Gender and Sexuality Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Gender and Sexuality - Essay Example The ability to emote with others, feelings of intimacy which have nothing with any impulse of pressure to procreate, and the freedom to express all facets of the mind, are factors which distinguish people as a distinct species and the highest and most evolved life form. Giving and receiving sexual pleasure is a complex trait and a highly evolved capability at the same time. It may or may not be associated with reproduction. Sexuality involves both the physical body, as well as the mind. It is strongly influenced by environmental circumstances. Imposed norms of society dominate notions of sexuality and its link with gender so strongly, that the two axes are inextricably mixed in most minds. A strong bias towards norms of heterosexuality is an overbearing outcome of these conventions. Such impositions are so ingrained in standards of childhood development that instances of misconceptions and denials of natural instincts abound. This document reviews published literature on the valid and assumed links between gender and sexuality, considers the implications and burdens of stereotypes, reviews ethnic and cultural differences in the acceptance of homosexuality, and concludes with suggestions for a liberal world in which individual freedom with respect to sexuality is respected and encouraged. While there are some historical references to homosexuality during ancient times, heterosexuality has dominated the social development throughout the ages. The practice of homosexuality has been entirely repressed at worst, and indulged in surreptitiously and treated as a form of abnormal behavior, not just for centuries, but even during the first half of the 20th century. The scientific study of homosexuality is of relatively recent origin with a rapid acceleration of original work in recent times (Gonsiorek, 1982). The United States has led the world in creating a kind of revolution in researching and understanding homosexual behavior, especially during the last decade. However, the volume of work available to date is still scanty, considering the complexity and social significance of the matter. Collections of findings, surveys, and theories are therefore especially valuable at this stage. This applies to surveys of sexual preferences as well (Oliver, & Hyde, 1993). Homosexuality may be more prevalent, especially in some degrees, far more often and widely than conservative influences have cared to admit. Family backgrounds and societal influences need to be understood to appreciate the sexuality of homosexuals (Ritter, and Terndrup, 2002). It is now appreciated in professional circles that conceptions of homosexuality as have prevailed in the past, may be in grave error. Such biases are self-propagating in powerful ways because they form the backdrop to the development of personalities by infants and by growing children as well. An individual may not express or even admit to homosexuality because of strong conditioning of the mind that it is morally wrong, and because of imposed notions that heterosexual feelings are the only legitimate and desirable form of human sexuality. International researchers (Asthana, and Oostvogels, 2001) have observed ethnic differences between people of the same sexual orientation, with respect to their sexual habits and preferences. Homosexual men in Southern India for example, experience intimacy in ways different from the typical Western stereotype that