Sexuality in today’s society has become (remains to be) such a hotly debated topic (I’m well aware that it hasn’t just become this, but continues to be so). There is so much controversy surrounding this issue, and I would argue that nearly everyone has an opinion on homosexual people (even if that opinion is that they don’t care).
I’m one of the biology believers. I don’t think that people who are homosexual make a conscious choice (although they do consciously have to accept or reject the decision to persue that lifestyle), I believe that the same hormones and whatever in our brains that make us attracted to our partners in heterosexual relationships effect homosexual people in theirs, it is just that who they are attracted to happens to be someone of the same sex. If this is the case, I feel that it would be wrong to think less of someone because of a biological occurance. (Would you make fun of or reject someone with blonde hair or freckles because they had blonde hair or freckles? Biology.)
Therefore, it is my opinion that whatever sexual orientation has been given to you, all the power to you if you embrace it.
Horsley’s article proposes whether or not ‘gay’ should be a culture. Culture is so broad, and so subjective that it is hard to pinpoint an actual definition that will suit everyone. One of his points is how the gay community is portrayed through the media. This group of people should have every right to redeem themselves and the image of gay, but why should they have to do so in the first place? They are so misunderstood that they have to prove and justify their actuality? What a North American ‘thing’ to take a group that is misunderstood and perpetrate whatever image suits ‘the man’.
In that case, maybe gay should be a culture. Sure they cannot be identified through certain physical aspects, but with the way that the media targets them, they should have some way of uniting against this beligerent disregard. It’s about time for society to wisen up, being gay is not a new phenomenon … and with all of our worldly knowledge, being accepted as a homosexual individual, and being appropriate portrayed through the media, should not take as long as freeing slaves did.
(Since this is such a controversial topic, I did not intend for any of this to offend and I sincerely hope it doesn’t)
I completely agree with you on the biology aspect of homosexuality. I think ignorance is holding a lot of people back when it comes to the gay community and frankly people aren’t taking the time to understand it. I have honestly never had a problem with gay people and despite being a straight person I’m a huge advocate for gay rights and especially the right to marry. I liked this article because it related such a hot touchy issue to theorists and since I’m a soc major, I enjoy things like that. haha.
I am not sure what causes homosexuality, I honestly never cared to think about it really. I say this because to me it doesn’t matter whether it is choice or not; it is someone’s right and they should be treated the same as everyone. I am concerned by the biology approach, as if it is attributed to biology then it enters the realm of being ‘genetically fixable’ and the race is on for people to find the cure for homosexuality.
I think it is so hard to create a community as a collective when homosexuality has so many components that each individual can have such a different viewpoint that they may never feel the collective represents what it means to be gay (which was the point of the article I know)
I think what might work (although very radical) is if we all relinquished our status of sexual orientation and became people instead of gay, straight or, bi-sexual (another fun fact: some sexual theoriests define bi-sexualitiy not by sexual actions but by intimate relationships based on talking and just basic intimacy – so essentially we would all be bi-sexual. But can we think about love and intimacy without sex?)
Good post, I espeically like how you point out that ‘I don’t care’ is still an opinion about homosexuality, I think it makes everyone accountable for having some say in the social meanings we create.