 1960s, the political interpretation of homosexuality was unwelcoming. They had no representation, and this behavior was treated with punishments. The gay community in American society faced rejection and sometimes faced brutality. For example, in 2016, there was a massive shootout at the purse gay nightclub, which led to the death of 49 people. This attack was described as the worst violent act against the LGBT community and the second deadliest shootout in America (Monroig, 2018). The attack was a clear indication of how politically the community was unwelcome.
However, over time the perception of homosexuality has changed as every state in America decriminalized the behavior and enacted policies that supported the LGBT community (Hall & Rodgers, 2019). President Obama signed several bills and policies that demanded homosexuals in federal employees receive benefits. With such political stands, it is evident that the political concept of gays and lesbians has changed over time, and American society has embraced political standings that support homosexuality.
The different interpretations of homosexuality were due to the values that the society believed in and practices. Also, formal marriage was the only institution that was recognized, and therefore any other form of marriage or attraction attracted different interpretations from different group’s overtime.
My take on homosexuality is that gays and lesbians should be accepted and granted their rights. They are an identity and integral part of our lives and should therefore receive equal rights and privileges enjoyed by other citizens. Since every individual has a right to choose what they want and practice what they believe, gays and lesbians’ sexual orientation should not form bases of discrimination, ridicule, or isolation from society. Also, the acts of homosexuals have been decriminalized and legalized in American society hence the privilege to practice what they believe is right for them.
Conclusion
Overall, this paper applies the three major social sciences theories to examine homosexuality and explore the historical transformation in terms of how the term is viewed. From the perspective of functionalism, homosexuality is in opposition to traditional family values and procreation, which benefit society. Conflict theory implies the existence of competition for resources between the heterosexual majority and homosexual minority. Finally, Social Interactionism allows one to review the lexicon such as feminine and masculine, the meaning of these words, and how they might shape people’s behavior and sexual orientation.
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