Views on Homosexuality

Is America more open to homosexuality now than ever before? There certainly has been much controversy on homosexual rights these recent years. In 2004, Massachusetts became the first state in the United States to issue same sex marriage licenses. Now, other states such Iowa, Connecticut, and Vermont are legally and currently perform same-sex marriages. For a short period of time, even California jumped in the band wagon. The fact that this is happening to several different states in the United States reflect that America is becoming more open to homosexuality and recognizing that people are people no matter their sexual orientation. We certainly felt a shift in American views on homosexuality from a conservative viewpoint to a more open one in recent years.
According to Stinger and Deschamps (1994) “In 1965, 82% of men and 58% of women said that homosexuality represents a “clear threat to the American way of life.” ( Cited in PFLAG Upstate South Carolina, 2005). This reflected the mind set of America in the past. Homosexuality was clearly something that was not approved of. As much as homosexuality is stigmatized in this day and age, homosexuality during those times experienced conditions beyond that. It not only made one a social outcast, it also caused one to be denied employment opportunities. According to this same article, by 1977, only 56% of Americans agreed that homosexuals should have the same rights in employment. Fortunately, this number increased to 74% in 1992. Today, homosexuals are more open about their sexual orientation. Although many still choose to remain “in the closet”, many are coming forward and choosing to be proud of who they are. Many same sex couples are taking advantage of their rights by choosing to legalize their unions in the States previously mentioned above. Many are also choosing to raise families via adoption services.
Some consider the issue of being gay a moral one. Because of this, for many years, homosexual couples were not able to raise children and have families. Now, it is not quite an uncommon occurrence. There are many same sex couples out there raising families. Openly gay celebrities such as Rosie O’Donnell and Kelli Carpenter are living proof that America are more open to homosexuality now more than ever as this alone shows how not only are government agencies accepting of it but society in general as well.
Yet with the many signs that America are more accepting of homosexuals, there are many signs that many Americans are not. A publication in the Psychology and Psychiatry Journal (2009, December) featured an article on gay students protesting NARTH and their supporters on “change therapy” for homosexuals. They believe that NARTH (National association of Research and Therapy of Homosexuality) are placing gay teenagers at risk of suicide or a “lifetime of depression”. There is also an article by Alexander C. Hart (2009) in the Los Angeles Times that features many Church’s resistance to a law passed Tuesday, Dec. 2, requiring employers doing business with the city, including churches, to provide health benefits to married same-sex couples. These two articles are strong evidence that homosexuality, although being more accepted during recent times, is still something that is considered unsavory by many organizations and individuals. It is good that there has been so much progress to the acceptance of homosexuality yet these articles show that we have a long way to go before homosexuality can be totally and entirely accepted.
Author’s Opinion and Views
Thankfully, there has been a tremendous change in people’s views on this subject matter. It is only right that we, humans, started being humane. For many years, homosexuals have been ostracized and stigmatized. They have been treated like second class citizens for being true to who they are. In contrast they should be applauded because it is a difficult path with many heartaches and heartbreaks.
I think these changes occurred because people started understanding the pain they were inflicting to fellow human beings. By this I mean that homosexuals are not any different from you and me. They are like us---sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, neighbors and coworkers. We have slowly begun to realize that we are hurting not just a separate group of people with a label but people that are close to us. I think friends and family, especially mothers and fathers, began to realize that it is more important that these individuals are alive and happy instead of constantly being in a state of depression or trying to kill themselves. I think it is each person’s acceptance and understanding that enabled the changes in our laws possible.
Conclusion
Homosexuality was predominantly thought of as a “threat” to the American way of life. Slowly, that view has changed to be more accepting in nature. Although there is much work to be done to come to complete non-prejudice and acceptance, there has been great improvement. As more and more individuals see firsthand the effects that our discrimination have, further changes will be made until we finally see homosexuality as normal and our equal.

References

Hart, A. C. (2009, December). D.C. Council votes to legalize same-sex
marriage. McClatchy - Tribune News Service, Retrieved
December 2, 2009, from ProQuest Newsstand. (Document ID: 1912364201).
PFLAG Upstate South Carolina. (2005). Statistics. Retrieved December 7, 2009. From
http://www.pflagupstatesc.org/statistics.htm Stand Up Florida; Gay Student Protest Hopes to Eliminate "Change Therapy"
Group. (2009, December). Psychology & Psychiatry Journal,21. Retrieved
December 2, 2009, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete. (Document
ID: 1907862471).