Homosexual and the Society

UFE 1103
General Psychology
Title of the Paper: Homosexual and the Society
Name:

Leow Wen Jun

Matriculation No: I14004840

Lecturer:

Dr. Mehran Rostamzadeh

Section:

8C

Homosexual and the Society

Table of Contents
1.0

Abstract.......................................................................................................... 2

2.0

Introduction..................................................................................................... 3

3.0

Homosexual and the Society................................................................................. 5

3.1

Homosexuality in different country.....................................................................5

3.2

View of public on homosexuality...............................................................8

3.3

Impact of Homosexuality to the society................................................................9

4.0

Conclusion..................................................................................................... 11

5.0

Reference...................................................................................................... 12

6.0

Appendix...................................................................................................... 14

6.1

Appendix A................................................................................................ 14

6.2

Appendix B................................................................................................ 18

Homosexual and the Society

1.0

Abstract
The term homosexual describes those who have sex with, or are sexually

attracted to, persons of the same (Greek: homo) sex .In modem Western usage,
male homosexuals are referred to as "gay" and female homosexuals as "lesbian".
In all societies men have had sex with men (and probably women with women,
though this is less well documented), but having this behavior as a basis for a
social -and especially an organizing or life- long - identity is a resent. Sexual
deviance is a common problem in any society. Due to the rapid social and
economic changes this problem has become a more complex issue. The shift in
both popular attitudes towards homosexuality disrupts the social organizations,
their homosexual identity and sub culture. It can be seen largely as a
consequence of the rise of a lesbian and gay movement. In this article, it will
outline the definition of homosexuality, the causes of homosexual occurred,
homosexuality in various countries, the view of public on homosexuality and the
impact that the homosexuality has brought to the society nowadays.

Homosexual and the Society

2.0

Introduction
Homosexuality in Ancient Greek it means "same", and in Latin sexus, it means "sex".

It is romantic attraction, sexual attraction or sexual behavior between members of the same
sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional,
romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to people of the same sex. It "also refers to a person's
sense of identity based on those attractions, related behaviors, and membership in a
community of others who share those attractions."
Homosexual can be defined as "Gay" and "Lesbian". 'Gay' is a term often used to
refer to homosexual men. 'Lesbian' is a term often used to refer to homosexual women. Along
with bisexuality and heterosexuality, homosexuality is one of the three main categories of
sexual orientation within the heterosexualhomosexual continuum. There is no consensus
among scientists about why a person develops a particular sexual orientation. Many scientists
think that nature and nurture a combination of genetic, hormonal, and environmental
influences factor into the cause of sexual orientation. They favor biologically-based
theories, which point to genetic factors, the early uterine environment, both, or the inclusion
of genetic and social factors. There is no substantive evidence which suggests parenting or
early childhood experiences play a role when it comes to sexual orientation; when it comes to
same-sex sexual behavior, shared or familial environment plays no role for men and minor
role for women. While some people believe that homosexual activity is unnatural, scientific
research has shown that homosexuality is an example of a normal and natural variation in
human sexuality and is not in and of itself a source of negative psychological effects. Most
people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation, and there is
insufficient evidence to support the use of psychological interventions to change sexual
orientation.
Psychologist believes that homosexual/ gender identity disorder can be caused by
prenatal influences, early childhood experiences, biological influences, environmental
influences and culture and gender causes. Aside Biology, environment, and culture may all
have an influence on differences in gender behavior. The sex differences will also be caused
by our brain. It is said that the male and female brains are different. Psychologist Eleanor
Maccoby (1998) believes that the biological differences between males and females help to
create distinct contexts in which boys and girls are raised. If there were sex differences in the
3

Homosexual and the Society

brain prior to birth, they would be expected to be biologically based. A study that examined
genetic expression in the cortex of the brain strongly suggests that there are prenatal sex
differences, with many genes on the Y chromosome (which creates males) being expressed in
parts of the brain before birth (Reinius & Jazin, 2009).

