Running head: FINAL PHASE: BENCHMARK PAPER

Final Phase: Benchmark Paper

Michelle Loding
Wayne State University
SW3710
March 27, 2015
Abstract

Homosexual men have been discriminated against since one man decided he wanted to be with
another. There have been riots and deaths over centuries because of homosexuality. From the
ancient Romans to modern society, discrimination of gay men has been an issue that some want
to ignore, but it is not something that will go quietly away. This paper will discuss the social
problems, stigmas, history, and my personal thoughts about homosexual men.
Final Phase: Benchmark Paper
There has always been a prejudiced against others who are
different from what society considers normal. If a person looks a certain
way or dresses in a conventional manner, they are more readily accepted by

FINAL PHASE: BENCHMARK PAPER

society as a whole. Not everyone adheres to that rule. One of the primary
areas humanity had an issue with in the past, and still does to this day, is
homosexuality. The idea that a person could love another of the same sex in
a sexual way is appalling to some. The treatment most homosexual or
transgender people face is a very harsh reality for them, and it is something
that needs to stop. The notion of paternalism, or the idea that we know what
is good for others, is a problem. (Day, 2009, p. 3) All too often what is
thought to be a better solution to the social welfare of a group, is actually
detrimental to their very well being. The lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgendered, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, ally community is a
very tight-knit group of individuals that help provide for one another, for the
most part. For the duration of this paper, the concentration will be on gay
men. It is so much more to a person than just whom they chose to love. The
impact, the policies, historical views, treatment, discrimination, and my
personal opinions on male homosexuality and how society has recognized
this social issue will be discussed.
When someone says the word gay, typically the first thing that
comes to mind is a male who prefers the company of other men in a sexual
manner. The demographic that covers male homosexuality varies with age,
race, background, culture, but it has been suggested by the National Health
and Social Life Survey that 2.8% of men identified themselves as gay.
(Ashford & Lecroy, 2013, p. 512) Many experts believe that these estimates
are low because of the tremendous amount of social prejudice against

FINAL PHASE: BENCHMARK PAPER

homosexuals would preclude many from self-reporting homosexuality. Many

experts place the estimate of the incidence of homosexuality as high as 10%
for both sexes. (Ashford & Lecroy, 2013, p. 512) There are many
organizations to help gay men who are in need of counseling or other social
services in the Detroit and Metro Detroit areas. Just typing into Google,
social services for gay men in Detroit, brought up pages and pages of
resources. The social services are there for the men who need to use them.
The policies that are in place to help protect gay men have been
progressively heading towards equality. There is still a very long road for any
gay man to walk, but since
The Clinton Administration there have been several important
regulatory changes,
including issuing an executive order banning discrimination based on
sexual orientation

in all civilian federal workplaces, as well as an

order prohibiting sexual discrimination by

Federally conducted education programs. Other current legislature
efforts that protect the
civil right of gay individuals include the Employment Nondiscrimination
Act (ENDA)
and the Local Law Enforcement Enhancement Act (formally known as
the Hate Crimes
Prevention Act). ("Gays and Lesbians," 2015)

FINAL PHASE: BENCHMARK PAPER

Another significant step in the right direction was the repeal of the Dont
Ask Dont Tell policy from the nations military service. It should not matter
whom a man chooses to love as being represented as to how he can fight for
our freedoms.
Same-sex preferences are found in individuals in all human cultures, even if
attitudes towards homosexuality have varied substantially at different times and different
places. The Greeks regularised homosexuality (in men, at least) as part of the normal life
cycle, whereby young men had sexual relationships with older men before marriage and
fatherhood, and then, as older men, became dominant partners with a winsome youth.
Scholars such as Randolf Trumbach have argued that this pattern long survived the
decline of classical Greece and may not have disappeared from European societies until
the end of the 17th century. (Bynum, 2002, p. 2284)
The history of male homosexuality has been one that greatly varies from being widely
accepted to being publically shamed and even murdered. The earliest recordings of any
homosexual activity begin with the Greeks and Asians. It is believed that as early as 600 B.C. in
Asia was the first documentation, and there have been records of the Greeks as early as 300 B.C.
("Homosexuality and bisexuality," n.d.). Gay males were not looked down upon in society
during those times, and it was not until more religious movements began to emerge that
homosexual activity was condemned. As previously mentioned, in ancient Greece it was not
uncommon to find an older and younger male as a bonded pair in a sexual relationship only
ending when the younger man became an adult. In cities such as Sparta and Thebes, there
appeared to be a particularly strong emphasis on relationships between men and youths, and it
was considered an important part of their education. On the night of their wedding, Spartan

