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The Acceptance of Gays in Society
Katherine Nicole Calixto, Eyel Icamen, Nichele Li, Lizle Ong, Kyle Tingzon
SA 21 T
INTRODUCTION/BACKGROUND
Anong gagawin mo kapag nalaman mong bading ang anak mo?
This is a common line among different families now. It seems that being gay in today’s society always starts with a question on acceptance. Being mostly a patriarchal society, the Philippines, with its high hopes and dreams, is dependent on fathers and father-like figures to take them into a higher economic level, for instance. However, the entry of gays in society today is unstoppable, and since time immemorial, the global society has had many different views and opinions about these people. And true enough, what has been the most unified idea in these different time periods is the value of acceptance. And with a conservative society like the Philippines, one will see how it is open to the idea of gays’ introduction in the Philippine society.
Though gays in other parts of the world (especially several countries from the African Continent) are continually persecuted, the Philippines has shown generosity towards this matter as evidenced by the absence of restrictions that bind the capacity of gays to express themselves in the society. However, the rights of gays are not yet absolute (such as the non-legalization of same-sex marriage yet) and the level of acceptance by the society fluctuates among every gay. We are left to ponder that there may be distinct socio-economic factors that may shape the perception and acceptance of gays by the society. Thus, our group aims to objectify and find the convergence between how men, women, gays and lesbians perceive the gays in our society, and how gays perceive themselves on the basis of acceptability.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
1. Singco-Holmes, Margarita G. A Different Love: Being Gay in the Philippines (First Edition). Pasig City: Anvil Publishing Inc., 1993. Print.
Anthropologist Michael Tan explains that homosexuality has always been in the Philippines and not a product of western colonization. “Diverse sexualities have always existed, shaped by different circumstances in time and space.” He adds that the bayoguin, who according to Spanish writings, were cross-dressing males and even had religious roles in that society. Considering a bayoguin as gay is questionable. He then compares a bayoguin to a modern gay Filipino, “The bayoguin was a bayoguin, just as today’s gay Filipino is that, a gay Filipino, his or her consciousness shaped both by both local and international developments.”
According to Mr. Tan, discrimination exists but it is preceded by pity. “Sayang” and “Kawawa naman” were the usual reactions upon knowing that someone just came out of the closet. He opposes the claims of others that the Philippines is an open society. “At best, we can say there is ambivalence: gay men and lesbians are fine, as long as they stick to certain professions, and as long as it’s not a brother or sister, or God forbid, a spouse, or a parent.” To fight against discrimination, he introduces The Library Foundation and Katlo. The Library Foundation and Katlo provides gay Filipino a sense of self-discovery and more importantly a sense of community.
2. Singco-Holmes, Margarita G. A Different Love: Being Gay in the Philippines (Revised Edition). Pasig City: Anvil Publishing Inc., 2005. Print.
“Gender discrimination will persist unless people begin to question our assumptions about roles for straight men, straight women, gay man, gay woman. One’s individual effort to overcome this discrimination, by striving to enter a field traditionally closed to gay people and to excel in that endeavor will be important. At the same time, organized efforts will be just as important to break down the artificial boundaries that society creates.”
In the revised edition of this book, Michael Tan explains how the role of culture affects in perceiving homosexuality. “Culture ends toward simplifying everything into dichotomies: good and evil; beautiful and ugly; sacred and profane. In terms of gender and sexuality, the dichotomy is masculine and feminine. Androgyny confuses many people who prefer the simpler dichotomies.” Culture makes it complicated for straight and even gay people to understand and accept homosexuals as the third sex. “People feel threatened when they cannot think simplistically.” There isn’t even a formal Filipino term for a homosexual. The term bakla is a contraction of lalake and babae, meaning an effeminate man. It also means “a confusing situation.
