Whats Different? Or Are They The Same?

Sexual orientation, over the years, has been a big taboo in today’s society. Though it’s becoming more acceptable for same sex relationships, the fight to be accepted in today’s society will always be a great challenge. Many people believe that same sex relationships are unacceptable because they’re not benefiting society in any way. While others disagree saying, that they are people trying to be accepted as much as anyone else.



When my friend “came out of the closet” I had a really hard time accepting it. We were close, he knowing that I never want to be associated with the queer part of society. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have the mindset I do today. He showed that, though his sexual orientation changed, he didn’t. This past August 2011 was the first time I’ve seen him since hearing of the news. Seeing him at first was a little awkward for me, but throughout the night, we were acting like nothing changed, because in reality, nothing did. Since then our friendship has grown stronger than before.



So why are same sex relationships such a taboo in today’s society? Is it because we are dominated in a society where neo-conservatism and liberalism is most prominent? Or does it depend more of how someone is raised in the house hold, and the experiences associated with that? Does something drastic need to happen so it has no chance of being reversed? Even though the gay rights movement happened in the 1960’s, society seems to still have a slight problem with LGBTTQ* society, from the bullying in middle and high schools to not getting a job because of sexual orientation. In 1975 a survey was taken, asking is homosexual relationships were “always wrong” or “almost always wrong”. The data showed that “…72 percent of Americans and Canadians felt that homosexuality were ‘always wrong’ or ‘almost always wrong’” (Macionis & Gerber, 2011). In 1995, Canadians became more tolerant, showing that only 51 percent believed homosexuality was “always wrong” or “almost always wrong”, where Americans became more intolerant, slowly coming down to 66 percent by 1995 (Macionis & Gerber, 2011).  But just because Canadians are becoming more tolerant towards the LGBTTQ* society, does that mean they’re safe in the country?



Watching the news you can see how many violent acts are done on a daily basis. We see a range of people being victimized in their own homes. But how many stories about these victims are from the LGBTTQ* part of society? Statistics Canada conducted a survey that studied “… victimization rates, perceptions of discrimination, fear of crime and attitudes toward the justice system among gays, lesbians and bisexuals” based on information gathered in 2004 (Statistics Canada, 2008). The information of this survey concluded that for gays and lesbians are almost 2 times greater to be victimized and bisexuals are 4.5 times greater, according to Statistics Canada (2008). Some factors such as being “…young, single or a student, those who earned low incomes or lived in an urban area or those who engaged in 30 or more evening activities a month…” were more likely to be victimized, but with all these in consideration sexual orientation is still more likely to be the factor to why these people where violently victimized (Statistics Canada, 2008).



But where are we supposed to go now? What if “… in 1969, Canada removed homosexual activity in private between consenting adults (aged 21 or older) from the Criminal Code” (Macionis & Gerber, 2011). Or that in “… 1974, the American Psychological Association declared that homosexuality was not an illness but simply a form of ‘sexual behaviour’” (Macionis & Gerber, 2011). Is this really going to help stop the bullying in our schools or the employers from not hiring someone because of sexual orientation? Just because someone doesn’t fit into what you believe to be “normal” gives you a right to physically, emotionally, or mentally abuse someone? They are humans too, and they will continue to be. They have every right to speak their minds and live in this country as everyone else. So why does this abuse continue? The solution of protecting the rights of these people is going to be a challenge, as changing the way a society thinks will be a struggle.





Reference List

Macionis, John J. & Gerber, Linda M.(2011). Sociology: Seventh Canadian Edition (pp. 183-184). Pearson Education, Inc.



Statistics Canada. (2008, February 28). Study: Sexual orientation and victimization. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/080228/dq080228c-eng.htm



~Joelle