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Homosexuality can refer to both Attraction or Sexual Behavior between people of the same Sex , or to a Sexual Orientation . When describing the latter, it refers to enduring sexual and romantic attraction towards those of the same sex, but not necessarily to sexual behavior. Homosexuality is contrasted with Heterosexuality , Bisexuality and Asexuality . Etymologically, the word ''homosexual'' is a Greek and Latin hybrid with ''homo'' (often confused with the later Latin meaning of "man", as in Homo Sapiens ) deriving from the Greek word for ''same'', thus connoting sexual acts and affections between members of the same sex, including Lesbian ism. See Men Who Have Sex With Men and Women Who Have Sex With Women In the English-speaking world, the term '' Gay '' had been used within the subculture for decades before becoming popularized by the Gay Rights Movement in the 1970s. In a narrow sense, ''gay'' refers to male homosexuality, but it often is used in its broadest sense, especially in media headlines and reports, to refer to homosexuality in general. '' Lesbian ,'' however, always denotes a homosexual woman. OVERVIEW Homosexuality has been a feature of human culture since earliest history (see 's 1886 book '' Psychopathia Sexualis '' elaborated on the concept. In 1897, British physician Havelock Ellis published similar views in his influential book ''Sexual Inversion''. (reprint) Although medical texts like these (written partly in Latin to obscure the sexual details) were not widely read by the general public, they did lead to the rise of Magnus Hirschfeld 's Scientific Humanitarian Committee , which campaigned from 1897 to 1933 against Anti-sodomy Laws In Germany , as well as a much more informal, unpublicized movement among British intellectuals and writers, led by such figures as Edward Carpenter and John Addington Symonds . In the course of the twentieth century, homosexuality became a subject of considerable study and debate in Western societies, especially after the modern Gay Rights Movement began in 1969. Viewed by some as a Pathology or Mental Illness to be cured, homosexuality is now more often investigated as part of a larger impetus to understand the Biology , Psychology , Politics , Genetics , History and cultural variations of sexual practice and identity. The Legal And Social Status of people who perform homosexual acts or identify as Gay or Lesbian varies enormously across the world and remains hotly contested in political and religious debate. ETYMOLOGY AND USAGE See Also: Terminology of homosexuality and Hyacinthus '' Attic Red-figure cup from Tarquinia , 480 BC ( Boston Museum Of Fine Arts )]] The adjective ''homosexual'' describes behavior, relationships, people, etc. The adjectival form literally means "same sex", being a . Retrieved 2007-05-10. Similarly, some recommend completely avoiding usage of ''homosexual'' as having a negative and discredited clinical history and because the word only refers to one's sexual behavior, and not to romantic feelings. ''Gay'' and ''lesbian'' are the most common alternatives. The first letters are frequently combined to create the acronym LGBT (sometimes written as GLBT), in which ''B'' and ''T'' refer to Bisexuals and Transgender people. The first known appearance of ''homosexual'' in print is found in an 1869 German pamphlet by the Austrian-born novelist Karl-Maria Kertbeny , published anonymously. The prevalence of the concept owes much to the work of the German psychiatrist Richard Freiherr Von Krafft-Ebing and his 1886 work '' Psychopathia Sexualis ''. As such, the current use of the term has its roots in the broader 19th century tradition of personality taxonomy. These continue to influence the development of the modern concept of Sexual Orientation , gaining associations with Romantic Love and Identity in addition to its original, exclusively sexual meaning. Although early writers also used the adjective ''homosexual'' to refer to any single-sex context (such as an all-girls' school), today the term is used exclusively in reference to sexual attraction and activity. The term '' Homosocial '' is now used to describe single-sex contexts that are not specifically sexual. There is also a word referring to same-sex love, '' Homophilia ''. Other terms include '' Men Who Have Sex With Men '' or ''MSM'' (used in the medical community when specifically discussing sexual activity), '' Homoerotic '' (referring to works of art), '' Heteroflexible '' (referring to a person who identifies as heterosexual, but occasionally engages in same-sex sexual activities), and '' Metrosexual '' (referring to a straight man with stereotypically gay tastes in food, fashion, and design). Pejorative terms include '' Queer '', '' Faggot '', '' Fairy '', '' Poof '', and '' Homo ''. Beginning in the 1990s, some of these have been "reclaimed" as positive words by gay men and lesbians, as in the usage of Queer Studies , Queer Theory , and even the popular American television program '' Queer Eye For The Straight Guy ''. However, as with Ethnic Slur s and Racial Slur s, the misuse of these terms can still be highly offensive; the range of acceptable use depends on the context and speaker. Conversely, ''gay'', a word originally embraced by homosexual men and women as a positive, affirmative term (as in Gay Liberation and Gay Rights ), has come into widespread Pejorative Use among young people. HISTORY See Also: LGBT history Timeline of LGBT history Modern Western gay culture, largely a product of 19th century Psychology as well as the years of post- Stonewall Gay Liberation , is a relatively recent manifestation of same-sex desire. It is generally not applicable as a standard when investigating same-sex sexual relations and historical opinions and beliefs held by other people. The lives of many historical figures including Socrates , Alexander The Great , Lord Byron , Edward II , Hadrian , Julius Caesar , Michelangelo , Donatello and Christopher Marlowe included or were centered upon love and sexual relationships with people of their own sex. Terms such as ''gay'' or ''bisexual'' have been applied to them, but many, such as Michel Foucault , regard this as risking the anachronistic introduction of a contemporary Construction of sexuality foreign to their times.1 A common thread of constructionist argument is that no one in antiquity or the Middle Ages experienced homosexuality as an exclusive, permanent, or defining mode of sexuality. John Boswell has criticized this argument by citing ancient Greek writings by Plato, which he says indicate knowledge of exclusive homosexuality. Africa Though often denied or ignored by European explorers, homosexual expression in native Africa was also present and took a variety of forms:
Americas ceremonial dance to celebrate the two-spirit person. George Catlin (1796-1872); Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC]] In North American Native society, the most common form of same-sex sexuality seems to center around the figure of the Two-Spirit individual. Such people seem to have been recognized by the majority of tribes, each of which had its particular term for the role. Typically the two-spirit individual was recognized early in life, was given a choice by the parents to follow the path, and if the child accepted the role then the child was raised in the appropriate manner, learning the customs of the gender it had chosen. Two-spirit individuals were commonly Shamans and were revered as having powers beyond those of ordinary shamans. Their sexual life would be with the ordinary tribe members of the opposite sex. Male two-spirit people were prized as wives because of their greater strength and ability to work. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gay And Lesbian Youth Bear An Increased Risk Of Suicide, Substance Abuse, School Problems, And Isolation Because Of A "hostile And Condemning Environment, Verbal And Physical Abuse, Rejection And Isolation From Family And Peers"{{citation title | Report of the Secretary's Task Force on Youth Suicide editor-first=Marcia R (ed) editor-last= Fenleib year=1989 publisher=United States Government Printing Office isbn=0160025087 last=Gibson first=P contribution=Gay and Lesbian Youth Suicide |
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