Culture also caused people to make generalizations. As said in the older edition, people prefer having the gays stay or pursue in certain types of profession. “There are fewer problems for career advancement among effeminate men as long as they stick to “feminine” professions: designing clothes, hairdressing and cosmetology, the performing arts, entertainment, and some service professions.” It is a form of discrimination since this limits the gays’ potentials. In addition to that, it takes away their freedom of choosing their own vocation – career.
3. Halperin, David. One Hundred Years of Homosexuality. New York: Routledge, 1990. Print.
Early Beginnings of Homosexuality
One of the first occurrences of homosexuality could actually be traced in the early civilizations in Ancient Greece. In a book entitled, One Hundred Years of Homosexuality, it tackles how its subtitle containing the words, "greek love" becomes something of a tease. Its author, David Halperin, explains that this coded phrase was actually used to refer to the unmentionable term paederasty which actually means the sexual pursuit of adolescent males by adult males. Paederasty being a Greek word, by origin, says a lot about Athenian practices during that time. It somewhat showcases how in history, homosexuality specifically the existence of gay sexuality was something tolerated in society. Its emergence during that time was accepted under certain conditions and even actively promoted and celebrated, as mentioned in the book. Acceptance towards homosexuality is visible in the Athenian culture, their architecture and literature focuses on the appreciation of the beauty of nude statues and literary images especially of men.
4. Dover, Kenneth. Greek Homosexuality. California: Vintage Books, 1980. Print.
Level of Acceptance for Gays in the Past
In K.J. Dover's book also tackling Greek Homosexuality, it uses empirical research to prove five main points that explained and described the level of acceptance gay individuals had in the past. These were the following points and I quote, "(1) homosexual behavior among Greek males largely took for in paederastic relations between a man and a youth, (2) they considered this desire as something normal and natural , (3) that neither Athenian law nor Athenian custom forbade or penalized the sexual expression of such desire as long as the people involved showed conventional decencies (4) paederastic love affairs which conformed to these decencies were considered honorable and decent and under certain circumstances even praiseworthy." His book proves that when homosexuality and a certain group of males who had relations with other males first emerged, there was no form of discrimination and they considered this to actually be a norm in their society. Each person's choice for his sexuality was widely respected as long as they followed the decencies that Athenian customs and laws asked of their citizens. Indeed, for them, this was much important in that period more than anything else; they defined being a "good" citizen with these following decencies, without being prejudiced to people's sexual preferences.
5. Murray, Stephen. Homosexualities. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Print.
Social Background Can Make or Break Gay Acceptance
Homosexualities, a book by Stephen Murray discusses a different side of acceptance according to culture. Though some of the early civilizations like that of Ancient Greece have a higher level of acceptance for the gay society, other cultures are entitled to their own level of acceptance. He highlights that there can be variations in societal attitudes when accepting homosexuals in different cultures and historical periods. Some deem homosexuality as something appropriate, some think of it as something tolerable and others consider it unconventional, inappropriate and a form of deviance from the norms. Generally, people respond to different topics and issues depending on the environment and upbringing they have experienced, their societal attitudes towards gay people being one of the issues greatly depending on social background has relied on this for years.
HOT ISSUE: RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What are the usual roles of gays in society?
2. What are the possible ideas that hinder their acceptance?
3. While some gay personalities are prominent in the Philippines such as Boy Abunda and Vice Ganda, some gays are still persecuted. What factors then makes an "acceptable" gay person in society?
THEORY/PERSPECTIVE USED
RESEARCH DESIGN
To know the level of acceptance of gays in society, the researchers has determined that surveys and interviews should be done for the group to be ensured of the most accurate and most objective results of the study. Surveys were done to give a quantitative analysis of the study, and interviews were done so that there is an element of a personal view from the subjects themselves.
The researchers have been varied in looking for the most valid results. This is why the researchers have decided that they hear both sides of the story about the acceptance. In this light, the researchers have done surveys to “straight” people, aiming to know their views on gays in the Philippine society, what makes them “acceptable,” and the rate at which they think gays are acceptable. On the other hand, the gays have been done interviews so that the researchers may also know their own view about themselves, and on their acceptance in today’s society.
