Kaylee Carter

FHS-2450
Final Project
12/1/14
Homosexuality
Over the course of this semester, I have become very intrigued by the topic of
homosexuality. When we discussed it earlier this year, I decided I wanted to learn more
about it, what other people thought about it, so I could create my own opinion about it.
For my project, I put together a questionnaire and asked 9 different people 9 questions
about homosexuality. (I gave this questionnaire to both genders, all sexual preferences,
with no bias.)The main question I am trying to answer is what reasons there are for
being homosexual, and the views society has about it. I will provide a chart of
information about each question, then give my own opinion, and the research I have
done on the question.
Question #1
If someone were to find the reason that a person is homosexual, do you think society
would still have negative views about homosexuality?
Most everyone on this question thought that even if there was a reason, weather
it be biological or not, that most of society would still view homosexuality with negativity.

And I agree with this motion. I think that we live in a society where people are going to
judge you for everything you do. Even if there were a reason for being homosexual,
society would either not believe it, or come up with some other excuse to still have
negative views.
In researching, there has been some evidence suggesting that some scientists
have found a biological reason for being homosexual, and society shoves that right out
of the picture. They think there is no way that could be true, and want to stand by their
word. Although research is proving that in the United states, acceptance rating have
gone up 10% since 2007, I still think it will take a very long time for acceptance to be
wide spread. As an example, I like to think of it like how long the African Americans had
to wait to be treated equally, and I think this is how homosexuality will be. But its clearly
a controversial issue, for instance, if you google homosexuality, there are literally
millions of articles and opinion pieces about homosexuals arguing for both sides.
Question #2
Would having a reason for being homosexual give homosexuals relief?

This question was kind of 50/50. And it could be because its different for every person. I
think for individuals who have already came out of the closet, for the most part, are fairly
confident and have accepted themselves as homosexuals already, so they dont need
relief. And on the other hand, for those who have not came out of the closet, or who
have a low self confidence, I do think it would be important to them that they feel
normal.
In todays society, it is very important to feel like you fit in, yet in the same
instance to stand out. So for some homosexuals, they like to feel different, and for
others, they dont want to stand out. The research on this question shows the same
thing. 50/50. Some of the biggest factors of feeling ok when being homosexual has to
do with how confident you are and your age. If you are young, most kids and teenagers
around you dont understand, and it can feel like its You against the world. You are still
growing and trying to figure out the world while trying to figure who you are and where
you fit in. Middle School and High School I think would be the hardest time to come out
and feel acceptance. If you are in your 20s or older, I think your personality is more
mature, and you can be more accepting of yourself, as well as family and friends.

Question #3
Do you think playing with the same gender when you were a child could influence
homosexuality?

This question was pretty clear what people thought. All but one person who I
interviewed said that they disagree with this statement. I disagree with this statement for
the most part. I do think there are rare occasions where a child may already know they
are homosexual, so they tend to play with the same sex. But for the most part, children
are innocent and just play with the same sex because they usually have similar
interests.
Research suggests that this is a natural process that all children start to go
through at about 2 to 3 years old, in all cultures. If you were to ask a group of 4 year old
little girls what they thought about boys, their response will be along the lines of eww!
boys have cooties! Another theory suggests that children know and are taught the
stereotypes of boys and girls, and try to follow those. Girls are supposed to play with
barbies and dolls, and boy dirt and cars. As of now, there is no clear link with same
gender play dates and homosexuality.

Question #4
Do you think that how the African Americans were treated during slavery can be
compared to how homosexuals feel in todays society?

Although this question is very loaded, I do think its important to ask people this. The
segregation era was a hard time for all involved in the world. I am comparing how they
were treated poorly, had unequal rights and looked down upon. And I agree that
homosexuals are going through a hard time fighting for their rights just like the African
Americans had to do.
Research shows that a lot of people do not think it is fair to compare race and
sexual orientation. But I would argue that any person that is being put down, rights
restricted, or have a negative connotation automatically applied to their appearance
that it is wrong. Weather it be race, religion, gender, eye color, or sexual orientation. We
should all be accepting of each other.
Question #5
Do you think there is a biological reason for homosexuality?

