Free Why Do Homosexuals Not Come Out Research Paper Example

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Introduction

Today’s society is marked by a variation of individuals each possessing their own unique identity and moreover in today’s world there is freedom of choosing and being who one wishes to be. With the freedom of expression, comes choosing one’s identity and way of life, which can be different from others and also limited to a minority. One such identity is that of homosexuals, individuals whose sexual orientation and ways differ from their surrounding heterosexuals and that may be difficult to accept by some people who may not be ready to accept their behavior in society. This situation, even in a country where there is complete freedom to be who one wants to be, makes it a little difficult for homosexuals to adjust and be who they are amongst other members of the society.
Homosexuals include lesbians, gay men and bisexuals who are prone to find attraction for the same sex, other women, men or both the sexes at the same time. Such individuals are involved in relationships or marriages with people of the same sex, and this involves a similar psychological tendency of behaving and living with their partners just as heterosexuals. Homosexuality is a phenomenon that has, throughout history, been condemned or accepted or marginally approved in various places all over the world. In places where homosexuality is accepted, there have been laws passed for the rights of marriage, adoption, employment and healthcare rights for the homosexual population.
The remaining issue for homosexuals is the prejudice, social stress, humiliation and discrimination they have to face at the hands of certain rigid and biased elements of society especially in the face of employment and gaining legal rights. The problem is not realizing that they are a population who has a separate identity that needs to be recognized as well as accepted in the world.

Research Questions

The problem that homosexuals face is of self-expression of their emotions, self-discovery and self-acceptance of their own identities and difficulty in being honest and open about their sexual orientation and how do they come to terms with other people in explaining how they feel and what kind of sexual orientation they desire to keep.
Presumably, homosexuals wish they can be with their partners in the open without having to face criticism at the hands of others in their marriage, lifestyle, adopting and raising children and how they wish to be treated like normal people by others. They too are humans and need respect and love. However, the temperament of the society towards them creates a problem where they feel they cannot be sure of expressing their identities.

Literature Review

According to Plummer (1996), “Homosexuality cannot be understood as an individualistic phenomenon; rather it needs to be seen as an interactive phenomenon and constantly linked to the reactions of the society’s members.” (Plummer, 1996).
As the members of a particular society live as a unit, they interact with one another and share commonalities. However, homosexuals are a group of individuals that are not treated the same as the others and have to face various reactions upon interacting with other members of the society.
Greenberg (1990) writes of homosexuality as “It is beliefs that homosexuality is evil, sick or undesirable- and the corresponding efforts to punish, cure or prevent it – that make homosexuality deviant.” (Greenberg, 1990).
So homosexuality is seen as a social deviant and since in the eyes of society is perceived as a problem with individuals who need help, punishment and treatment from it, it inhibits them from being expressive about it.
In his book, Kus (1995) discusses the problems of homosexuals as “Gays and lesbians in our culture are undeniably under stress. It is risky for some to even come out to their families [] the gay community has more alcohol and drug exposure than the extended culture.” (Kus, 1995).
The problem of acceptance among the public leads to addiction problems; alcohol and drugs and this makes life harder for them. It also leaves the expression to the public that these people drink due to their deviant behavior.
Almeida et al., (2009) describe the issue in the manner that “One potential explanation for the elevated risk of emotional stress among adolescents with a minority sexual orientation is that these youths must deal with stressors related to having a stigmatized identity.” (Almeida et al., 2009).
This shows that such individuals are suppressed by society at their sexual orientation and are not accepted by normal people that leads to problems of stress and depression, thereby suppressing their feelings.
Medical science gives a different view by saying that “Homosexuality is not an adaption of choice; it is brought about by fearsand represents a disorder of sexual development and does not fall within the range of normal sexual behavior”.
Hence, it is seen by others as a disease rather than a normal functioning of the mind and many views to see the homosexual as a sick person rather than a different one. (Ruse, 1981).

