No One Is Born Gay Essay

619 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: How do the media represents identity

Stirling McKelvie
Dr. Ellerbe
SOC2090-001; Social Problems
16 September 2016
Course Relevance Paper #2
Is Sexuality a Choice or Not?
Intro
Jane Ward, a queer feminist, wrote the article “No One is Born Gay (or Straight): Here are 5 Reasons Why.” In this article, she dismisses scientific claims as to whether a person is born with the sexual orientation they identify with. Ward explores cultural norms, providing insight into her own life, and breaks stereotypes to prove that no one is inherently born with sexual preferences. In addition, she compares a society of the past to ours today to prove that bias plays a role in how we view orientation. This paper will demonstrate how this article ties to the Functionalist Perspective of Chapter 5.
Chapter 5 Relevance According to the Functionalist Perspective explained in chapter 5, we live in a heteronormative society and it is a standard to be straight. Therefore we are conditioned into that particular sexuality, which Ward also states in her article. This article also relates to this section because it pertains to the idea of social order and its values. Our society perpetuates heterosexual relationships through social and …show more content…

However, after the shock wore off came understanding. I used to think we were born with a sexual orientation and there was no way of changing it. However, I have come to the realization that there is no gene for our sexuality, but rather that we are a product of our environment. I have concluded that just like gender, sexuality is a social construct. Our society and culture molds us into the people that we are today. I feel like people say that they were “born this way” because they do not want to have their feelings or identity invalidated. But because of how heteronormative our society is, no one believes that a straight person is going through a phase solely because it is the just

Show More
Related

  • Robin Dembroff Concept Of Sexual Orientation

    172 Words  | 1 Pages

    Robin Dembroff argues that sexual orientation is determined by bidimensional dispositionalism (BD), meaning that ones sexual orientation is a result of their disposition to freely and naturally engage in certain sexual behaviors under normal conditions. The way Dembroff approaches the topic of sexual orientation allows for an openness in which heterosexuality is not the assumed normal sexual orientation and instead we solely characterize individuals based off of how they respond to and interact with others. To further clarify, under Dembroff’s concept, a lesbian woman would be grouped in the same category as a heterosexual man due to both being disposed to naturally gravitate towards women. One of the intended goals of Dembroff’s concept is

    Read More

  • The Myth Of The Black Rapist Essay

    1174 Words  | 3 Pages

    Over the past couple centuries that the United States has existed, society has always had a judgement to make on one’s sexuality. At the head of society has consistently been white, Christian, hetereosexual males; therefore, they had the power to define sexual and societal norms. As a result, judgements on one’s sexuality have always intersected with one’s race, class or gender, groups of people that are not dominating society.

    Read More

  • Sex, Gender and Sexual Orientation are Determined Genetically

    1171 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...were initially skeptical, until gradually, the weight of scientific fact has shifted the opinion to the belief in these views. As seen in the film, Paris is Burning, homosexuality is not much of a choice, but a way of life that not many would chose living unless biologically destined to be. We must trust that the very knowledge of the natural and biological springs of sexual abnormality will bring about the recognition that the syndrome is natural, and may change our perceptions of what is normal. After all, the problem, such as Bornstein stated, is with our intolerance that they do not conform with what we think is 'normal' gender identity and sexual behavior. Though it is our biologically wired mind that makes us intolerable and aggressive to the 'outsider', it is our duty as a society to erase this ignorance by education of the genetically sexual 'deviant' ones.

    Read More

  • Nature vs Nurture: The Influence on Gender Identity

    746 Words  | 2 Pages

    52% of teenagers do not identify as exclusively heterosexual. (according to a report by the J. Walter Thompson Innovation Group) 35% of millennials fall in the same category, and the percentage keeps declining as you move to older generations. This is because gender identity is not primarily caused by nature, but by things like upbringing, your environment, and your education. My partner and I stand in affirmation of the following resolution: Gender identity is caused more by nurture rather than nature. We will argue this case with the following two contentions:

    Read More

  • Ambrosino's I Am Gay-But I Wasn T Born This Way

    462 Words  | 1 Pages

    In Brandon Ambrosino’s “I am Gay – but I Wasn't Born This Way”, the author states his reasoning as to why he believes he chose to be gay. Being one of the few who questions the born this way ideology, Ambrosino, along with other LGBTQ activists, are “cast as homophobic, and their thinking is considered backward”(par 10). However, just because an argument like this is popular, it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true. Even scientific organizations like the American Psychological Association (APA) believes that people have no control over their sexual orientations, however, no findings have been found that determine if sexual orientation is determined from hormones, genetics, or cultural influences(par 21), therefore contradicting the previous claim.

    Read More

  • Legalizing Prostitution

    2503 Words  | 6 Pages

    Milstein, Susan A. Taking Sides Clashing Views in Human Sexuality. Ed. William J. Taverner and Ryan W. McKee. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2009. Print.

