Homosexuality Research Paper

CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM

Background

We need to be understood and not to be condemned... we also have feelings and dreams... we also need love and need to belong... we are a part of this society... allow us to exist that we may live with our own identity....

This excerpt was asserted by a homosexual to let the society know their sentiments as persons with feelings and dreams thus she is asking the society to understand homosexuals in their chosen identity.

Homosexuality has been practiced since the earliest periods of recorded history, and has even been widely accepted in certain cultures. Yet in our society, homosexuality is severely stigmatized. Many homosexuals are still faced with the difficult choice of remaining "in the closet" or "coming out"1. Though homosexuality exists, some homosexuals still choose to hide their identities because of fear of being rejected, condemned and hurt by people. Homosexuals need support because they are often members of the society. This is true especially in the Philippines wherein homosexuality is still a big issue and not readily accepted some by people. Perhaps, being a homosexual is a difficult choice since people have varied perception and attitudes towards homosexuality.

Based on a foreign statistics at least 1 in 25 is a male homosexual, 1 in 50 is a lesbian and about 1 person in 25 is bisexual. Generally, at least 7 out of every 100 persons are bisexual or homosexual3. In the Philippines, extensive search in the internet and printed references available do not indicate any homosexual national statistics of homosexuals.

In Baguio City there are no available data but based on observations, homosexuals could be encountered everywhere, in the streets, in bars and coffee shops, in beauty salons, and in schools. Homosexuals vary in their ages and in the ways they choose to express their chosen identity. Some male homosexuals cross-dress openly, grow their hair long and wear high-heeled shoes, while others dress in male fashion. Female homosexuals on the other hand, dress more conservatively, following the mode of dressing common to males. Gay jargon or homosexuals' language is commonly spoken as well.

Until recently, homosexuality was considered a "mental illness" or abnormal perversion. Although many people still view homosexuality as unnatural, most psychologists and psychiatrists consider it to be a variant rather than a perversion of sexual _expression and not, in itself, an indication or cause of mental illness2. These ideas depict varied ideas on Homosexuality and the factors, which causes it.

What causes homosexuality? A lot has been written about this topic but it too has a lot of contraindications in it. Much remains to be learned about the causes of homosexuality. No reliable physical differences have been found that distinguish homosexuals from heterosexuals. Although some male homosexuals may be quite masculine in appearance, this is often not the case. There is some indication that male homosexuals have lower levels of the hormone testosterone than heterosexual males, but there is no evidence that this is the cause of homosexuality4. The majority of homosexuals believe they were born "gay". This belief often supplies them with comfort, relieving them of any responsibility to change. However, there is no solid scientific evidence that people are born homosexual.

Some believe homosexuality is a learned behavior which is influenced by a number of factors: a disrupted family life in early years, a lack of unconditional love on the part of either parent, or a failure to identify with the same- sex parent. Later, these problems can result in a search for love and acceptance, envy of the same sex, and a life controlled by various fears and feelings of isolation. One thing that does seem clear: homosexuality is brought about by a multitude of root causes. It is simplistic thinking to lay the blame on any single area. Fears of the opposite sex, incest, or molestation, dominant mothers and weak fathers, demonic oppression: all of these may play a part in causing homosexuality, but no individual factor alone can cause it. Along with the outside factors in a person's life, his own personal choices have played a key role in forming and shaping his homosexual identity though will not recognize or admit this5.

A developmental view of homosexuality proposes that homosexuality, rather than being biologically and genetically based, develops overtime in a persons life. It takes into account significant negative or damaging events or dynamics in childhood, and how a person with his or her temperament and specific personality, and in his or her specific context, responded to these. Some men and women find their homosexuality in opposition to their value system or contrary to their beliefs about who they truly are. For them, a developmental perspective offers insight and understanding, and hope for change that goes beyond behavioral choices to the depths of their heart and minds6.

The increasing number of adolescent homosexuals, the varying conditions of understanding homosexuality and its predisposing factors, and the limited related literature about Filipino homosexuality prompted the researchers to conduct this study.

Conceptual Framework

The conceptual framework of the study is based on Freud's Psychosexual Development Theory, Moberly's Same-sex Defensive Detachment, Erikson's Psychosocial Development Theory, and Sears and Mischel's Social Learning Theory.

Sigmund Freud's Psychosexual Development Theory involves a series of dynamically various stages. The theory comprises of five stages, Oral stage, Anal stage, Phallic stage, Latency period, and Genital stage. Each stage of development is related to particular body zones. The study would focus on the phallic stage.

The phallic phase, usually experienced during 3-6 years of age, states that the genitals become the primary source of pleasure through masturbation. Primary complexes during this stage are that of Oedipal complex where the son becomes attracted to the mother and experiences hatred towards the father and Electra complex where the daughter becomes attracted to the father and experiences hatred towards the mother. The developmental task during this stage is that of finding sexual identity with the parent of the same sex.7

In relation to the concept of homosexuality, the development of identity falls specifically