The Sexual Orientation - Report Example

Is there such thing as a normal sexual orientation? The reasons behind sexual orientation have instigated and inspired high scientific interest for many centuries. This interest is caused by, in part, the biased belief that different sexual orientations might have different social and cultural implications(Bem, 1996). Sexual orientation is a fundamental aspect of human sexuality, which has a significant influence on peoples personality and behaviour (Bailey, Dunne, Martin et. al., 2000). According to McKinght (1997), sexual orientation exists along a range of sexual preferences, from homosexuality and bisexuality to heterosexuality. Traditional perception of sexuality takes it origins from the ancient times. Ruse (1988) implies that Ancient Greeks and Jews were the groups who were primarily influential on the morality of modern civilization. However, over the matter of sexual orientation, Greek and Jewish thoughts enter the conflict, and it is often the Jewish tradition that proves triumphant. As a result, people’s perception that the “normal” sexual orientation is heterosexuality has long since become tradition. This essay will argue that in spite of traditional views against homosexuality and bisexuality, there is no such thing as a normal sexual orientation. It will further conclude that heterosexuality as a sexual orientation is a socially constructed view. On the one side, there are several factors that prove the existence of the concept of normal sexual orientation. Firstly, the religious way of looking at sexuality forbids any homosexual acts. For example, Magonet (1995) notes that Judaism, as one of the oldest monotheistic religions, considers homosexual acts as a “halakha” (which means a violation of traditional Jewish law). In addition, Hertzberg (1991) implied that The Torah forbids the act of homosexuality, which is known as mishkav zakhar, and considers a homosexual act between two men to be an abhorrent thing (which is known as to’evah), and is punishable by death—a strong prohibition. Likewise, Islam regards homosexuality as a sin and a vast deviation from the norm: "We also sent Lut: He said to his people: ‘Do ye commit lewdness such as no people in creation (ever) committed before you? For ye practice your lusts on men in preference to women: ye are indeed a people transgressing beyond bounds. Quran 7:80-81)’”. Moreover, according to a pamphlet produced by Al-Fatiha, there is a consensus among Islamic scholars that all humans are naturally heterosexual. All Islamic schools of thought and jurisprudence consider gay acts to be unlawful and sinful (Habib, 2010). Like Judaism and Islam, Christianity also does not accept homosexuality, and considers it is an illicit lust that is forbidden by God. He said to His people of Israel, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination (Leviticus 18:22).” "If a man also lie with mankind, as he lieth with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination: they shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them (Leviticus 20:13).” In these passages from The Old Testament of the Bible, homosexuality is condemned and shown as a prime example of a sin, a sexual perversion. A Christian can neither alter Gods viewpoint nor depart from it (Boswell, 1980). They may believe otherwise, but this does not change how Christianity as a whole views homosexuality. From the scientific perspective, sex is made for reproduction and a male and female’s genitals are designed to mate with one another. Arguments from biology have proven to be very powerful in maintaining heterosexual relations. The anatomical construction of genitalia is a great necessity for heterosexual relations. It is not possible to create future generations without heterosexual relations between genders not only for human being, but also for animal species. For example, Kant, in his Lectures of Ethics, argues that homosexuality is unnatural in that it "degrades mankind below the level of animals, for no animal turns in this way from its own species." I. Kant, Lectures on Ethics 170 (L. Infield trans. 1963). This means that heterosexuality is the origin of sexuality and is therefore perceived as “normal” sexual orientation. However, Hamer and Copeland (1994) argue that there is plenty of evidence to show that homosexuality can be caused by genetic factors in the human body. Although the existence of normal sexual orientation as heterosexuality might be proven, they seem to be subjective and understood in historically specific ways. Firstly, there are some existing contradictions against the religious and scientific perspectives of sexual orientation. Current research in the area of the history of sexual relations demonstrates that in Greek culture, one of the most developed of the ancient societies, there was no single normal sexual orientation. For example, Foucault (1990) states that in Greece it was common for a man to change his sexual preference during his lifetime. It was considered abnormal if they did not change their orientation, or at least contemplated it. Most frequently, a man had “boy-loving” inclinations in his youth, and afterwards he changed his preference back to women. In similar studies by Ruse (1988), pictures of homosexual actions between both males and females were portrayed on the ancient Greek vases. It demonstrates that Greeks accepted and even promoted homosexual relations in their culture; unlike modern society, homosexuality was not looked down upon, nor was it a taboo subject or lifestyle. In addition, the Greek iambic poet Archilochus in the 17th century B.C.E speaks predominately about men who have different sexual preferences (Hubbart, 2003). There is also plenty of evidence of bisexual and homosexual relations between animals. Mostly, there are animals that are used to reproducing through heterosexual sex. However, there are some species that reproduce asexually, which is when an animal is able to reproduce from itself without needed a second parent. The animal takes on the traits of its single parent. Examples of asexual beings are protozoa and lower invertebrates. Among animals that reproduce sexually, there are also cases of species having sex with the same gender. For example, a male couple of penguins in the Central Park Zoo in New York City have successfully hatched and fostered a female chick from a fertile egg that they had been given to incubate. There are more cases of penguin homosexual couples spotted in New York, Germany and Japan Zoo Parks (New York Times, 2004). Moreover, homosexual behavior has been identified between pigeons, dolphins, giraffes, elephants and other animals (Sommer & Vasey, 2006). Such evidence shows that reproductive sex does not necessarily require a heterosexual orientation, since orientation refers to a long term enduring pattern of sexual and emotional attraction leading often to long term social bonding. Reproductive sex requires only the basic act of, often one time, vaginal intercourse (Bagemihl, 2000). A third point against the thesis that homosexuality is biologically unnatural is that homosexuality has a solid biological basis. For example, the statement that vaginas were “designed” for penises seems not relevant enough for the argument. Ruse(1988) argues that “as a consequence of putting his penis in another man’s anus, or allowing his own anus to be so used, a man better replicates his genes, than if he were to devote his attention to seeking out vaginas, then biologically speaking this is perfectly proper or natural”. Moreover, Freud (1905) implied that anuses, as penises, have the same function of urinating and defecating. Therefore, homosexuality seems to be the normal phenomenon. In addition, Freud strongly believed that anatomically, mentally, and physically, every human being is potentially bisexual. According to Freud, bisexuality of children begins during early childhood. For example, the young infant is dependent on their mother’s sustenance, continues on to his interest with his own genitals, and ends up at the phallic stage when boys become fully aware of their penis. All of these stages of an infant’s growth demonstrates that bisexuality is a fundamental aspect of sexuality for every human being. Eventually, the view that heterosexuality is a “normal” and “traditional” sexual orientation was considered to be brought forth by religion - the source of morality for everyone and some not very relevant biological examples for many others. A human being’s account of sexuality held by previous generations, it might be able to be proven by historical accounts of sexuality. People’s sexuality might be variable, but homosexuality is a part of the different ranges of people’s sexual preferences. Therefore, there is no single correct understanding of what constitutes normal sexuality. Bibliography: Bagemihl, B. (2000). Biological exuberance: animal homosexuality and natural diversity. New York: St. Martin’s Press. Bailey J.M., Dunne M., Martin N.G. (2000). Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 78/3: 524-526 Read More