RESOLVING PEOPLE'S CONFLICTING BELIEFS ABOUT HOMOSEXUALITY

Why is it such a prominent topic now?

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Stability and change in society's beliefs:

It may be helpful to look at the recent history of homosexuality in North America.

In the early 1950s, there was a near consensus in North America that gays, lesbians, and bisexuals  were mentally disordered individuals engaging in obscene, perverted sexual behavior. Same-gender sexual behavior was considered a criminal act in all jurisdictions. "The legal penalties for homosexual behavior were severe. The psychiatric diagnosis was severe and pervasive emotional disorder. There were simply no [available] scientific data about non-imprisoned, non-patient homosexuals." ₁ Bisexuals were often considered to be homosexuals who were too timid to recognize the truth about themselves. Almost all gays, lesbians, and bisexuals remained deeply in "the closet." Very few heterosexuals were unaware of having met one. The author of this essay, a heterosexual, was in his mid 40's before he first knowingly met a gay person. It happened at a distress/crisis center training course. One of the lecturers was from the Queen's Homophile Society at the local university. Surprising at the time, he looked and acted rather normal.

Many people's basic attitudes on sexual and other behavioral matters are established early in life and are quite resistant to change. Thus, cultural change within a country happens slowly. This has been the rule in the past over topics like human slavery, inoculation of children against diseases, allowing women to vote, dismantling racial segregation, contraception, abortion, equal rights for women, etc. It is true today concerning the death penalty, spanking children, physician assisted suicide, etc. It will probably be true in the future concerning those topics which are only dimly perceived at this time, like equal rights for transsexuals and intersexuals.

During the five decades from the early 1950s until now, many people have retained their beliefs about homosexuality unchanged. But others have gradually modified their opinions. It took a full generation from the time that Dr. Evelyn Hooker first started to study homosexuality until the mental health professionals at the American Psychiatric Association decided that homosexuality should no longer be considered a mental illness. It took another generation before a significant percentage of adults, and a larger percentage of youth, started to accept homosexuality as a normal minority sexual orientation.

By 2003, there are diverse beliefs about homosexuality and homosexuality in North America.

Significant events affecting homosexuals and bisexuals:

Many firsts were recorded in the 1950s and 1960s:

Since then, gays, lesbians and bisexuals have actively pursued what is commonly referred to as the "gay agenda." It has two objectives:

They have been active in many areas: from human sexuality courses in schools to the right to visit their partner in hospital; from family benefits in employment, to the right to inherit their partner's assets at death; from protection against gay bashing and other hate-motivated crimes, to the elimination of laws criminalizing same-sex behavior in private; from the right to collect alimony to the right to marry; etc.

Many mainline religious denominations have been discussing what has been referred to as "the issue" for many years. Church gatherings have debated whether to bless same-sex unions with a church ritual, and/or whether to consider candidates for ordination who are involved in a sexually-active same-sex relationship. The debate is now so bitter that it threatens to cause schisms in many denominations, much as debates over human slavery in the 19^th century and conflict over female ordination did in the 20^th century.

By 2003-JAN, over 1,700 Gay-Straight Alliances have been organized the U.S. These are student-organized and student-run special interest clubs, generally in high schools. Their goal is mutual support and a lessening of harassment of gay, lesbian and bisexual students in school.

Why have gay rights become so prominent now?

Equal rights for lesbians, gays and bisexuals has been a topic that has been simmering for many years. Gay-positive groups have gradually attempted to achieve equality: company by company, municipality by municipality, and state by state. The topic rapidly came to a boil during the summer of 2003 with the unusual coincidence of four important events:

References:

1. "Evelyn Hooker, Ph.D.," University of California, Davis, at: http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/

Copyright © 2003 by Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance
Originally written: 2003-SEP-4
Latest update: 2003-SEP-8
Author: B.A. Robinson