Creating a Family

Being homosexual is not a mental disorder and so homosexuals are not deprived individuals. Homosexuals are considered to be fully functioning members of society. They complete the same everyday tasks that a heterosexual would do; they go to school, go to work, pay their taxes, hang out with their friends, etc. Now to be a parent homosexuals would have the ability to raise children.  There is no distinct qualification to becoming a parent; however, there are some characteristics that a good parent should posses, such as: Responsibility; Love; Trustworthy; Reliable; Stable (both financially and mentally); etc., none of which are exclusive to heterosexuals. Whom a person sleeps with is a personal decision and this should have no impression on a homosexuals ability and qualifications to raise children.


Parenting is not just limited to be between a child's biological mother and father. Statistics show that 1/3 children in America are not raised in two-parent households and that 33% of gay male couples and 23% of lesbian couple have at least one child under the age of 18 living in their home. These statistics tell us that the norms of society and changing and unlike before when everyone lived with their biological mother and father, now, there are many children that are being raised by single parents or non-biological parents. It is also proven that children who live with same sex parents do equally well in school as children who live with heterosexual parents. Some say that children living with same sex parents may even do better in school than children living with heterosexual parents.

Many people believe that children living with homosexual parents is just harmful to the children and that the children will grow up to be either psychologically or sociologically different than children living with heterosexual parents. What people don't take into consideration is the fact that the children living with their non-biological parents have a shot at a normal and a better life than they had before when they were living at the orphanage.  Living with two dads or two moms is better for a child than having him/her spend their life without the support, love and guidance of a father or mother figure.

There are currently 16.2 million orphans in the world today (these are children who have lost both their biological mother and father). These children should deserve to have the opportunity to grow up in a warm and healthy environment where they can educate themselves and succeed in life. The only way children will not become orphans is if someone adopts them and in today's society, the only individuals that adopt children are homosexuals and heterosexuals who cannot have children. If we were to prevent homosexuals from adopting orphaned children, then there would be way more the 16.2 million children without a home. Gay tax payers, law abiding citizens, everyday ordinary people; homosexuals have every right to adopt children the same way heterosexual parents enjoy the right to have children. There is nothing that heterosexual parents can offer that homosexual parents cannot, except maybe for a 'traditional family', but honestly, the number of traditional families have been decreasing over the years. However, it is not stated anywhere that a traditional family is necessarily better and in some cases, it's not.

There is also the matter of; a father not being able to provide the certain qualities that a mother has and vise-versa. Both males and females are capable of love and responsibility. Furthermore, a male can be extremely effeminate and a women can be very masculine. While it is traditionally the father who teaches their son how to play baseball, it is no way limited to the male gender; females can teach their kids the very same thing. Similarly, a gay man might even be more willing to go girly things with their child, such as cooking and shopping, in order to make sure that the child does not feel the emptiness if a mother figure.

We shouldn't judge whether or not homosexuals are going to be good parents because heterosexuals aren't perfect parents either and should be in no position to point fingers. People say things like homosexual parents are not going to be good parents because they're homosexual and because they will not be able to provide everything a child needs. Well, what about teenage parents? What about addicts who have children? Or prostitutes who have children? How can we judge homosexuals about not being good parents when we have heard of many cases where children commit suicide, run away,  commit a crime, do drugs etc., because their biological parents had not always been there for them when they needed them. There are a lot more cases where heterosexual parents cannot take care of their kids and cannot be a good and responsible parent when compared to homosexual parents. So instead of falling into the false impression that homosexual parents are horrible parents, we should take a moment and think about all of the stories we heard and seen on the news about how some people have been bad parents and could not give their biological child everything they deserved. I'm not stating that homosexual parents are the best parents anyone could ever had, I'm just saying that it's hard to be a parent and if someone is willing to take on that responsibility, then they must posses some good parenting quality in order to take in a child.

Citations:

Health News. (n.d.). Study: Same-Sex Parents Raise Well-Adjusted Kids. WebMD - Better information. Better health.. Retrieved October 26, 2012, from http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/news/20051012/study-same-sex-parents-raise-well-adjusted-kids

Crary, D. (n.d.). Gay Parenting Does Affect Children Differently, Study Finds -- Authors Believe Gay Parents Have "Some Advantages". NARTH . Retrieved October 26, 2012, from http://www.narth.com/docs/does.html

Blake, J. (n.d.). 'Gayby boom': Children of gay couples speak out - CNN.com.CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. Retrieved October 26, 2012, from 

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/06/28/gayby/index.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tW5fzvA8ANY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sTSXVVGYvE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHLQJYEy_64

