Order now

Sexual Orientation and the Issue of One-Sex Marriage

Introduction

Today, humanity faces many problems that are of economic and social nature. Each country seeks to regulate economic issues, and this is considered to be of the priory. However, it turns out that social issues are much more important. One of the controversial questions is sexual orientation, in particular the same-sex marriages. It is widely discussed because thirty-two states had voted for the banning of the legalization of such non-traditional families. There are two dissimilar opinions concerning this topic. The dilemma is that one can either prove or cut down these points of view.

The choice depends on personal opinion on inherent values. The most renowned American politician, Barack Obama, and his opponent Mitt Romney, who took part in the social liberal movement, dispute about gay marriage and give strong arguments in the support of their dissimilar positions. The US president Obama expresses in favor of the legalization such marriages without any restrictions. Vice versa, Romney is an ardent opponent of the same-sex marriage. It becomes clear that the matter of non-traditional sexual orientation today is widely discussed at the state level. People should start to treat individuals with different sexual orientations more tolerantly, as this phenomenon can be explained by many factors not related to immorality or personal desire of a man.

Positions as to the Same-Sex Marriage

“Obama is known as the first U.S. president who has endorsed the same-sex marriage” (Olson, 2012). When he initiated new changes to the Constitution in May, a society and other politicians reacted differently. The president decided to give the gays a constitutional right to create families because he had the following religious beliefs:

When we think about our faith, the thing at root that we think about is, not only Christ sacrificing himself on our behalf, but it’s also the Golden Rule, you know, treat others the way you would want to be treated. (“The American Gay Rights Movement: A Timeline,” n.d.)

In addition, Obama is against the Clinton’s Defense of Marriage Act. He has a strong position as to recognition of the same-sex marriages by the federal government by the adoption of the state law that supports them. As to the law declared in 1996, Obama believes that it was unconstitutional to define marriage “as a union between only one man and one woman” (Williams, 2012, p.134).

Romney has quite the opposite opinion, and his statements prove the support of the direction against gay relationships. The first thing that he attempts to do is to maintain the Clinton-era law again. In his opinion, an analogous federal constitutional amendment about gays is unacceptable in any individual state. However, many people are sure that Romney is not right, as individuals with non-traditional sexual orientation are not guilty to have dissimilar with most men and women nature. For the latter, it is natural to have relations with the same sex.

Works that Discuss the Problem of Sexual Orientation

Belkin and Canaday’s studies of homosexuality. Numerous works discuss the problem of sexual orientation from the perspective of psychology, politics, religion, morality, etc. Belkin and Canaday emphasize that in some African cultures, homosexual relations are considered acceptable and even encouraged among certain groups. For example, in some northern tribes, homosexual relationships are allowed before marriage. Homosexuality exists in all cultures, but the term "homosexual," which means an individual with different from the majority of the population sexual preferences, emerged relatively recently. In their studies of sexuality, the authors inform that this concept did not exist until the eighteenth century. The church and the law condemned the act of sodomy, and it even led to a death penalty. This fact can explain the reason many people do not admit homosexuality. At the same time, in some non-Western cultures, homosexual relations are considered acceptable and even encouraged among certain groups (Belkin & Canaday, 2010).

Herek’s opinion. Herek in his article touches the question of promotion of homosexuality - a locally-organized or spontaneous pseudo-social activities (applications, behaviors, actions). According to opponents of the movement for the rights of sexual and gender minorities, it was aimed at raising the threshold of acceptability of homosexual behavior and leading to the formation of beliefs about attractive and profitable homosexual way of life. The phrase is used by the main opponents of tolerance of homosexuality who believe that such activities help to attract attention to homosexual relationships, involvement of young people in homosexual relationships, enhance the attractiveness of the homosexual lifestyle, etc. (Herek, 1990).

One of the most important methods of propaganda of homosexuality is the assertion that it does not exist in reality. This allows activists to advocate more effectively and without interference, at the same time accusing opponents of using "ideological clich?s" of homophobia and shying away from the debate on the merits. Gay technologists usually demagogically claim that no one walks with placards such as "Being gay - fashionable, stylish, youth" (Herek, 1990).

The impetus to the emergence of organized opposition to LGBT human rights movement in the United States in 1977 was widely reported in the media campaign of the singer, a Baptist and former beauty queen, Anita Bryant, titled "Save Our Children." It was aimed “to support the repeal of the law in the State of Florida on discrimination at the workplace (especially in schools) based on sexual orientation” (Herek, 1990, p.330).

During her campaign, Bryant stated:

As a mother I know that homosexuals cannot biologically produce their children, so they will recruit ours. . . . If we give rights to gays, then later we will have to give rights to prostitutes and those who sleep with a St. Bernard dog, and other psycho. I do not hate homosexuals, but as a mother I have to protect our children from their bad influence. (Herek, 1990)

Attempts to Explain Various Sexual Orientations

Even in today’s democratic society, persons with different sexual orientations can hardly find a good job as people first build their attitude depending on their stereotyped visions of orientations that are often negative. That is why they do not see the excellent working skills of the homosexuals (Bailey, Wallace, & Wright, 2013).

