Homosexuality
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This paper is a study of the current understanding about homosexuality, the state in which an individual is sexually attracted to members of his or her own gender instead of to members of the opposite sex. Estimates vary regarding the percentage of the population that can be defined as homosexual; some experts believe it may be as high as 10 percent but acknowledge that the precise number is impossible to determine since cultural and societal stigmas continue to make an openly homosexual lifestyle difficult and painful. While as recently as the early 1970s homosexuality was classified as a psychological disorder by the American Psychiatric Association, the majority of scientists now agree that sexual orientation is determined primarily by an individual's genes. However, many families, societies, organized religions, and legal systems continue to deny full acceptance to openly homosexual individuals, as the recent outcry over same-sex marriage clearly demonstrates. Because of this, an unknown number of people deny their natural feelings and remain closeted, despite a growing acceptance of homosexuality within some circles of society. In late September 1996, President Clinton signed into law the Defense of Marriage Act, reserving federal rights and benefits exclusively for male-female couples and allowing states to keep from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states. The act was prompted by the ruling in Hawaii's Supreme Court that denial of a marriage li
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Homosexuals had an admittedly more difficult case to make because of considerable moral opposition and because they are defined primarily by their sexual practices and lifestyle. Sex continues to be a volatile subject in society as a whole. Licata observes, "The achievements by the American homosexual rights movement have pushed forward the limits of acceptable sexual behavior for all people and have increased the acceptance of nonconformity and alternative life-styles by society and in general" (183).
By the mid-1970s, the APA had removed homosexuality from its list of disorders. However, the identification of AIDS, first defined by the Centers for Disease Control in 1982 and originally viewed as an exclusively gay illness, had a significant impact on societal thinking about homosexuality. Because the disease is usually fatal, AIDS made a homosexual lifestyle a dangerous experience. At the same, though, the growing fatalities and the increasing realization that the disease was not limited strictly to gay men forced open discussion of homosexuality and consideration of its acceptance in society. The public stories of families and friends of victims began to be heard, illustrated with events such as displays of the AIDS qu
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2064
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page)
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