15 Frequently Asked Questions

[oberon]

I found this and thought that it summarized everything pretty well.

Originally Posted by [b

Quote[/b] ]Information Provider: Victoria Edwards ae606@freenet.carleton.ca

* * *Friends Project in Seattle Washington.

* * Hetric Martin Institute has fact sheets as does the
* * Diversity Works,of Pelham MA.
* *
* * HOMOSEXUALITY - 15 QUESTIONS
* *
* * *1. WHAT IS HOMOSEXUALITY?
* *
* * Sexual attraction primarily to members of the same sex.
* *
* * *2. WHO IS A HOMOSEXUAL PERSON?
* *
* * A person who has a sexual attraction primarily to
* * members of the same sex is a homosexual person. A woman
* * who is sexually attracted to primarily women is called a
* * lesbian. A man who is sexually attracted to men is
* * called a gay man.
* *
* * *3. DOES HAVING FEELINGS TOWARDS MEMBERS OF ONE'S OWN SEX
* * MAKE ONE A HOMOSEXUAL PERSON?
* *
* * No. Many boys and girls during early childhood and
* * adolescence have same-sex sexual attractions or
* * experiences but are not lesbian or gay. Many adults also
* * have same-sex sexual attractions or experiences but do
* * not consider themselves lesbians or gay men.
* *
* * *4. WHAT DETERMINES A PERSON'S SEXUAL ORIENTAION?
* *
* * It is not known what causes homosexuality or
* * heterosexuality. One theory is that sexual orientation
* * is determined pre-natally. Another theory is that it is
* * determined after birth by environmental factors. In any
* * case, one's sexual orientaion is said to be established
* * by a very early age.
* *
* * *5. CAN ONE'S SEXUAL ORIENTATION BE CHANGED?
* *
* * Since homosexuality is merely one of the variations of
* * sexual behavior a better question might be "Should
* * homosexual people change? If so, why?" Studies have
* * indicated that attempts to change one's sexual
* * orientation are usually unsuccessful and often lead to
* * increased depression and suicide. Statistic show that
* * the majority of homosexuals do not see any reason to
* * change. Some, however, have found that accepting their
* * sexual orientation has been difficult given the
* * prejudice that lesbians and gay me have had to deal
* * with. Social Scientists have begun examining the effect
* * of the distress that arises from this kind of prejudice.
* *
* * *6. HOW MANY LESBIANS AND GAY MEN ARE THERE?
* *
* * Although figures vary, studies have estimated that 10%
* * of the population is lesbian or gay for a significant
* * part of their lives. It is difficult to determine exact
* * percentages as many of those who are fearful of
* * prejudice hide their sexual orientation.
* *
* * *7. CAN LESBIANS AND GAY MEN BE EASILY IDENTIFIED?
* *
* * While you may be able to identify some lesbians and gay
* * men, most lesbians and gay men are, contrary to popular
* * belief, indistinguishable from other people. There is no
* * single lesbian or gay lifestyle. Lesbians and gay men
* * lead diverse lives and work in all occupations in every
* * part of the country and the world. Lesbians and gay men
* * are singles and committed couples; intellectuals and
* * jocks; rich, middle class, and poor; urban, suburban,
* * and rural; black, Latino, Asian-Pacific, and white.
* *
* * *8. WHAT KIND OF JOBS DO HOMOSEXUAL PEOPLE HOLD?
* *
* * Lesbians and gay men work in all occupations and are
* * part of a variety of professions. Many lesbian and gay
* * men take precautions not to reveal their sexual
* * orientation as even their efficient and effective job
* * performance is no protection from harassment and
* * prejudice. Therefore, we may not see a great evidence of
* * lesbians or gay men in so called traditional jobs, as
* * they may not feel safe in being open. For example,
* * lesbians and gay men are in the military although the
* * armed services have an offical stand discriminating
* * against them. In a number of states it is not illegal to
* * discriminate on the basis of sexual oreintation.
* *
* * *9. DO LESBIANS AND GAY MEN EXPERIENCE DISCRIMINATION?
* *
* * Like many other minority groups who are perceived to be
* * "different", lesbian and gay men experience
* * misunderstanding and prejudice. Name calling,
* * harrassment, physical violence and discrimination in
* * employment and housing are a few of the ways in which
* * lesbian and gay men are mistreated.
* *
* * 10. IS HOMOSEXUALITY A MENTAL ILLNESS?
* *
* * No. In 1973 the following resolution was passed by The
* * American Psychiagric Assoction, Board of Trustees.
* * "Homosexuality, per se implies no impairment in