FINAL PHASE: BENCHMARK PAPER

wives were expected to lie in a dark room and dress as a man - presumably to help their
husbands make the transition from homosexual to heterosexual love. ("Homosexuality," n.d.,
para. 3). It was not until the Roman Empire began to converge with Christianity that
homosexuality began to become taboo. Most sexuality scholars agree that the few references
that the Bible makes about homosexuality have become the modern basis for homophobia as the
majority of anti-homosexual and homophobic attitudes and behaviors are supported by the major
premise that homosexuality is unholy and/or forbidden by the Bible. (Sullivan & Wodarski,
2002). It seems that homosexuality was a norm for many cultures up until around 1200 C.E.
when the Holy Roman Church condemned homosexuals. (Day, 2009, p. 89). Other religions,
like Judaism and Islam, also considered homosexual activity to be a sin and were persecuting
males because of their sexual orientation. When the Christians joined in the violence of
castrating or murdering rumored homosexuals, the anti-gay movement took off. Although an
author named, John Boswell did propose that the prejudice of homosexuals did not begin until
about the 13th century. Regardless, there was a significant intolerance of homosexual activity
that started to take shape during the Medieval and Renaissance periods. If it was found that a
male was engaging in sexual activity with another man it was punishable by acts of mutilation,
hanging, or burning at the stake. These heinous acts continued for many years.
Jumping ahead to the 1800s, the word homosexual was first used in print in 1869 by
Karl-Maria Kertbeny. It was seen as a neutral word that could be used to describe male to male
sexual activity. Over time, it has come to represent anyone who is attracted to the same sex. It
was during this period that more scholars began to study human sexuality, and along with it
homosexuality. Many historians and psychologists see the late 1800s as a kind of the watershed
period for sexuality in the Western world. With the industrial revolution pushing more and more

FINAL PHASE: BENCHMARK PAPER

people togetherliterallyin dense, culturally-mixed neighborhoods, attitudes towards sex

became more liberal. (Whipps, 2006, para. 15). While the attitudes about sex became more
liberal, the consequences for homosexual activity did not. In the late 1800s, western medicine
and psychiatry turned its attention to homosexuality and virtually declared it a pathological
disease. This shift to the status of a disease removed some of the "blame" from homosexual
individuals because they were considered "sick" rather than so much illegal or immoral. This
disease model remained the prevailing paradigm in studies of homosexuality throughout most of
the 20th century. ("Sexual orientation," n.d., para. 3). By being able to say that homosexuality
was a disease, many people were either imprisoned in mental institutions or jailed. A more
notable person who was thrown in prison for two years because of his perceived homosexuality
was playwright Oscar Wilde. Psychiatrists such as Richard von Krafft-Ebing and Jean-Martin
Charcot, who medicalized the orientation, assumed that they were marching behind (or leading)
the banner of progress. After all, it was better to be sick than to be tried like Oscar Wilde as a
common criminal. (Bynum, 2002, para. 2). However, it was not better to be labeled as sick,
and there was a long continuation of locking up those who engaged in homosexuality. Although
with this sexual orientation being thrust into the media more often, it began to be studied more
widely. Sigmund Freud is one of the most recognized names at this point in history. He
proposed that all individuals were born with bisexual tendencies, and that heterosexuality and
homosexuality both arose from early childhood interactions with their parents and/or other
individuals--that it developed either from the castration complex that supposedly resulted from a
boy realizing his mother did not have a penis, or by the failure to break sexual bond with a
smothering or domineering mother. In either case, Freud's initial ideas, which have not held up
under scientific scrutiny, gave rise to the idea that homosexuality could be cured by treatment.

