Stigmas and Double Standards Associated With Homosexuality
Stigmas and Double Standards Associated With Homosexuality
Hello fellow bloggers,
So we've all seen and discussed the topic of double standards between males and females, but have we ever specifically looked at homosexuality within that topic?
The question proposed is why is there a double standard and stigma between male and female homosexuality?
Let's begin with talking about heterosexual males and females. If straight males are touching each other, without being rough, it is often called gay. Now, when straight females are touching each other, this is seen as a normal activity. So, why is this the case? Is this due to male stereotypes and expectations of being the tough alpha male, or are there other reasons?
Here's another comparison. What do you picture a gay male to be like? Would they be acting more feminine? Now, picture a lesbian. What would they be like? Would they be females, who dress like males, with short hair? If so, does this mean being homosexual is connected to the stigma of being opposite sex?
Now, let's go to Sierra Leone. When two males are caught having sex with each other, they face life in prison. Contrary, when two women are caught having sex with each other, it's legal (Equaldex). Why is this the case? Is this a result of males leading the government? What are your thoughts?
Perhaps you've heard a straight male say, "lesbians are hot". You've probably also seen that same individual turn homophobic once the topic changes to males. Now, if males are fine with lesbianism, what's the phobia around homosexual males? Why allow females to participate in same-sex activities, but not males in same-sex activities? Does this conversation also occur as a female?
With these proposed situations, what are your thoughts? Do you believe that there is a double standard within homosexuality? If so, why do you think there is one? How could this double standard and stigma around male homosexuality be removed? Could changes in media, parenting, and education help resolve the unequal acceptance of male homosexuality?
By: Rugshan Gnanandram
EDIT 05/01/17:
Work Cited
“Equaldex.” LGBT Rights in Sierra Leone, www.equaldex.com/region/sierra-leone.
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ReplyDeleteHi Rugshan, nice article. I think stigma around male homosexuality can be changed by educating people about STD's. This is because a large amount of the population, I believe, think that HIV/AIDS only comes from gay men. This was a big stereotype back in the 1970's, up til the 90's, and still is today. People thought all gay men had HIV. The attachment of a killing disease with gay men, has made people not accept them, like they would accept Lesbians. To fix this, we must educate people on the facts about HIV/AIDS. Gay people are not the only ones with HIV, Magic Johnson a heterosexual NBA basketball player, got it in the 90's ending his career. Not all gay men have HIV and that heterosexuals people can get it too.
ReplyDeleteHey Asfand, thanks for your reply. Your point on the HIV/AIDS stereotype is agreeable to some extent. I can see this being the case in situations like Sierra Leone, where the number of HIV/AIDS cases are quite high. I also agree on your point of educating people about this stereotype, which leads to this fear and neglect of homosexual males. Another thing to question is, does this stereotype point apply to people within North America? Like do you think teens who neglect homosexual individuals even know about the AIDS/HIV stereotype. I believe society as a whole needs to change things up to deal with that. Although educating people about this stereotype would be beneficial to some extent, we would need to do a lot more than just talk about a stereotype which may or may not be relevant to people today. Anyways, thanks for your input once again. Take care.
DeleteHey Asfand, I strongly agree with your point on educating people about HIV/AIDS so they get rid of the stereotype of only homosexual males having them but i think we as a society can't do as much to improve peoples views on homosexuals becuase the biggest factors are their family and how their religion views homosexual activity which will determine how they will be toward homosexuals.
DeleteHey Rugshan and Nabil,
DeleteRugshan I agree with you that we have to do more but, i think that stigma of HIV/AIDS is a big issue, its probably the main reason people have so much stigma around male homosexuality, apart from their religious beliefs, as Nabil said. Nabil, I think thats a very smart point you brought up. Religious beliefs are the biggest factor in how people view homosexuality. The main argument most people use in why they don't support gay marriage or such things, is because of their religion. The problem with this is how do we get so many people to change their views and I think that just cant be done. We can teach them to accept gay people but that still wont remove any stigma's. The only thing we can do is make sure these religious beliefs don't come into our government, like they have in so many other parts of the world (Saudi Arabia, US, India, etc). Im not saying religion is bad or anything, I'am religious myself, I am just saying its sometimes smart to keep religious views out of government as it will interfere with policy. (I dont want to go on about this and right an essay, but i think you guys get my point by now)
Thanks for the response to my comment.
Hey Rugshan, I agree with you about the fact that there is a double standard in homosexuality. Personally, I think the reason for this connects to some of the gender stereotypes that exist in the world. Specifically, that women are more attractive and sexually pleasing to look at, and that women are always the more friendly and touchy ones. So that connects back to double standards in homosexuality. So when girls are being touchy with each other, people might find it normal due to the fact that girls are supposed to be friendly and touchy with each other, and they just like being close with each other. But on the other hand, men are supposed to be viewed as dominant and less touchy with their friends. So when someone sees guys getting touchy with each other, they think its gay, once again because of the stereotype that men are supposed to be more firm, serious and less touchy with each other.
ReplyDeleteHey Ahmed! Thanks for the response. I can agree that the problem of double standards in homosexuality is linked to gender stereotypes which exist today. I could also agree on the point of women being seen as more friendly, and males opposite. So how should we fix this? Surely commercials and other sources of media contribute to these stereotypes in society. So does that mean advertisers and companies should focus on creating gender equal media, without stereotyping anyone? I'm not sure if that will ever happen, but it's certainly one way of dealing with the issue. Anyways, thanks for the reply once again. I could see this blog directly linking to the one from yourself, take care.
DeleteRugshan based off of your question, if changes in media, parenting, and education could help resolve the unequal acceptance of male homosexuality. Yes, there are already different representations of homosexuality around Canada. A prime example of this is in 2015 when Justin Trudeau was supportive of homosexuals and their beliefs promoting it at the same time! Parenting has a huge role in allowing a child to grow up understanding what is the difference between homosexuality and heterosexuality while accepting both without having prior stereotypes because of the understanding. Schools are currently making an effort to attempt in resolving the unequal acceptance of homosexuality in general whether male or female. A great example is in Kipling Collegiate Institute how there are promotions around the school for "gay-straight alliance". The image that schools are promoting throughout educating students about relations between the two, and not needing to create stereotypes only requiring acceptance from both parties. What do you think educational systems, or movies etc. could venture toward to equalize the acceptance of homosexuality?
ReplyDelete