Three Dimensions to Classify People's Sexual Orientation

882 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: History

Homosexuality is a sexual behavior with sexual attraction to, or sexual preference for, a

person of the same gender. The different types of homosexuality are bisexual, heterosexual, and

ambisexual. Bisexual is between someone and partners of both gender. Heterosexual is between

someone and partners of opposite gender. Ambisexual is simply liking sex with the partner(s);

gender being irrelevant. One author wrote, “The tendency to define a person as homosexual,

regardless of the amount of heterosexual experience that person has, is an attempt by people

to divide the world into two groups – one’s own group, which is pure, and another group,

which viewed negatively, inferior, and to keep one’s own group pure (Elliot 42). Some recent

studies use three dimensions of behavior, identity, or desire in order to classify people’s sexual

orientation. Science is dismantling the notation that homosexuality is either a lifestyle choice or a

mental illness.

Opponents of homosexuality usually reject any biological explanation, saying

homosexuality is a learned behavior and, regardless of why it was learned, is a freely chosen

behavior that can and should be changed by therapy. Psychological explanations say that sexual

development is influenced by circumstances in one’s life such as confused gender roles, fear of

heterosexuality or positive or negative reinforcement of early sexual behavior (Cavendish 202).

Until the 1970 Gay Liberation Movement, homosexuality was a taboo topic in American society

(Templin 84). There had been a flourishing underground gay culture during the 1920s, but by the

1930s homosexuals were regarded as perverts and treated with hostility. Anti-homosexual

attitudes intensified during the ...

... middle of paper ...

...ls found his

body in a river over a bridge, he was thrown over the bridge.

Nicole Nors

English F

January 10, 2014

Charlie Howard lost his life because he stood up for himself and did not let anyone tell

him who to be and how he should run his life. No matter what he did, his problems always

followed him.

Works Cited

Carnes, Jim, Harry A. Blackmun, and Herbert Tauss. Us and Them: A History of Intolerance in

America. New York: Oxford UP, 1996. Print.

"Discrimination against Homosexuals Varies across Cultures." NewsBank. Nathan Elliot, n.d.

Web. 04 Nov. 2013.

"Are Homosexuals Treated Fairly in School?" Teen Ink. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2013.

Templin, Floyd F. An American in the 20th Century. [Place of Publication Not Identified]: Floyd

E. Templin, 1998. Print.

Roth, John K. Encyclopedia of Social Issues. New York: Marshall Cavendish, 1997. Print.

Show More
Related

  • The Role Of Collectivism In Ayn Rand's Anthem

    604 Words  | 2 Pages

    It is you’re "in group. " You identify most with your family and other people are not as important to you. When you do this, you form the idea that you are different from everyone else. In this book, the leaders want everyone to be the same so that they will not try to rebel against the society. The leaders want everyone to think the same so that there will be complete social

    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

  • Causes of Homosexuality - Nature AND Nuture

    551 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first possible cause of homosexuality is genetic factors. Homosexuality is a trait from birth (Buchanan, 2000). Studies found that identical twins share many common traits. A study found that identical twins normally share homosexual behavior if one of them is homosexual. This proved that genes are likely to cause homosexuality. In addition, according to (Santinover, 2002), homosexuality is a heritable behavior. Based on heritability studies, almost any human trait is heritable including the homosexual behavior. He stated that behavioral genes are found in specific chromosome. Thus, the behavior is obviously heritable. Moreover, Italian University of Padova (2004) believes that homosexual trait is passed from mother to male offspring by natural ...

    Read More

  • Born Gay: Truth and Circumstances.

    1431 Words  | 3 Pages

    For years homosexuality in the United States of America has been looked down upon by citizens, religions, and even politicians. The homosexual culture, or the LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender), has been demoralized and stuck out and lashed against by the Heterosexual community time and time again. To better understand the LGBT community we must first grasp the concept of Sexual Orientation.

    Read More

  • Homosexuality Research

    2650 Words  | 6 Pages

    Scientists have asked the question of whether homosexuality is a choice or something the individual has no control over. The search for the ‘gay gene’ is a relatively new study. According to Pease and Bull (2000) the physical sex of an organism is determined by the gonad type, testes or ovaries, as well as secondary sexual traits. An organisms sexual preference is determined by its preferred sexual partner, if the organism prefers to have sex with its own sex, it is classed as homosexual, however if it prefers to have sex with the opposite sex, it is classed as heterosexual. Gender identity is a separate topic that is very pertinent. G-+ender identity is how an organism sees itself, is it male or is it female. The gender identity of an organism can be separated from the sexual preferences, for example, a male who sees himself as female may still have a sexual preference for woman.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Heterosexuality

    805 Words  | 2 Pages

    By analyzing my very own personal investment in the idea that heterosexuality is normal, I have realized that I am currently and that I used to deliberately present myself in a heterosexual persona to the world at large. Personally, when I was young, I used to be uncomfortable with women who broke the social norms of heteronormativity in public. I remember feeling anxious, and believing that one day soon society would perceive me as a divergent towards the norms because I hang out with women who didn’t present a heterosexual persona. I feared unspeakable things that would happen to me once I lost my privileges of being perceived as the ‘good’ heterosexual female. The lost of my social standing in society scared me; I was already a minority,

    Read More

  • Homosexuality And Homosexuality

    1530 Words  | 4 Pages

    Homosexuality can be described as a romantic or sexual attraction or act between people of the same gender, and it can also be a term used to refer to a person's sense of identity based on the same attractions or behaviors. Homosexuality is among the three main categories of sexual orientation, alongside heterosexuality and bisexuality, and up to the present day, the scientists have not been able to know the factors that determine the sexual orientation of different people. Some of them, however, guess that sexual orientation of different people is caused by a complex interplay of the hormonal, genetic and environmental influences, and it is not a choice for the people concerned.