    Read More

  • The Gay Gene

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    Though many researchers will agree that homosexuality is not genetic, still, others beg to differ. HRC.org published an article entitled “Guide to Coming Out,” the article states ‘sexuality and gender identity are not choices any more than being left-handed or having brown eyes or being heterosexual are choices…The choice is in deciding how to live your life.’ With society always shoving their view into the minds of Americans second of everyday, it is not that hard to see where the confusion arises.

    Read More

  • Sexuality Is Gendered Essay

    1580 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sexuality is a fundamental part of our self-discovery, involving much more than just being genetically or anatomically male and female and it is not defined solely by one 's sexual acts (Ministry of Education 1989, p.79 cited in Gourlay, P 1995). The notion that sexuality is fixed and innate disregards the social aspects that impact ones’ sexualities. Gagnon and Simon (1973) further commented that sexuality is a feature of social

    Read More

  • Sexual Orientation: Is It a Choice?

    1857 Words  | 4 Pages

    From the moment people born, there are certain basic functions that will be with them throughout their lives. The abilities to eat, breathe, sleep, or to have the capacity to learn are a natural occurrence for most people. There are, however, traits that are specific to each individual. They are traits that set them apart from everyone else. The traits such as eye color, ones dominate hand, or susceptibility to a specific disease are a few traits that aren’t easily changed. However, there are some that are controversially questioned as to whether or not one is born with the trait or if it is a learned behavior. One of the biggest of these controversies is the question of whether sexual orientation is a choice or something that is beyond the individual’s influence. Although the evidence is commonly disregarded because of personal beliefs or opinions, sexual orientation is not a choice.

    Read More

  • Growing Up Gay

    2523 Words  | 6 Pages

    But during this period of adolescence, I never really thought about what I was. All the things that took place in the emotional-sexual realm were, admittedly, real and concrete to me: I experienced real feelings for other boys (love, infatuation, sexual attraction). But at the same time, on an "intellectual" level, I never confronted these feelings, and so I continued having them without worrying about them or trying to transform them in any way. They just were, and that was fine with me. While some opponents of homosexuality often claim that it is "unnatural" (a claim which is thoroughly refuted in the essay "Homosexuality and the 'Unnaturalness Argument'"), for me, my homosexual feelings were very natural indeed.

    Read More

  • How Sexuality is Socially Constructed

    2048 Words  | 5 Pages

    From birth, one's sexuality is shaped by society. Cultures institute behaviors that are to be seen as the societal norms, which work to constantly reinforce societal expectations of how genders should act in relation to one another. Although some may argue that one's sexuality is an innate characteristic resulting from genetic makeup, there is a large amount of evidence pointing to its social construction instead. Through the power differences between males and females, established gender roles, and drastic economic shifts, society establishes sexuality and reinforces the behaviors that are expected of its citizens.

    Read More

  • The Ethics of Homosexuality

    1649 Words  | 4 Pages

    Stein, Edward. The Mismeasure of Desire: The Science, Theory, and Ethics of Sexual Orientation. New York, NY: Oxford UP, 1999. Print. 20 Oct. 2011

    Read More

  • Homosexuality: Nature vs. Nurture

    849 Words  | 2 Pages

    There are many people who are firm believers that if you are gay, you were born that way and it has nothing to do with your surrounding environment. There have been lots of scientific research and studies done to help prove this side. For example, many scientists have done in depth studies on th...

    Read More

  • Gender and Sexuality

    2683 Words  | 6 Pages

    Gender and sexuality can be comprehended through social science. Social science is “the study of human society and of individual relationships in and to society” (free dictionary, 2009). The study of social science deals with different aspects of society such as politics, economics, and the social aspects of society. Gender identity is closely interlinked with social science as it is based on an identity of an individual in the society. Sexuality is “the condition of being characterized and distinguished by sex” (free dictionary, 2009). There are different gender identities such as male, female, gay, lesbian, transgender, and bisexual that exists all around the world. There is inequality in gender identities and dominance of a male regardless of which sexuality they fall under. The males are superior over the females and gays superior over the lesbians, however it different depending on the place and circumstances. This paper will look at the gender roles and stereotypes, social policy, and homosexuality from a modern and a traditional society perspective. The three different areas will be compared by the two different societies to understand how much changes has occurred and whether or not anything has really changed. In general a traditional society is more conservative where as a modern society is fundamentally liberal. This is to say that a traditional society lists certain roles depending on the gender and there are stereotypes that are connected with the genders. One must obey the one that is dominant and make decisions. On the other hand, a modern society is lenient, It accepts the individual’s identity and sexuality. There is no inequality and everyone in the society is to be seen as individuals not a part of a family unit...

    Read More

  • Nature vs. Nurture Essay

    2113 Words  | 5 Pages

    The sexual orientation of a person has been a critical debate over the past several centuries. For several...

    Read More

More about No One Is Born Gay Essay

Open Document