Building Tolerance through Spirituality

The movement of the gay and lesbian population in the United States is one that has been in progress since the early 1900s, and is still facing overwhelming controversy and backlash today. The push for gay liberation in a country founded on Christian morals and beliefs has subsequently led to struggles over equality of marriage, adoption, jobs, and healthcare. One side of the controversy argues that every individual deserves the same rights, while the opposing mindset argues that being homosexual puts you into a group of people that is different, and will therefore be treated as such.

“Although sharply divided, public attitudes toward gays and lesbians are rapidly changing to reflect greater acceptance, with younger generations leading the way” (NORC University of Chicago, 2010, p. 1). This push for international acceptance of the LGBT people could not come any sooner. Lesbians, gays, bisexuals as well as transgender individuals from around the world have almost all experienced some sort of discrimination in their lives. This is why there is such a gap between heterosexual and LGBT people. There are hundreds, if not more, reasons for why some people will not accept LGBT individuals and couples, whether it is religion, family values or simply the fact that some people find LGBT people unnatural. This is why the common sufferings

‘At the most basic level, if a male applicant were to live discreetly, he would in practice have to avoid any open expression of affection for another man which went beyond what would be acceptable behaviour on the part of a straight man. He would have to be cautious about the friendships he formed, the circle of friends in which he moved, the places where he socialised. He would have constantly to restrain himself in an area of life where powerful emotions and physical attraction are involved and a straight man could be spontaneous, impulsive even. Not only would he not be able to indulge openly in the mild flirtations which are an enjoyable part of heterosexual life, but he would have to

This article by Brittany H. Bramlett analyzes the relationship with religion and contact with homosexuals in the United States. The article takes a look on how relationships with gays and lesbians may influence people of different faiths and religious traditions differently or not at all (The Cross-Pressures of Religion and Contact with Gays 1). The results from the article showed that people of

The significant reasons for instituting religious tolerance was that Catholics and Protestants followed the first colonists to American. There were many religious conflicts between the beliefs of the Catholics and the Protestants. Lord Baltimore created a Toleration Act of 1649, attempt to reduce conflicts among the two religious groups. The Toleration Act of 1649 made it a crime to restrict the religious rights of Christians and was the first law supporting religious tolerance passed in the English colonies. Maryland set up this law to show that all Christians could live together in peace that was unknown in England. The Toleration Act did not stop all religious conflict, but it helped show that the government some religious freedom and protected

During the 1980’s indulging in homosexual activity was considered in crime, people were imprisoned when caught doing so. But in 2003 some parts of the United States, suspended the law, and made homosexuality legal, soon European countries such as Canada, Belgium, and Netherlands passed an act which approved of homosexual weddings (Bonvillain 2006). If one digs deeper into this issue, where these debatable, one can find that it roots back from religions. Most religion disapprove of homosexuality but in religions such as Hindu, for sexuality, scriptures of homosexual activity only stated that it was normal and natural, to be attracted to the same sex (Bonvillain 2006). But in today’s society the main issue is regarding the issue of males being attracted to each other, an example of this issue is ‘Homophobia of men’. Homosexuality is considered to be a cultural construct, which apart from the ‘lesbian identities’ gave rise to the ‘gay identities’ (Herek 1986). It is common for normal men, to avoid influencing with homosexual men, as they fear what the public might think of them being judged as not ‘masculine’, where as its more normal for woman to associate with lesbians or homosexual women, as they are not being judged by the rest of the females (Herek 1986). Studies showed, that the social construction of gay identities meant that there was something psychologically wrong with that person,

A culture that views heterosexuality as natural and superior reproduces inequality by prioritizing the rights and voices of heterosexual individuals. Ingraham views this as a product of heteronormativity, where ideas of heterosexuality are deeply embedded in all aspects of society, thus becoming the norm and the standard to which all individuals and sexualities are measured (2994:204). In a heteronormative society, gender and sexuality are understood as biologically acquired—men are naturally attracted to women and vice versa. Heteronormativity is embedded in institutions such as religion, family, government and the workplace (Bakehorn, 9/13/16). Because of an investment in heterosexuality, inequality is reproduced when homosexual

The LGBQT community have made great strides into achieving their goal and legalizing gay marriage. However despite gay marriage becoming legal and the normalization of homosexuality, the LGBQT community continues to face scrutiny over their lifestyle. I will be talking about the various conflicts the community faced in the past and continues to face in the present. And the various sociological concepts that links as to why homosexuality is seen by society as deviance , such as the Functionalist perspective and Socialization.

Orthodox Jews are not commonly associated with being accepting of homosexual individuals. Because of a line in Leviticus that condemns acts of homosexuality as abominations, traditional communities and shuls have taken this verse to heart and reflected it in their practices. Recently, however, some Orthodox organizations of rabbis have proven to be more lenient in their interpretations of Halacha. While the support of Orthodox Jewish homosexuals provides relief to many individuals who fall under this umbrella, there are also organizations that have provided acceptance and a safe space to these individuals long before any official stances were taken. These three concepts are the cores of all arguments surrounding the controversy of homosexuality

One of the most basic human desires is the desire for love. No matter how different we are, almost every person in the world wants to be loved. Justin T. Weller addresses this issue in his article “Gays Are Different & It’s A Good Thing,” which was published by The Huffington Post in March of 2017. Weller wrote his article to explain certain differences between the LGBT community and people that are not in the community. He also detailed differences within the community. In addition, he clarified that differences between all people can be not necessarily put aside, but respected. As a member of the LGBT community, and as an LGBT rights activist, Weller wishes to give insight on why it is okay to be different, particularly as a part

In the past decades, the struggle for gay rights in the Unites States has taken many forms. Previously, homosexuality was viewed as immoral. Many people also viewed it as pathologic because the American Psychiatric Association classified it as a psychiatric disorder. As a result, many people remained in ‘the closet’ because they were afraid of losing their jobs or being discriminated against in the society. According to David Allyn, though most gays could pass in the heterosexual world, they tended to live in fear and lies because they could not look towards their families for support. At the same time, openly gay establishments were often shut down to keep openly gay people under close scrutiny (Allyn 146). But since the 1960s, people

However, though the Study of Religion Syllabus promises to be inclusive and tolerant of non-Christian religions and formulate an ethical stance. The inquiry topics primarily focus on the religion aspect. This is evident in the six core topics of Study of Religion, outlined by the QCAA.

The struggle for equality has been intense, and still continues to this day. With this being said, much progress has been made in establishing respect and external acceptance for all individuals sense of identity. For example, in 2015 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Same Sex Marriages, marking a pivotal point in the civil rights movement for the LGBTQ community. For many, this act helped to support their sense of self, a right that been denied for so long. The United States effectively validated the LGBTQ community, giving this group all rights granted to all other citizen’s, However, the creation and acceptance of this community has not had positive benefits for all members. The Gender Binary has been changed, but many distinctions

You’re going to have to be nice to your boss to be successful at the business. Disregarding your parents’ advice, you give time and compassion, later to discover there’s nothing different with African Americans. Again, to make a final decision over the morality of homosexuality, it is essential to eliminate all of one’s prejudices.

The realization of the homosexuality in the modern western world as a cultural, sexual and a social category has been a result of complex power relations that surround sexuality and gender. The acceptance of homosexuality in the society has met its fair share of resistance and skepticism. The view that homosexuality can be in the same league as heterosexual has led it to be viewed as a normal behavioral and moral standard (Gallagher & Baker, 2006). Inasmuch as the skeptics may not want to accept the existence of homosexuality studies show that the habit is rampant today with many gay people coming out in the open. Of interest is the political acceptance of homosexuality with passing gay rights so that it can be recognized by law. This move has given homosexuals the ability to engage in legal entities like marriage (Gallagher & Baker, 2006).