By Shounak Dharap:
We all remember the relatively recent decision on Proposition 8 – the event that brought back the topic of homosexuality to our minds in full. It is appalling for me to see the violently forceful stance people take against homosexuality, despite the fact that it is a naturally occurring, biological process that has been present for millions of years. The homosexual stigma is a fairly recent occurrence, and the resistance against homosexual marriage is easily comparable to racism in the early and mid 1900’s.
We can remember the case of Loving v Virginia (1967), where Mildred Jeter, a black woman, and Richard Loving, a white man, were found guilty of violating Virginia’s miscegenation law and the ban against interracial marriages. They were forced to leave the state, but the Supreme Court found the law as undue interference with “the fundamental freedom” of marriage.
Now, looking back, who among us is not shocked at the extent to which restrictions were placed on marriage, simply due to skin color – simply due to difference? But I digress.
The point is that resistance to gay marriage is to our current society what interracial marriage was to the 1960’s. Similar to race, homosexuality is a genetic trait. Who are we to decide that someone cannot express his or her love simply because of genes? How is this any different than racism?
Of course, those who oppose homosexuality generally view it a social or psychological disease – one that can be prevented, or “cured.” Did you know that people used to try to “cure” left-handedness? Now we view that as a ridiculous, backward, biologically ignorant view, but it is certainly no more absurd than treating homosexuality as a curable disease. The fact is that homosexuality has been around for damn near forever, and it would behoove us to learn a little bit about it before ignorantly condemning it.
Before the introduction of Abrahamic (that’s Christian, Jewish, and Muslim) laws, which banned it, homosexuality was openly practiced. Before the arrival of European explorers and colonialists, homosexuality was widely practiced in Africa. Azande warriors in the Congo took young male lovers, and women in Lesotho generally engaged in long term, same-sex relationships.
In fact, the first recorded homosexual couple in history was Khumhotep and Niankhkhnum, and Egyptian male couple living in 2400 BCE. In the Middle East, South, and Central Asia, homosexuality was also widely practiced and accepted. In fact, a rich tradition of art and literature sprang from homosexuality in the Middle East to Southern India. However, current governments in the Middle East often deny the existence of accepted homosexual practices in their history. In China, homosexuality was known as “pleasures of the bitten peach”, “the cut sleeve”, or “the southern custom”.
In Japan, homosexuality in culture was influence by China, and an integral part of the samurai culture. In Europe, the earliest recordings of homosexuality are linked to the Ancient Greeks, who often took young male lovers. The same is true for Ancient Rome, and most of Renaissance Europe.
Homosexuality was also present in the indigenous American people. These people were known as “Two-Spirits”, and generally became shamans. Of course when the Spanish came to the Americas, they attempted to eliminate the openly practiced homosexuality with severe punishments such as public execution, burning, and being torn to pieces by dogs. So as you can see, homosexuality has been practiced for ages by peoples who never interacted. It was not a social phenomenon that was passed on through cultural exchange, but developed independently, yet similarly, all throughout the world. This points to a clear genetic link. Furthermore, homosexuality is not only present in humans, but in the entire animal kingdom, lending proof to the genetic link to homosexuality.
Fruit flies, dragonflies, and lizards have been observed in homosexual behavior, but that is only the tip of the iceberg. In fact, almost all animals engage in homosexuality; the most homosexually active group being mammals. In giraffes, for instance, 9 out of 10 sexual encounters leading to orgasm occur between two males. Bottlenose dolphins, apes, bison, lions, and sheep all exhibit large (above 50% of the population) amounts of homosexual behavior. You may ask yourself, in what possible way could this be “evolutionarily sanctioned”, so to speak? It turns out that sex, especially in mammals, is not purely a means to procreate. Sex creates strong social ties and group bonds between animals of the same sex that help keep these animals alive, and may even be a counter measure or check on population growth.
In humans, there are a variety of biological clues that link genetics to homosexuality. Gay men and straight women have larger right-brain hemispheres, while on average, lesbian women and straight men have larger left-brain hemispheres. The suprachiasmatic nucleas – the part of your brain responsible for controlling your circadian rhythm (sleep cycle) is larger in gay men. Gay men (and here’s an interesting fact), have on average, longer and thicker penises than non-gay men. Homosexuals emit different underarm odors than heterosexuals, and the finger-length ratios differ between gay men and straight men. Additionally, gay and non-gay peoples’ brains respond differently to sex pheromones. All of this aforementioned evidence clearly shows that while there may not be a clear “gay” gene, homosexuality is genetically linked.
