Sexual Prejudice In The United States

Many people from the United States hold the belief that being gay is something that has always been considered to be okay. They believe that it is just a given. Despite people’s current beliefs on the subject, for a very long time, it was something that was widely believed to be taboo. In the past, people were imprisoned due to their sexuality. Regardless, throughout the decades, people have pushed for the widespread acceptance of people who are part of the LGBT community. Today, homophobia still exists in some parts of the United States, but we have come a long way since the early 1900s.

Since it is a disease contracted on one’s own, it is oftentimes seen as the fault of the person living with HIV or AIDS, therefore causing others to feel as though they should not be held responsible for such accomodation. Furthermore, there is a strong correlation between the stigma of HIV and other marginalized groups, such as queer and people of color. For a long period of time there was a general misconstrued idea that this disease only affected gay men or those who were economically disadvantaged and seen negatively, including minority groups.

Sexual orientation is “the clear, persistent desire of a person for affiliation with one sex rather than the other”, otherwise known as sexual preference. (http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com) Prejudice against lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transsexuals (otherwise known as LGBT people) remain widespread in American society. LGBT people have always been a target for discrimination. Like other forms of prejudice, this discrimination is based on a hostile attitude toward a specific group and in this case minority. The current strides in the controversy of the legalization of the same sex marriage is a prime example of this discrimination. Sexual orientation prejudice

They would view the life of homosexuals with a clear mind that isn’t going to judge instead of fighting against what they have been taught since birth. The gender roles teach people how to act according to their sex; if someone goes against the traditional teachings than they are viewed as outcasts. Society looks at them as a mishap. This article strengthens the Kinsey scale because it shows how subjective views can affect the lives of people for the worse. For example, the subjective bias view of Wardle, a law professor at Brigham Young University has affected the lives of homosexuals in several states because he:

Looking at the specific disease of HIV/AIDS, there is a captivating negative stigma surrounding anyone infected or possibly infected because others are fearful. This stigma is so potent because the disease usually starts from a homosexual and then spreads, attacking

Ever since the early 21st century, there have been many stigmas and discrimination towards individuals who have contracted certain viruses such as HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome). According to studies, HIV traces back to the 1920s in the Democratic Republic of Congo, as well as AIDS. By the 1960s, HIV had made its way to Haiti by transport routes and workers who had been temporarily staying in Congo returning to their homes. Those who had the virus dealt with extreme discrimination, as well as racism and stigma. Soon enough, the deadly disease had arrived to The United States of America, and its bountiful population did not react well. People began to associate HIV and AIDS with gay men,

In society, there is often an invisible privilege associated with heterosexuality (Adams, 2010). For an example, heterosexual couples can walk down the street with their partner without fear of being verbally or physically attacked. This is a right that most heterosexual people don’t consider because they have never been forced to question their attraction, or love for the opposite gender, since this behavior is viewed by society as “natural” or a “normal” part being part of being a women or a man. However, the opposite is true for LGB individuals, these feelings of love or attraction for members of the same sex are often questioned by family, friends, religious and government organizations and societal norms. Like all other forms of oppression, heterosexism operates on multiple levels.

Now, specifically in the article of 'Prejudice and Homosexuality ' by Richard D Mohr, there are few statistics about homosexuality that tend to be a somewhat out of date when referring to the society that we live in today, that is leaning towards the tolerance of homosexuality. In the article theirs few analytical statistics for 1948 and 1993, in which you see the gay civil right moving rapidly, towards becoming less prejudice and discriminating every

In every corner of the world, the topic of homosexuality sparks controversy from both supporters and opponents of the sexual orientation. Merriam Webster’s dictionary defines a homosexual as “being sexually attracted to people of the same sex.” The underlying influence from historical, sociological, and health disciplines are just a few reasons such a large gap exists on the spectrum between supporters and opponents of homosexuality. This paper serves as an analysis of the previously mentioned disciplines with gathered data from a variety of scholarly journals. Based on the grounds of historical, sociological, and health disciplines, it would be far too ethnocentric, discriminatory, and physically unhealthy for society to reject homosexuality as an individual’s choice in a way of life.

Studies reflect both positive and negative beliefs and stereotypes impacting the gay and lesbian cultures in America. Negative stereotypes associated with homosexuality include: AIDS, abnormal, slurs, bad hygiene and many more. Positive stereotypes associated with homosexuality include: greater attention to appearance, more caring, brave, and friendly (Massey, 2010). Stereotypes are over simplified observations that are widely accepted however not always true. The aforementioned stereotypes provided an inaccurate depiction and provide a generalized classification therefore striking individuality from homosexuals. Every person is an individual bringing with them a personality unmatched and must be offered respect.

Being a gay person in America is not nearly as difficult as it once once. There was a time at one point where homosexuality in the US was treated as taboo as many other social subjects such as criminality. However, times, beliefs, and perspectives have changed in the general populous. In 1996, only 27% of Americans polled by Gallop showed a positive stance on gay marriage, and homosexuality in general. By May of 2015, this percentage was nearly reverse, with only 37% of the population showing a negative stance on homosexuality. Despite the recent support for homosexuals in America, sexual prejudice is still prevalent in some areas of life for gay men and women. Life is still hard for gay people in America for a number of reasons, despite an overall acceptance of gay marriage by adults, and as a gay person myself, I have witnessed this injustice and prejudice on several levels.

On June 24, 2011, New York passed a law that allows same-sex marriage since then, New York has become the largest state to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry. Homosexuals have been gaining more rights in the 21st century yet there is still pressure for them to keep their relationships hidden or disguised from society. Since 2007 acceptance of homosexuality has been on a steady increase in most countries; the United States is one of three exceptions. Here in America, acceptance has grown by more than 10%. Despite this, endorsement is still only at 60%, which is less than more than a dozen other countries. Regardless of this increase, the U.S still lags behind the forefront of approval of homosexuality (Global Divide). With this in mind, I decided to test society’s views on homosexuality.

Elizabeth Rooney and Don Gibbons state that the levels for social tolerance of homosexuality vary depending upon whether homosexuality is seen as harmful to its participants or society, and the variation in the backgrounds of the people who are defining homosexuality as deviance (Rooney 1966). The attitudes that vary towards homosexuality are influenced by a number of sources. These sources can include religious teachings, age variations, different education levels, and different socioeconomic factors (Rooney 1966). These influences are not necessarily bad, but they do have a large effect on how people view and act towards homosexuals. It is very important that we question these influences and approach what they are trying to teach while keeping the sex-positive approach mentioned above. Especially in the case of religious teachings, the influence can be very biased, negative, and one-sided. Religious practices can, and do, choose to refuse the acknowledgement and acceptance of homosexuality as a sexual

Within heterosexist and homophobic societal contexts, HIV/AIDS is frequently misrepresented as a disease of gay men. While in the U.S.A. men who have sex with men are overrepresented in the population of people who has HIV/AIDS, labeling, the illness as a “gay” one dismisses the reality that HIV transmission globally is uniquely associated with one particular group: human beings (of all sexual orientations.) The fact that g,ay men form the single largest group of people with HIV/AIDS in America fails to take into account the various societal and cultural factors which contribute, to this occurrence. Societal discrimination against gay men can have direct effects on individuals, impacting self-esteem and leading some men to engage in behaviors

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).