The Forgotten Prejudice Essay, Research Paper
Prejudice is defined surely as the mistreatment of a person or people due to a preconceived bias. In Britain today there is an obsession with not being racist, and to a lesser extent, not being sexist. However rampant homophobia still exists and noone sees fit to criticise. So here we go…..
Homophobia; the word itself is a simbol of the difference between the opinions of society on the mistreatment of gay people compared to the mistreatment of women or ethnic minority groups. The word suggests an irrational fear, rather than a crime or prejudice as racism sexism and ageism do.
Being gay is a natural thing. Having observed the disgusting prejudices that seem to go hand in hand with homosexuality in our society, i imagine that noone would CHOOSE to be gay. You cannot choose who you fall in love with. When you hit puberty, you find yourself attracted to people. You do not consciously decide to be straight. Therefore i conclude that you do not consciously decide to be gay. Finally, many species of wild animals (including giraffes, monkeys and birds) have displayed homosexual behaviour. Therefore homosexuality does occur in nature.Some people claim that being gay is unnatural. Clearly they are wrong.
Many people base their assertions that being gay is wrong or in some way deviant on their religious beliefs. This i find incredable. God makes man in his image, he has a purpose for each of us etc. Why then would he make some people gay if being gay is intolerable to him. If homosexuality is a sin, and God makes some people gay, what kind of mean trick is that? (i know that that is a very simplistic way of saying it). God supposedly loves everyone. Would he want the ostracision of some of his children because of their sexual preferance? Some people claim that there is something ‘wrong’ with the minds of gay people, in other words suggesting that they are mentally disturbed or abnormal. If this was true, would it be an excuse for their mistreatment? It may be true that the brain of a gay person may be different in some way from the mind of a straight person (i dont know) But the mind of a man is different to that of a woman. As i hope we all see, different does not mean inferior. And wouldnt it be God that is responsible for those differences?
We do not live in an equal society, and probably never will. People are not equal until everyone in society is treated on the basis of the content of their character and not on their age, gender, social class, ethnic origin, or sexuality. Their are not arguements that can justify the treatment of gay people as second class citezens. People are prepared to overlook mistreatment. Why arent gay people allowed to get married? Marriage is not purely about procreation; infertile couples arent forbidden from getting married. Marriage should be about love. People should be treated with compassion.
Until every member of society is treated fairly, non of its members are treated fairly. I cannot tolerate prejudice, in any of its forms, and i hope that people who have read this agree. It is easy to champion causes that have already been fought, such as gender and racial equality. One day homophobia should be treated with equal contempt. Currently it is seen as an acceptable opinion. This is clearly a serious social problem.