Religion's Role in Homosexuality

The population of homosexuals have rapidly increased over the years and yet there are still some countries that do not allow any homosexuals to enter mainly because homosexuality goes against their religious beliefs. Everyone says justifies their actions and reasons by saying things like 'our religion forbids this' and 'our religion doesn't believe in this' and even things like 'this is not what is written in our religious texts'. It is not so much what scriptures say about issues like homosexuality that has dominated western thinking, as what they were interpreted to mean. When reciting verses from religious texts, people tend to interpret the religious readings to support their point of view on an issue. There are three main religions that were and still are against the concept of homosexuality; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

In Christianity, the Bible contains twelve mentions on homosexual acts but only four of them directly forbid homosexuality. These four mentioning are a factor to how much a person believes that homosexuality is not a sin. These four mentioning's are:

Lev. 18:22, "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination."
Lev. 20:13, " If there is a man who lies with a male as those who lie with a women, both of them have committed a detestable act; they shall surely be put to death. Their blood guiltiness is upon them."
1 Cor. 6:9-10, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived  neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves  nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
Rom. 1:26-28, "For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural functions for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the women and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper."

In Judaism,  the Torah has one mentioning that is directly pointed towards the belief that homosexuality is a sin. That mentioning is: 

Lev. 18:22, "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination."

 In Islam, there is one Surah in The Holy Qu'ran that had forbid any homosexual activities between two individuals of the same sex. It is Surah Al-'A'raf and it states:

[7:80-82] - Lot when he said to his people, "Do you commit such immortality as no one has preceded you with from among the world? Indeed, you approach men with desire, instead of women. Rather, you are a transgressing people." His people responded by saying, "Evict them from your town. They are people who wish to be pure."

Christianity, Judaism and Islam are three religions that are pretty similar when it comes to certain believes and values. When it comes to the issue of homosexuality,  all three religions have strong beliefs and values that consider homosexuality as a sin. The only difference between the three religions is their reason as to why they believe homosexuality is wrong. In both Christianity and Judaism, they believe that homosexuality is an 'abomination' which translate to 'disgrace'.

But the difference between these two religions is that Reform Jews are now a bit more open to the concept of homosexuality because they believe that they should stand up by people who are being unfairly treated and if they do not, they believe that they are committing a sin. On the other hand, Conservative Christians and Orthodox Jews are completely against homosexuality because they value and abide by old fashion values and they believe that homosexuality is unnatural and it is not what God would have wanted. My interpretation of what Islam believes about homosexuality is  that; God finds the acts of homosexuality to be a misrepresentation of Islam. I believe that in Islam, homosexuality itself is not condemn but sodomy is condemned, either between two males, two females or a male and female.

After reading all of these religious texts, one probably wonders why, for example, only some Christians, Jews, or Muslims support homosexuality and why some do not. I believe that this is influenced by the amount of belief you have in your religion. If you are a hardcore believer in your religion, meaning, if you abide by every single word in your religious books then I believe that your beliefs will abide by whatever your religious texts say. Your opinion on topics such as homosexuality, are based on how strongly you believe in your religion and faith.




Citations:
Slick, M. (n.d.). The Bible and homosexuality? | gay | bible | lesbian | Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. CARM - Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry. Retrieved October 24, 2012, from http://carm.org/bible-homosexuality

Surat Al-'A`raf [7:80-82] - The Noble Qur'an - القرآن الكريم. (n.d.).The Noble Qur'an - القرآن الكريم. Retrieved October 24, 2012, from http://quran.com/7/80-82

Bullough, V. L. (1979). Religion and Homosexuality. Homosexuality, a history(pp. 17-30). New York: New American Library.

Portrayal of Homosexuality in the Media

Media is all around us. It holds a significant role in determining the ways in which society views different groups within its culture. Everywhere you look, every aspect of your life, has been integrated by media and nowadays, homosexuality has become an unavoidable topic in the media.  It is viewed in books, movies, the news, television shows, and even in magazines. Though many individuals view homosexuality as completely normal and do not object to it, there are some individuals that believe it is unnatural, a sin and even immoral. With all of these conflicting opinions about homosexuality floating around, different portrayals and stereotypes are formed, especially through the media. The media takes these portrayals and send intentional or even unintentional messages to the people witnessing them, thereby molding how people view homosexuals and homosexuality. 

Everyday, countless individuals are influenced by television programs which are aired around the world and the influence is endless when it comes to shaping ones perception of man. Homosexuality has started to expand around the 1990's and has brought various changes to the growing world. Although homosexuality was not an open topic to discuss about in the past, is has now become a more comfortable and expressive topic to discuss mainly through media. Television shows such as "Will and Grace", "Pretty Little Liars", "Degrassi", "Grey's Anatomy", "The Real World" and many more, promote homosexuality and provide viewers a positive opinion about homosexuals and homosexuality. Homosexuality and homosexual relationships are now increasingly common due to the evolving coverage about it in the mass media. 

Not only do television dramas promote homosexuality, but TV shows such as "The Ellen Degeneres Show" is wildly popular among many individuals and the host; a homosexual, is loved and respected by many, many individuals. The media establishes a society's norms. It sanctions the standard for what is considered normal behavior for particular groups in a society. Even thought television shows such as The Ellen Degeneres Show are now successful, in the 1990's; when the show first came out, the ratings dropped drastically after Ellen came out on the show as a homosexual. The shows network, ABC, was sharply criticized by anti-gay religious groups for bringing "gay content" into the public eye, This eventually led the network to add a parental supervision warning at the start of each episode and gradually, even after the warning displayed at the beginning of each show, The Ellen Degeneres Show was cancelled in 1998.

The media is mainly responsible for the thoughts and the behaviors of its viewers. It is responsible for the stereotypes and the generalizations that it create for many homosexuals. The media continues to build up the false parodies that all gay men are 'unconventional and very high fashioned', and that they worship their shrines to people like Madonna and Lady Gaga. When clearly, that is just a stereotype created by the media to provide a mental description of how to view homosexuals. 

For example, gay males are viewed as feminine, very fashion orientated, weak, incompetent as a male and are basically viewed as many females are viewed. Lesbians on the other hand, are given the stereotype of being manly, husky, not very fashion orientated, and unable to 'fulfill the duties of a women'. This is where stereotypes need to be eliminated. Yes, there are some gays that are feminine, yes there are some masculine lesbians but the same thing can be said for both heterosexual men and women and yes, some gay men are unsuccessful, up to date with the latest fashion, and sexually active, but in this consumer-driven society this describes a vast majority of the population.


Citations!

Hart J., & Richardson, D. (1981). The theory and practice of homosexuality. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Bullough, V. L. (1979). Homosexuality, a history. New York: New American Library.
Jones, M., & Gelb, D. (n.d.). Homosexuality in the Media — Free Online Course Materials — USU OpenCourseWare . Utah State OpenCourseWare — Free Online Course Materials — USU OpenCourseWare . Retrieved October 22, 2012, from http://ocw.usu.edu/english/introduction-to-writing-academic-prose/homosexuality-in-the-media.html

Is Society Helping the Problem or Increasing It?

Society has an impact on mainly every aspect of an individual’s life. Even making everyday decisions are based on society’s approval. For example, deciding what to wear so that you’re not shunned out by your peers.

We all know that society provides structure, continuity, a sense of community; and to some, a sense of belonging. However, society does “punish” those individuals who think outside or “question the paradigm” and can also favour status quo over change, even if the status quo is discriminatory, unethical or even inhumane. Since homosexuality goes against many paradigms’ created in society, homosexuals now feel compelled and trapped in a world that does not understand them thus committing suicide to end their pain and suffering once and for all.

As a society, we feel that it is our duty to "remove" any kind of issue that may "corrupt our loved ones". Many communities shun out homosexuality because they fear that homosexuals may in influence their own children from straying them from their religions, beliefs or "normal" life. Instead of making the society a "better place" to live or trying to guide children to the right paths, they might not know it, but they're actually not making the society a better place for everyone and they are guiding their children to the right path. 

By trying to remove homosexuals from society, people end up creating more havoc and disputes amongst themselves and in the process, many individuals commit suicide in order to escape the people that are trying to "make society a better place". As for "trying to guide children to the right path", people may not be aware of it, but they are actually teaching their children to discriminate against homosexuals. People tell their children; "you can be anything you want to be", but if a child decides to  come out of the closet about their sexual orientation then all of a sudden, that child is restricted of that freedom.  These people are just sick and tired of being treated as if they aren't human and to them, the only way to escape, is committing suicide; it is absurd that discrimination against homosexuality has gone to this extent.


Among all the suicide attempts in Canada, 1/3 of them are attempted by homosexuals. Homosexuals are constantly afraid of living their life the way they want to because they're afraid of "coming out of the closet" and being rejected. Homosexuals often have trouble accepting their sexual identity and may start hating themselves because of who they are, especially if they come from a strict religious or conservative household/community. To prevent so from happening, homosexuals engage in heterosexual behavior in an effort to change their sexual orientation and feelings towards the same sex. However, they feel like they are living a life full of lies and in order to escape such deception, they commit suicide.

