Homosexuality and 'Coming Out': Getting Out Of The Dark Ages

Historically, homosexual behavior was not always regarded as immoral, sinful or obscene. In fact, in some ancient societies such as Greece, it was not uncommon for adolescent males to engage in intimate relationships with older men. From a religious viewpoint, however, attitudes toward gay male and lesbian sexual practices were indeed, a sin for which one could expect the ultimate punishment.

As liberal as today's society may seem, it was only as recently as 1968 that the " Supreme Court decision (Hardwick v. Bowers) let stand a Georgia sodomy law that makes oral-genital or anal-genital sexual contact crimes punishable by up to 20 years in prison, even when engaged in by consenting adults" (Rathus, Nevid, & Fichner-Rathus, 2005, p.307). Regardless of one's attitude about sexual orientation, it cannot be argued that antiquated laws such as these needed prompt revision by a government whose job it is to protect the constitutional rights of its citizens. To this day, the majority of peoples' indifference to homosexuality is fear and ignorance.

Contrary to popular belief, the terms sexual orientation and homosexual behavior do not always amount to the same thing. For those who openly voice their homophobic opinion, there may indeed be a deep-seated fear that their own feelings toward another person of the same sex could be misconstrued. A close intimate relationship with an individual of the same gender may never lead to sexual contact, although it is unlikely that anyone who harbors thoughts of such a friendship are going to admit to them. Homophobic people often go out of their way to verbally bash gay people; they make it difficult for them to obtain employment despite antidiscrimination laws, they oppose gay marriage, and believe that civil unions are a means to somehow bend society's otherwise perfect rules.

Arkansas has been a prime example of such difficulties for the gay community. The laws have flip-flopped on several occasions regarding gay and lesbian foster parents and their adoption rights. As recently as 2008, a new twist was added to this scenario, making it even harder for those who wish to help a needy child. Law was passed in the "natural state" to ban single parents from adopting, as well as providing much needed foster care for thousands of needy children. As it would happen, gay and lesbian marriage is not recognized in that state, therefore this group of well meaning individuals was immediately disqualified from offering urgent assistance. Discrimination of this kind has been seen as both clever and underhanded at the same time, depending on one's opinion. Arkansas is known for being situated in what is known as the Bible belt, and this fiasco has only served to highlight public ignorance at the expense of many homeless children who were forced back into the already overcrowded state system.

Similar to the problems in Arkansas and indeed, many other countries across the world, a lack of education about homosexuality continues to have disastrous consequences. The mental and physical health of gay males and lesbians who face ongoing prejudice in their day to day lives can be tested to the extreme. Men and women are continually subjected to the snide remarks of people whose lack of compassion and understanding cause great emotional damage. Children of homosexual couples are often bullied because of their parents' lifestyle, and many have been known to encounter physical beatings within school grounds. A fear of the HIV/AIDS virus has often been the cause of violent protests and even murders; the disease was thought to be caused by homosexual practices alone, although this has since proven to be anything but correct.

In addition to the fear of contracting diseases, homosexuality has often been labeled a mental disorder, a weird disease of the mind which somehow renders a person defective and unworthy. Although this is entirely myth, it is little wonder that anxiety, eating disorders, mostly in gay men, and suicide rates for homosexuals are higher than their heterosexual counterparts. What is true is that homosexuality is not caused by a brain abnormality or any other kind of developmental issue. Despite this evidence, it is still difficult for gay male and lesbians to 'come out', a term used by homosexuals who recognize themselves as being gay or lesbian, and who announce their orientation to the world. Coming out for most people is a complicated process which only evolves after years of internal struggles, and questions about why such feelings ever came to be.

After coming out to his or herself, perhaps the hardest people to confront are members of one's own family. Unconditional love has been known to dissipate in an instant when an unsuspecting parent is caught off guard. Society's views may account for a larger part of their angered or confused state, but they may also mourn for the child they feel they have lost to another gender, or wonder what they may have done wrong to bring about such thoughts. Contrary to popular belief, people do not choose to be gay, although the reactions of many family members may indicate the reverse. Fortunately, over time, most people come to realize that nothing is amiss, and neither bad parenting nor a mental disorder is to blame.

When one is neither homosexual nor bisexual, a term often preferred by those who have yet to admit homosexuality to themselves, it is impossible to understand the turmoil that they are forced to endure. Once an announcement has been made, the struggle is also far from over. Prejudice and discrimination are alive and well, regardless of any laws which are meant to protect people from being treated unfairly. Not having dealt with this issue myself, I am proud to announce that I was raised to be fair and open minded, and I believe that we are all created as equals by a force greater than us all, whatever that means. No person alive can argue this fact, despite the numerous world religions who each give that force a different name, therefore, I am equally as unqualified as the next human to pass judgment.

Homosexuality has been practiced for many hundreds of years that we are aware, and it will continue for many more years to come. Hopefully, just as the pictorial representation of the Greeks indicates, there will be some level of harmony once again. New twists have been added however, gay males and lesbians continue to fight for the right to marry someone of the same gender, to add a same-sex spouse to ones' health coverage, and for permission to adopt and raise children; the list goes on. Unfortunately there will always be some degree of intolerance due to lack of education, but it would seem that whether people publicly admit to it or not, opinions on this topic are slowly becoming more logical.

Reference

Rathus, S.A., Nevid, J.S., and Fichner-Rathus, L. (2005). Human sexuality in a world of diversity. (6th ed.) Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.