Sexual Orientation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Sexual Orientation - Essay Example They believe that it is imperative that the controversial issues be handled head on so that everyone concerned is able to live with relative harmony. Sexual preferences have become major issues which promote widespread inequality, thereby, necessitating an urgent need to address this in the wider interest of the society. The essay would be critically assessing the three articles on these issues taken from the book "The meaning of difference: American constructions of race, sex and gender, social class, and sexual orientation" by Karen E. Rosenblum and Toni-Michelle C. Travis. ‘The naming of sexual attraction’, an article by Michael R. Kauth, explores the sexual orientation of the people through the ages and its evolution, both in terms of acknowledgement and acceptance by the society. Kauth has maintained that sexual attraction had always been a sensitive issue that was intrinsically bound within the religious and cultural paradigms of the society. The language and the words play crucial role in defining the overall meaning to sexual orientation or behaviour. According to the article, in the 19th century, the term homosexuality was ‘adopted by psychiatrists and medical practitioners to identify a type of psychopathology and, consequently, this term implies sickness, aberrance and immaturity’ (Kauth1). Apart from the medical professionals, the powerful groups of people, who have considerable influence on the public, are the main decisive powers that define and confine the role of ‘sexual attraction’. Hence, it is for this reason that social paradigms and social values often reflect the views and ideologies of the few prominent people in power, which are carried forward through the times. In the ancient time, ‘gay’ was used to describe gaiety and happiness by the roman soldiers. Before the 19th century, sexuality or sexual preference