Homosexual and the Society

3.0

Homosexual and the Society

3.1

Homosexuality in different country

Most nations do not impede consensual sex between unrelated persons above the local

age of consent. Some jurisdictions further recognize identical rights, protections, and
privileges for the family structures of same-sex couples, including marriage. Some nations
mandate that all individuals restrict themselves to heterosexual relationships; that is, in some
jurisdictions homosexual activity is illegal. Offenders can face the death penalty in some
fundamentalist Muslim areas such as Iran and parts of Nigeria. There are, however, often
significant differences between official policy and real-world enforcement.
Although homosexual acts were decriminalized in some parts of the Western world,
such as Poland in 1932, Denmark in 1933, Sweden in 1944, and the United Kingdom in 1967,
it was not until the mid-1970s that the gay community first began to achieve limited civil
rights in some developed countries. On July 2, 2009, homosexuality was decriminalized in
India by a High Court ruling. A turning point was reached in 1973 when the American
Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders, thus negating its previous definition of homosexuality as a clinical
mental disorder. In 1977, Quebec became the first state-level jurisdiction in the world to
prohibit discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation. During the 1980s and 1990s,
most developed countries enacted laws decriminalizing homosexual behavior and prohibiting
discrimination against lesbian and gay people in employment, housing, and services. On the
other hand, many countries today in the Middle East and Africa, as well as several countries
in Asia, the Caribbean and the South Pacific, outlaw homosexuality. In six countries,
homosexual behavior is punishable by life imprisonment; in ten others, it carries the death
penalty.
There have the laws affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people
vary greatly by country or territoryeverything from legal recognition of same-sex marriage
or other types of partnerships, to the death penalty as punishment for same-sex
romantic/sexual activity or identity. LGBT rights are considered human rights by the
Amnesty International and civil rights by some.

Homosexual and the Society

LGBT rights included:
1)

Allowing of men who have sex with men to donate blood

2)

Government recognition of same-sex relationships (such as via same-sex marriage or

similar unions)

3)

Allowing of LGBT adoption

4)

Recognition of LGBT parenting

5)

Anti-bullying legislation and student non-discrimination laws to protect LGBT

children and/or students

6)

Immigration equality laws

7)

Anti-discrimination laws for employment and housing

8)

Hate crime laws providing enhanced criminal penalties for prejudice-motivated

violence against LGBT people

9)

Equal age of consent laws

10)

Equal access to assisted reproductive technology

11)

Access to sex reassignment surgery and hormone replacement therapy

12)

Legal recognition and accommodation of reassigned gender

13)

Laws related to sexual orientation and military service

Homosexual and the Society

Figure 3.1.1

Worldwide laws regarding homosexual relationships and expression

Figure 3.1.2

LGBT Symbol

Homosexual and the Society

3.2 View of public on homosexuality
While the public is divided over same-sex marriage, a majority of Americans (58%)
say that homosexuality should be accepted, rather than discouraged, by society. Among
younger people in particular, there is broad support for societal acceptance of homosexuality.
More than six-in-ten (63%) of those younger than 50 69% of those younger than 30 say
that homosexuality should be accepted. Far fewer of those 50 and older (52%) favor societal
acceptance of homosexuality.
These are among the findings from the latest Pew Research Center political typology
survey, released May 4, 2011. The survey, conducted in February and March of this year,
showed that opposition to gay marriage has continued to decline. Currently, 45% favor
allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally while 46% are opposed. Two years ago, in April
2009, 35% supported same-sex marriage while 54% were opposed. Opposition to gay
marriage has fallen by 19 points (from 65%) since 1996. (For more on changing public views
of same-sex marriage, see Pew Research Center reports March 3, 2011 and Oct. 6, 2010.)
The political typology survey also found a decline in negative views of the increasing
number of gays and lesbians raising children. Today, 35% say that more gay parents is bad
for society, 14% view this trend positively, while 48% say it does not make much difference.
Four years ago, 50% viewed this trend negatively, 11% said it was a good thing and 34% said
it made no difference.

Figure 3.2.1& 3.2.2

Pew Research Center political typology survey

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Homosexual and the Society

3.3

Impact of Homosexuality to the society

Disease
-2% of U.S. population is gay yet it accounts for 61% of HIV infection: "Men who have sex
with men [MSM] remain the group most heavily affected by new HIV infections. While the
CDC estimates that MSM represent only 2 percent of the U.S. population, they accounted for
the majority (61 percent; 29,300) of all new HIV infections in 2009. Young MSM (ages 13 to
29) were most severely affected, representing more than one quarter of all new HIV
infections nationally (27 percent; 12,900 in 2009)."

(Center for Disease Control,

cdc.gov/nchhstp/newsroom/HIVIncidencePressRelease.html)
-"A recent CDC study found that in 2008 one in five (19%) MSM in 21 major US cities were
infected with HIV, and nearly half (44%) were unaware of their infection."
-25% of HIV infected in U.K. unaware of their infection: "Of the estimated 86,500 people
living with HIV in the United Kingdom, about 25 percent are not aware they are infected, the
Health Protection Agency said recently."
Through the research above, it stated that homosexual lifestyle is harmful not only to
themselves but also to others, especially when you note that in both the U.S. and U.K. large
percentages of HIV infected people don't know they are infected. This is a danger to society
since it supports the spread of disease on a large scale.
Decrease chance of reproduction
It is said that it needed one man and one woman to produce children. Two same
genders cannot be producing any children. Therefore, if our society produce no children, our
society will die. There won't be enough people to support the infrastructure, medical needs,
economic development and more. That is a fact. So, common sense would tell us that
homosexuality is a danger to society since it cannot produce children to further the society.
Financial Impact
-$12.1 Billion annual cost in US: "a new study showed, the United States every year will cost
$12.1 billion annually in future treatment for the 40,000 people infected with HIV ."

Homosexual and the Society

-$1.5 Billion Cost for 2001 in Canada: "June 2001, Halifax, Nova Scotia--HIV/AIDS cost
Canadians more than $2 billion in 1999 in direct and indirect costs. Health care costs
accounted for about $560 million; prevention, research and supports to AIDS victims for
about $40 million; and lost economic production due to premature death and disability for
nearly $1.5 billion."
Through the statement above, it stated that the financial drain on society due to the
medical costs of HIV is huge. The greater the impact, the more damage it does to the society's
financial stability.
Mental Health
According to some research/statistics:
-" . . . homosexuals are about 50% more likely to suffer from depression and engage in
substance abuse than the rest of the population, reports Health24.com . . . the risk of suicide
jumped over 200% if an individual had engaged in a homosexual lifestyle . . . the lifespan of
a homosexual is on average 24 years shorter than that of a heterosexual . . . While the Health
24 article suggested that homosexuals may be pushed to substance abuse and suicide because
of anti-homosexual cultural and family pressures, empirical tests have shown that there is no
difference in homosexual health risk depending on the level of tolerance in a particular
environment. Homosexuals in the United States and Denmark--the latter of which is
acknowledged to be highly tolerant of homosexuality--both die on average in their early 50's,
or in their 40's if AIDS is the cause of death. The average age for all residents in either
country ranges from the mid-to-upper-70s."
-73% of the psychiatrists in the American Psychiatric Association who responded to a survey
by Harold I. Lief said that they thought that homosexual men are less happy than others. 70%
percent said they believed that the homosexuals' problems were due more to personal
conflicts than to social stigmatization. Study by Harold I. Lief, Sexual Survey.
Based on the statistics above, it proved that the bell-curve of homosexual and the rest
of society is different. Take a look at these statistics and note that the mental health issues are
not due to social pressure and rejection by the majority of society who considers
homosexuality to be aberrant.

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Homosexual and the Society

4.0

Conclusion
Lastly, from my standpoint, I dont think the homosexuality should be banned or

