Homosexuality has been an issue for people around the world seemingly since the beginning of time. It is a lifestyle that has been debated, unaccepted and stereotyped.
But in recent years, society has welcomed more and more homosexuals into its loving arms under the umbrella of civil liberties. It is become increasingly acceptable to be homosexual in society today.
The beginning of homosexual acceptance is hard to trace. Some say it began when all citizens were given equal rights under the civil rights movement. Those who agree argue that when the movement swept across the nation and people opened their eyes to the harsh realities of racism, homosexuals began to wonder when they would be able to openly admit their sexuality without fear of being persecuted.
Gay images have bombarded us in the first few years of 2000.
Entertainment has welcomed the gay community onto the air-waves and to the stage.
Numerous new gay TV shows have popped up, like Will and Grace, which holds some of the best prime time ratings. Or, the new Queer Eye for the Straight Guy which has also caught attention from prominent news sources such as Katie Couric and influential TV personalities like Oprah.
Other shows stretch homosexuality further than fashion and comedy. Queer as Folk is a Showtime drama depicting the lives of only homosexuals. It is fashioned as a homosexual soap opera dealing with relationships and the gay lifestyle.
All My Children has included a lesbian love affair, which has boosted the ratings.
In music, teenage Russian singers in the band called Tatu shock audiences by including gay images throughout their videos and stage performances. They even ended their performance at the music awards last year with a liplock.
Madonna, who has been a figure in the homosexual community for years, and Britney Spears even decided to blur sexual lines when they opened this years MTV music awards with an open-mouth kiss that became headline news.
In public schools across the nation, teachers are now having to question the idea of homosexuality in the class rooms and how they go about teaching diversity including the gay lifestyle. Books about homosexual activity, like Asha’s Two Moms, have been banned in states across the country. Across the border in Ontario, where homosexual marriages can occur, schools have even begun teaching about oral and anal sex in the seventh grade.
Public schools in America have even gone so far as to allow gay proms.
Newsweek reports that in Portland, Ore. same-sex couples are allowed to come to the prom, and not a “gay prom” but the same event that other students attend.
Newsweek reports, “Today’s school administrators say they want an event that is welcoming for everyone. In fact, school officials are vastly concerned more about bellybuttons and low-cut outfits than whether or not a student is holding hands with the same sex.”
All of the homosexual images in society are mainly positive ones.
Schools are transforming education by means of diversity, and entertainment, although sometimes blown out of proportion, is giving us a better look at homosexuals.
Society seems not to care who people sleep with.
Even the stereotypical Jack on Will and Grace gives society a fun and comical view of homosexuals.
We all want to be Jack’s friend because he’s funny.
Critics of the homosexual lifestyle argue that the greatest risk to society stemming from homosexual activity are health concerns.
Oxford University’s International Journal of Epidemiology says that “Life expectancy at age 20 for gay and bisexual men is eight to 20 years less than for all men. If the same pattern continues we estimate that nearly half of all bisexual and homosexual men currently at the age of 20 will not live to see their 65th birthday.”
The Medical Institute of Health said in 1999 that “homosexual men are at significantly higher risk of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, anal cancer, gonorrhea and gastrointestinal infections as a result of their sexual practices. “
They also say “Women who have sex with women are at a significantly higher risk of bacterial vaginosis, breast cancer and ovarian cancer than heterosexual women.”
These statistics are staggering. But, there are health risks associated with any lifestyle a person chooses.
So why is it more acceptable than it has been in the past?
I believe it is because society has given us the idea that all individuals should enjoy those inalienable rights we hold so dear.
We agree that no one should be persecuted, we encourage different views and religions, we welcome individuality and teach our children discrimination is wrong in any form.
Those rights encourage differences and imply happiness is the main goal of life.
In circles of friends, you will normally find at least one homosexual especially if the circle is a group of women, which implies we have become more or less desensitized to the idea of homosexuality.
We have all been introduced to the homosexual lifestyle and many of us have friends that are homosexual.
Homosexuals are getting the freedoms they long for. They want to be accepted, which they are well on their way to accomplishing, and they want to be recognized for the relationships they hold dear.
The only stumbling block in the way is marriage, which will not be an easy fight.
But, judging from images in everyday society, it is slowly but surely coming to reality whether you agree or not.

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