The interview was done in two areas: first, in an inexpensive salon along Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City, and second, in a travel agency office in Makati City. The surveys, on the other hand, were done in the university, in a salon, and with different, random people as well. To determine the “straight” respondents, random sampling was used, while convenience sampling was used to determine the gay respondents for the survey.
FINDINGS
I. Interviews:
A. Elite Gay
 |
| Meet Mr. Michael Trias III. |
Michael “Mike”
Trias III is a 54-year old manager of Las Palmas, a travel tour agency. He has
a lucrative job; earning PhP 100,000 per month excluding commissions he gets
from his clients. He graduated top of his class with a bachelor’s degree of
Mass Communication in University of Santo Tomas. Thereafter, he went to
Nagasaki, Japan and accomplished his master’s degree. For a short time, he had
served as a Japanese translator for Former President Cory Aquino, during her
administration.
Mike was born to a setting that
predominantly constituted gays. He claimed he had more than 10 relatives who
were gay; and so coming out was not particularly difficult for him as he had
close ties to his gay uncle. His gay uncle in particular was a cross-dresser
and was very flamboyant contrary to Mike. Mike hated the idea of
cross-dressing, and he wears ironed polo and crisp jeans to work. As a matter
of fact, Mike exuded an air of confidence as some of the researchers
interviewed him. He was brilliant and incredibly articulate and well-mannered.
When asked of his view regarding
sex-change, he shook its idea of as something repulsive. For Mike, it would be
utterly wrong to change what God has given a person. It would also be
interesting to note that he and his family members were Catholics. Mike admits
that although being gay is primarily linked to biological inadequacies, for him
being gay was a lifestyle. It would manifest in the way one talks, dresses, do,
but should never be about the change of sex.
Mike realized he was gay in third
year high school. For him it was not something extraordinary as he had an uncle
who was flamboyantly gay. In the beginning his mother was in denial; however,
eventually his family had accepted the fact. Mike’s coming out was not impeded
by any discrimination. Sure there was prejudice but according to Mike, it would
be something that was inevitable anyway. For him, being gay would even give him
the upper hand in landing the jobs that he wanted. ---And his jobs were
business oriented and far from the entertainment industry. Mike boldly claims
that no one can discriminate against him because he doesn’t allow them to.
When asked on his opinion regarding
the acceptance of gays in the society, Mike felt that society is more forgiving
as we are all moving with the changing times. Nevertheless, he feels as though
there is no absolute and unconditional acceptance yet by the public. To a
certain extent, prominent gays such as Vice Ganda and Boy Abunda (who commands
the Showbiz scene) help in the image of gays. But they are just a small
percentage of the larger picture.
Mike also claims that the general
public has a misconception that gay people would hang out with other gays in
comedy and gay bars. He said that he had gay and straight friends, but most of
them were straight and business-oriented people. They would hang-out in regular
bars and would just chill and have a good time just like the rest of the
ordinary people. When the researchers asked him regarding his relationship
status, Mike chuckles and says, “I have been in a relationship for 7 years.
---Attached on weekends; free on weekdays.”
Mike also had his apprehensions. His
greatest fear was that he would end up alone all throughout the rest of his
life. However, he is no longer afraid as he is in the process of adopting his
nephew. He sees the little boy as someone who would be his companion as he
grows old. Mike throws away the ideal family picture which constitutes of a
woman and a man, but is open to having “the version of a modernized family”.
In his last words to the
researchers, Mike gave a heartfelt message for all the other gays. He said that
the gays have to show the people that they are capable, and that they have a
direction in their lives. “Huwag ninyo silang pababayaang tapak-tapakan lamang
kayo.” (Don't allow them to just step over you) And because of his perseverance
and undeterred mindset, he has landed his dream job and has seen more than a
third of the globe.
B. Poor Gays
Note: The researchers interviewed Marielle and Alexandra separately to avoid unnecessary influence.
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| The researchers with the gays in a salon in Katipunan. |
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| During the interview with them. |
“Marielle Severino” is a 22 year old beautician of a not well-known salon along Katipunan. He only reached and finished third year high school. Marielle has a low monthly salary and with this, he still needs to support his parents and five other siblings.
Marielle realized that he was gay
during elementary, however he decided “to come out of the closet” after he
dropped out from high school. Growing up, Marielle preferred playing with Barbie
dolls, rather than the boys’ usual toys. As a kid, he already felt that he didn’t
like to be a man. He then claims that being gay is something one chooses to be.
Marielle assures the researchers that both family and friends accept him
immediately after his confession since it was really obvious through his
mannerism; moreover Marielle has a gay tito
and his friends are mostly gays. Marielle and his beautician friends regularly
go to gay karaoke bars to chill. He reasons out that there was no hesitation on
both parties because he didn’t mean any harm.
Marielle admits that he experiences
verbal discrimination every day. He further emphasizes that all gays are
discriminated because there will always be those particular groups who dislike
the homosexuals. Some verbal abuses that
Marielle experienced are the following: “Bakla!
Paano kayo dumarami? Saan ba kayo nanggaling?”
With regards to the impact of Boy
Abunda and Vice Ganda in the society’s acceptance towards gays, Marielle agrees,
to some extent, that the two gay personalities helped in the gays’ status. However,
he explains that it didn’t have an absolute impact. The presence of both Boy
Abunda and Vice Ganda just only proves to people that gays can have a role and
a “proper” purpose in society.
When the researchers asked Marielle about
his dream, he tells the researchers that he wants to be a respectable gay, a
person with purpose – “May saysay ka!” In addition to that, Marielle’s greatest
fear is to be discriminated at the rudest manner possible – “Idiscriminate ako
nang bonggang-bonnga!”
His definition of an acceptable gay
is an individual who would never do sex change. He tells the researchers that
sex change is very much against religion. He says that gays should be contented
on what God has given them. A gay should be happy because he can express
himself femininely in the Philippines.
Marielle gives a score of 8 in
regards on how he feels accepted by society. He explains that since society
can’t stop the “mass production of gays”, society might as well be open or
tolerant for a better term to the gay society.
He ended the interview by saying this message, “Kalat na ang mga bakla,
uso na ang maging bakla! Baka sa susunod, hindi na uso ang maging lalaki.”
(There are already many gays, being gay is a trend! Maybe next time, being a
man is not a trend anymore.)
The second interviewee is Alex Yap
aka Alexadra. He comes from Iloilo City and he is a graduate of the course
Hotel, Restaurant and Management, but now works as a hair stylist in an inexpensive
salon.
Alexandra also considers that being
gay is something one chooses to be. He tells the researchers that he was highly
influenced by his tita and female
cousins. Growing up, he stayed in an all girl house and worked at his tita’s salon. By the time he started to
work in the salon, he admits to the researchers that he already felt different
inside and this feeling made him act more feminine as the years gone by.
Alexandra was then confronted by his father regarding his sexual orientation.
Alexandra assured his father that he would continue his life as a gay.
Alexandra assures the researchers that his family and friends accepted him
immediately because there is nothing else that the family and friends can do.
One factor that Alexandra considered that really helped in the family’s
acceptance is the fact that the family has many other gay relatives.
He also experiences verbal
discrimination every day. Alexandra says that it is really inevitable that gays
would be discriminated upon. For Alexandra, the presence of Boy Abunda and Vice
Ganda only helped in the awareness that gays are not useless. The presence of
these gay media personalities however doesn’t help in the gays’ character
development. Alexandra tells the researchers that gays, like him, are not
dependent on their educational attainment, but they depend on their talent and
skills to land a job. According to Alexandra, it is not hard to find a job
because there are already existing stereotypical jobs for gays such as
beauticians, comedians and hair stylists. He emphasizes and says to the
researchers, “Diskarte lang talaga iyan sa buhay.” (It’s all about the approach
and techniques you will use.)
When the researchers asked him
regarding his dream and greatest fear as a gay, he replies that he dreams that
he will have someone in the near future and he fears to be alone. Alexandra
tells the researchers that he wants to have his own family because he wants
someone to take good care of him, despite possible criticisms by society.
Marielle and Alexandra have the same
point of view on the definition of an acceptable gay. Alexandra is also against
on the concept of sex change. He also says that gays should be contented on
what God has given them. He says to the researchers, “Mapapalit nga ng sex
change ang pisikal mong pagkatao, pero hindi ito magpapalit sa isip ng mga tao.
Pinanganak kang lalaki, mamatay ka bilang lalaki.” (Sex change might change
your physical feature, but it can never change how other people see you.)
II. Surveys
Note: This part will only be a basic overview of the survey results by using descriptive statistics.
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| Gays Final Result. % is based on total number of sample (convenience sampling) |
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| Straight Final Result. % is based on total number of sample (random sampling) |
ANALYSIS
HOT ISSUE #1: WHAT ARE THE USUAL ROLES OF GAYS IN THE SOCIETY?
GENDER ROLES
In prehistoric times, men and women already had distinct gender roles. Women would stay in caves and other forms of make-shift shelters while men would tend to the tedious task of hunting. So then, how did this designation of roles came about? Originally, man and his female partner would go hunting together. However, on certain days of the month, blood from the menstruation of the female would drive the wild animals mad. Due to the lack of insight on science, man makes a hasty generalization that women should not be brought on hunting trips and are better left looking after the infants at home. What happens next is that women acquire subdued roles such as cooking, cleaning, taking care of children, while men take on the role of our prehistoric breadwinners.
It is clear that men and women born of the modern day period already have gender roles shaped by the evolving society. The Bible specifically determines the roles of men and women:
Taken from selected verses of Genesis Chapter 3:
To the woman he said:
“Yet your urge will be for your husband and he shall be your master.”
To the man he said:
“By the sweat of your face shall you get bread to eat.”
But what of the homosexuals? Certain verses from the Bible would condemn homosexuality as a sin:
Lev. 18:22, "You shall not lie with a male as one lies with a female; it is an abomination."
1 Cor. 6:9-10, "Or do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, shall inherit the Kingdom of God."
It is clear that the Bible has a lot to say regarding how homosexuals are perceived but one cannot see any direct verses regarding their gender roles. As a result, homosexuals struggle to find their own gender roles and their place in the society.
SOCIAL STRATIFICATION
Homosexuals are divided between the elite and poor in terms of economic wealth:
Elite Gays
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Poor Gays
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Ambitious and Empowered
(Educated)
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Confidence
(Trust on talent and skills; lack access to formal education)
|
Advertising
Business
Public Relation
Tourism
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Canteen Personnel
Comedians
Hair Stylists
Impersonators
|
Elite Gays
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Poor Gays
| |
Presenting oneself
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Wear like a male professional
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Wear feminine clothes
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Interact more with…
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Straight people
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Gays
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Mannerism
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Not masculine, but not too feminine as well
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Very feminine
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Being gay is …
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One is born to be à blame genetics
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Something one chose to be à blame environmental factors
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*Based on interview and survey results
HOT ISSUE #2: WHAT ARE THE POSSIBLE IDEAS THAT HINDER THEIR ACCEPTANCE?
NORMS
Homosexuals would seek to conform to norms because they want to attain a sense of belongingness in the society. For instance, cross-dressing is a folkway and may elicit unfavorable response from other people, but it is regarded as normal and nothing out of the ordinary when done in an entertainment work area (specifically comedy and gay bars). And when gay people wear female clothing for entertainment purposes such as those mentioned above, they immediately assume the role of a loud, highly energetic and boisterous gay host. They are gay, but they have to be gay in terms of how people expect them to be.