    Read More

  • Normative Age Graded And Non Normative Life Events

    1077 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...lopment is contextual and can change by big or small impacts just like people can be changed by good or bad influences. As humans we constantly change due to our changing environment. Because of these changes three major factors can have an impact on us: normative age-graded and normative history-graded influences and non-normative life events. These three factors can either have a biological or environmental influences on an individual’s development. A normative age-graded and normative history-graded influence that has occurred in my life was getting my driver’s license at the age of sixteen and experiencing the legalization of same-sex marriage. A non-normative life event that I experienced was getting adopted from Russia at the age of eight. All these influences have impacted my development and my character one way or another and have made me the person I am today

    Read More

  • Asexuality and the Brain

    1357 Words  | 3 Pages

    Despite the large collection of literature of sexuality that has been accumulating, human asexuality has been largely ignored. Asexuality is controversially considered to be a sexual orientation and people who identify as asexual are people who typically do not experience sexual attraction (Asexuality Visibility and Education Network, 2013). Though research on sex and sexual orientations has been done for centuries, the first real suggestion that there might be people who fall outside of the heterosexual – homosexual orientation spectrum came from Kinsey and colleagues in 1948. These individuals were put into a separate category and were identified as having no erotic response to hetero- or homosexual stimuli, but otherwise they were largely ignored by the researchers (Kinsey, 1953). Later, researchers linked asexuality with negative traits and pathologies, including depression and lower self-esteem (Masters, Johnson, & Kolodny, 1986; Nuius, 1983). An issue with these studies, however, is that the researchers defined asexuality in a way that most current asexuals do not agree with. For example, in a study done by Bell and Weinberg (1978), there were references made to asexual homosexuals who simply hid their homosexuality. Many asexuals, otherwise known as Aces, would struggle with this definition because homosexuality implies a type of sexual attraction: attraction to your same sex. Because Aces typically do not feel sexual attraction to anyone or anything, they should not be classified under the same label as a closeted homosexual. Another issue is that none of these studies actually focused on asexuality. Instead, they were added on the side and generally ignored.

    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

  • Sexual Attraction Essay

    1822 Words  | 4 Pages

    Sexual attraction is an everyday part of life that has different effects on each person. In the following paper I am going to discuss the different types of sexual attraction for adolescences ages 12-20, early adulthood ages 20-30, mature adulthood 30-65, and older adults age 65 and older. Sexual attraction: which sex are you attracted to, or are you attracted to both men and women? Then we have sexual behavior: what sex are your partners? And finally, we have sexual identity: how do you think of yourself are you gay, straight, or bisexual? Some of us develop feelings of attraction to a one type of sex before we self-label

    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

  • Understanding Homosexuality: Nature or Nurture?

    847 Words  | 2 Pages

    Even though it is against nature, some individuals are born with complete desire to same sex. Abraham Verghese in his article A fresh look at homosexuality said, “While welcoming and agreeing with a positive perception of homosexuality, it is difficult to accept the position that homosexuality is a normal psychosexual development. A normal variant cannot be considered completely normal. It is, in fact, an aberration in the psychosexual development, caused by genetic and psychosocial factors for which the person is not responsible. There are research findings, which suggest that there are structural differences in the brains of people with homosexual orientation.”(qdt pg 1) This quote proves the claim of having a different biological format for homosexuals from any normal heterosexual. These cases are completely helpless and have nothing to do with being homosexuals; it is a natural stimulus that they were born with. Therefore in such cases, it is critical to understand that they have no control over their unnatural

    Read More

  • Personality and Sexual Orientation

    1160 Words  | 3 Pages

    Sexual orientation is a key aspect in any person’s life. The way of life for a gay, lesbian, and all sexual minorities are drastically different than those who are heterosexual. The critical time period for sexual development is in the early stages of childhood. Although childhood is a critical period, many studies have been conducted ranging from those in their twenties and thirties (Carver, Perry, & Egan, 2004). Storms (1981) believes that the content of one’s sexual fantasies that arouses the stimuli of their erotic orientation. Storms (1981) also stated that sexual orientation is a combination of social development and sexual development that takes place during an individual’...

    Read More

  • Gender Identity and Sexual Orientation

    3600 Words  | 8 Pages

    In order to discuss the biology of gender identity and sexual orientation, it is necessary to first examine the differences between multiple definitions that are often mistakenly interchanged: sex, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity. Sexual orientation is defined by LeVay (2011) as “the trait that predisposes us to experience sexual attraction to people of the same sex as ourselves, to persons of the other sex, or to both sexes” (p. 1). The typical categories of sexual orientation are homosexual, heterosexual and bisexual. Vrangalova and Savin-Williams (2012) found that most people identify as heterosexual, but there are also groups of people that identify as mostly heterosexual and mostly gay within the three traditional categories (p. 89). This is to say that there are not three concrete groups, but sexual orientation is a continuum and one can even fluctuate on it over time. LeVay (2011) also defines gender as “the ...

    Read More

More about Three Dimensions to Classify People's Sexual Orientation

Open Document