Homosexuality: history, social perspectives, and contemporary issues

Homosexuality

Intolerance of homosexuality has been a prevailing theme in human societies. Exceptions include the ancient Greeks, who neutralized erotic attraction even while proscribing socially acceptable sexual relationships. Greek historians, philosophers, artists, and authors expressed a relatively liberal view on homosexuality. "Probably the most frequent assumption of sexual orientation is that persons can respond erotically to beauty in either sex," (Pickett 2006). However, Greek society was socially stratified and sexual relationships were restricted on the basis of status, dominance, and submission (Pickett 2006). Homosexuality continued to be widely practiced and condoned under certain circumstances until the rise of Christianity (Pickett 2006).

Pickett (2006) suggests that intolerance of homosexuality should be viewed within a more global anti-sex attitude that prevailed during early Christianity. In other words, early Church fathers were not condemning homosexuality per se, but rather, all forms of non-procreative sex. Regardless of the moral reasoning of early Christian theorists, homosexuality has been pushed underground and turned into pathology. Until relatively recently, homosexuality was classified as a mental illness. Most cultures have social taboos against homosexuality, which in some cases becomes translated into institutional discrimination or violence. The most commonly cited reason against gay marriage in the United States is religion. However, the social sciences and the medical sciences have both attempted at some point to pathologize homosexuality. Pathologizing homosexuality is akin to pathologizing masturbation or any other natural form of human sexual expression.

Invoking natural law has been commonly used in the argument against homosexuality, and is "the most common intellectual defense for differential treatment of gays and lesbians," (Pickett 2006). The natural law theory suggests that homosexuality is "unnatural and immoral," and is closely aligned with a Christian perspective (Kouki 1997). In fact, Kouki (1997) presents the natural law theory alongside a Christian one to disguise the religious underpinnings of an anti-homosexuality argument. Kouki (1997) directly states, "Quoting Bible verses is great when dealing with Christians who are inclined to obey God. it's different, though, when dealing in the secular public square." Therefore, the natural law theory is often a thinly veiled attempt to legislate a religious perspective on homosexuality.

More importantly, the natural law theory has no basis in science. The American Academy of Family Physicians (2006) points out, "Researchers who study human sexuality believe that sexual orientation develops and changes over a person's lifetime…Homosexuality is not a disease…homosexuality is not a mental disorder." Pathologizing or condemning homosexuality on any grounds is, however, harmful. Anxiety, stress, and mental illness -- not to mention suicide -- can result from internalized guilt and shame experienced by persons with homosexual desires (American Academy of Family Physicians 2006).

Natural law theory has also been discredited from an anthropological perspective. A natural law theory might imply that homosexuality is not natural because it does not occur in other animal species. However, biologists have discredited the natural law theory since researchers discovered that "homosexual behavior was widespread among various nonhuman species and in a large number of human societies," (Herek 2009). In fact, anthropologists found that homosexuality is not uncommon among the world's diverse societies (Herek 2009).

In most cultures, homosexuality has been condemned, sometimes severely so. Some American colonies passed shockingly cruel laws that were overt extensions of religious points-of-view: "male and female homosexual acts were punishable by death," (Herek 2009). State sanctioned persecution of homosexuality continues even in societies that guarantee equal protection of the law and which prohibit state-sanctioned religious doctrine such as the United States. Homosexual persons are prohibited from entering into a marriage contract in the United States: which by definition constitutes discrimination. Several states in America have lifted their restrictions on gay marriage, but the federal government has yet to take a stance that expressly extends equal protection to the issue of homosexual marriage.

During the nineteenth century, science and religion "competed… for jurisdiction over sexuality," (Herek 2009). Even when science replaced religion in the public sphere, homosexuality was still a taboo subject and a taboo practice. During the early twentieth century, social scientists ranging from Sigmund Freud to Alfred Kinsey pointed out the natural sexual impulses among human beings that included not only homosexuality but also masturbation. Their research formed the basis of a shifting worldview toward sexuality.