When discussing the question of homosexuality, one should take into consideration that biology clarifies the same-sex relations as “the complex interplay of genes, hormones, and neural pathways” (S?nchez & Vilain, 2012). The latter generate special types of sexuality that predispose individuals to definite scenarios and sexual behaviors, which sometimes seem mutually special but can be mutually harmonizing (S?nchez & Vilain, 2012). Anthropology, history and sociology prove that societies and cultures differ from each other in the degree of tolerance quantitatively and in quality. They differently construct gender and sexual identities as well as control the related feelings and relationships (S?nchez & Vilain, 2012).

Altogether, there are not one but several regulatory scenarios in any multipart society. They predetermine the individual’s variations of sexual behavior (Lapinski & McKirnan, 2013).

Psychologists state that the trajectory of personal development and its results are not homogeneous. Boys and girls can be less masculine or feminine, and it depends both on their personality and on natural biological features. In addition, this has an impact on the selection of the favorite activities and playmates as well as sexual identity and erotic preferences. Later, all these factors influence on the appearance of relatively stable sexual orientation. Scientists consider it not right to discuss the topic of "right" and "wrong" sexuality because people are to make their own choices (Lapinski & McKirnan, 2013). However, media nowadays offer a wide discussion of the right for an individual to live natural, and people often express their negative and even aggressive opinions concerning the issue.

Political Side of the Issue of Sexual Orientation

Bullough claims that the problem is not so much scientific as it is political. Stigma and discrimination at the time drove a gay ghetto. The recognition of separate identity and civil rights of gays and lesbians is the aim of the liberation movement. These tasks are still not solved. The hatred of homosexuals as well as other similar ideological systems (xenophobia, anti-Semitism, sexism, racism), has not so much individual but rather social roots. The author defines “an ideological system that denies degradation and stigmatizes any non-heterosexual form of behavior, identity, relationship, or community” (Bullough, 1976).

The intensity of heterosexism in society is predetermined by several macro factors. Firstly, it depends on the general level of cultural and social tolerance. Intolerance of differences and authoritarianism are incompatible with sex. From the totalitarian point of view, people who love differently are especially dissident. The most significant prerequisite for sexual pluralism is cultural and political tolerance. Secondly, it depends on the level of sexual concern. The more unisexual the culture is the greater sexual taboos and fears appear (Bullough, 1976).

Thirdly, the level of sexism and sexual chauvinism is also important. The main socio-historical role of heterosexism is maintaining the inviolability of sexual stratification that is based on the hegemony of a male and their domination. As a rule, fixed heterosexuality supports the traditional institution of marriage and patriarchal relations. According to it, “women are the second-class citizens whose primary function is procreation and sexual service of men” (Bullough, 1976).

Fourth, it is traditional to each ideology, particularly religion, to make stereotypes of the sexual orientation. For example, in Christianity, the characterization of same-sex love is quite negative. It arises from the common ideological prejudice and persecution that is linked with the negative attitude to the world of sensuality. Eventually, “the church will have to repent this sin as well as religious intolerance” (Bullough, 1976).

Fifth, the role of the general level of education and sex education of society should be mentioned. Although education in itself does not relieve people from prejudice and preconceptions, it makes it easier to overcome them. However, it is important not only for a common but also for sexual education, which includes understanding the multiplicity of functions and meanings of sexual behavior. Sex education is a cognitive premise of sexual tolerance (Bullough, 1976). Sixth, one should pay attention to socio-political factors as well as to other social fears and forms of group hatred as heterosexism is usually exacerbated in times of social crisis when someone needs a visible enemy or scapegoat, and it is easy to create an atmosphere of moral panic (Bullough, 1976).

British sociologist, Stanley Cohen (1993), explained socio-psychological mechanisms of this phenomenon in the following way:

A certain circumstance, a phenomenon that a person or group of persons are beginning to define as a threat to general social values and interests, the media portray them a stylized and stereotypical manner; moral barricades are filled with publishers, bishops, politicians and other faithful people, socio-recognized experts announce their diagnoses and recommendations, produce or, more often, using special methods of fighting, and after that the phenomenon disappears, is suppressed or worse. . . Sometimes the panic passes or forgotten, but at other times it has more serious and long-lasting effects and can produce changes in the legal and social policy or even in the how society view themselves. (p. 103)

Conclusion

No one can easily give a definite answer to the issue of one-sex marriage. The reason is that an ordinary person with a traditional sexual orientation can hardly imagine that individuals with similar orientation are ordinary people but with a different nature. However, it is also not proved that these people were born different as well as they simply have some psychical peculiarities. In any case, each country’s Constitution serves to protect the right of each individual. Thus, as all people have equal rights, gays and lesbians have a right to demand the same priorities in laws, regulating family and marriage as well as anti-discrimination laws. In case it is not a deviation, such people can legalize their relations and have the right to do this as all other do in the form of marriage. Another side of the discussed problem is the religious attitude to one-sex relations.

The opposite positions describe non-traditional sex orientation as a norm, which does not contradict the God’s rules, and as fall from grace and debauchery. However, people are all God’s creatures, born with some sovereign plan. Therefore, I find Obama’s position as for the issue of non-traditional sexual orientation the most correct and tolerant because all citizens of the country, including gays and lesbians, have equal rights and responsibilities. There should not be disputes about the necessity of the legalization of one-sex marriages. People who are against the same-sex relations do not think that their intolerance can make gays and lesbians’ lives horrible and lead to numerous attempts of suicide and other tragedy cases. Living in a democratic state, one should remember that each person has an equal right to marry and even have children.

call us
scroll to top
live-chat-button