Society also dictates what is seemingly apt and not for the homosexuals. An elite gay is empowered and highly ambitious because he does not only possess the vibrant character and artistry that is associated by the general public to homosexuals, but he has also acquired an education. They are deemed acceptable to take on intellectual jobs such as advertising and public relations, all of which provide avenues for creativity. On the other hand, poor gays deprived of education have to rely much on their innate skills (or rather the attributes that the public generalize them to possess) to survive. Most would work as comedians, impersonators and hairstylists because these are acceptable jobs that are fit for their personality and level of intellect.
SOCIAL CONTROL
Religion. One type of social control is religion. A large percentage of Filipinos constitute a Christian population and religion no doubt is a powerful tool for dictating how a society should respond and behave. However, since religion in itself is a social construct, anti-homosexuals will seek to interpret the texts based on how they want it to appear to be. These will eventually be used as a defense against homosexuals; suppressing their growth, and fear of God and prejudice by Catholics will only make them feel unaccepted.
Both elite and poor gays, themselves, admitted the impact of religion as hindrance of society’s acceptance. Quoting and summarizing from all the interviews the researchers had, the interviewees said, “The Bible proclaims that God created man and woman. The Bible has never introduced a third person. With this, the Church doesn’t accept the rise of not only gays, but homosexuality in general. The Church sees homosexuals as people living with no purpose.” With this, majority of the gays feel unaccepted by the Church.
Lastly, based on the survey conducted from the straight people, the main reason why respondents don’t accept their gay relative/s and/or friend/s is because of their ties with the Church. 26% of the respondents don’t accept their gay relative/s and/or friend/s. 20% out of the 26% said that it is due to their strong ties with the Church that hindered them to accept the gay individual. While the remaining 6% told other reasons such as family background and even self-opposition against gays.
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| Graph 1. What factors hinder the acceptance of gays in Philippine society? |
HOT ISSUE #3: While some gay personalities are prominent in the Philippines such as Boy Abunda and Vice Ganda, some gays are still persecuted. What factors then makes an "acceptable" gay person in society?
STEREOTYPE
Just as what Michael Tan explained in one of the researchers’ related literature, culture makes people do generalizations. Generalization on a particular group of people paves way to certain label which is called a stereotype. In the Filipino culture, the stereotypical gay role portrayed by media is that the gay is a comedic beautician friend of the teleserye’s main character. This has been one of most famous labels that the gay is associated by popular media culture; however the sudden rise to fame of both Boy Abunda and Vice Ganda gives another light for this particular stereotype label. Based on the researchers’ interviews and surveys, the two media personalities actually help in the widening of society’s acceptance towards gays. Based on the interviews conducted by the researchers, the presence of Boy Abunda and Vice Ganda helped in the awareness that gays can indeed have a purpose and another role in this society. They prove that gays are not just mere dysfunctions in this society and they prove that being gay is not a hindrance to one’s intellectual capability. Boy Abunda and Vice Ganda are not the stereotypical beauticians that society often sees; they are empowered gays who achieve their greatness through their knowledge and skills. Moreover, in the recently conducted survey, females and poor gays highly agreed that the presence of the gay media personalities helps in the increased awareness.
*Refer to Findings, Gays and Straight People Final Survey Result
“ACCEPTABLE” SUBCULTURE
Homosexuality in general is considered as a subculture. Subculture has cultural patterns that set apart some segment of a society’s population. Obviously, gays have their own culture but what makes an acceptable subculture by the whole society? The researchers asked its 50 straight respondents on what factor/s make a gay acceptable. Based on the graph below, straight people wants a gay that wears decent clothing, not feminine clothes. This proves that straight people don’t want gays to violate folkways. Folkways are norms for routine and casual interaction. Following decency in clothing is the gay is surrounded by gay relative/s or friend/s. This shows that family ties or specifically, an association of the particular individual with the gay society plays a big role in the straight people’s acceptance. Coming third is that the gay should show intelligence. Intelligence in this context is not just limited to school, but also to everyday interactions. Lastly, straight people want gays not to act overtly feminine. Gays should know their limits.
