- solving the problem homophobia
INTRODUCTION
Our society has developed and nurtured certain ways and rules in which human beings are expected to behave. These rules have been followed for so long in the past and till now that they have almost become the definition of the correct way to do things. But as we can presumably say, these norms have mainly been approved for the society by the stronger section of it. The ones that possess power and status in the society have been the writers of these rules. With the passage of time, the thought process behind the formation of these rules has changed and has been influenced by personal goals. Thus, changes and amendments in these rules have not followed the path of the overall good of the human race. We have been made to follow certain behavioral patterns that have been set for us without giving man the freedom of living their own choices. The topic that this paper discusses here is one of a similar kind and questions the existence of our control over our own lives.
Our society acknowledges only a single behavior of expressing or feeling sexual love towards another person i.e. only to a person of opposite sex. An individual’s liking, which is sexually influenced, towards any person of the same sex, is not fully accepted in the society today. Being homosexual is something that our people look down upon and with much disgrace. It is despised by many and seen as a disease by many others rather than a personal choice or liking of an individual. But this choice or liking that comes from within a person is strong enough to demolish all the beliefs that have been coming down from centuries about the right behavior and sexual orientation. Though, there have been homosexual people since time immemorial, but very few have had the strength to accept their orientation and come out with it. We have now reached a time when more and more people have started accepting the fact that they are sexually interested in the people of the same sex. But being homosexual is not a problem at all. The problem faced by such people starts at this stage when people acknowledge their orientation and it comes in front of the society. Now they face the repercussions for this by the society. In the past, homosexual people have gone through a lot of physical and mental turmoil. They have been thought to be possessed by demons and have been executed for it. And even in this so called open minded and modernistic society, homosexual behavior has not been accepted and such people are lashed out of the society. This attitude of the society towards homosexual people has inculcated a lot of fear in the people and they do not readily accept it in front of the society. This makes them mentally unstable and unable to accept and spend their lives according to the norms of the society. This gives rise to the actual problem of “homophobia”. It is the fear of accepting their liking for any person of one’s own sex. It can be stated as - "Homophobia: The fear of feeling of love for members of one's own sex and therefore the hatred of those feelings in others.” This belief in the superiority of a single pattern of loving and its right to dominance becomes the reason for the fury of the people. In some cultures, the homosexual behavior and same sex eroticism is socially accepted. But in the society that we live in, believes that sexual contact between men and men or women and women is immoral, demonic, non-existent, and sick. This leads to many different ways in which people of different sexual orientation and affection preferences are tried to be oppressed.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
With time, this fact has become more and more evident to people that they have homosexual orientation. With the acceptance of this fact such people have also come to understand the fact that this behavior receives a lot of raised eyebrows in the society. Although these attitudes are becoming more and more commonplace now, still it shall take time for the society to come with terms to this fact and accept it as a normal state of sexual behavior. There is a dire need to talk about this issue on a common platform but the problem of homophobia has never been addressed in a meaningful way. The efforts to eradicate the problem have neither been discussed nor have they been thought about. This problem includes lesbians, gays, bisexuals as well as trans- genders. For the elders of the society, who have lived within the set patterns of the society and think highly of only the ways that have been followed in the past and till now, it is difficult to accept the revelation of more and more homosexual tendencies in people. It is very difficult to convince them to fully change their attitude towards their beliefs that they have followed for ages. Such efforts can be successful on smaller scales, in small groups, families etc. for a short period. Many people that have been studying the subject and have been trying to look for solutions for the same believe that effective laws, enforcing systems and strong policies can create some difference in the way that homosexuals are treated today, but these will not solve the problem fully. It is necessary to create an environment in the society which acknowledges, accepts, includes and ensures the safety of the lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans genders. Thus it shall be a more successful effort if the education regarding this issue is imparted from a very elementary level in the schools itself. It shall help to make the children comfortable with the reality of these facts and shall help them to accept their individual as well as other people’s orientation. Inclusion of such issues in the elementary education system shall works towards preventing the homophobic attitudes of the individuals, giving them freedom to accept their own sexuality, and on the other hand this shall also answer the anti-homosexual attitudes of people towards others in a meaningful way. For such a curriculum to develop and be effective it is necessary to apply specific strategies and methods of instructions to create an inclusive environment for LGBTs and also ensures their safety, once they accept their sexual choices. This is a stage when the seriousness of the issue is lost on the students, but they also slowly and simultaneously start to know about it. Therefore it is likely that at this stage the understanding of the issue may take a negative turn. Similarly, it is this stage when students can learn about it in a positive manner, realizing the fact that homosexuality is something normal, and a personal choice. As it is seen, harassment due to this also begins at the elementary school level, with students defining every bit of human behavior to be gay or normal. This sometimes leads to violence among older students because of tainted self esteem etc. In this ever changing society where, exposure has crossed the limits of globalization and shifting gender roles can be seen in every field and there is more openness about the issues of sexuality, it is necessary to educate our younger generations about such behaviors to ensure a healthy society in future.