Here are a few very shocking statistics about homosexuals and suicide:

• In a study made by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, they estimated that 30% of “COMPLETED” (not attempted) suicides are committed by homosexuals. That is approximately 1,488 suicides per year.
• Roughly 20% of homosexual teens said they had made an attempt of committing suicide, versus the 4% of heterosexual kids that made an attempt of committing suicide.
• As many as 1 in 3 homosexuals have attempted to commit suicide.
• Scientists believe that 10% of the world population is made up of homosexuals – (For example, if there are 100 people in your class, 10 of them are most likely to be homosexual).
• Homosexual suicide has gone from 2 per 100,000 in 1960 to 17 per 100,000 in today’s generation.

As society evolves, we should be decreasing our social problems and it is expected that we open up to new concepts and welcome all type of people. But as statistics show, the numbers of homosexuals that commit suicide have actually been increasing instead of decreasing. This is very surprising especially since the concept of homosexuality has now been accepted by many individuals compared to say the 1950’s where homosexuality was greatly frowned upon.

Here’s a story about an 11 YEAR OLD BOY who was so sick of the taunting and bullying he received in school about being homosexual, that he decided to commit suicide.

Eleven-year-old Jaheem Herrera woke up on April 16, 2009 acting strangely.  He wasn't hungry and he didn't want to go to school. Jaheem Herrera's mother thinks he hanged himself because he was perpetually bullied at school. But the outgoing fifth grader packed his bag and went to school at Dunaire Elementary School in DeKalb County, Georgia.
He came home much happier than when he left in the morning, smiling as he handed his mother, Masika Bermudez, a glowing report card full of A's and B's. She gave him a high-five and he went upstairs to his room as she prepared dinner.  A little later, when his younger sister called him to come down to eat, Jaheem didn't answer.  So mother and daughter climbed the stairs to Jaheem's room and opened the door.
 
"I always used to see these things on TV, dead people on the news," says Bermudez. "I saw somebody die and to see this dead person is your son, hanging there, a young boy. . . . To hang yourself like that, you've got to really be tired of something."  Bermudez says bullies at school pushed Jaheem over the edge. He complained about being called gay, ugly and "the virgin" because he was from the Virgin Islands, she said. 
 
"He told me, but he just got to the point where he didn't want me to get involved anymore because nothing was done," she said.  Bermudez said she complained to the school about bullying seven or eight times, but it wasn't enough to save him. "It [apparently] just got worse and worse and worse until Thursday," she said. "Just to walk up to that room and see your baby hanging there. My daughter saw this, my baby saw this, and my kids are traumatized."

She said Jaheem was a shy boy just trying to get a good education and make friends.  "He was a nice little boy," Bermudez said through her tears. "He loved to dance. He loved to have fun. He loved to make friends. And all he made [at school] were enemies."  Bermudez said she thinks her son felt like nobody wanted to help him that nobody stood up and stopped the bullies. "Maybe he said 'You know what -- I'm tired of telling my mom, she's been trying so hard, but nobody wants to help me,' " says Bermudez.

After Jaheem's death, the school board expressed condolences, saying the school staff "works diligently to provide a safe and nurturing environment for all students."

Trying desperately to understand what went wrong, Bermudez asked her son's best friend to recount what happened on the day Jaheem killed himself.  "He [said he was] tired of complaining, tired of these guys messing with him," Bermudez said, recalling the conversation with Jaheem's best friend. "Tired of talking, I think to his teachers, counselors and nobody is doing anything -- and the best way out is death." ATLANTA, Georgia (CNN) 


Jaheem was hanging by his belt in the closet. He used to say, "Mom they keep telling me this . . . this gay word, this gay, gay, gay. I'm tired of hearing it, they're telling me the same thing over and over," she told CNN, as she wiped away tears from her face.  But while she says her son complained about the bullying, she had no idea how bad it had gotten.

These are only a few of many video's that show us what the effect of society's negligence and negativity towards homosexuality results in.

Citations:

Denizet-Lewis, B. (n.d.). True Gay Youth Suicide Stories-True Gay Teen Suicide Stories. Is Homosexuality a Choice?-No-Homosexuality is like being Left-Handed. Retrieved October 13, 2012, from http://lakeweedatarrowhead.net/suicidst.htm

Hart, J., & Richardson, D. (1981). The theory and practice of homosexuality. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.

Bullough, V. L. (1979). Homosexuality, a history. New York: New American Library.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PeM9w3L4H6I&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7C8T1qgfIK4

How It All Got Started . . .

