I was very confused about where I should stand on the growing LGBTQ+ movement. I have an array of friends with differing opinions about the movement that I don't know which side is correct anymore, so I asked two of my friends
nine questions that I've constantly pondered. At the end of this article, I've written a reflection after hearing both their opinions. The names in this interview have been altered due to their request. Fae represents the straight viewpoint, while Kevin represents the gay viewpoint.
1. What’s your view on the third gender?
https://www.pexels.com/photo/multicolored-glittere...
Kevin (Pansexual): I believe and support the third gender because it gives people who don't enjoy being masculine or feminine (or just their own or opposite gender roles) a better place to fit in, be themselves and find their balance between the two.
Fae (Straight): The third gender is an idea, where people are not classified as male or female. This has roots dating back to antiquity, with people such as the hijras, fa'afafine and sworn virgins. Today, it is commonly used to refer to people who claim themselves to be transgender. I believe this to be the result of gender dysphoria or gender identity disorder. I think people who have gender dysphoria should seek mental help, as the complications of it include anxiety, social isolation, depression and suicide. This does not mean, however, that I believe in persecution against those who claim to be transgender.
2. Do you believe society is moving forward or going backward by becoming more accepting of various LGBTQ+ groups?
Kevin: I believe that we are at a standstill. Yes, we are moving forward with it being more acceptable to be any of the more popular groups of the LGBTQ+ community, but even with this moving forward, there is still hate within the community for lesser-known groups (some from the more popular groups) and from people who don't agree with anything we are trying to accomplish (which is more equal rights). Yes, the LGBTQ+ community is made of love, but sometimes, people don't understand how that love can also hurt and exclude people.
Fae: I think society is moving forward in becoming more accepting of the varying LGBTQ+ groups. From what I've seen, those who oppose LGBTQ+ typically do so on the basis of religion, but I've noticed that these people are starting to become more tolerant of the LGBTQ+ community so long as they keep to themselves and don't influence their youth.
3. Is transsexuality a mental disease?
https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-head-bust-pr...
Kevin: Transsexuality is not a mental disease because it is not something a person out-of-the-blue just desires or slowly picks up (within the people they grew up with or are around all the time). A person could be around absolutely nothing within the LGBTQ+ community while growing up and [being] in a working environment and still be transsexual. It is something a person is born with and not something that should be named as a mental disease.
Fae: From what I've seen, transsexuality has been treated more as a fad (e.g. celebrating Caitlyn Jenner's transition) than as a mental disorder (gender dysphoria). The fact that the suicide rate is an astonishing 40 percent should be enough to convince people that those living with gender dysphoria might need guidance and not in the form of gender reassignment surgery.
4. Is homosexuality a mental disease?
Kevin: Homosexuality is absolutely not a mental disease, just like transsexuals are not mental. Again, it is not something anyone should just think, "Oh, I think I should be gay or lesbian." It is not something that should be shunned or pushed as a mental disease. It is a part of life that other people are happy with and are proud to be, absolutely nothing like a mental disease.
Fae: The idea of homosexuality being a mental disorder is a subject of debate; however, the American Psychiatric Association has stated that there is scientific evidence to the contrary. However, the fact that the suicide rate for homosexual youth, before and after same-sex marriage laws were passed, remains in the 25-30 percent zone as opposed to just nine percent for heterosexual youth [painting] a different picture. So, while I don't believe conversion therapy will do the job, I do believe that guidance should be provided to homosexuals.
Link used by Fae: http://www.apa.org/topics/lgbt/orientation.aspx
5. Do you believe homosexuality is a fad our modern-day society?
https://www.pexels.com/photo/beautiful-eyewear-fas...
Kevin: No, it's not because homosexuality has been there since the dawn of time. It's just that now more than ever, people are more welcomed and accepted to come out compared to back 100 years, where being homosexual would get you arrested since it was illegal.
Fae: I've found that while there are genuine homosexual people, homosexuality is being treated as a fad of some sort with people who would otherwise say they're straight [coming] out as gay, lesbian or bisexual. These are typically your actors, celebrities and internet sensations looking to gain more attention. So in short, yes, I do believe homosexuality is being treated as a fad, but I don't think everyone who claims to be homosexual is just doing so for attention.
6. How do you feel about the growing exposure of homosexuality and transsexuality in media?
Kevin: I think it's good that they are being exposed in the media because it shows that more people than they think support them, and it could encourage more people in their community to also join them.
