Children Are Taught To View Homosexuality As Abnormal. The Orlando Shooting At the Gay Nightclub Confirms This

Many of us come from backgrounds where we are taught to view homosexuality as being wayward. It’s time we stop judging.

The Orlando mass shooting at the gay nightclub came as a big blow to the whole world. It’s recorded as one of the worst mass shootings that has taken place ever in the history of United States of America. The man behind the killing Omar Mateen was angered by the sight of two men kissing. Fuming with anger, he opened fire at the club killing 50 and wounding 53 people.

Seeing homosexuality as an alternate sexual orientation

Perpetrator Omar Mateen was angered, seeing two individuals of the same gender together, which confirms that he probably was taught to view homosexuality as unnatural.  This resulted in a horrendous hate crime.  And this is not just his story. Most of us have been brought up with the same notion that homosexuality and gays as being abnormal. Keeping personal religious beliefs aside, homosexuality is an alternate sexual orientation just as bisexuality and heterosexuality.

Genetics, hormones and environmental factors play a significant role in people who are homosexuals. Scientific research considers homosexuality as being normal and it is a different variation in human sexuality. I think youngsters need to be made aware of these facts at any early stage, so that they do not get perturbed on seeing two individuals of the same gender together. Being educated enough on the subject would prevent hate crimes like the Orlando massacre.

Society’s attitude towards homosexuality and gays in India

Homosexuality was always considered to be a taboo subject in India. It’s not easy to be a gay in India for certain. They are judged. Gays are often mocked in movies and are the prime subject of jokes. Not very often you would see gays holding hands in public. Not very often gays come out, fearing discrimination. Locals and especially masses in rural parts of India would still mock and stare at gays.

But now the situation seems to be changing gradually and there is a mild shift in attitudes. According to the Pew Research Center’s 2013 global attitude survey finds acceptance of homosexuality in countries like North America, Europe and so on and rejection in muslim countries, parts of Asia and Russia.

In my view, Indian society is becoming more accepting of homosexuals. They are realizing that one may not like a particular act of a person for e.g smoking but that doesn’t give them the authority to discriminate a person based on that. I feel every individual whether straight or gay, has the right to be treated with respect irrespective of their sexual orientation.

Image Source – Shutterstock

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