Homosexuality And Perceptions Of Morality Analysis

Morality is a very esoteric concept that shapes our worldview. Perceptions of morality vary based on our upbringing. I grew up in a small, predominately white, suburban community in New Jersey with conservative values. Sexuality was considered too taboo of a topic for discussion, causing discomfort whenever brought up. Much likes Carly’s parents, my parents also divorced when I was young. Due to a discourse in their parenting styles, my parents allowed me to formulate my own perceptions of morality instead of forcing their beliefs onto me. Similar to Carly, when it came to moral perceptions of transsexuality I was a blank slate. For example, my father’s view of transsexuality is much like Will’s original perception that it is, “a demonstrable

I was primarily influenced and informed by modern media perceptions of the LGBT community such as Jazz Jennings. She provided a realistic model of a trans-individual that I could empathize with, thus constructing my perception on the morality of transsexuality (ABC News, 2013). Within Bohjalian’s novel, sexual reassignment is described by a majority of the small Vermont community as a deviant moral transgression as opposed to its true nature as a process of healing. This message is made most clear through the wording of the petition about teacher morality, “teachers must act morally, honorably, and decently in their private as well as their public lives. They must not court obscenity, prurience, or deviance. They must not advocate perversion,” (Bohjalian, 2000, p. 219). The petition stands as a passive aggressive attempt to demonstrate that Allison’s decision making was morally repugnant. Not only does this petition represent an invasion of Allison’s privacy, it also demonstrates the community’s disrespect for human life by placing a morality value on associating with an individual simply based on their gender

An effective familial support system greatly impact gender perception. As Susan Witt indicates, “the strongest influence on gender role development seems occur within the family setting,” parents pass on their ideologies about gender both overtly and covertly to their children (Brannon, 2011, p. 139). Siblings also tend to influence gender development through their everyday interactions; serving as models, advisors, social partners, and combatants (Brannon, 2011, p. 141). For transgendered individuals especially, familial acceptance of identity is critical to reducing the indicators of distress associated with gender dysphoria such as withdrawal, depression, anger, and anxiety (Issues, 2016). The story of Jazz Jennings demonstrates the efficacy of accepting and supporting a child regardless of gender dysphoria. Due to the large social support system provided by her family, Jazz is able to happily self-identify as female with no evidence of the distressing symptoms associated with gender dysphoria (ABC News, 2013). Forcing or even encouraging a child into gender conformity may send mixed messages that makes their gender-expansive behavior seem wrong or inappropriate. The movie Transamerica provides an excellent example of improper parenting through Bree's mother, Elizabeth. Elizabeth directly disapproves of Bree’s transition, asking questions such as, “how could you do this to me, to