¶ … sexual orientation and proclivity, the times are definitely changing. Once, tolerance was something that people simply talked about and did not actually have to practice. Today, tolerance is something that people need to simply keep pace with a number of developments that have impacted various members of the gay, lesbian, and transgender community. Gay pride has become more and more common; there are specific time periods dedicated to this sort of pride. Personally, I have mixed feelings about these developments. There are some scientific and sociological aspects of this phenomenon that seem unsettling, although there are also some noteworthy advancements related to tolerance for which this movement deserves commendation. One of the most notable aspects of the changes that have affected the lesbian, gay and transgender community pertains to the military. Once, homosexuals were not allowed in the military. It was not uncommon for those who did infiltrate the ranks of the military to disguise their sexual orientation. Today, this sort of behavior is not necessary since the U.S. Armed Forces readily accepts homosexuals among its ranks. Perhaps it is more accurate to state that the military is no longer allowed to discriminate against its personnel on the basis of sexual orientation. This trend likely began in earnest with the acceptance of women into the armed forces. Today, they are readily joined with various members of the lesbian, gay and transsexual community. On the one hand, this development is somewhat surprising since one would not expect those who are homosexual to protect the United States. However, it largely seems as though the military's acceptance of homosexuals is indicative of larger amounts of tolerance within the country in general towards gays, homosexuals and lesbians. These increased rates of acceptance should help to encourage more tolerance in other aspects of society, and life, as well.

Another fairly salient aspect of the changes to the gay, lesbian and transgender community pertains to legislation regarding marriages. The Supreme Court recently ruled that same sex marriages were constitutional and permissible in every state. Granted, there are still some states that are attempting to circumvent this legislation. However, since the recent Supreme Court ruling, members of the aforementioned community can legally marry. One of the important repercussions of this fact is that these people can now pursue happiness in couples much like heterosexual couples can. It seems a little counter intuitive that those who are homosexual would still want the same things that heterosexual people want in terms of marriages and children. However, since the legislation has passed there are hardly any barriers to lesbian, gay, and transgender people being able to...

The immediate result of this legislation is the increased happiness and even acceptance of homosexuality within the general population. It is also noteworthy that such legislation should also bring about increased tolerance towards the homosexual community since the law permits these feelings in marriages.
Still, one of the facets about the advances that the lesbian, transgender and gay community has made pertains to the almost ubiquitous nature in which homosexuality is found within the U.S. There are some very practical concerns about the sort of sanctioned homosexuality that is found in every state, which might not be apparent to those who have give these particular issues much thought. As previously mentioned, there are some homosexual couples who want to have children and who still want to raise them in conventional mother and father roles -- such as they are in same sex marriages. The truth of the matter is that one may posit the viewpoint that the reason that tolerance has increased and homosexual behavior is so prevalent in so many different spheres of life at the moment -- in the military, in laws, and in social institutions such as marriage -- is that it negates procreation. Quite simply, men cannot procreate with men and women cannot procreate with women. When there are same sex marriages, there is a mild form of population control since these unions cannot produce natural child births. There are some options for adoption that same sex couples might attempt to seek. However, there are also options involving artificial insemination and other scientific means of producing children. One thought that has rarely escaped my perception of the prevalence of homosexuality in today's culture is that it is a way of taking procreation away from people, and making them more reliant upon science and technology to still fulfill the much desired needs to become parents.

Therefore, I tend to balance the exercise of liberty and happiness that these developments in the homosexual community represent with some of their wider implications regarding natural life and science. It is possible that one of the reasons that homosexuality is widely promoted in today's society is because it leaves people more reliant upon science and man-made inventions to do something that was previously dictated more by nature or, depending on one's belief system, God's way. Of course, the current prevalence of homosexuality will likely not supplant heterosexuality, and there is no threat or anything of that nature. Still, it is interesting to consider some of the ramifications of homosexuality that could potentially be used to foster more scientific advancements related to child birth and alternative ways…