Social Inequality on the College Campus: A Consideration of Homosexuality
Aversion to homosexuals for many in the American society comes close to a true phobia, as a persistent and irrational fear. National surveys investigating attitudes toward homosexual relations between adults reported a majority of those responding believed that such relations were wrong. Taken to an extreme, homophobia and antigay discrimination result in the verbal and physical abuse of gays. This study considers the social inequality of homosexuals based on homophobia and antigay discrimination on the college campus. More specifically, have adjustment problems that many members of the gay community experience because of the prejudice against homosexuality increased or decreased in their daily lives. A description of signs of social and cultural change in Human Sexuality classes between 1976 and 2006 is offered for consideration. ********** It has been maintained that the freedom to engage in consensual heterosexual and homosexual relations is taken as a basic human right which should be protected by law (Wintemute, 1995). SIECUS, the Sex Information and Education Council of the U.S., affirms sexual orientation of all people. Persons have a right to accept, acknowledge, and live in accordance with their sexual orientation, be they heterosexual, bisexual, or gay (SIECUS, 2000). While the freedom to be engaged in heterosexual relations has been more acceptable than the freedom to participate in homosexual relations, there has been a gradual rise in social acceptability of homosexual men and women in the United States (Green, 1997). Since 1990, the percentage of adults in the American society who disapprove of homosexual relations has been declining and now stands at approximately 57 percent (NORC, 2003). This is based on the survey question: "What about sexual relations between two adults of the same sex--do you think it is always wrong, almost always wrong, wrong only sometimes, or not wrong at all?" Back in 1973, about 75% of American adults claimed homosexual relations were "always wrong" or "almost always wrong." Among college students, who are generally more tolerant of homosexuality than adults in general, there is a similar trend. In 1980, almost half of the college students supported laws prohibiting homosexual relations; by 2004, only 33% felt this way (Astin et. al., 2002; Sax et. al., 2004). By and large, this change was influenced by the gay rights movement, which started in the middle of the twentieth century. Up to that time, most adults in the American society did not discuss homosexuality, and it was common for companies, including the federal government and the armed forces, to fire anyone who was accused of being gay. Mental health professionals also took a firm position, describing homosexuality as "sick," sometimes placing them in mental hospitals where, it was hoped, they might be "cured." It is not surprising that most lesbians and gay men remained "in the closet," closely guarding the secret of their sexual orientation. But the gay rights movement gained strength during the 1960s. One early milestone took place in 1973, when the American Psychiatric Association declared that homosexuality was not an illness but simply "a form of sexual behavior." In addition, the gay rights movement started using the term homophobia to describe discomfort over close personal interactions with people thought to be gay, lesbian, or bisexual (Weinberg, 1973). The concept of homophobia, "fear of sameness," presented a new perspective. Rather than asking, "What's wrong with people who are gay?" the question was turned around to ask, "What is wrong with people who can't accept a different sexual orientation?" Nevertheless, in contemporary American society people remain predominantly heterosexual, believing that heterosexuality is superior morally, socially, emotionally, and behaviorally to homosexuality (Roffman, 2000). This position maintains the degradation of any non-heterosexual form or behavior, identity, or relationship. …