Research Question – Can inclusion of the study of homosexual behaviors in the elementary education curriculum solve the problem of homophobia?
LITERETURE REVIEW
- Community Problems –
- This is a type which is always ready to counter react to any situation or person that they think is trying to affect their personal well being, because they are being pointed out continuously and have become just too vulnerable. They can think in a very narrow approach towards the problem and their attitudes are full of hate.
- These type of homophobics face difficulty in accepting their own choice and are in continuous conflict with themselves. Hence they are frustrated and an outburst of emotions in the form of anger is a normal trait.
- These are the types who want to feel included and accepted in their social circle. Thus they will always be found standing with a group of like minded individuals instead of standing up for their own choices.
- These are the one’s who trust the judgment of others instead of their own and thus can be mislead.
- These are those that stand in the support of the LGBTs and lead them in their efforts towards being accepted by the society, but often neglect their own sexual orientation.
In a society like ours, the way the homosexuality is seen, there are certain attitudes that can be seen towards homophobics. These are pity, repulsion, tolerance and also acceptance. Whereas, to create a healthy environment for all, the attitudes should be of admiration, support and appreciation.
There are different forms of homophobias prevalent in our society. These can be identified as follows –
- Personal homophobia – it is a prejudiced form that springs up from a personal belief of the people that lesbians, bisexuals and gay community are demonic and sick, immoral people and are below the accepted heterosexual men and women.
- Interpersonal homophobia crops up from personal homophobia. Hatred towards homosexuals is then expressed in the form of verbal harassment as jokes, name calling and other acts of discrimination.
- Institutional homophobia may also called heterosexism because it is rooted in the large organizations, government bodies, churches, businesses etc. which discriminate against the people based on their sexual orientation.
- Cultural homophobia is rooted in the norms and standards of the society and its culture, where being heterosexual is the only form of orientation considered to be normal and better than other forms.
- Homosexuality and Elementary Education
As the understanding of such issues start from an age where the students are most involved with their studies and friends and their main social circle involves school, it is the best place to address the related problems. Today, it is normal for the school authorities to be intolerant towards the LGBT students. These students are frequently abused and are left totally isolated with their own confusions. This lack of support leads to depression. LGBT youth thus, are at high risk of getting involved in violence, drugs and unsafe sexual activities. Such victims may lose their sense of right and wrong and turn to forced violence, harming themselves and others. Mental abuse of LGBT students has been one of the major causes for their
dropping out from school. Thus, we can clearly assume the school authorities, teachers and principals are an important part of the system for addressing the issue by including homophobia in the general curriculum. Children who even try to accept their personal choices towards masculinity and femininity and defy the norms of the society in the slightest manner are considered to be abnormal. Thus it is the responsibility of the teachers to create awareness about the issue, and educate students to learn to take it in a positive manner. Aware teachers can counter balance sexism, racism, homophobia, classism attitudes and promote healthy practices in the school, hence creating a strong and well nurtured society.
METHODOLOGY
- Healthy class discussions.
- Discussing real life stories of gays and lesbians and citing examples from the same.
- Mentioning to students the sexual identity of heroic/literary/historical characters as and when they come up in the class, to make students understand the contributions of homosexual men and women to our society.
- Initiate talks among students with the help of videos, stories, show and tell etc.
- The subject of literature can be used to explain the importance of multicultural issues in a society.
CONCLUSION
As the study shows, the problem needs to be uprooted from the very beliefs of the society. This can only be made possible if our young generation grows up to be a stable minded, balanced and nurturing society. Homophobia can only be removed from the society, if its members do not think of homosexuality as a problem at all. Thus, when children from the very beginning of their understanding of such issues, keep a practical and unprejudiced approach towards homosexuality, this problem can be fully solved. Hence, it is our education system and the educators that need to take the responsibility of uprooting this evil from our society. It is one of the best approaches that we can take towards solving the problem of ‘homophobia’.
References
Homophobia. Anti Defamation league. http://archive.adl.org/hate-patrol/homophobia.asp
Homophobia. LGBT resource centre. http://www.uh.edu/lgbt/documents/Homophobia.pdf
The Faces Of Homophobia.
http://thatssogay.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/08/For_the_hand_BTSG.pdf
Action plan on bullying.
http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/Action-Plan-On-Bullying-2013.pdf
Hanlon, J. How educators can address homophobia in schools. Volume 22, Number 1 (Spring 2009)
http://s3.amazonaws.com/files.posterous.com/tonialeah/YJxM2zFUVb5Ko3EvpdAH8z4ZrTdKkIFfzLwFBOLRAzcddWUysx16RDpvOTXC/Elementary_Homophobia.Educatio.pdf?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAJFZAE65UYRT34AOQ&Expires=1372709131&Signature=D%2BdRKiNb7X%2FLs89m5WaF3ctxdMc%3D
Diana K. Van Goethem. Understanding the Construction of Homophobia as a Social Problem. JCCC Honors Journal. Volume 2. Issue 1Fall 2010.
Homophobia: A Study of the Attitudes of Mental Health Professionals Toward Homosexuality.
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