Homophobia
Most people will stick to one opinion before even reading the post, but the information will be presented to, again, expand your thoughts.
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The issue here is Homophobia. Many people would say that homosexuals have the same rights as heterosexual people. Many other people would disagree and say that it is disgusting to love someone of the same gender. Then there is the argument that it is a chemical imbalance in the brain and that it is a figment of the imagination that two people of the same gender could love each other in a sexual/ romantic relationship: that they could be rehabilitated to become straight. To make this topic about homophobia instead of "gay rights", we should take certain points into consideration before siding with one. The two points of view to side with are:
1. "[homosexuals are] brute beasts...part of a vile and satanic system [that] will be utterly annihilated, and there will be a celebration in heaven." Jerry Falwell: Quoted in Jim Hill & Rand Cheadle, "The Bible Tells Me So", Anchor Books (1996), Pages 69-70.
2. "I believe that one day the world will judge the witch hunt against homosexuals...as an unbelievable injustice perpetrated by supposedly 'moral' people against innocent groups, just as harshly as it judges the Spanish Inquisition and the Holocaust. Both the Church and the Nazis believed they were acting in good faith." N. McLean, Burlington, ON. Letter to the editor, The Globe and Mail, 1998-APR-11
There are four different interrelated levels of homophobia:
1. Personal - refers to a personal belief system (a prejudice) that sexual minorities either deserve to be pitied as unfortunate beings who are powerless to control their desires or should be hated, that they are psychologically disturbed, genetically defective, unfortunate misfits, that their existence contradicts the "laws" of nature, that they are spiritually immoral, infected pariahs, disgusting - to put it quite simply, that they are generally inferior to heterosexuals.
2. Interpersonal - is manifested when a personal bias or prejudice affects relations among individuals, transforming prejudice into its active component - discrimination. Examples of interpersonal homophobia are name-calling or "joke" telling intended to insult or defame individuals or groups; verbal and physical harassment and intimidation as well as more extreme forms of violence; the withholding of support, rejection, abandonment by friends and other peers, coworkers, and family members; services, insurance companies to extend coverage, and employers to hire on the basis of actual or perceived sexual identity.
3. Institutional - refers to the ways in which governments, businesses, and educational, religious and professional organizations systematically discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation or identity. Sometimes laws, codes or policies actually enforce such discrimination. Few institutions have policies supportive of sexual minorities, and many actively work against not only those minorities but also heterosexuals who support them.
4. Cultural - (sometimes called collective or societal) refers to the social norms or codes of behavior that, although not expressly written into law or policy, nonetheless work within a society to legitimize oppressions.
Also, who has it easier- two gay females or two gay males? It seems that the media presents a lesbian relationship as being "ok", but to have two males in a relationship is disgusting. Homophobia locks all people into rigid sex-based roles that inhibit creativity and self-expression. Through the process of socialization, people are expected to adhere to fairly strict social roles based on their sex. Both genders have been beaten in a hate crime for preferring someone of the same gender, but are males more bound to discrimination based on the old-fashioned role of males having to be more masculine? "Masculinity is defined as essentially heterosexual and defined against or in opposition to homosexuality, as well as femininity. "Real" men are heterosexual men, and the dominant model of masculinity is of a heterosexual masculinity. Homophobia is a constitutive part of heterosexual masculinities, and this involves the expulsion or denial of homoerotic desire." [Epstein & Johnson, 1994: 204]. On the other hand, females are generally seen as being experimenting and it is only a phase that will pass- even when it is not. Males are believed when they "come out of the closet".
Homophobia has been branded as "destructive to individuals, society and the planet and as long as anyone is oppressed, we will all remain oppressed." (qtd. in menstuff). Gay men and lesbians experience cultural invisibility, they are routinely told that their innermost feelings and desires are disgusting, dangerous, just a phase, or non-existent. They are denied civil and legal rights and the recognition of their partners and relationships, their consenting sexual relations are criminalized and policed, and they are subject to verbal and physical harassment, bashings, and even murders. (qtd. in xyonline)
On the other hand, is it okay to act differently towards homosexuals because they aren’t straight? Should it be treated psychologically since there have been studies that have shown that it is a chemical imbalance, possibly linked in the genes? Until the person is treated some would say it is alright to frown upon that lifestyle and deem it as "wrong". A study led by Brian Mustanski quoted him in saying "There is no one 'gay' gene. Sexual orientation is a complex trait, so it's not surprising that we found several DNA regions involved in its expression." (qtd. in freerepublic). Another thought is that being a homosexual is something that a person chooses to do. Though there aren’t many online sources to back up this claim, it is generally known that the thought that it is a choice is out there. Does a person choose what gender they prefer, is it a chemical imbalance in the brain that makes a person believe they are attracted to the same gender, or is it just normal to like someone of the same gender?
These are all thoughts to consider, but the main debate presented here is if it is ok to isolate homosexuals and treat them differently. Not necessarily perform hate crimes onto them, but hope for rehabilitation or is homosexuality as "normal" as a male and a female being sexually/ romantically involved?
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Sources:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/hom_fuel.htm
http://www.xyonline.net/misc/homophobia.html
http://fh.acidgloss.net/ - to join an pro-homophobia site
http://www.menstuff.org/issues/byissue/homophobia.html
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1339878/posts
http://forums.military.com/eve/ubb.x/a/tpc/f/409192893/m/44800499613