Historical Perspectives on Homosexuality

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses society's view on homosexuality and how that view has changed over time. The paper describes current views in America of homosexual individuals and acts, as well as changes to the rights of homosexual individuals within the legal system in America. The paper then compares the current situation to how homosexuals were treated in different cultures and countries in the past, including the view of various religions to homosexuality.

From the Paper:

"A quick glance at any newspaper today will quite often demonstrate the contentious debates about gay and lesbian rights in America. In the most recent election, eleven additional states voted in favour of banning same-sex marriage and in fact, the some homosexual acts, such as sodomy, were only recently de-criminalized in some of America's states. On the international scene, America lags far behind many other countries in providing protection of gay and lesbian minority rights, and in fact America tends to move in the opposite direction of many other Western nations by attempting to ban same-sex marriages while other industrialized nations are legalizing the same marriages. Religion is often a factor that takes centre stage in public and political debates about gay and lesbian rights, with the opposition arguing that homosexuality is a sin. Modern interpretations of the Bible bring this claim into considerable doubt, but even if one accepts homosexuality as a sin, one must still concede that it is a sin within the Christina dogma. Historical perspectives on homosexuality have run the gamut over the centuries and within different cultures, ranging from views that see homosexuals as sacred and honourable members of a community, to those who saw anyone even associated with the thought of homosexuality burned at the stake."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Feray, Jean-Claude & Herzer, Manfred, trans. Glen W. Pepple, (1990). Homosexual Studies and Politics in the 19th Century: Karl Maria Kertbeny. Journal of Homosexuality, 19(1).
• Herzer, Manfred, trans. Hubert Kennedy. (1985). Kertbeny and the Nameless Love. Journal of Homosexuality, 12(1).
• Crompton, L. (2003). Homosexuality & Civilization. The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press: London, England.

More papers on Historical Perspectives on Homosexuality:

• Term Paper # 119199 : "Perspectives on Homosexuality"
• Analytical Essay # 143220 : "Foucault and D'Emilio on Homosexuality"
• Analytical Essay # 47184 : "The Bible and Homosexuality: Leviticus"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: