Homophobia
  Real Life Hot Topic-AIDS | About AIDS | What's New Page | Homophobia | What The Bible Says About Homosexuality | Related Links  

Why Gay People are not Accepted by All
Now, lets talk about the ever present problem with people connecting AIDS with Gay People. Is there a basis for this, and is it right?



Do you know someone who is Gay and has AIDS? Why do AIDS and Gay men go hand in hand with some people?
   What is Homophobia ?
Sometimes people who object to gay people are called homophobic. Homophobia is a fear of and/or hostility towards gay people or homosexuality. Homophobia is often expressed visibly, audibly and sometimes violently. Research carried out in 1996 by gay rights group Stonewall showed that gay people had experienced more extreme homophobia as young people than as adults. The research found that as young people 90% of the respondents had been called names and nearly 50% had been violently attacked. In areas of England homophobic bullying in schools has now reached the point where young people being bullied have special homework clubs.

Attitudes towards Gay Men
Although people often grow up exposed to more or less the same beliefs about sexuality, they can hold quite different attitudes in their adult lives. While some people believe homosexuality is a valid lifestyle, others violently object. Some people believe that homosexuality is unnatural, others see it as a sin and have said that for gay men 'AIDS is a plague sent from God'.
At the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, gay men were frequently singled out for abuse as they were deemed to be responsible for the cause and spread of the virus. Sensational reporting in the press became progressively anti-gay and did little to help the situation. One prominent gay activist was attacked outside a London subway by a gang of knife-wielding youths who suggested that he should be killed before he could spread 'the gay plague' to others.
In contrast the current UK labour government has a gay front-bench minister, as well as several gay back-benchers. Part of this government's mandate is to address the age of consent for gay men during the current Parliament, as well as review the ban on gay men and lesbians serving in the army.

The Matthew Shepard Foundation

Prejudice among young people
Amongst young people, boys and girls who do not act in line with their gender stereotype -for example boys being sporty, strong decision-makers and girls being more emotional, expressive nurturers- may be subjected to severe bullying. This may include accusations of being of the opposite sex, or of being gay. Boys who show their feelings or who are too intimate with other boys are often called 'girls' or 'poofs'. Girls who are deemed to be too boyish or who hold feminist views run the risk of being called 'dykes' or 'lesbians'.
Boys may be more prejudiced than girls towards gay people. This is because the boundaries on boys gender roles are much more rigid than they are for girls. As a result boys have a limited number of ways acceptable to their peer group to express their emotions. This often means that any expression between boys may be seen by their peers as latent homosexual interest. Between girls, in contrast, close friendships which involve embracing, touching and sharing thoughts and feelings are more legitimate and are less likely to be seen by their peers as an indication of homosexuality.
Gay and other less flattering words are often used by young people as standard insults. This derogatory use of words associated with homosexuality is one way in which young people learn it is highly undesirable to be gay. This can have a number of effects.
· It silences young people who are experiencing gay feelings.
· In order to protect themselves young gay men often pretend to be heterosexual and sometimes join in homophobic taunts themselves.
· The atmosphere at school reinforces the isolation of young people who are being bullied or abused because they are perceived to be gay - there is no-one to talk to and people are very hesitant to defend them.
· Gay young people are kept separate from each other because of the implications of being seen together by their peers.
Many gay and lesbian adults say that they began to identify themselves as 'different' in their secondary school years. In this period, the absence of support, understanding or information was sometimes a source of distress in itself and often magnified their anxieties.

Link to the Matthew Shepard Foundation

What Causes the Prejudice Against Gay Men & Lesbians?

There are probably no simple causes of homophobia. While there is probably no single thing which causes a person to be homophobic, research has shown that prejudice towards gay people and homosexuality can be influenced by the person:

· Reporting no homosexual experiences or feelings.

· Being negative about types of sexual behavior and relationships which are neither procreative nor take place within marriage.

· Having a lower educational and social status, for example the lower a person's level of educational attainment and social class the more negative their attitudes are towards homosexuality.

· Having and adhering to strong religious beliefs which disapprove of sex and/or homosexuality.

· Having little/no social contact with lesbian and gay people.

Some people understand that being gay is not a choice, it is just something that happens. Yes, there may be some people out there that just have sex with members of there gender just because they will take it from anyone, but that is not the norm. Gay people follow are hard life. Not many people would choose it. And trying to change ones sexuality can be harmful to ones self.

Many religious beliefs downplay the idea of homosexuality. The people that believe, that from a religious perspective, that it is wrong to be gay are entitled to there opinions . But because there opinions are different from that of the gay community, religious activists should not try and keep others from following there way of life.

Instead of trying to make everyone think the same way on all things we need to be able to get along regardless. Now I'm not saying that we should accept murders and drug dealers as being themselves, but when it comes to sexuality, and a person has no control over it, they should be able to make the choice to follow what they think is right and not be abused by others.

To put it simply:
"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

....... then it seems we could respect one another.


Is is ok to be Gay?
Your own sexuality aside, you must have an opinion on the subject one way or the other. Whatever you choose to think, make sure that you are considering all of the facts. Feel for yourself what is right, but make sure not to let yourself hate. Many people end up hating Gay People so much that they can not stand the thought of them. The death of Matthew Shepard is a good example of this. People can be so cruel and blinded by there own feelings that they do not respect the rights of others. Even if you think that gay is wrong, respect those people anyway. This country, this world keeps working because we respect each others differences. This makes us stronger. No matter what you think, always respect people.