Fae: As I stated earlier, I find that a lot of celebrities, the people who are typically featured in the media, claim to be homosexual in order to bring attention to themselves. I feels like it's good that the LGBTQ+ community is getting the exposure it needs to raise awareness; however, this has led to some problems. Being too open about anything, be that sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, etc., tends to invite discrimination or at the very least, trolls pretending to discriminate. This has led to backlash from some members of the LGBTQ+ community against more people than just trolls which then results in a backlash against the LGBTQ+ community, thus shining a negative light on it. Another problem is the forcing of sexuality of movie and TV characters; think pansexuality on Lando in the new "Star Wars: Solo" film. By forcing sexuality in a film/TV series, it ends up making the story seem bland as time gets spent on exploring a character's sexuality rather than the actual plot. If the LGBTQ+ community wants to insert homosexual or transgender characters into a story, it should have their sexuality hinted at through indirect characterization in order to keep the focus on the plot.
7. Do you believe building a third bathroom for transsexuals will single them out or be appropriate?
https://www.pexels.com/photo/gender-88808/
Kevin: Building a third bathroom would definitely single them out because they [are] finally getting comfortable in their new [lives] and [are] being accepted as the opposite gender (from other friends and new people they meet). Imagine after a year or so, you were told to use a completely separate bathroom because you weren't allowed to use the bathroom with the gender you now look like/identify with and [were] told to use a bathroom with your birth gender, but the people with your birthgender weren't comfortable with you a person of opposite gender being there using the bathroom with you. So they build a whole new bathroom just for you. It's singling transgender people and treating them as if they weren't human.
Fae: I believe that a third bathroom for transsexuals should not be built, as it will most definitely single them out. However, this is not my main fear, as I worry that such a bathroom will likely be abused by rapists claiming to be transgender. A man who claims himself transgender could go into a transgender bathroom and rape a transgender woman in secluded area, where no one is likely to hear them. I believe that bathrooms should be separated based on biological sexuality. XX (female) chromosome pair goes in the women's bathroom, XY (male) chromosome pair goes in the men's bathroom.
8. Why do you think homophobia exists?
Kevin: I think homophobia is still a thing because of (bigoted) thoughts from families passed down from generation to generation. They are kinda stubborn to see that times have changed and things are different. There's no need to be homophobic anymore.
Fae: I think the main reason homophobia exists is because of religious views. Most religions don't tolerate homosexuality, as they consider homosexual acts to be sinful. This is usually explained for the monotheistic religions, as homosexuality was often associated with idolatry and heresy. It's also likely that it was a way of preserving genetic diversity among small communities. What we see now seems to be mostly people holding on to that idea, because their religion told them to do so or because it has remained as a tradition.
9. Homosexuality, bisexuality, transsexuality and pansexuality are more widely accepted. However there is skepticism about the authenticity of more obscure sexualities. Do you think this skepticism is reasonable?
https://www.pexels.com/photo/photo-of-women-facing...
Kevin: It's not reasonable because those sexualities are still sexualities, and if more popular ones are being accepted, why not just have an ear for the not as popular ones too? No one can really change anything about them.
Fae: The problem isn't the skepticism about these sexualities' authenticity. The problem is that a lot of these so called sexualities are even labelled the way they are. Asexuality is a lack of sexual attraction towards others. Do we really need this to be sexuality? Just because one is not attracted towards others does not mean that all of a sudden, their gender is altered. Demisexuality is a lack of sexual attraction without an emotional connection. This is what most people would call 'love'. Abrosexuality is a sexuality that changes very often (e.g. a man decides he's a woman and suddenly, he's now a woman). A person's sexuality does not change just because they want it to. When a person is born, their cells either have an XX (female) or an XY (male) chromosome pair. One may choose to dress or act like a different gender, but they are and always will be the gender they were assigned to by nature.
With writing this article, my viewpoints of homosexuality and transexuality have completely been put into question. Both sides presented themselves with logos and pathos. I identify as abrosexual (changing sexuality). However, that could be a byproduct of my bipolar personality (I'm not going to say "bipolar disorder" because I have never had a proper screening). If bipolar disorder is treated with medication and autism is treated with aids, shouldn't homosexuality be fixed too? But, that wouldn't be morally right. The social discussion on homosexuality being normalized is so vast with hundreds of voices screaming their opinions that you don't know who is right. What is the correct answer? It's very difficult to know with a 100 percent assurance because like all modern political debate (such as abortions and euthanasia), there's so much complexity to the subject. One side presents itself with pathos and the other with logos. Modern society has quickly advanced due to our extreme concentration in science and reason; however, our morals and sympathy are what separate us from savages.