Essay Best and Worst Parts of Being Gay

I remember on my first day of preschool, my mom told me, “Abby, don’t tell your teachers about your family.” Sitting in my car seat, at the age of 4, I was starting to become overwhelmed with confusion. This confusion bubbled up inside me for years. I had so many questions that I wanted to ask my moms, but I did not have the courage or the strength to ask. Then I grew up. My perspective on the world changed, and I realized that my parents were seen as a calamity to society. That was my perspective though. I wondered what my mom’s was. How did she grow up in a world that only saw her as a flaw in the system? So I asked. Beth Shaffer’s perspective on her past, the present, and the future is an astonishing story.

The word “gay” has gone through drastic changes. Traditionally, it was a positive term that meant to be “happily excited” or “jolly” (Merriam Webster, “Gay”). It was used regularly to express one’s feelings about life. Today, it has a far different meaning. Now people use the word gay to label homosexuals, those with feminine qualities, or those who do something thought to be outside of the norm for their gender. “Being gay” went from expressing someone’s happiness to describing his sexual preference. The definition of gay has changed so much that its original meaning has become archaic and lost to the times.

For those of you who are straight, I want you to know that your feelings are signs of repressed childhood traumas. Now, I want you all to put aside your heterosexual tendencies and let your true same-sex attractions take hold.

The history of the gay rights movement has been a hard fought battle within the United States. In fact the first gay rights movement dates back to 1924 with the creation of The Society for Human Rights in Chicago, Illinois. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that gay rights started to make progress. In the year 1969 The Stonewall Riots took place when gay, lesbian, and transgender patrons of a New York bar were raided by the police. This forever changed the movement from isolated incidents to a world wide phenomenon.

Gay rights and marriage equality has always been a major issue. Not only in the United States, but all throughout various cultures in the world. One of the main reasons why it is not widely accepted is due to religious or cultural reasons. Thankfully, more people have become more accepting of it and keeping an open mind about it. As of June 26th, 2015, gay marriage has has finally been legalized in all 50 states. However, there are still people who do not agree with it and still try to vote against it. Some Americans even want laws made to ban same-sex marriage and relations again. Although the legalization of same-sex marriage has been accomplished, most people continue to fight against those who still discriminate against the LGBT community.

About a year ago one of my best friends and I bought some glow-in-the-dark stars to paste on my ceiling. After about four hours of neck-straining work, we shut off all the lights in my room, closed the door, jumped onto my bed and looked up to admire the green glowing wonders above us. After a few minutes of quiet talking, my friend said something that totally blew me away. It might have been that he was tired from the day's work, or maybe a little light-headed from all the dust and stucco we inhaled while placing those stars on my ceiling. Or maybe it was the darkness that made him feel as if he had some kind of security. But something about the situation made him say one of the most serious things he

Amber Rose once said “Homosexuality is found in over 450 species. Homophobia is only found in 1. Which one seems unnatural now?” As a 15 year old lesbian I still cannot build up enough courage to call myself a lesbian out loud. Unfortunately, for all those who may not necessarily believe it, I was born this way and so were/are many others. I believe Gay is okay. Well maybe that’s an understatement considering that there is more than a dozen terms to describe someone who doesn’t identify themselves as straight or heterosexual.

Despite the fact that it is no longer considered as a crime or a mental illness in England, though this was shockingly abolished during the 1990’s. Nonetheless, in other parts of the world it is certainly viewed as being a criminal offence with severe punishment ranging from exclusion from all manners of society and social life, to ultimately death. Even in contemporary society, the treatment of homosexuals, bisexual, transgender and those who do not fit directly in the norm regarding their sexuality and identity has been inferior, particularly when compared to the treatment received by those who conform to binary gender roles and identities. Despite the recent changes in Law and continuous advocacy concerning LGBT rights, levels of inequality on the basis of their sexuality or gender identity is continuously reported by members of the

A question, commonly asked of towards, and among the gay community. Every day they meet the unanswerable. In our modern-day society being gay is almost classed as ‘normal’. There is almost always a pride day, a new category for people to identify under. But, should it be this way? Shouldn’t we all just identify as human beings and Gay or not, there is no need for the constant march in fight for gay rights. Wanting to be who you are shouldn’t have to be fought for this long. For instance, do we fight to be straight? Do others fight to be A-sexual? The answer is no. Because since the beginning of time that has been portrayed as right Man and Woman, or – nothing.

Doyle, Sady. “Does 'It Gets Better' Make Life Better for Gay Teens?” The Atlantic, Atlantic Media Company, 7 Oct. 2010, www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2010/10/does-it-gets-better-make-life-better-for-gay-teens/64184/.

In conclusion, homosexuality is gaining acceptance, or at least better than it once was fifty years ago. Homosexuals are gaining more rights and they do not have to hide themselves the way they use to in fear of rejection or shame. Nonetheless, there is more distance to go in the striving for full

“All men are created equal, No matter how hard you try, you can never erase those words,” Harvey Milk. A homosexual, as defined by the dictionary, is someone of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex. Homosexuality is ethical, and I will provide rational arguments for, and irrational arguments against the topic. A few objections are as follows: It is forbidden in the Bible and frowned upon by God; It is unnatural; Men and women are needed to reproduce; There are no known examples in nature; and the most common argument that concerns homosexuality is whether it is a choice or human biology.

It has long been debated where our sexual orientation comes from, particularly whether its biological or social forces driving these behaviors. In regards to homosexuality and bisexuals, some have argued that it may be a choice that these individuals are making.(Levay 2012: 41)Some have even said it is a mental disorder that one can recover from, but there is plenty of data that says otherwise.(Levay 2012: 41)(Levay 2012: 65) I believe diverse sexual orientations develop in humans due to sex hormones during fetal life, gene influences, and other effects such as birth order influences. I’ve come to this conclusion based on the narrative provided via Dr. Simon LeVay’s book Gay Straight, and the Reason Why, and the research that has been compiled showing strong influences from a multitude or reasons. I will also be looking at a research paper by Francesca Iemmola and Andrea Camperio Ciani, who looked into genetic factors influencing sexual orientation in men. It is clear there are gender differences between men and women, and this is probably one of the strongest indicators that hormones can affect the outcome of variations in gender traits.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, also known as LGBT population have experienced a great deal of oppression worldwide. These particular individuals undergo discrimination from society, whether for reasons of ignorance, fear or intolerance, this population faces challenges in multiple areas of social justice sexual. Although the LGBT culture has made some strides in the areas of state and federal legislation, there is still a wide range of criminalization that takes place within our culture. Understanding the LGBT community and the history of their oppression may be the first step in becoming culturally competent. For many years this culture was denied their basic constitutional rights that were afforded to their equal heterosexual peers. Basic rights such as, adoption and marriage were uncommon to this culture until the 20th century.

Homosexuality is not a 20th century situation but has been in history from the age of ancient Rome, Greece, Egypt, and even China. The attitude toward homosexuality always has been a variable, depending on the social, cultural and morality, or even the political development (Barnecka et al., 2005). Back in Greek history the concept of relations between two men was seen as the highest form of love, whereas the Judaic view always was against and frowned upon these relations considering it immoral and illegal. However, when the Roman rule was destroyed and the Christians took over Europe, homosexuality was seen as perverse (Woodward, 1997).