This is probably the most controversial sub-topic in homosexuality. Its hard to try and
understand something that you do not feel. But we are in a time where technology is
booming and we can research topics in more detail and figure out a lot of questions. I
agree that there is biological reason that someone is homosexual. Something inside
them is different, Im not sure what that is, but something is biologically different.
As looking on the internet, Scientist have not yet been able to prove that it is in
your gene and a biologically determined characteristic. They have not been able to find
a gene that determines sexual orientation. Some evidence shows that the hypothamlus
in the brain tends to be smaller in homosexual men compared to heterosexual men.
Another important factor in this research is twin studies. Twins have been followed all
over the world and scientist have found that only 50% of identical twins are both
homosexual. Now, if this were a biological reason the percentage should be at 100%.
So its still a question to this day and something we are still steadily studying and
searching for answers. Hopefully there is an answer in the near future.

Question #6
Do you think homosexuality is a choice?

This is also a very debatable topic. Personally, I do think that homosexuality is a

choice. That yes, there is something inside you telling you to be homosexual, but you
have the choice weather to confide in that choice or not. I do have homosexual friends
and some say that they knew when they were really young, and have never even dated
the opposite sex. Some of my other friends have gone through an experimental stage,
where they dated both, and figured out what they liked.
In order to fully answer this question, we need to know if it is a biological reason
or not. So this is just more of an opinion question. All of my homosexual friends do not
think that it is a choice. They always tell me why would I purposely get myself into a
situation where I am looked down upon, harassed, and have my rights restricted.
One other major contributing factor may be the experimental phase that most
teenagers are going through these days. They try to date and have sexual experiences
with both sexes to try and figure out what they like, which in turn may confuse them and
put thoughts into their heads that they may never had had before.
Question #7
Do you think homosexuality stems from a bad heterosexual experience?

Having a bad heterosexual experience, some people think that that may be the reason
they turn to the other gender. And for all the people I interviewed they said 99% of the
time this is probably not the case. But that when it does happen, it seems to be that it is
only females that do this. They either get sick of being strongly abused, and put into
stereotypes of a woman, or they had a bad sexual experience.
But to be honest, anything in this world could make a person change from being
heterosexual to homosexual. Every single person goes through life a different way, and
understands things differently. Thats why these questions are so tough to answer,
because every person has different sexual experiences including being raped, tortured,
or abused.
Research has shown that this happened to a lot of people. But for the most part,
people either go through the experimental phase, or just know that they are
homosexual.

Question #8

Do you think the environment you were raised in had an influence on your sexuality?

For this question, I completely agree. Whether or not it homosexuality or

heterosexuality I think the environment you grow up in has a huge influence. For
example, my neighbor was raised to be very open and vocal about her sexuality and not
be embarrassed to talk about anything. Where me, on the other hand, sexuality was not
discussed in our house, and we tried to keep things personal. I think that parents have a
huge part in effecting how open and honest we are, and also how confident we are. My
friend is very confident about everything she says, even if it may be embarrassing to
others.
But, lets say for instance, you grow up in a heterosexual household, you could be
heterosexual or homosexual. And if you were raised in a homosexual household, you
could be heterosexual or homosexual. I really dont think the atmosphere you are in has
anything to do with who you like, but more just how open you are about it.

Question #9
Do you think that homosexuals having the right to marry effects you?

Recently, Homosexuals in many states have been given the right to marry their
partners. Although this can be a ver controversial topic, I do believe that it in no way
effects my life, my happiness, or my environment. Homosexuals having the opportunity
to marry is marvelous news, and it is spreading like wildfire. I hope that this notion will
keep rolling, and that soon all states, and other countries will allow all homosexuals to
marry.
Research has shown that most of the people who do not want homosexuals to
have the right to marry freely, think so because they think it will deteriorate the way
society is supposed to be. That sooner or later people will be able to marry animals and
inatimant objects. But in reality, by not allowing someone to marry someone who they
love is more deteriorating than is allowing them to marry.
To close, I just wanted to say that I enjoyed doing this project, and I had a lot of
fun learning new things about homosexuality. I think that knowledge is power, and
before you can argue or disagree with something, you need to know everything about it.

So before people can judge you for being homosexual they should learn everything
about it, and why you are. So, in the end, society is always going to judge people,
including those who are homosexual because they dont take the time to learn and
understand who they are. I think society would be a better place if we were all a little
more forgiving and understanding. Like I said before, Knowledge is power, so learn all
you can about something before you have an opinion about it.