To Marry or Not to Marry: It Should Not be a Question

Homosexuality: A History

Homosexuality and the Bible

The earliest recorded act of homoerotic (lust of the same gender) behavior occurred in the Bible in Genesis 9:2-24. It is said that Ham, the youngest son of Noah, acted homosexually to his father as he was passed out from too much wine. It is then mentioned in Leviticus 18:22 that “a man may not lie with another as they would with a woman”. There have been many blasphemous depictions of Jesus Christ taking part in homoerotic affairs, the best known being apostle Paul in Romans 1 ("History of Homosexuality").

The common term for homosexual women is Lesbian. The root of this term comes from the Greek island Lesbos which held its female poet Sappho, who wrote about love between women. This homosexual love between women is also known as sapphism because of Sappho. Although it is best known in Greek history, lesbianism has been around before that. In Romans 1 of the New Testament, there is a reference of lesbianism, “even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature” ("History of Homosexuality").

Homosexuality and the Greeks

There are many well known Greek and Roman myths that tell of homosexual affairs: Zeus and Ganymede, Apollo and Hyacinthus, Achilles and Patroclus, Hercules and Hylas, and Narcissus and Ameinias (Schmik). For example, it is said that Zeus spotted Ganymede in a field tending to his sheep and fell in love with him. He then turned into an eagle, or sent an eagle, and abducted Ganymede and made him be the cupbearer to the gods (Gibson).

In the story of Apollo and Hyacinthus, Apollo, a male god, was very much in love with Hyacinthus, a male human, that he did everything with him, including human sports such as throwing discus. As they were throwing one day, a jealous god, Zephyros, had messed with the destination of the discus and made it bounce back up and hit Hyacinthus in the head, killing him. A flower then grew in his place that is named after him ("Apollo And Hyacinthus”).

Homosexuals in the United States

In the United States, when someone mentions homosexuals you think of the cities New York City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco; these cities hold the largest concentration of homosexuals in the country. During the mid-1900’s, farming was difficult and people were looking for new means of living. They were forced to live with non-traditional family values. Many people flocked to these large cities searching for jobs; many men entered the armed forces. In the armed forces of the mid-1900’s, only men were allowed to fight, and females were nurses. Homosexual men found other homosexual men in the military and did not worry about traditional family expectancies. Homosexuals fought in wars and some died honorably with their secret; others did not keep their secrets. After WWII, thousands of homosexual men and women were dishonorably discharged because of their sexual orientation ("Allies & Advocates").

1969 was the year the homosexuals stood up and fought for their rights. The Stonewall Riots showed their outrage. The New York Police Department raided a gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, in Greenwich Village. During this raid the police arrested many performers and employees, but the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) supporters fought back and the riot lasted for three days (Head).

Up until 1973, being homosexual meant that you had a mental condition according to the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. This was dismissed because of a study conducted by Evelyn Hooker called Hooker’s Study. She asked the question if homosexuals and heterosexuals differ in psychological adjustments. She conducted her experiment using Rorschach Tests, more commonly known as ink blot tests; Thematic Apperception Tests (TAT), similar to Rorschach tests, but the subject must tell a story from the ambiguous picture; and Make-A-Picture-Story Tests (MAPS). She then asked two experts to examine the Rorschach Tests. Neither of the experts could distinguish homosexual from heterosexual. A third expert was asked to examine the TAT and MAPS tests. They, too, could not tell the difference between homosexuals and heterosexuals, thus proving that homosexuality is not a psychological disorder (Herek).

The 1980’s were not friendly to homosexual people. Doctors began to notice odd cancers and infections that were found in homosexuals and were deadly. Something was deteriorating the immune systems of homosexuals, they called this phenomenon the “gay plague”. This plague actually was AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) and is the final stage of HIV disease, which causes severe damage to the immune system (Board). There are many different causes for AIDS, one not so common anymore is that you are born with it. If a woman is pregnant and is HIV positive, there is a possibility that her child will be born with the HIV/AIDS virus. The most common way to contract HIV/AIDS is unprotected vaginal, anal, or oral sex and/or sharing injecting needles with a HIV positive person ("How Does HIV/AIDS Spread?"). Although HIV/AIDS can be spread to any person exhibiting promiscuity or needle sharing, in the 80’s homosexuals were thoughts to be the main contractors of this virus.