In our society today, homosexuality is a touchy topic among people. Many believe that it is immoral and is known to be negatively viewed in our culture. People become uncomfortable at the thought of same-sex relations, and think that it is a barrier to society. With these ideas, it is no wonder that a lot of homophobia is prevalent. Men and women were put on this planet to have relations with each other and to reproduce offspring and continue the cycle. It was never thought of to have same-sex relations that would limit this idea of procreation between a male and female. The Catholic Church emphasizes and frowns upon same-sex relations and unions, which helps stem the idea of negative viewpoints of homosexuals.
Growing up, I never thought I was exposed to homosexuality, or so I thought. My town is dominantly upper/working middle class, white, and heterosexual. If you are homosexual, it is not discussed or publicly known to your neighbors. By thinking I was not exposed to this type of lifestyle, I didn’t necessarily view it as ‘wrong’, but the idea of homosexuality did make me uncomfortable. I thought that they were considered to be different from me and the rest of the heterosexual world. As I became older, and my parents were able to talk about more mature things, such as this, I became more aware of how many people my family actually knew that considered themselves to be homosexual, and I didn’t even know it!
My family knows several different people who associate themselves with the gay community. Personally, I never would have thought that these family-friends were. This made me realize that there are no correct behaviors, norms, or specific characteristic that define someone as outright homosexual. As I look at the personality traits and physical characteristics that these family-friends have, I realize that they are just like those of someone who is heterosexual. Though they may have a different sexual orientation, it does not change the person that they are. It is only one small difference that makes them who they are, not a major focus that should separate and condemn a person in society.
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I think it is really interesting that you grew up without any exposure to homosexuality. It always surprises me how much your family and background can influence the way you think about the world, and I think it's great that you broke awya from that and became more open-minded to homosexuals when you exposed yourself. I think that a lot of people who are homophobic had similar experiences as yours growing up, and this is the reason that they are so uncomfortable with homosexulaity. It is definitely something that we need to get used to because it is not the norm in our soceity. I think it's great that you allowed yourself to become more open-minded! Great Post!
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