Less than a century ago, homosexuality was thought to be a curable mental illness and was not spoken of. Many consider it to be “unnatural” or a “lifestyle choice” while others believe sexuality is a part of each individuals nature. Homosexual individuals have been around since at least the beginning of recorded history and have been found to exist in essentially every culture throughout time. Treatment of these individuals varied in each culture. Some viewed sexual orientation as another aspect human sexuality. Some cultures treated it as a right of passage, others saw it as a direct act against God and punished it severely. Whether by nature or by choice, homosexuals are still humans and should be treated as such. Although protections and …show more content…
Whether a devoutly religious person or a Republican, many have changed their stance on gay rights. Daniel Maguire, a priest, has said “Homosexuality is no sin. Heterosexism(prejudice against people who are homosexual) is a sin”(qtd. in Karaim). Religion has a large influence on peoples views of gays. Just about everyone uses their religious text to justify their standpoint. People on either side of the argument go to different parts of each text to find quotes for this justification. Aside from religion, political upbringing accounts for how people see gays. People who in the past have been against gay rights because of the way they were raised or because of the party they identify with are also changing the where they stand on the issue. “Theodore B. Olson, who served as a general solicitor under President George W. Bush, argued in Newsweek last year that legalizing same-sex marriage would be a recognition of basic American principles”(Karaim). Part of this is allowing gays to marry and have jobs anywhere they please, even if it means serving their …show more content…
There are 37 nations that allow gays to openly join the military. One fairly recent addition to these nations is the United States. In 2011, David Karaim said “The United States is in the Process of ending it’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy requiring gay military personnel to hide their sexual orientation, joining at least 36 countries that allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the armed services”(Gay Rights). So far, the country has not been attacked due to this and there has been no smiting of the U.S. officials who allowed this. Giving gays job equality does not effect anything greater than where they can find jobs. They are not looking to be given jobs because of the fact they’re gay, they simply wish to not be denied jobs because of their sexual
It is interesting to note that according to the American Psychiatric Association, up until 1974 homosexuality was considered a mental illness. There was no scientific breakthrough or any new information that would allow for this change of status. Simply, “The APA claimed that they made the change because new research showed that most homosexual people were content with their sexual orientation, and that as a group, they appeared to be as well-adjusted as heterosexual people”. The decision to remove homosexually as a mental illness was done by trustee, and the decision was confirmed by a vote. I do not believe that homosexually is a mental illness, however, homosexually was never validated or invalidated by science, so I am surprised to learn that it was even considered a mental
This condemnation eventually led to the introduction of the separation of homosexuals from military service as seen with the neutral blue discharges which were often given to homosexual servicemen starting in 1916 . This neutral discharge was then labeled “general” and “undesirable”, resulting in a less honorable discharge. Discharges concerning men who were found to be guilty in engaging in homosexual acts were severely different than those who were neutrally discharged. If this were the case then you were then dishonorably discharged (“Don't Ask, Don't Tell” - Wikipedia). The current policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell, Don't Harass, Don't Pursue1, derived from the original 1993 Department of Defense Directive 1332.14 coined Don't Ask, Don't Tell, ensures that any American citizen can participate in the Armed Forces. This policy is a step-up from the usual immediate discharge, however, this is only if the service member does not identify
The issue of gays in the military has been controversial in the United States for many decades. Over these decades there have been many different proposals as to what approach to take in order to handle the situation of homosexuals in the military. However, in 1992 when Bill Clinton was running for President of the United States, he made a promise to lift the ban on homosexuals in the military if he was elected (Washington Post). Bill Clinton followed through with his promise, and in December 1993 he instituted “a defense directive that military applicants should not to be asked about their sexual orientation” (Washington Post). This is now known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell was the result
In America, homosexuals are not “fully” accepted, mainly because our society rejects same sex unity. These groups of people are often looked down upon and isolated from the rest of society. To make it worse, the group that is already secluded from society is spreading a life threatening disease. Through misinformation and false predicaments, the homosexual community fall victim to AIDS physically and
Republicans, however, don’t believe in gay marriage. They are more traditional and think that marriage is a legal union between a man and a woman. They are against special rights and benefits for gays and are against them in the military. Even though their opinion on gay marriage would lead readers to believe republicans hate homosexuals, that is not the case. They believe in the marriage of a man and a woman from the institution that the founding fathers and history created, not from
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
How America should react to homosexuals Many experts agree that homosexuality has existed as long as human beings themselves, although the attitude towards them has undergone dramatic changes in some countries. Accepted by many societies during Greek and Roman era, most of the time homosexuals were considered to be sinners against nature and even criminals. In Medieval and modern periods homosexuals were prosecuted. Enlightenment brought some liberation, substituting death penalty by imprisonment. In Nazi Germany so-called "doctors" tried to "cure" gays by the ways of castration and extreme intimidation. Until 1973 attempts to find a cure against homosexuality, what by majority was viewed as a disease, were