Methodology

I have collected my data from the textbooks assigned to me as well as taking consultation from many books in the library as well as journals and articles on authentic sources from the Internet that have helped a lot.

Application of the theoretical framework

The relation between the reasons why homosexuals feel they cannot come out to their society is linked to various sociological theories that help to explain why. Social Interactionism, Freud’s Theory of Emotions and The conflict Perspective help to elucidate the matter further.
Social Interaction Theory put forward by Mead and Shibutani, that explains the perspective that people will behave towards a thing or person according to the meaning that particular thing carries for them and how it appeals to them. These meanings are understood and perceived only after interaction between people and the thing and after that they make a thorough interpretation understand its importance for them. Initially humans will always follow the first meaning that a thing carries for them which is a personal one. The response they make towards this interaction is based on the meaning they have attached to a thing which is considered a norm for them. Liking or disliking a thing upon interaction is based upon the agreement they make if they can perceive the meaning easily. Homosexuality becomes a problem because it is an unlikely way of life for people who would normally not understand why individuals behave this way. It becomes a deviant of society, and therefore homosexuals are given a cold shoulder, treated with contempt and are discriminated against when it comes to work or marriages. Their behavior is not understood by people who feel that these individuals are not worthy of equal treatment. This makes them exist on the periphery of the society.
Sigmund Freud in his theory of emotions throws light on a different perspective of homosexuality and the reasons for it. Freud dictated that all humans were born bisexuals, and they become heterosexuals or homosexuals due to their own experiences with parents and the environment. He also said that homosexuality is not a disease or mental illness rather it is a formation of preferences shaped by one’s own mind via their life experiences. Freud explained that if a boy was to become gay in future life, his parents would see him as lonely, quiet and depressed, one who stays all by himself and this would be a sign that he is likely to be attracted to people of his own sex due to his shyness at being open to other people even at a younger age. It was only a matter of recognizing these events, and it did not mean that a person would have a mental disorder; it only showed a personality being shaped differently. However, people do not understand that it is an issue shaped by life events hence many take to it as a mental problem with gays or lesbians and hence make life difficult and stressful for them.
Then, the Conflict Perspective explains why homosexuals are treated with bias, and they become forced to repress their emotions and behavior. This perspective follows class inequalities and discrimination which fits the issue of homosexuality because there are people who are significantly homosexuals in the society and they are treated as inferior citizens. They have to face discrimination at the hands of those members of the society who are heterosexuals, and themselves are not treated fairly in terms of jobs, legal issues, marriage preferences and lifestyle choices. In a free country, not being able to enjoy these privileges subjects homosexuals to lack of freedom of choice; many take to alcohol and drugs as recluse and are thrown deeper into depression and dejection in life.
Conclusively, homosexuals cannot come out to their families, friends and be themselves in the society due to the way the society responds to their sexual orientation and does not succumb to what the society expects them to be. This creates a problem for them in life where they give in to stress, depression, and addiction and become subjects of discrimination.

References

Almeida et al., (2009). Emotional Distress Among LGBT Youth: The Influence of Perceived
Discrimination Based on Sexual Orientation. Retrieved (30 March, 2015) from http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10964-009-9397-9
Greenberg, David F, (1990). The construction of homosexuality. Retrieved (30 March, 2015)
Kus, Robert J. (1995). Addiction and Recovery in gay and lesbian persons. Retrieved (30 March,
2015) from http://books.google.com.pk/books?hl=en&lr=&id=IgHtAgAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=homosexuals+prone+to+addiction&ots=ZLmrqUtoaZ&sig=0x77jJikbRJ-tcnuVM8sUgYkETQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
Plummer, Ken. (1996). Queer theory/ Sociology. Twentieth Century Social theory. . Retrieved
(30 March, 2015) from https://kenplummer.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/symbolic-interactionism-and-the-forms-of-homosexuality.pdf
Ruse, Michael, (1981). Are Homosexuals Sick? Retrieved (30 March, 2015) from
http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-94-009-8443-1_10