..
| In
the mythical ideal family, there is no room for homosexual intercourse. |
.
| In
contrast (what is, rather than what should be), the activity has been around
for a long time, and is even found in non human animal life, statistically
associated mainly with population size and density. |
.
| In
some early and classical literature it was found to be acceptable in some
circles in early Greek and Arabic communities. |
.
| It
has been recognized as an activity often found in same sex boarding schools,
prisons and on sailing ships. |
.
| Today’s
concerns about legalizing marriages between same sex couples is mainly
an issue of human rights, rather like movements against racism in other
times and places. |
.
.
| Marriage
confers many legal and financial rights, including tax breaks and inheritance
rules, which are seen as discrimination against those whose sexual preferences
are other than heterosexual. |
.
| The
opposition against legally recognizing same sex marriages, especially by
churches in Africa, is ironic in that churches in the West are citing the
Christian values of tolerance, love, understanding and forgiveness, while
those in Africa are run by people who themselves have often experienced
the application of intolerance, meanness, bigotry and discrimination based
upon race. |
.
| During
the nineteen seventies, when I was working on my PhD in Africa, I had an
American friend and fellow graduate student who was gay. |
.
| He
told me that he knew of a community of about six hundred homosexual men
in the capital city. |
.
| This
was in direct contrast to the oft spoken assertion by Africans that homosexuality
was seen as unnatural in Africa and that there were no practising gays. |
.
| I
also interviewed an educated woman who reported that gay relationships
were common in girls’ boarding schools (supi), and often continued
long after graduation, even while the women married, had children, and
sometimes ended their heterosexual marriages and started others. |
.
| Legal
recognition of same sex marriage today in Europe and North America is one
more addition to the social recognition that there is no single ideal family
type, and that the serious sociological study of families needs to recognize
the inherent bias, and conservative agenda, in citing a mythological monolithic
“traditional” family. |
.
| There
are many sociological issues that relate to homosexuality. These
are only a few. You are encouraged to generate more. |
. |
2007.05.29..