I have been recently working a lot on a project for English class in which I am talking about the portrayal of homosexuality in the media, and more specifically, the stereotypes, misconceptions, and discrimination that is associated with this portrayal. Because of this, I thought it would be interesting to learn about homosexuality from a scientific perspective.
I think it would be fair to say that homosexuality is a topic of strong opinion, for me included. I am very passionate and opinionated in regards to this subject. So many areas of media tell us that homosexuality is wrong and only show a generalized and limited viewpoint of how a gay person is or should be. Because the media is so prominent in society in this day and age, our beliefs can get influenced and even altered to the point where we no longer know how we feel about a subject; instead, we know how people think we should feel about a subject. Most people don’t realize how common homosexuality is, as 10% of the overall population is homosexual. Therefore, any discrimination against homosexual males or females is not just going against gay rights, but it is going against a person’s rights as a human being as well.
There are many reasons for which homosexual people are discriminated against, a large one being religion. There are many literal interpretations of religious writings that seem to make people think that homosexuality is wrong or sinful. Discrimination against an entire group of people, just because they were born a certain way, is not only offensive, but is also completely ridiculous.
I think it is important to take a look at homosexuality from a scientific viewpoint. One of the most common misconceptions about homosexuality is that many people believe homosexuality to be a choice. It has been shown through studies and polls that homosexual people are more likely to be left-handed, to be the youngest of multiple brothers, and to have their hair naturally turn in a clockwise direction. Because of these common traits among gay people, the idea is becoming better accepted that homosexuality has to do with genes and inborn traits, and not with decisions made by the person later in life. In the US, until 2007, a poll showed that the majority of Americans believes homosexuality to be a choice that could be changed. It was only just three years ago that, for the first time, the majority believed homosexuality to be an inborn characteristic. It is shown through scientific research that homosexuality has more to do with genes than does which hand you write with. There is also biological evidence that a percentage of animals show homosexual activity. The American Medical Association, The American Psychiatric Association, The American Psychological Association, The American Psychoanalytical Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics, and the National Association of Social Workers all support that idea that homosexuality is not a mental illness, and is not a personal decision.
No matter how or why, homosexuality IS present in our society, and not accepting this fact is just ignorance, in my opinion. Homosexuality is neither a lifestyle nor a personal choice, it is innate and unchangeable. Here is a fantastic animated video I found from the movie “The Bible Tells Me So” that talks about homosexuality not being a choice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vbpu6ne5-cQ&feature=related
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