We explain what homosexuality is, its presence in history and how sexual orientation and gender identity differ.
What is homosexuality?
homosexuality It is the erotic, romantic and sexual attraction that a person experiences on a sustained basis for individuals of the same sex. That is, homosexual men are those who are attracted to other men (and are commonly called gay) and homosexual women are those who are attracted to other women (and are commonly called lesbians).
The term “homosexuality” has a modern origin, since it combines Greek and Latin roots: from the Greek homos (“equal”, “similar”) and from Latin sexus (“sex”) and the suffix –alis (which denotes a trait or characteristic), and which was used for the first time in German (homosexualität) in the 19th century by the Austrian writer and activist Karl María Kertbeny (1824-1882).
For a long time, homosexuality was frowned upon and even persecuted for religious or moral reasons, despite the fact that it is a long-standing behavior in human history. Although it has currently been recognized as a sexual orientation and not as a pathology, there is still a certain stigma about it in fundamentalist sectors of society.
For that same reason, it is not easy to determine how many homosexual people exist in the world. Many of them are openly and freely, while others prefer to manage their privacy in the strictest discretion, and there are even those who practice homosexual relationships sporadically, occasionally or secretly. There are numerous groups and social groups that fight, precisely, for the normalization and acceptance of homosexuality in society and the abolition of these prejudices and taboos.
See also: Bisexuality
Differences between sexual orientation and gender identity
Homosexuality is a sexual orientation, that is, a form of sexual-affective attraction or interest which therefore has to do with the object of desire. Homosexual people (or bisexual people, if they are interested in both their own sex and the opposite sex) can have different types of gender identity, without this having to do with their preference when establishing erotic and romantic bonds.
Instead, Gender identity has to do with individuals' self-perception regarding gender that is, how they are perceived according to the social roles culturally established for each sex. Thus, a person can perceive themselves as a man or a woman, or both at the same time, or as someone who occupies a place outside of said binary conformation. This identification, however, is internal: psychological, mental, emotional, and has nothing to do with the choice of an object of desire (that is, with sexual orientation).
Homosexuality in history
Homosexuality is not a new phenomenon in human history. In different ancient mythological traditions reference is made to homosexual loves between gods, heroes and different types of mythical beings. A well-known case is that of Ancient Greece, in whose society homosexual relationships had an accepted and recognized place, since it was considered that certain forms of love were only possible between men.
In the ancient city of Sparta, for example, homosexual relationships were encouraged between soldiers, as a way to strengthen the bond between those who would go together to face death.
In a similar way, In Ancient Rome, homosexual relationships were relatively everyday although passive roles could have a connotation of greater or lesser submission, so it was common for men to have affairs with young ephebes or with slaves.
The fierce persecution of homosexuality in the West was the result of the spread of Christianity a religion heir to the rigorous moral precepts of Judaism. In both traditions (Jewish and Christian) homosexuality is not only frowned upon, but it constitutes a sin that merits divine punishment and social rejection.
From the 5th to the 18th century, the penalty established in Christian Europe for the so-called nefarious sin It was death at the stake, and there is still evidence of this in the vulgar expressions used in some languages to refer disparagingly to homosexuals: faggotfor example, was the term used in medieval English to refer to the bundle of firewood, that is, the wood used to make pyres burn.
Even in the modern era, homosexuality continued to be considered a deviation or a psychiatric problem, and there were numerous and tortuous attempts to design “conversion” or “cure” mechanisms, which consisted of physically and psychologically torturing the person, in sometimes causing permanent damage. We had to wait until 1990 for the World Health Organization to eliminate both male and female homosexuality from its official list of mental pathologies.
Homophobia and legality of homosexuality in the world
It is understood as homophobia unmanageable fear or anxiety towards homosexual people, which usually leads to different forms of aggression against them: open contempt, discrimination or worse still, violence. This is a sadly common phenomenon in contemporary society, considered along with racism, xenophobia and transphobia as obstacles to overcome in order to build a more egalitarian society.
However, There are societies in which the laws themselves encourage homophobic sentiment. In different fundamentalist and religious nations, such as certain currents of Judaism and Islam, homosexuality can be a reason for ostracism by the community, or worse still, for legal sanctions ranging from imprisonment to execution. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, for example, executions of homosexuals are common.
In other nations, such as some Western first world countries, homosexuality is completely legal and homosexual people enjoy the same rights as heterosexual people, including access to marriage (in some cases called “legal union”) and adoption.
Is homosexuality a choice?
Neither homosexuality nor bisexuality nor heterosexuality are aspects of the person that simply depend on their preference. Currently, it is unknown exactly what genetic, upbringing or personality factors can determine an individual's sexual orientation, which on the other hand does not always constitute a unique, monolithic aspect of their personality.
Thus, people can have both heterosexual and homosexual experiences without necessarily enrolling them in one group or another, and it is generally considered that these types of attractions are managed as a spectrum, since a certain degree of homoeroticism can exist even between people. Convincedly heterosexual.
Other sexual orientations
In addition to homosexual orientation, that is, the attraction felt by people of the same sex, there are three forms of sexual orientation, which are:
- Heterosexuality. It consists of the erotic and romantic attraction for people of the opposite sex, that is, men attracted to women and vice versa.
- Bisexuality. It consists of the erotic and romantic attraction for people of both sexes, either on entirely equal terms, or with some degree of preference for one of the two sexes.
- Pansexuality. It is a contemporary term, coined to further expand the category of bisexuality and also encompass attraction to people transsince many people consider the prefix bi of bisexuality forces us to think about human sexuality in strictly binary terms (male/female).
Continue with: Transsexual
References
- “Homosexuality” on Wikipedia.
- “Homosexuality” in the CESOLAA sexual education program of the University of Chile.
- “Medical aspects of Homosexuality” at the University of Navarra.
- “Sexual Orientation & Homosexuality” in American Psychological Association (USA).
- “Homosexuality” in The Encyclopaedia Britannica.