being prejudice to those homosexual. Everyone has the rights to live the life they want. One
of the main arguments of anti-gay marriage activists is the idea that gay marriage is
detrimental to family values, because a man and woman need to be the ones creating
children. Technological and social advancements have proven that it is not necessary for both
a man and a woman to produce. These advantages also challenge the idea that it is necessary
for both a man and a woman to be participants in raising a child. This pamphlet is intended to
give an overview on nontraditional forms of reproduction as well as give insight into the fact
that same-sex parenting is not detrimental to the wellbeing of the child for voters who are
considering voting against gay marriage under the assumption, that gay and lesbian couples
are not capable of raising children. There have been no studies done to prove that children
raised in homosexual families are in some way damage. One of the most important arguments
in the case against gay marriage is that children need both a mother and a father to be
normal.
There have been no significant findings that reveal that children with homosexual
parents are psychologically impaired. There has also been no study done that proves that the
children of homosexual parents are much more likely to turn out homosexual as well. The
biggest difference between children raised by homosexual parents versus heterosexual
parents is that they are more likely to be stigmatized within society. Anti-gay marriage
activists advocate that it is necessary to have a man and a woman raise a child but why do
they argue this? What different qualities do both a man and a woman bring that are necessary
in raising a child? The biological differences between men and women to not account for the
differences between the role of mother and father. The way western society views
motherhood and fatherhood is socially constructed. Parenthood is constantly changing in
terms of the roles each parent takes on, and what that role means to the child. Same-sex
parenting is just another variation of parenting and it takes on much more social meaning
than is necessary.

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Homosexual and the Society

5.0

Reference

Book:
Vern L. Bullough & Bonnie Bullough. (2014). Human Sexuality: An Encyclopedia.
Washington, DC: Routledge.
In-text reference: (Vern L & Bonnie, 2014)

Website:
Alpineski. (2014, Feb 16). Homosexuality and its Negative effects on Society. Retrieved
From The Conservative Papers website:
http://conservativepapers.com/news/2014/02/16/homosexuality-and-its-negative-effects-onsociety/
In-text reference: (Alpineski, 2014)

Essays, UK. (2013, November 14). Homosexuality and its effect on society. Retrieved
From UKESSAYS website: http://www.ukessays.com/essays/sociology/homosexuality-andits-effect-on-society-sociology-essay.php
In-text reference: (Essays, UK, 2013)

Frank Worthen. (n.d). What is Homosexuality. Retrieved

From Free Ministry website: http://www.freeministry.org/h/articles/worthen2.htm
In-text reference: (Frank Worthen, n.d)

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Homosexual and the Society

Georgia Lawrence. (2006, Nov 13). The Science of Homosexuality. Retrieved

From Serendip Studio website: http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/33
In-text reference: (Georgia Lawrence, 2006)

Jan Thomaas. (n.d). What is homosexual? . Retrieved

From One Mans Web website: http://onemansweb.org/jan/studies/sexes/s04.html
In-text reference: (Jan Thomaas, n.d)

Matt Slick. (n.d). Is homosexuality dangerous to society? . Retrieved

From CARM website: https://carm.org/is-homosexuality-dangerous
In-text reference: (Matt Slick, n.d)

Pew Research Center. (2013, May 13). Most Say Homosexuality Should Be Accepted By
Society. Retrieved
From Pew Research Center website: http://www.people-press.org/2011/05/13/most-sayhomosexuality-should-be-accepted-by-society/
In-text reference: (Pew Research Center, 2011)

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Homosexual and the Society

6.0

Appendix

6.1

Appendix A

Many Native American tribes have long recognized the role of the male winkte (a
contraction of the Lakota word winyanktehca, meaning to be as a woman or
twosouls

person) in their societies. These tribes traditionally were not only tolerant of such
different individuals but also had important places for them in the social structure as
caretakers of children, as cooks, and as menders and creators of clothing. The winkte
also performed certain rituals for bestowing luck upon a hunt (Medicine, 2002).
Although some winkte (now often referred to as people with two spirits) may have
been homosexuals, many were not and would now be recognized as having an
alternate gender identity or gender identity disorder. Unfortunately, as tribes have
modernized and become more integrated into the larger European-dominated culture
of the United States, the tolerant attitudes of other Native Americans toward the
winkte have begun to be replaced with homophobic attitudes and aggressive behavior
toward those who are different in this way (Medicine, 2002).

Although the causes of gender identity disorder are not fully understood, there is some
evidence for both prenatal influences and early childhood experiences as causes
(Stein, 1984;Ward, 1992; Zhou et al., 1995).