FINAL PHASE: BENCHMARK PAPER

("Sexual orientation," n.d., para. 4). There were many who disputed Freuds theories, but he still
stands as a pioneer in understanding the human mind. By the 1950s, Alfred Kinsey was making
a name for himself in the world of sexual exploration. Many different studies have been
conducted on sexual orientation since the mid-1900s. Alfred Kinsey, a zoologist, for example,
conducted observational studies of the sex habits of American adults. He found that a "significant
number" of the individuals in his studies admitted to homosexual activities after the age of 16
years, and that 10% of the males and from 2% to 6% of females in his study group were virtually
exclusively homosexual between the ages of 16 and 55 years. These studies indicated that far
more individuals engaged in homosexual relationships than a few so-called "social misfits."
("Sexual orientation," n.d., para. 10). By this time, more people were beginning to realize that
being homosexual was not, in fact, a sickness that could be cured or made to disappear with a
prison sentence. It was not until the modern gay rights movement began in the late 1960s and
included the development of the often activist academic treatment of sexuality in colleges and
universities. This focus led to changes in social acceptance and in the media portrayal of
homosexuality and bisexuality. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association (APA) removed
homosexuality from its list of mental disorders. ("Homosexuality and bisexuality," n.d., para.
5). With the removal of homosexuality as a mental illness, a sort of revelation began in the gay
community. The 1960s and 1970s brought more of an understanding towards homosexuality
than there had ever been before. Aside from events like the Stonewall Riots, there was a sense of
rest beginning within the gay community. More people felt comfortable declaring themselves
homosexual. By the summer of 1970, groups in at least eight American cities were sufficiently
organized to schedule simultaneous events commemorating the Stonewall riots for the last
Sunday in June. The events varied from a highly political march of three to five thousand in New

FINAL PHASE: BENCHMARK PAPER

York and thousands more at parades in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago. On June 28,
1970, the first Gay Pride marches took place in Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York
commemorating the anniversary of the riots. ("Gay and Lesbian Rights," n.d., para. 8). These
parades became a way to bring awareness and acceptance to the gay community.
Looking forward to the 1980s brings about a sobering time in the history of
homosexuality. The emergence of HIV/AIDS among gay males grew at a rapid rate. Since it
was thought to be only a homosexual disease, the general public felt they did not have to worry
about it affecting them. The ignorance towards the disease was evident even in the US
government. According to Day (2009), No discussion of bigotry and AIDS is complete without
mention of the Reagan administrations role in suppressing information about the disease. (p.
382). That kind of unawareness by the people who were supposed to be leading the country gave
way to groups such as the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT-UP) and the National Gay
and Lesbian Task Force. By the mid-1990s, almost every moderate and large city had, at least,
some rudimentary lesbian and gay community (lesbian or gay bar) and thus the means to share
culture and to address other needs and concerns. (Appleby, Colon, & Hamilton, 2011, p. 168).
There was a beginning of acceptance on a more grand scale than had ever been before in the
history of homosexuals. By the early 2000s, gay marriage was legal in Massachusetts, and some
entities like health insurance companies recognized same-sex couples on insurance policies. The
treatment of gay men had come leaps and bounds from the time when religions deemed their
deviants. There are still unfortunate incidents with some of the general population regarding the
treatment of homosexuals. However, that segment is becoming smaller. The law is finally
catching up to equality for all with antidiscrimination laws, but there are still injustices that
happen each day. The social stigma attached to people in the homosexual community is one that

