So is Homosexuality considered a culture?

Question

My guess no.... (For Now) I'm Black so thats my culture and all the ethnicities in this country have their own culture. Why? Because all of our ancestors died for our rights to live free in this countrty, whether it be Jewish person, Japanese, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, all of these cultures have died in this country they'ev endured, Slavery extreme racisim and concentration camps and literal Genocide. For me I'm proud to be Black becasue of how far my Culture has came. We earned our right to be here with Blood Sweat and Tears. I don't think Gay people have earned that right yet, are they willing to die so that thier Great Grand children can live in a world without being scrutinized. Lets see gay people face Political issues like marriage and things like that, it's not like thousands of gays are dieing every day just for that reason. So what gives a gay peole the right to call themselves a culture, your fight has barley begun in my eyes. No I don't hate gay people.

Wesley I agree it shouldn't have to happen but it does look at our history. If for one second I could take back all the deaths from slavery I would and maybe our society would be different and more accepting. Thats the reality of the situation. My explantion is reality, yours is theory. Neither is wrong

Good Point Randy! I guess I am a Demorcrat. I wouldn't kill or hurt anyone because they are gay, but it seems as though the only way cultures in this country gained respect is through dying and fighting for thier rights. I'm telling you if I had to die so that my children would live as free black children I'd do it. Would you? No one is just going to give you rights or whatever becasue your Gay it's not like it's that bad for you people, you have to fight for them. I don't see why gay people have an issue with that. Its America you have to fight for every inch you get in this country.

Wow radgast and the guy below him, I never new that. Thanks didn't hear about that in school.

Answer 1

Let me note a few things that may be of interest to you before I answer your question.

1. While it seems likely that the Church accepted homosexuality until the time of the black plague (archeological digs, for example, show joint coffins for married couples in parts of Italy from the early centuries of Christianity -- and some of those couples are same sex -- not my field, but I read the popular articles). Once the Inquisition started, homosexuals were killed for their homosexuality.

2. In ancient Judaism, homosexuals were stoned to death. Modern Islam, in nation-states with religious law, continues to kill gays, including last year in Iran, some teenage boys who were caught having sex together -- and who, being working class and illiterate, didn't even know they weren't supposed to.

3. Homosexuals were rounded up, along with Jews, Gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses and others by the Nazi regime in Germany and put to death.

4. According to a survey conducted by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in 1984, nearly 50% of gay men and 20% of lesbians were harassed or assaulted in secondary (high) school. A 1989 study by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Task Force on Youth Suicide found that 28% of gay and lesbian youth drop out of school because of being made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe, and that gay and lesbian youth are two to three times more likely to attempt suicide than their peers.

5. Taking America's Pulse II, a nationwide survey conducted in early 2000 by the National Conference for Community and Justice (NCCJ), found that Gays and lesbians were the most discriminated against group in America, followed by African-Americans.

The above are just snippets of facts, easily checked, to give you some more background on the question you are asking.

Now, let me go to your statement about culture.

I don't think any gay person thinks that he means what you think you mean when he says culture. "There is a gay culture" does not mean a shared suffering and death -- although, as you can see in my points above, there may have been more of that than you might have thought (and yes, there were gay lynchings, or the equivalent, often even in the north, often done by authorities under the cover of things like "they resisted arrest.") and such sufferings continue, although the deaths are rarer.

On the other hand. Gays can hide. African Americans cannot, and that has made the abuse your people have taken more persistent than ours -- at least overtly. I've never been in the closet, and I can't personally imagine what closeted people go through. It scares me to even think about. To have to hide all that you are... yuck.

In any event, I do not think anyone disputes that blacks have suffered more in the United States than anyone else. The keeping of slaves was an abomination from its beginning, and I am proudly able to say that historically my family was part of the abolitionist movement from its beginning and at some point part of the underground railroad.

But the whole thing is a continuum. When the cops break two ribs of a 110 pound kid and drive them through his heart because they are hitting him too hard with a billy club and he dies -- does it matter if he is black or gay? or does it matter that what they did, this use of power to enforce fear -- is immoral and wrong?

To me, the latter, and will fight such injustices as long as I draw breath -- against anyone.

May light encompass you.

Reynolds Jones
Schenectady, NY
http://www.rebuff.org
[e-mail]

Answer 2

In a way it is a culture because the way they live is different from the way a non-gay person would live. Most straight men would not wear pink and go to a bar to pick up other men. (Not meaning to stereo-type) Think of it more as a counter-culture. Plus, there have been gay people around forever, it's not like it's a new thing. Ya know? Over at least hundreds of years they've had to hide and been beat and abused for being themselves. I read an article the other day about a drag performer that was beat in broad daylight by a group of men for no reason other than he was gay. How many times have you heard of that kinda thing happening. Honestly, I think it's a culture.

Answer 3

Wow so you believe that the deaths of your fathers were needed? You do not think that was unnecessary? That is the worst case for why gay people should not be treated like human beings I have ever heard.
They are people, should have rights just like you do, they are a culture only because people like you and our government made it that way that they need to group together DIFFERENTLY, because of people's prejudice. And do you know how many gay people have died just for being gay?? But no, in your world there needs to be More death. Good point you made there, excellent, someone should take your rights away before you hurt your own culture!!!!!

Answer 4

Sorry, sweetie--your head is almost too far up your butt for the light of understanding to reach you--but, in fact, homosexuality is NOT a mental disorder or mental illness, and is NOT a psychological or behavioral pattern associated with distress or disability; AND, when it occurs in an individual, homosexuality IS a part of normal development and culture. Or, to quote from the American Psychological Association position statement on homosexuality of December 1973: "Homosexuality per se implies no impairment in judgement, stability, reliability, or general social or vocational capabilities; further, the American Psychological Association urges all mental health professionals to take the lead in removing the stigma of mental illness that has long been associated with homosexual orientations." I shall be very sorry if this answer does not offend you.