* * judgment, stability, reliablity, or general social or
* * vocational capabilities. Further, (we) urge all mental
* * health professionals to take the lead in removing the
* * stigma of mental illness associated with homosexual
* * orientation."
* *
* * In many societies, homosexuality is considered quite
* * normal. This was the case in Ancient Greece and Rome
* * (both during their rises and declines in power), in many
* * Native American cultures (where lesbians and gay men are
* * influential tribal and religous leaders), and many
* * present-day societies such as The Netherland, Denmark,
* * Sweden and Thailand.
* *
* * 11. ARE HOMOSEXUAL PEOPLE CHILD MOLESTERS?
* *
* * Pedophilia, sexual attraction to children, should never
* * be confused with homosexuality. Many studies have
* * documented that the overwhelming majority of child
* * molesters are heterosexual men.
* *
* * 12. ARE HOMOSEXUAL PEOPLE PROMISCUOUS?
* *
* * Not necessarily. Many lesbians and gay men are single
* * and many are in long-term relationships. In a study by
* * Masters and Johnson, the differences in sexual
* * promiscuity where between men and women regardless of
* * sexual orientation. Lesbians and heterosexual women were
* * generally more inclined to be emotionally committed
* * before becoming sexually intimate. Gay and heterosexual
* * men, on the other hand, generally evidence less
* * emotional involvement before becoming sexually intimate.
* *
* * 13. WILL CLOSE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN ADOLESCENTS
* * AND ADULTS OF THE SAME SEX LEAD TO HOMOSEXUALITY?
* *
* * No. This fear of intamate friendships, particularly
* * between males, has had negative effects on the mental
* * well-being and relationship of men with each other.
* * Displays of affection between men are customary in many
* * cultures of the world. It is also very common among men
* * and women who are heterosexual to express love and
* * affection for members of their same sex.
* *
* * 14. IS HOMOSEXUALITY AGAINST RELIGION?
* *
* * Many of the world's religions do not condemn
* * homosexuality at all. Whithin the Judeo-Christian
* * tradition, theologians and biblical scholars continue to
* * difffer on the Bible's six passages that have been used
* * to condemn homosexual behavior. They agree on one thing,
* * however -- Jesus said absolutely nothing at all about
* * homosexuality. Numerous passages in the Bible do,
* * however condemn various heterosexual behaviors (divorse,
* * premarital sex, masturbation, and birth control).
* * As knowledge has expanded, religions have also often
* * expanded their horizons. For example, in the seventeenth
* * century, Galileo was imprisoned by the Catholic Church
* * for suggesting that the earth was not the center of the
* * universe. In the 19th century, Charles Darwin was
* * condemned for teaching the "blasphemous" theory that
* * humans evolved from animals. Before the Civil War, many
* * churches defended slavery on the basis that it was
* * condoned in the Bible.
* *
* * Today, many religious organizations support full civil
* * rigths for lesbian and gay men, including the National
* * Council of Churches of Christ, the Union of American
* * Hebrew Congregations, the Unitarialn Universalist
* * Associaion, the Society of Friends (Quakers), and
* * others. The Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan
* * Community Churches is a predominantly lesbian and gay
* * demonimation. In addition, the other denominations are
* * reevaluating their views on homosexuality.
* *
* * 15. IS AIDS A HOMOSEXUAL DISEASE?
* *
* * No. AIDS (aquired immune deficiency syndrome) is not a
* * "homosexually-spread disease." Rather, it is a disease
* * spread by unprotected, unsafe sexual behavior,
* * homosexual and heterosexual. (Sharing needles can also
* * spread the virus.) In Africa, unprotected heterosexual
* * intercourse has been the prime mode of transmission.
* * Lesbians are the least at risk of infection with HIV
* * (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus associated
* * with AIDS, of any population group, heterosexual or
* * homosexual.
* *


--
Homosexuals have not abandoned their powers of sorcery and seduction.
They`ve embraced them. *Adam Levin
WebPage: http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/freeport/sigs/life/gay/menu
HomePage: *http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/freeport/sigs/life/gay/me/menu

You may have heard some or all of this before, but if it raises any new questions, I'd love to hear from you.