Throughout history we have seen people degrade and abuse humans. In Grapes of Wrath we see the “okies” being used by the owners and abused by the people in power. They are dehumanized, in the way they are treated and how they are spoken to. This act seems outdated and ancient but it's not. Today we see many people being dehumanized because of sex, race and sexual orientation. An example of this is the way some gay people are sent away or forced to attend places or programs where they are told how to feel and what to feel for whom. The methods these places and programs use can be described as abusive and destructive. These methods have many names ranging from slang names such as “praying
Lately, there has been an outbreak of people of the LGBT community coming out in the military. Historically the United States has had a policy of discharging gays in the military. There has been an act called the “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell”, it is basically saying that as long as somebody does not ask about your gender preferences, you do not have to tell. Even though the ban has been lifted, many militaries still say they cannot accept anyone from the LGBT inside. They do not care about how well you can perform or your strengths and that mindset is going to come back and hit them in the long run. Militaries that are judging these kids are taking them away from somewhere they feel safe and a place where they can finally belong. Members of the LGBT community find refuge in the military. It was one of the only places where they can prove their worth, where people aren’t focusing on their sexuality. They shouldn’t be judged based on their sexual preferences. Instead, they should be judged on their personality, performance, and their ability to get the job done precisely and correctly.
In 1999, more than 1,000 men and women were discharged from military service due to their sexuality. That number has actually decreased compared to recent years. (Suro NP) Homosexuals were purged from federal employment in 1950, with Bill Clinton updating that policy in 1993 by adding the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Pursue” policy. (Deicher 176) This policy doesn’t work and needs to either be updated again or the ban against homosexuals lifted. Gays should be allowed to fight for the military for employment reasons, the right to fight for one’s country, and because they are no different from anyone else. The fact of the matter is that not even experts can argue in favor of keeping the
Homosexuality has been a taboo lifestyle in many societies for centuries yet has also been widely practiced. Recently many states have passed legislation recognizing gay and lesbian marriage. Some have been overturned after intense lobbying from religious groups and political parties. In December of 2010 the President signed the repeal of the don’t ask don’t tell law which banned Americans who live openly homosexual lifestyles from serving in the military. Now it is considered discrimination by the Department of defense to mistreat any military member for being homosexual. While this is a major milestone for Gay and lesbian civil rights there is still many more obstacles to overcome before true equality is achieved. Though military members can openly engage in a same sex relationship while serving, they are not afforded the same entitlements as heterosexual couples who are married. Even if homosexual couples are legally married in a state that sanctions their union, the department of defense will not recognize the same sex spouse as being a dependent or a next of kin in the event of the service member’s death. The same is true with most civilian sector employers and the government’s tax code, medical statutes, and criminal system. Beyond the
Gays? Who are gays? What discrimination do they face? Well, gays are just people who are sexually attracted to someone of the same sex. According to the author, Richard D. Mohr, gays are subject to widespread discrimination in employment and government are leading offenders. For example, gays/lesbians are not allowed to serve in the armed forces, CIA, FBI, national security agency, or the state department. Yes, I do agree with the author but, the author wrote that in 1994, things have changed. Yes, gay were or are subject to widespread discrimination but people are getting more and more accepting as time goes by. For example, in September 2011, homosexuals in the United States are allowed to serve in the
Although various methods of Conversion Therapy have been around since sense the dawn of religion itself, the early 1900’s peaked interest in the so-called “psychiatric problem” that is homosexuality; indeed, oftentimes considered The Father of Psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud claimed that homosexuality may be removed from the brain through hypnotism or therapeutic torture. Through his widely respected claims, Freud, for a short era, influenced the decisions of many Evangelical Christians with homosexual relatives. From the establishment of small psychology centers focused on gay conversion to the opening of numerous “straight camps” for gay men and lesbians, the Freudian Era of Gay Conversion and Gender Identity Therapies led to a breakthrough in medical research regarding these ineffective treatments. All of this being true, and even with modern medicine being of abundance in our society, certain Evangelical Christian groups still intend on practicing this form of rehabilitation, but with our progressive American mindsets, these should not be bearing the heavy burden of anti-societal measures for much longer.
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).
For many years, psychologists described homosexuality as a disorder or a treatable complex. Recently, homosexuality was removed from the DSM and is no longer considered a disorder. The gay population is no longer treated as sick but accepted as a diverse set of individuals. The many distinguishing attributes and characteristics of a gay or lesbian individual are considered to be personality attributes.