Answer 5

A culture maybe, but more of a community. We are fighting for our rights like everyone else. Now the Black and Women has more rights than Gays do and more than a minority also. Whether you title us as a group. When we are as individuals that has a mind just like everyone else. All them hypocrites out there gay is not a mental thing just like your affairs are not mental thing.

Everyone has their turn on and turn offs just whatever make you click. many people find their compatibility with the same-sex as much straight-sex or sexuality. Don't mock anyone because we all have are groove and packages.

everyday someones attend to experiment on the other side too. But it boils down to one thing "WHAT MAKES YOU CLICK"

Answer 6

Homosexuality is considered a same-sex attraction.

There is also a homosexual culture. It is rare that exclusively homosexual people will be able to do anything so that their biological great grandchildren can have anything. We pass most of our history along to future generations through our stories.

Throughout history, homosexuals have largely been hidden. It wasn't until the late 20th century that gays and lesbians had an identitiy within the dominant culture, as well as the incentive to document our history in the world. We are not instantly recognizable by skin color or any other way, no matter what some may think.

If you want to base a "right to culture" solely on death, there is plenty of evidence. Homosexuals were actively sought out and killed during the Spanish Inquisition. In 1327, King Edward II of Englad was a homoseuxal who was killed by having a red-hot poker in his anus; His lover had genitals cut off before he was beheaded. Oscar Wilde prosecuted in 1895 under the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885 for "gross indecency" and sentenced to two years in prison.

Native Americans: Most nations believed that their homosexual members had two spirits, one male and one female, and were regarded as special members of the culture. Often they were medicine people. It was only when missionaries began to "Christianize" us (I am also Native American) that the winktes, berdaches, hoobuks, and others were shunned and slaughtered.

In 1624, Richard Cornish of the Virginia Colony was tried and hanged for sodomy. Soldiers have been discharged from the armed services since at least the American Revolution -- a trend which continues to this day, despite the current policy. Many gay troops have served and died for their country, but most of them were hidden, so they may never be known.

The Harlem Renaissance of the 20s and 30s was led largely by homosexuals. Openly gay, lesbian and bisexual celebrities of the period included singers Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Gladys Bentley, Ethel Waters and Alberta Hunter, and writers Langston Hughes, Claude McKay, Wallace Thurman and Countee Cullen.

Nazis banned homosexual groups, rounded us up, marked us with pink triangles and slaughtered us. The House Un-American Activities Committe ousted thousands of workers from their jobs in the federal government during the 1950s, in some cases, following, badgering, and preventing them from getting work. In the 1960s people could still be jailed for any homosexual activity, including "consorting" or simply gathering together. Police raids and violence were common, as were blackmail and harassment.

Our "fight" has been going on for milennia. It has only been in the last couple of centuries that we have come forward to proclaim that the prejudice that society has always shown us is wrong and that we need to be treated as human beings. It has only been since the end of the 19th century that political movements have fought for gay civil rights because most cultures around the world have shown a mistrust, a hatred, and a dismissal of homosexuals.

Thousands of homosexuals died in the early days of AIDS because of the American government's indifference to homosexuals, failing and in some cases refusing to see that it is an equal opportunity diseas which, worldwide, predominantly affect heterosexuals.

WHY SHOULD PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE TO HAVE RIGHTS?

By saying that our fight has barely begun is to deny that homosexuals have an inherent right as people to have rights, and that is prejudice, my friend. It is saying that we matter less as people.

****
Hey, Rand! Glad to know you are willing to take in information-- many are not. Too many. We have a hidden history. Many people had no idea of the vital contribution of Black people to the history of America until it began to be included in school curricula. I firmly believe that the more education everyone has about other people, the less prejudice there will be! cheers, friend!

Answer 7

Rights and Freedom do not have to be payed for through deaths. since you told us your race ill tell you mine. I'm chinese american, abc lol. The reason our ancestors died and fought for rights is so that everyone will have them unconditionally. Culture and race and sexual orientation should not matter when it comes down to who gets what rights. The rights me and you get are for everyone. things like gay marriage being banned was like the discrimination against the marraige between races and cultures. that has been determined to be unethical. The whole gay marriage ban comes from the christians of america. that and the republicans attempt to get back some voters after bush pretty much lost 2/3 of america. homosexuality so only apart of their culture or lifestyle. They still have their american or black or chinese culture, it is only one facet of their being.

Answer 8

Yikes, what the hell are you on about? Have you studied any form of cultural studies?

So you would expect death or mass discimination to create a culture? That's not the way it works. Cultures are identified by similar forms of behaviour, language or understanding that draws them together.

Understand, do not discriminate against others because their culture has attained its value in a different way to yours

Answer 9

If it is considered to be a culture, it shouldn't be -- at no other time in the history of the world has a "culture" been defined by its sexual behavior, rather than national or ethnic identity.

Answer 10

You want us to die for our rights because blacks died for their rights, or because Indians died for their rights or because Chinese people did, well that is incredibly democratic of you. Since apparently not enough gay people have died in your book where will we draw the line? How many of us must die please tell me so that I know what our chances are to live. What percentage do you propose go marching off to their deaths? Please tell me.
Just need clarification on this issue so that we can move forward toward our rights to live free. Oh by the way do we need to research how many of the blacks who died in the 40's, 50's and 60's for civil rights where gay? or can we count how many of our military were gay who went to war for all Americans rights to live free and to enjoy their lives as they see fit? Just want to know please tell us.