To deny the link between genetics and homosexuality is a luxury afforded by the ignorant, and one that we should not be too quick to adopt. What is it that scares people so much about homosexuality? It is the fear of the unknown – the fear of something we cannot understand.
Instead of sitting complacently and allowing our opinions to become biased without the slightest knowledge of the subject at hand, we must actually take proactive steps to understanding something we do not understand. Ignorance is not bliss, and it breeds mistrust and fear. Its time to see the world for what it is instead of spitting generalizations and stereotypes.
It is said that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it. That’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re acting like it’s the 1950’s again, and that is unacceptable. For the record, even “lower animals” have more sense than us. There are no conflicts, no hate crimes, no prejudice against others of the same species due to sexual orientation. So get your heads out of your asses and try to understand something before you go ahead and condemn it. Hopefully this article is a springboard to open up the minds of those whose are not, and to perhaps educate the rest of you in an effort to clear away ignorance about the subject and hopefully lead to a more peaceful world. Or at least a more agreeable one.
Have an opinion or comment? Sound off in the comment section to the right!
Shounak,
My respond and -not a reaction- to your article is that You have cultivated broader views and vision and supported your point of view with logical and rational arguments.
However society would resist as it resisted on previous occasions.That is also natural.
Best approach according to me is that, one should be truthful to one’s opinion,express it and –be done with it. Jay Gurudev.
Arvind.
With it’s increasing acceptance by a large segment of our society, the issue of homosexuality has put many of us in sort of cognitive dissonance. I find myself in that group. One part of me believes that the freedom to pick one’s sexual partner, (providing that they are of legal age), should not be impeded by any social or legal restraints. Another part of me feels that it is wrong; that not only is it against God, it is against nature. God, mother nature, evolution-whatever you believe in-seems to have had a plan when men were given a penis and women were given a vagina. They are pieces of a puzzle that fit together perfectly. Why put a square peg in a round hole?
I consider myself a Christian, (albeit not a very good one), but am by no means a bible thumper. However, I have read the book on several occasions and it is very clear on the subject of “alternative lifestyles”. Leviticus 20:13 states: “If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them”. Serious dissonance occurred when I first read that. I’ve met some fine people who just happened to be gay. (No, I didn’t have sex with them.) Some of the most talented people I’ve ever met have been. Hell, half of Hollywood seems to be homosexual these days. Do I think these people should be put to death? Hell no! Thus, I’m schizophrenic on the subject.
Whether one is born with this disposition or has acquired it is a topic I’m not conflicted about. I believe it is learned behavior. I once had a serious argument with someone on this point. They insisted that they were gay from the moment of conception. I obviously disagreed. I don’t believe God, (mother nature for you atheists), makes mistakes.
Undoubtedly, this essay will piss off a few people. I make no apologies. We live in a society that very effectively blurs the line between moral and immoral behavior. You sometimes have to take an unpopular stand.
“I don’t believe God, (mother nature for you atheists), makes mistakes.”
I know a man who is severely disabled. His development froze at the age of 2. He can’t wipe his own ass, feed himself, clothe himself, or bath himself.
I don’t mean to discount your argument with anecdotal reasoning, however, there are countless situations of people born with physical short-comings.
However, people are also born with moral short-comings. In other words, there are evil people, born disturbed. There are several occasions of mad-men, born into “morally pleasant” families.
Now, I understand, that under most circumstances, people generally embody a combination of genetic and environmental influences. This foments an epic struggle for man.
This is the married man, or congressman, who solicits homosexual activity in airport bathrooms.
This is also the man who undergoes a raskolnokavian struggle after murder.
My point is this:
I accept homosexuality is genetic and biologic, just like the tendency to murder, rape, drink, etc…
The quest now is to find reasons why homosexuality should be restrained.
The cases for murder, rape, stealing etc. are wrong on a surface level because the ramifications extend to other people.
Save the fear tactic of a promised threat of a fiery eternal existence, what ramifications arise from homosexuality?
While white boys have been fucking each other in the ass, guess who has been pumping out ten kids per capita.
That’s a weird and awkward thing to say.
My two cents:
Moral relativism is easy. Take a good look at human history. By citing the examples/endorsements of famous or historical figures, we can justify practically any behavior we wish to engage in. To be fair, by quoting or misquoting the Bible out of context, we can justify some pretty gnarly shit.
We can argue endlessly what is “right” or “wrong” behavior. Any good philosophy or prelaw student can make a clever,convincing arguement for either side of a moral issue.
Somewhere along the line,someone(something?) has to make a defintive statement about ethics.
Even if you disagree with the mythology of Judaic-Christian beliefs, the inherent ethical system is at least a good starting point.
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Laters