Homosexuality has been named among other things a sin, an illness, a way of life, a behavioral disturbance, and a crime. We all know who homosexuals are and what homosexuality is but not everybody knows how the term and concept of homosexuals and homosexuality got started.

 The term homosexual was created by Karl Heinrich Ulrichs (1825 – 1895) a German law student who had been attracted to men since his early teens and had decided that it was about time to figure out what he was feeling and why. The term homosexual comes from the root words “homo” which is Latin for “same” and “sexual” which means “gender” so, “homosexual” is defined as “same gender” in Latin just like heterosexual is defined as “different gender” in Latin.

The actual origin of homosexuality is a very controversial topic and even in today’s modern generation, the foundation of homosexuality is still unknown. But there are many theories that have arisen in order to prove how homosexuality has come to its existence.

Homosexuals are said to have been “born this way”, been enticed into homosexuality by another adult, been turned into homosexuals by the lack of parental control, been infested with a disease, been trapped in a gang that forced this type of behavior, been unable to attract a person of the opposite sex, been sexually deficient, been victims of various kinds of traumatic experiences and have been born at a lower level of human evolution.

 These theories listed above are only few of many theories that have been created to resolve the issue of where homosexuality came from. Just like many other theories, none of these have been proven to be true. One of the earliest theories about homosexuality came from a participant in Plato’s (a famous Greek philosopher) symposium. The participant’s theory stated that mankind was originally formed with individuals that had four arms and four legs that the Gods would then divide into two people. Unlike the others, some of these individuals had been composed of complete male or female elements and after they got separated, they would try to get back to their original half. Thus homosexual as much as heterosexual love was part of nature’s plan.

Even in today’s generation, the truth about where homosexuality has originated from is still unknown. When people say that scientists have proven that homosexuality is something you are born into, they have just drastically misinterpreted scientific findings about homosexuality and have simply overstated or misinterpreted the facts. The fact is scientific study has NOT proven whether or not homosexuality can be born into. More often than not, the person making such a claim knows little more than you do regarding scientific study of the issue. They usually give you a biased answer based no how they feel about homosexuality.

The issue of whether or not homosexuality is a disease is also taken into consideration. Many diseases such as measles, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, crabs and even diphtheria are all contagious diseases that can be spread either sexually or through germs unlike homosexuality. Many female homosexuals give birth to children that grow up in a homosexual household but that child does not necessarily “obtain the disease” because his/her mother(s) is a homosexual. Many individuals have a strong belief in certain issues and if their belief is being questioned, then misinterpret information to prove their point(s). Even though it is not scientifically proven yet, people still believe that homosexuality is a disease that needs to be cured.

This video is an example of an individual who strongly believes that homosexuality is a disease that needs to be cured.

*This video has some coarse language - viewer discretion is advised*  

Citations:

Bullough, V. L. (1979). Past Definitions and Explanations. Homosexuality, a history (pp. 1-16). New                  York: New American Library.

Mondimore, F. M. (1996). A natural history of homosexuality. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press.

Has science proven that homosexuality is in-born and unchangeable?. (n.d.).Harvest USA - Proclaiming Christ as Lord to a Sexually Broken World. Retrieved October 11, 2012, from http://www.harvestusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=49&Ite

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jPu-T4D99Y

What is Homosexuality?

Every individual interprets words differently. For example, the word "bat" could be defined as the sport equipment used in baseball or the  mammal that lives in a cave. Just like the word "bat", "homosexuality" can be interpreted in many different ways. To some, the word homosexuality refers to 'two individuals that are committing a disgusting sin that will disrupt society and set a bad influence for future generations'. To others, homosexuality refers to an individual that has a sexual desire towards another individual of the same sex.

Even in today's generation, some societies frown upon homosexual's                    

and the act of homosexuality itself.  When compared to the 1980's, today's generation has become rapidly more open to homosexuals and the act of homosexuality. In a poll taken during May 20th, 2011,  it showed that 52% of the population consider homosexual's and the act of homosexuality as morally acceptable whereas 43% of the population still considers such people and acts as morally unacceptable.

 Even though most of the population in countries like Canada and America accept homosexuality, there are still some individuals today that want to eliminate homosexuals from society and are willing to do anything to achieve their goal and persuade other's to go against homosexual's.

Citations:

Hoffman, M. C. (n.d.). LifeSiteNews Mobile | As acceptance of homosexuality grows in U.S., slim plurality still opposes gay ‘marriage’. LifeSiteNews Mobile | Home Page. Retrieved October 13, 2012, from http://www.lifesitenews.com/news/as-acceptance-of-homosexuality-grows-in-us-slim-plurality-still-opposes-g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRIruLTmUz0