HOMOSEXUALITY

Homosexuality refers to romantic or sexual attraction, or sexual behavior

among members of the same sex or gender, situationally or as an enduring
disposition. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is considered to lie within the
heterosexual-homosexual continuum of human sexuality, and refers to an
individual's identity based on those attractions and membership in a community
of others who share them.
Many gay and lesbian people are in committed same-sex relationships, though
only recently have census forms and political conditions facilitated their
visibility and enumeration.
Homosexual relationships and acts have been admired, as well as condemned,
throughout recorded history, depending on the form they took and the culture
in which they occurred. Since the end of the 19th century, there has been a
global movement towards increased visibility, recognition, and legal rights for
homosexual people, including the rights to marriage and civil unions, adoption and
parenting, employment, military service, equal access to health care, and the
introduction of anti-bullying legislation to protect gay minors.
Many homosexual people hide their feelings and activities out of fear of
disapproval or aggression; they are commonly said to be closeted. Disclosing
one's homosexual or bisexual orientation is known as coming out. Efforts toward
emancipation of homosexuality as it is currently understood began in the 1860;
since the mid 1950 there has been an accelerating trend towards increased
visibility, acceptance, and civil rights for lesbian, gay and bisexual people.
Nevertheless, heterosexism and homophobia persist, and in particular young
people subjected to it are at greater risk of sociaalization difficulties including
suicide. Cuurrently the most common adjectives in use are the lesbian for women
and gay for men, though some prefer other terms or none at all.
Homosexuality has a number of causal factors that influence its ultimate
origination in individuals; these factors will be addressed shortly. In addition,
homosexuality has a variety of effects on individuals and society. Next, some of
the historical events, religious matters, and legal matters relating to
homosexuality will be covered. Finally, the latter part of the 20th century has

seen a large body of research on the causes and effects of homosexuality.

Different lesbian, gay, and bisexual people have very different experiences
regarding their sexual orientation. Some people know that they are lesbian, gay,
or bisexual for a long time before they actually pursue relationships with other
people. Some people engage in sexual activity (with same-sex and/or other-sex
partners) before assigning a clear label to their sexual orientation. Prejudice and
discrimination make it difficult for many people to come to terms with their
sexual orientation identities, so claiming a lesbian, gay, or bisexual identity may
be a slow process.
Lesbian, gay, and bisexual people in the United States encounter extensive
prejudice, discrimination, and violence because of their sexual orientation.
Intense prejudice against lesbians, gay men, and bisexual people was widespread
throughout much of the 20th century. Public opinion studies over the 1970s,
1980s, and 1990s routinely showed that, among large segments of the public,
lesbian, gay, and bisexual people were the target of strongly held negative
attitudes. More recently, public opinion has increasingly opposed sexual
orientation discrimination, but expressions of hostility toward lesbians and gay
men remain common in contemporary American society. Prejudice against
bisexuals appears to exist at comparable levels. In fact, bisexual individuals may
face discrimination from some lesbian and gay people as well as from
heterosexual people.
Many lesbians and gay men are parents; others wish to be parents. In the
2000 U.S. Census, 33% of female same-sex couple households and 22% of male
same-sex couple households reported at least one child under the age of 18
living in the home. Although comparable data are not available, many single
lesbians and gay men are also parents, and many same-sex couples are part-time
parents to children whose primary residence is elsewhere.
Studies of prejudice, including prejudice against gay people, consistently show
that prejudice declines when members of the majority group interact with
members of a minority group. In keeping with this general pattern, one of the
most powerful influences on heterosexuals acceptance of gay people is having
personal contact with an openly gay person. Antigay attitudes are far less
common among members of the population who have a close friend or family
member who is lesbian or gay, especially if the gay person has directly come out

to the heterosexual person.