FINAL PHASE: BENCHMARK PAPER

may never fully disappear, although, with the awareness and understanding most people have
today, it could lead to a more peaceful existence.
There are many reasons that gay men are not accepted into families, communities, or
groups. The biggest reason for the unacceptance of these individuals, I think, is fear. It is being
scared of the unknown. If a person has never been around homosexuals and has been told their
whole life that being gay is bad, then that person has a fear of gays. It is very unfortunate that
there are some cultures, religions, or geographical locations that perpetuate this fear of
homosexuality into the youth surrounding them. Education is the key to ending these
stereotypical worries and starting a new understanding of what it means to be a gay male in
todays society. I think it does help to see celebrities and musicians come forward and say they
are homosexuals. It gives young people who may be struggling with their sexuality hope that
they, too, could be or do whatever they want with their lives.
Homosexuality relates to every facet of the National Association of Social Workers Code
of Ethics in every instance discrimination is mentioned. When reading the Code of Ethics, there
is not one part that cannot relate directly to someone who is homosexual. From the very
beginning of the code on Social Workers Ethical Responsibilities to Client to the very end
section, Social Workers Ethical Responsibilities to the Broader Society, homosexuality or some
discrimination is mentioned. (National Association of Social Workers Code of Ethics, 2008,
retrieved from www.socialworkers.org). This means, to me, that as a social worker I need to help
protect the rights and well-being of the men to declare themselves homosexual. It is my duty to
give them the best care and resources possible.

FINAL PHASE: BENCHMARK PAPER

10

FINAL PHASE: BENCHMARK PAPER

11
References

A Brief History of Human Sex - Live Science: Scientific News ... (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.livescience.com/7088-history-human-sex.html_br
Appleby, G. A., Colon, E., & Hamilton, J. (2011). Diversity, Oppression, and Social Functioning
Person-In-Environment Assessment and Intervention (3 ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn &
Bacon Pearson Education.
Ashford, J. B., & Lecroy, C. W. (2013). Human Behavior in the Social
Environment A Multidimensional Perspective (5 ed.). Belmont, CA:
Brooks/Cole, Cengage Learning.
Bynum, B. (2002, June 29). Discarded diagnoses. [Article]. Lancet,
359(9325), 2284. Retrieved from http://www.thelancet.com/
Civil Rights 101: Gays and Lesbians - The Leadership ... (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.civilrights.org/resources/civilrights101/sexualorientation.ht
ml_br
Day, P. J. (2009). A new history of social welfare (6 ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
Education.
Discarded diagnoses S. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.elsevier.es/enrevista---pdf-13164513-S300_br
Ethical Issues in Conversion Therapy | Alliance for Strong ... (n.d.). Retrieved
from http://alliance1.org/ppf/ethical-issues-conversion-therapy_br
Gay and Lesbian Rights - Boundless - Cloud Powered Education. (n.d.).
Retrieved from https://www.boundless.com/u-shistory/textbooks/boundless-u-s-history-textbook/the-

FINAL PHASE: BENCHMARK PAPER

12

Gay and Lesbian Rights. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2015, from
https://www.boundless.com/u-s-history/textbooks/boundless-u-shistory-textbook/the-sixties-1960-1969-29/the-expansion-of-the-civilrights-movement-220/gay-and-lesbian-rights-1230-9765/
Homosexuality and bisexuality. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.healthofchildren.com/G-H/Homosexuality-andBisexuality.html
Homosexuality. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/background/19a_p1.html
I can't wait for George Zimmerman to be acquitted | IGN Boards. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.ign.com/boards/threads/i-cant-wait-for-george-zimmerman-to-beacquitted.452858947/_br
May 2014 NEWS ALERT - Early Learning Coalition Miami-Dade/Monroe. (n.d.). Retrieved
from http://www.elcmdm.org/newsroom/news_alerts/2014/NA052014.pdf_br
Sexual orientation. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2015, from
http://www.faqs.org/health/topics/70/Sexual-orientation.html
Sullivan & Wodarski. (2002). Social alienation in gay youth. Journal of Human Behavior
in the Social Environment, 5(1), 1-17.
Significant Contributions of Early and Classical Civilizations. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://is.flpda.org/courses/elementary/socialScience/section1/1d4.htm_br
sixties-1960-1969-29/the-expansion-of-the-civil-rights-movement-220/gay-and-lesbian-rights1230-9765/_br

FINAL PHASE: BENCHMARK PAPER

The Greeks - Homosexuality - PBS: Public Broadcasting Service. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.pbs.org/empires/thegreeks/background/19a_p1.html_br
Whipps, H. (2006). A Brief History of Human Sex. Retrieved from
http://www.livescience.com/7088-history-human-sex.html

13