Homosexuality as a Deviance: Discrimination In Society Essay

Deviance is a behavior that does non line up to social norms, therefore is soci eachy created. Since most stack in the joined States believe that homo sexuality is wrong, society has created homophileity to be a deflection. Since deviance is relative and not absolute to a society, homosexuality is not a universal form of sexual deviance. at that place be many cultures that concur forms of homosexuality. The Western society is not pass judgment of it though, and many clock times this non-accepting compute cause discrimination towards homosexuals. Is homosexuality a way for well-nigh people to deviate, or is it just the way some people need to befuddle intercourse their lives? If that is the way of life for some people than society has to plump accepting towards this lifestyle.Homosexuals be a peanutity since they differ from the accepted sexual orientation. They be get hold objects of discrimination and contempt. Some of societies anti-homosexual attitudes come from homophobia. Homophobia is the irrational reverences of homosexuality in others, the fear of homosexual feelings within oneself, or self-loathing because of ones homosexuality. It stems from ignorance and popular myths that pay rise to homosexual prejudice(Crooks 255). Homophobia is pulled in many ways, both subtle and direct.Telling jokes well-nigh queers, belittling their lifestyle, denying them housing, employment, membership into organizations, and engaging in violence against homosexuals. Heterosexuals also express homophobia by avoiding acts that would cause people to waste in mind they were fearless. It affects men the most like this because it hinders male friendships. Men do not want to get too close to their male friends, or express emotions because they might be considered brisk. Homophobia restricts the lives of both courageous and straight people.Laws against homosexual behaviors hit been very punitive. In the American colonies homosexuals were put to death by burn or drowning. Sodomy, which is oral or anal sex, was against the law in the joined States until 1961. Illinois became the first pass on to repeal the sodomy laws. Now only 13 states continue to have sodomy laws. Even though these laws carry push through to all segments of the population, they argon usually enforced against homosexual men. Sodomy laws atomic number 18 utilize to harass homosexuals, especially hardy men,because women in general and lesbians in point argon socially invisible in society(Eitzen 304). An example of the unjustness of sodomy laws is the vitrine of Matthew Leeman. He has been sentanced to 17 years in prison house under Kansas State sodomy laws. The details of the case ar 18 year obsolete Leeman was convicted of giving a 15 year gaga boy consensual oral sex due to violation of the states sodomy laws.In Kansas sex with any minor is illegal, plainly there is also a Romeo and Juliet law that states sex with a minor is less of an offense if ther e is little age difference. in that locationfore if Leeman had apt(p) consensual oral sex to a 15 year old girl he would have received a 12 calendar month sentance. But under the sodomy laws all same sex activities be illegal regardless of age, so the Romeo and Juliet exception does not apply to him. The case was appealed all the way to the Kansas State Supreme romance with the ruling upheld. So 18 year old Matthew Leeman go forth be in fall behind until he is 36 years old. The Supreme Court has upheld the right of states to foreclose sodomy in the case Bowers v. Hardwick in 1986. Recently the Supreme Court has decided it will revisit the issue of whether states can continue to follow homosexual men for having consensual sex in their homes.A descion is anticipate in June of 2003. Bars where homosexuals frequent are often raided by the practice of law and many are arrested under the sodomy laws. This practice makes it difficult for homosexuals when they apply for jobs. Appl ications for employment ask if a person has a criminal record. Since some sprightlys have records for violation sodomy laws, they must write it on their application. two these offenses, having a record and being gay, makes employment less likely.Homosexuals, especially males, are highly discriminated against in activities considered to be super manly. Up until recently a person could not be gay in the military. Homosexuals were honorably carry through from the military. In 1993 President Clinton attempted to change this tradition. He received much opposition from politicians, citizens and the military. The result was a compromise, a beginnert ask, dont tell rule. This meant that the military personal was not to inquire or so sexual preference, and that service members were not to be blatant about their sexual orientation. Another macho activity is athleticss. Gay men in sport have not been accepted. There is much at stake in maintaining the silence about gay men in sports a nd in discourage gay male athletes from revealing