Essay # 4: Homosexuality/Transexuality/Intersexuality Different cultures across the world have developed various views on homosexuality. Most cultural perspectives developed from religious or humanitarian sources. Living in 21st Century America, I have personally witnessed some of the strides and struggles of GLBT (gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender) youth. In the United States there exist laws that both promote sexual diversity and laws that restrict the complete rights of such individuals. On a more cultural than legal level, tolerance for this group of people has grown significantly. America is currently in the midst of cultural change. Nonetheless, this story does not hold true for other cultures. On one hand, the
For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds." -Qur'an 7:80-81
As stated before, religion has a very influential role in determining how society will view a societal issue. While homosexual orientation is not regarded as a sin, homosexual behavior is both unlawful under most Islamic nations’ government and Islamic Law (Swidler 16). Homosexuals are marginalized in this part of the world. Public homosexual expression of any kind would lead to serious punishment (Swidler 17). Therefore, many have resorted to meeting in underground and private gatherings. On the flip side of all this, there has been some progress in terms of political change; although, it is just beginning. It is important to realize that GLBT reform is, to some degree, occurring in all three cultures. In many American states, same sex marriage has become a heavily debated issue such as the Proposition 8 of California. Lebanon has become the first Middle Eastern nation to pass a law prohibiting discrimination against homosexuality (Rafei). Moreover, many homosexual Native Americans, in attempts win back social equality, have resorted to adopting the traditional teachings of the two spirited being (Blackwood 29). The homosexual subculture and its supporters in each of the above mentioned groups have