SOCIETY AND HOMOSEXUALITY

Wednesday, March 11th, 2009 | Men's Health-Erectile Dysfunction

To what extent do homosexuals see themselves as oppressed by society? An American study by Dr Weinberg and Dr Williams of the Institute for Sex Research is revealing. They surveyed over iooo male homosexuals in the U.S.A., over iooo in the Netherlands, and over 300 in Denmark. The American men were more fearful about being known as homosexual than were the Europeans, because of the greater acceptance of homosexuality in Europe. When asked what would result if their erotic preference were known by heterosexuals, over 60 per cent of American men believed it would lead to problems at work, and nearly 50 per cent believed some of their heterosexual friends would break off the friendship.

This perception of what heterosexuals would think of them made them less happy than heterosexuals and reduced their faith in others; it also-led, in a proportion of the homosexual men, to anxiety and shame. This is because a person’s feelings about himself are influenced by how he imagines other people perceive him, regardless of whether those perceptions are accurate or not.

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