Homosexuality And Deviance

Homosexuality Homosexuality, liking the same sex, has existed throughout human history. In today’s society heterosexuality, liking the opposite sex, is considered the “norm”. On the other hand, homosexuality is considered deviant or unnatural. So why do some believe that homosexuality is deviant? Who decides what is considered deviant? Functionalists, conflict theorist, and interactionist all have different views and focus on different parts of society and its people.

What is deviance? Deviance is a behavior, trait, or belief that departs from a norm and generates a negative reaction in a particular group (Ferris and Stein 151). It is considered a social construct. Many groups or cultures have different views on what is considered deviant.

A functionalist approach on deviance is that it clarifies moral boundaries and promotes social cohesion (Ferris and Stein 158). Basically, functionalism is all about social stability. They view marriage and family as a big part of society and the only way to continue society. Marriage is between a man and a woman in their eyes. Since sexual reproduction is the only way continue life, in the eyes of a functionalist, homosexuality is deviant. A man and a man cannot create life together and neither can a woman and a woman. It does not fit into their ideal world. The ideal traditional nuclear family is made of a man, a woman, and children. Functionalists worry that if homosexuality became a norm, then the continuation of our species would be threatened. This is an argument used in many cases that are against gay rights and gay marriage. Some societies may even punish one for being homosexual because it violates their social norms. While gay rights have improved over the years and people are more accepting than they use to be, we still have countries like Saudi Arabia and other middle eastern countries along with Nigeria and a few other African countries that execute people for just loving someone of the

Symbolic Interactionism sees interaction and meaning as central to society and assumes that meanings are not inherent but are created through interaction (Ferris and Stein 27). Interactionists focus on the meanings associated with sexual orientation. They also focus on discussions mostly to do with sex within the gay community. An example being that gay men are talked up and seen as hypersexual which is considered deviant. Another thing they may focus on are the insults that are used against LGBT citizens on a daily basis. Things like queen, queer, fag, faggot, fairy, and dyke are all far too commonly used to insult and talk down to homosexuals. These words are very dehumanizing and has negative effects on people. I can relate to this as I spent a majority of my teen years hating myself for something that I can not even control. For growing up around so much negativity towards homosexuals and being told it is wrong and deviant. I began resenting myself at the age of 12 and still to this day I struggle sometimes with who I am. Just because of other people’s negative