History of homosexuality
In the survey "Other Times, Other Customs", the author explains that there is aenormous variation in human sexual practices, in both the activites that were allowedand the concepts used to make sense of the them. During the course of the survey, theauthor touches base on four major components of how homosexual behavior, incertain societies, may have been institutionalized. The four components areAge-structured homosexuality, Cross-gender homosexuailty, Role specializedhomosexuality, and Egalitarian homosexuality. All four are related in regards tohomosexual behavior, but are different in regards to the groups of people and the The first component the author talks about is "Age-structured homosexuality". An example of this is offered in the culture of various parts of Melanesia. Young boyswere taken from their homes and placed in houses a short distance from their villages. At these houses they were denied all contact with females and they prepared formanhood by the transmission of semen with older men. The young boys had to be thereceiver of the transmission. When these boys got older, their roles are reversed andthey become the givers of the transm
The fact that the Mahu is an important role, I think, is a greataspect to the Polynesian society. Then, those several wives were free to establishsexual partnership amongst themselves. "They wererenowned for their contributions as healers, prophets, matchmakers, andmediators". It seems as though, everyone would love a person such as this. Could this behavior be damaging to theircharacters, and make them feel insecure? I want to beleive that these behaviors onlymade them stronger, but I also want to beleive that they had a choice not to engage inthe behavior if they did not want to. If all parties were consentual, then I see noobvious problem with those circumstances. This act, that is practiced in Melanesia, is in essence making sure that boys grow up tobe strong and proud men, but in the same case is just adding to the submission ofwomen. (27) Berdeches were believed to posess the spiritual visions of bothfemales and and males. However, it is very possible that thesewomen may have become depressed because they had to share the attention. These acts were done, in an attempt to make surethese boys developed "proper male values such as courage, proficiency in hunting, andthe ability to dominate women"(26) Should these boys really be taught how todominate women? I do not think that boys should be taught that. So whyshould men be taught how to dominate women? A second component is "Cross-gender homosexuality". If I was a Native American, I think this would definitely besomething I would be interested in. This showsthat people are different, and variety is what makes life so interesting. The fourth component on how homosexual behavior has been institutionalizedis Egalitarian homosexuality. I thought by now,women all over the globe have realized that they do not need to be dominated over.
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,
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Acceptance Essays