BIOLOGICAL INFLUENCES What are the biological influences on gender? Aside

from the obvious external sexual characteristics of the genitals, there are also
hormonal differences between men and women. Some researchers believe that
exposure to these hormones during fetal development not only causes the formation of
the sexual organs but also predisposes the infant to behavior that is typically
associated with one gender or the other. There have been several studies of infant girls
who were exposed to androgens before birth (for example, some drugs to prevent
miscarriages are male hormones). In these studies, the girls were found to be tomboys
during early childhood preferring to play with typically boy toys, wrestling and
playing rough, and playing with boys rather than with other girls (Berenbaum &
Snyder, 1995; Money & Mathews, 1982; Money & Norman, 1987). However, when
these girls grew up, they became more typically female in their desire for marriage
and motherhood, which many of these same researchers took as evidence that
upbringing won out over the hormonal influences.

ENVIRONMENTAL INFLUENCES Even if the girls who were exposed to

androgens prenatally were initially influenced by these hormones, it seems fairly clear
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Homosexual and the Society

that their later reversion to more feminine ways was at least somewhat influenced
by the pressures of society. In most cultures, there are certain roles that males and
females are expected to play (gender roles, in other words), and the pressure that can
be brought to bear on a person who does not conform to these expectations can be
tremendous.

In most Western cultures, the pressure to be masculine is even greater for males than
the pressure to be feminine is for girls. The term tomboy is not generally viewed as an
insult, but there are no terms for a boy who acts in a feminine manner that are not
insultingsissy, for example, is not a nice term at all. And although studies of
parents influence on their childrens gender typing show that both parents have an
impact, they also show that the fathers are almost always more concerned about their
sons showing male gender behavior than they are about their daughters showing
female gender behavior (Lytton & Romney, 1991).

CULTURE AND GENDER A persons culture is also an environmental influence.

Although initial cross-cultural studies suggested that cultural differences had little
effect on gender roles (Best & Williams, 2001), more recent research suggests that in
the past few decades a change has occurred in cultures that are of different
personalities. Cultures that are more individualistic and have fairly high standards
of living are becoming more nontraditional, especially for women in those cultures;
research has shown that more-traditional views seem to be held by collectivistic
cultures that have less wealth, although even in these cultures, women were more
likely to be less traditional than men (Forbes et al., 2009; Gibbons et al., 1991;
Shafiro et al., 2003).Other studies have found that the most nontraditional ideas about
gender roles and gender behavior are found in countries such as the Netherlands,
Germany, Italy, and England, whereas the most traditional ideas predominate in
African and Asian countries such as Nigeria, Pakistan, and Japan (Best & Williams,
2001). The United States, often seen as very nontraditional by researchers, actually
was somewhere in the middle in these studies, perhaps due to the large variation in
subcultures that exists within this multicultural country. Environment, even in the
form of culture, seems to play at least a partial and perhaps dominant role in gender
behavior.

Several studies over the years have found differences in male and female brain
activity: When doing language tasks, women use an area of the brains right
hemisphere that is not as active in men, leading some to speculate that this is why
women seem to recover faster than men from left-hemisphere strokes that affect
language (Jaeger et al., 1998; Skrandies et al., 1999). Women seem to be better at
identifying emotions, especially fear and disgust, than are men, regardless of whether
the emotional content is auditory, visual, or some combination (Collignon et al.,
2010).
Whereas men use the right side of the brain for emotional expression and the left side
for visualspatial perception, women seem to use both sides (Argyle, 1986; Cela-

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Homosexual and the Society

Conde et al., 2009; Fischer, 1993; Jaeger et al., 1998; Kimura, 2002; Pittam et al.,
1995; Skrandies et al., 1999). Physical differences in male and female brains exist
from birth with the male hypothalamus being somewhat larger than that of females in
both rats and humans (Kimura, 2002). Women appear to have a far greater number of
common receptors for the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is involved in mood and
anxietyboth disorders from which women tend to suffer more than men (Jovanovic
et al., 2008).

Another physical difference involves the proportion of gray matter and white matter
in the nervous system. Gray matter is composed of neurons, glial cells, dendrites, and
both myelinated and nonmyelinated axons, and makes up the bulk of the brain and the
interior of the spinal cord. The function of gray matter is to process incoming sensory
information and form a response to that information. White matter is composed of
myelinated axons and carries information to and from the neurons of the gray matter
(Purves et al., 2008). It might help to think of gray matter as the hardware of a
multicomputer system, and white matter as the software network connecting all the
computers. Using various neuroimaging techniques, others have found that the actual
volume of the male brain is greater than that of the female brain. However, even when
volume is taken into account, women have more gray matter, whilemen have more
white matter (Cosgrove et al., 2007).

