Public's perception on gay men

The meaning gay has changed tremendously over time. In the past, the term gay was not used as frequently and as freely as it is used today. The term originated from the Old French and dates back to the 1600s, “Deriving ultimately from Germanic source” (Wikipedia). The word means “Joyful, carefree, bright and showy” (Wikipedia). Gay also means to be “Addicted to social pleasure and dissipations,” as a noun “of a person:

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.

Downing provides a great viewpoint on the meaning of homosexuality throughout this article. I never thought too much about homosexuality and how individuals in this group might feel in their position, but this article gave me an introductory understanding on the origin and how it came to be over the years. Homosexuality is still an unstable topic even in today’s society. Many people have varying views on the matter and conflicting opinions clash on a daily basis. I remember having many gay or lesbian friends in high school, but I never treated them any differently from anybody else. I think everyone has a right to choose the gender or person they are interested in, but this does not work out so easily in reality. Many people are afraid of coming out due to the

Gays/lesbians are people who prefer same sex relationships. During the time period or even before then, gays weren’t widely accepted. A lot of people didn’t accept gays therefore men had to hide their insecurities every time in fear that they’d be ostracized. Because of the baby boomers, support of gays right increased throughout the years as their biggest reason was because they now know someone who is gay or lesbian, closely followed by a belief that they have become more open to the idea or because they have gotten older.

First, let’s start with the LGBTQ+ community. LGBTQ stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer. This community is amazing, and I’m glad that more and more people are accepting them today. Unfortunately, there are still individuals who stand for homophobia. A homophobe is a person with an extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality and homosexual people. A man or woman, who likes their own gender, identifies as another or none at all can be a victim of homophobia. Homophobia tends to be more prevalent among men than women. In the minds of many people, gay men are inherently not masculine. That is of course, completely false. Sadly, society projects an image of what is acceptable to be if you are a man, gay not being one of them. In the eyes of many, males are not supposed to act feminine. Males aren’t allowed to do things like wear feminine clothing or makeup, or act feminine to say the least. Obviously, being a man is accepted and promoted in our society. Women who are more masculine or present themselves as men sometimes have an easier time than men who present themselves as women. That's because what is projected to society is that to be male is to be powerful and to be female is not. In my opinion, the stereotypes when it comes to gender roles are horrible. Men and women should be able to express themselves without the fear of getting judged or

Originating all the way back to the 12th century of England, “gay” meant happy, carefree or joyful. Fast forward to the 21th century and the definition was altered to mean homosexuals and dumb

What is homosexuality? Homosexuality is the sexual or romantic attraction between persons of the same gender. Nobody knows when the homosexuality started, but it is been there since a long years ago. Homosexual people are been having hard days through the years, because religions. Every year are more states around the world that are giving the same right to the homosexuals, and giving them opportunities to normal life. Discrimination against homosexual are one of the principal problems around the world, there are more problems about gay bullying, homophobia and discrimination. June 12, 2016 is named the worst massacre in the United States, because around 50 persons were killed in the club of Orlando, Florida. Homosexuality is the attraction

The Oxford Dictionary defines the word “gay” as 1. Homosexual and 2. Foolish, stupid, or unimpressive (“Gay”). The LGBT+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and more) community faces harassment and oppression on a daily basis. One of the biggest struggles is discrimination-- such as the word “gay” being defined as “stupid”.

On a Tuesday afternoon, I stood outside Powell Library and waved at students to catch their attention. The area was quiet and lonely. Many students were not on campus, however a male student acknowledged me. I started a conversation by asking him a personal question: “Are you gay?” The male student deepened his voice and responded defensively in a condescending tone saying: “Why? Do I look gay? I am not gay.” He tried to appear masculine because my question implied that I had interpreted his sexual orientation incorrectly. His manner in responding to my question can be explained by Goffman: “When an individual appears in the presence of others, there will be some reason for him to mobilize his activity so that it will convey an impression to others which it is in his interests to convey” (Goffman, 4). He was not homosexual; he was heterosexual.

Recently, research has shown that gay and lesbian parents share the parental characteristics of support, protection, and stability that children need. Sexual orientation should not be problem when adopting children. Children adopted by same-sex couples are more likely to be placed with parents who are patient, dedicated to their children, and have respect for the differences of the

When American citizens hear the word “gay,” what is the first connection that pops into their mind? Does it mean happiness, love, or does it have a negative connotation? Throughout the years, the world epidemic on gay marriage has always been a controversy in the press. In the 1600s, if a gay man or woman practiced sodomy, they were put to death (ProQuest Staff “LGBT”). From the 1600s to the current day, gay rights are still a critical political debate in today’s society that needs a solution. For one to understand at this problem, he or she needs to analyze the causes and effect of this solution.

Sometimes the feelings of one or more of the various forms of attraction to someone of the same sex appear with sexual experience and encounters that one may have, but most commonly these feelings emerge without any previous sexual experience and this fact leads us to believe that being gay is most-likely not a choice (“Sexual Orientation and homosexuality” 1). The question, “How did you know you’re gay?” will typically result in the same answer every time, “I just know.” However, when an LGBT person is asking this question they can turn it around and ask the same question to someone who straight, “How did you know you were straight?” As a result, it is shown that being gay is like any other characteristics and is something that goes unanswered as to why it is the way it is.

In reality, children with same-sex parents do not differ from children of heterosexual parents. Studies show that there are little to no differences between the two groups of children. Children of same-sex parents are not markedly different from those of heterosexual parents (Belkin). Even though there are studies that prove slim differences, people still argue that gay parents aren’t meant to raise children. Research shows that children raised by same-sex parents do as well, if not better, than children raised by heterosexual parents (Baker and Gallagher

Many people had many questions about gay parenting. For example if two males adopt a girl, how would they explain puberty to her? Keep in mind, that it’s two adult males adopting a girl, it’s not two children adopting a girl. They are adults, and most guys do know how a girls body works, hence most of them are educated. If they have trouble explaining puberty to their girl child, they do have friends that are girls that can help explain.They could get help from an aunt too, or anyone that’s a girl in the family. It’s not like its just the couple that has to help out their child. A child can get help from anyone. It’s not just gay couples that would have trouble explaining girl puberty to a girl child, there are also single parent guys that have a girl child.

Studies show that the idea that children raised by homosexuals are no different that those raised by a heterosexual couple is false. To sum up, the children experience different upbringings based on the couple raising them. Should not children have the same morals to abide by growing up? Based on the type of couple raising the child, they may have a different outlook on ideas than the one raised by the opposing type of couple.