their identities(Coakley 234).To even talk about homosexuals in sports would threaten the system of gender classification. The fact is though there are homosexuals in sports and they are discriminated against. In the locker room athletes use anti- gay banter as part of daily life. Homosexuals in sports live in fear of the truth about their sexuality coming out. Although recently studies have shown that organized sports are becoming less homophobic. pile in sports are becoming more tolerant of homosexuals. But the value of a homosexual athlete is of core importance. Gay athletes with high human capital are much more likely to come out of the closet to their teams than are gay athletes with medium or low human capital(Anderson 12). As homosexuals are slowly accepted by society, the gender lines that inhibit so many will slowly be erased.Another way homosexuals are discriminated against is through family rights. No State in America al lows marriage betwixt members of the same sex. Aside from the emotional benefits, there are legal benefits that come with marriage. Health insurance coverage, inheritance of property, and tax benefits are just a few advantages that come with a legally recognized relationship. Parenthood is some other aspect of life that homosexuals are disadvantaged. The rights of gay parents are usually denied. When two people divorce it is most often the mother that gains more custody. yet if the mother is an acknowledged lesbian, this may jeopardize her claim to custody(Crooks 266).A homosexual man has an even harder time gaining custody, because he has a prongy disadvantage. Many gay couples are also denied the right to adopt children in some states it is even illegal. Some lesbian couples have children through factitious insemination. The problem with this is that only the mother of the child is legally recognized as the parent. There are only eight states that second-parent adoptions by le sbians and gays have been canonic in California, Oregon, Alaska, Washington, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Washington D.C.(Strong 356). Being homosexual should not prohibit people from raising a legally recognized family.There are two ways that homosexuals deal with living in a hostile society.The first is to conceal their sexual preference from the world. When they are in the straight world they act heterosexual, and only within the confines of concealing do they act gay. The second strategy is to be a gay liberationist. Instead of keeping their sexuality a secret, they are openly gay at all times. They challenge societal norms in hopes that there will be a change in attitudes. Gay liberationist rose about in the early 1970s, after an event that took place earlier. On June 28, 1969, the law of nature raided Stonewall Inn, a gay hangout. Instead of dispersing as usual, the customers rioted. This incident displace a lot of needed attention to problems of police harassm ent that homosexuals faced. In effect Stonewall resistance came to symbolize the birth of the modern gay rights movement(Eitzen 312).Since Stonewall there have been many positive changes for gay rights. Now there are laws to protect the rights of homosexuals, where as before they had no laws protecting them. More and more people are coming out of the closet and are proud to be gay (A). As time continues homosexual rights will become stronger. This will only happen with the serve well of heterosexuals. Education is very important in the fight for gay rights. People must be informed that homosexuality is not a disease, or a sin it is just the way of life for some people.Homosexuals are not monsters who should be put to death. Homosexuality has been around since before the indite word, and each society deals with it differently. Our own society is not accepting of it. These are just humans who have a different sexual preferences than the members of natural society. Homosexuals have relationships, families, and even children, most of which are happy and healthy. They do things heterosexuals do such as serve in the armed forces and play sports. just society discriminates against them, even to the point of violence. Even though gay activists have made some difference in how society views their lifestyles, it is not enough. There needs to be more of a change. We as society should be more accepting of these people. If not we are the ones being deviant, with our policies of discrimination and harassment. urinate Cited.Anderson, Eric. Openly Gay Athletes Dealing with hegemonic MasculinityAnd Homophobia. University of CaliforniaCoakley, Jay. Sport in Society Issues and Controversies seventh ed.Boston McGrawHill, 2001.Crooks, Robert. Our Sexuality. 6th ed. Pacific Grove support and Cole, 1996.Curtan, Jim. Gay Liberation=Spiritual Liberation. Genre 81 (2000) 74.Eitzen, D. Stanley. Social Problems. seventh ed. Boston Allyn and Bacon, 1997.Strong, Bryan. The Marriage an d Family Experience, Intimate Relationships in aChanging Society. 7th ed. Belmont Wadsworth, 1998.