Even in these biological differences, the influence of the environment in the form of
parenting and cultural expectations cannot be ruled out as potential causes. For
example, in Western cultures, girls are encouraged to express and use their emotions
while boys are encouraged to hide emotions and be calm, which might contribute to
the different emphasis placed on each hemisphere for the two sexes (Argyle, 1986;
Fischer, 1993; Pittam et al., 1995). Psychologist Eleanor Maccoby (1998) believes
that the biological differences between males and females help to create distinct
contexts in which boys and girls are raised. The aggressive nature of boys, for
example, causes them to engage in more roughand-tumble play and competitive
games than those in which girls would typically take part.

there were sex differences in the brain prior to birth, they would be expected to be
biologically based. A study that examined genetic expression in the cortex of the brain
strongly suggests that there are prenatal sex differences, with many genes on the Y
chromosome (which creates males) being expressed in parts of the brain before birth
(Reinius & Jazin, 2009). One thing is clear: The issue of differences between men and
women is one that will be discussed, debated, and researched for some time to come.

SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY Social learning theory, which emphasizes learning

through observation and imitation of models, attributes* gender-role development to
those processes. Children observe their same-sex parents behaving in certain ways
and imitate that behavior.When the children imitate the appropriate gender behavior,
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Homosexual and the Society

they are reinforced with positive attention. Inappropriate gender behavior is either
ignoredor actively discouraged (Fagot & Hagan, 1991; Mischel, 1966).

GENDER SCHEMA THEORY A theory of gender-role development that combines

social learning theory with cognitive development is called gender schema theory
(Bem, 1987, 1993). In this theory based on the Piagetian concept of schemes (see
Chapter Eight), children develop a schema, or mental pattern, for being male or
female in much the same way that they develop schemas for other concepts such as
dog, bird, and big. As their brains mature, they become capable of
distinguishing among various concepts.

MALE AND FEMALE GENDER STEREOTYPES The male gender stereotype

generally includes the following characteristics: aggressive, logical, decisive,
unemotional, insensitive, nonnurturing, impatient, and mechanically talented. The
female stereotype typically includes these characteristics: illogical, changeable,
emotional, sensitive, naturally nurturing, patient, and all-thumbs when it comes to
understanding machines. Notice that each of these stereotypes has both positive and
negative characteristics.

COGNITIVE DIFFERENCES Researchers have long held that females score higher
on tests of verbal abilities than do males, but that males score higher on tests of
mathematical skills and spatial skills (Diamond, 1991; Voyer et al., 1995). Another
study, using MRI technology, found that men listen with the left hemisphere only,
whereas women listen with both hemispheres, suggesting that women pay attention to
the tone and emotion of statements as well as the content (Lurito et al., 2000). Early
explanations of these differences in cognitive functioning involved physical
differences in the way each sex used the two hemispheres of the brain as well as
hormonal differences (Witelson, 1991). Other research, however, strongly suggests
that psychological and social issues may be more responsible for these differences, as
these differences have become less and less obvious (Hyde & Plant, 1995; Kimura,
1999; Voyer et al., 1995; Watt, 2000). In particular, the supposed differences in math
abilities between boys and girls have now been shown to be more the effect of girls
lack of confidence rather than any biological difference in the working of the brain
(Else-Quest et al., 2010). That the disparities seem to be disappearing as society has
begun to view the two genders as more equal in ability is taken as a sign that more
equal treatment in society has reduced the gender difference.

SOCIAL AND PERSONALITY DIFFERENCES The differences normally cited

between men and women in the ways they interact with others and in their personality
traits are often the result of stereotyped thinking about the sexes. It is difficult to
demonstrate differences that are not caused by the way boys and girls are socialized as
they grow up. Boys are taught to hold in their emotions, not to cry, to be strong and
manly. Girls are encouraged to form emotional attachments, be emotional, and be
open about their feelings with others.
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Homosexual and the Society

6.2

Appendix B

Refer to the blackboard journal

18