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| Graph 2. What are the factors that make a gay acceptable? |
On the other hand, the gay society views a gay acceptable if he doesn't undergo sex change. It is a unanimous choice from both the interviews and the surveys conducted by the researchers, thus a chart will not be shown anymore. The gay respondents don’t see sex change as the answer for one’s sexual orientation. The respondents said that gays should be contented and happy on what they have and how this particular society accepts or tolerates this subculture.
CONCLUSION
“What is “personal” is actually social.”
“What is “natural” is actually socially constructed.”
A society is inevitable to have an issue of social inequality – social stratification. Social stratification does not only categorize people through their economic position, but it can also categorize people through their sexual orientation. Through this study, the researchers discovered that social stratification doesn’t just take place on one general level. It exists even in sub-groups of society. The first social stratification is the sexual orientation (male, female, gay, lesbian, and bisexual). It then follows by these sub-groups, elite and poor gays. The researchers had divided the two sub-groups by utilizing Max Weber’s approach, the concept of class – economic position. The researchers are then able to conclude that though both elite and poor gays come from the same level of social stratification (gay), the two sub-groups have their distinct differences in beliefs, jobs, mannerisms, etc. This finding also exposed that the labelling theory towards gays is not as accurate as it seemed. The gays are not just limited to the beauty service oriented and entertainment fields, but they can also work in business-related ones.
“Culture ends toward simplifying everything into dichotomies: good and evil; beautiful and ugly; sacred and profane. In terms of gender and sexuality, the dichotomy is masculine and feminine. Androgyny confuses many people who prefer the simpler dichotomies.” This statement is straight to the point, culture influences people to see everything into dichotomies, therefore norms - rules and expectations by which a society guides the behavior of its people – can be established from these. One dichotomy is masculine and feminine, thus the sudden appearance of homosexuality will destroy the dichotomy. This makes homosexuality look as something deviant – a violation of a norm. To ensure that a norm be stable, there are various social controls – family, media, religion, etc. – protecting it. In this study, the researchers said that religion is the leading social control of this particular norm. This shows that religion can influence the people’s actions and decisions throughout their lives.
All cultures, ancient or modern, have their own context and set of beliefs. In Ancient Greek Culture, paederasty was accepted and even actively promoted and celebrated. Moreover, in Ancient Filipino culture, there was the presence of the bayoguin, a cross-dresser who has a religious role. However in the modern Filipino culture, gays relatively have a lower role in society as compared to the ancient cultures. The researchers learned that people respond to various topics differently as the response depends on the individuals’ environment and upbringing, their social context.
As a formal conclusion of this research study, the researchers asked the gay interviewees and respondents to rate how much they feel accepted by society. On the other hand, the researchers also asked the straight respondents to rate how much they accept the gay society. There are two issues to be pondered upon: The male and female ratings are different. Females have an average rate of 8.57, while males have an average of 7.06. Though the straight people generally accept the gay society, females have a more favourable response as compared to males. In return, the gays have an average score of 7.89. The survey results show that the acceptance of the straight people corresponds at an average with the acceptance that the gay society feels. The researchers point out that local Filipinos are all in the same geographical displacement, in the same social context. How other people act and respond to one becomes one’s basis of the level of acceptance, or should the researchers say toleration.
“We accept the love we think we deserve.” - What the researchers really mean is human based this feeling of worthiness from the people around him or her.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Koerner, Nancy. "Prehistoric Politics of Pair-bonding and Gender Roles Spawn Female Submission." <http://www.examiner.com/article/prehistoric-politics-of-pair-bonding-and-gender-roles-spawn-female-submission>. August 18,2010. Mar. 20, 2013.
Dover, Kenneth. Greek Homosexuality. California: Vintage Books, 1980. Print.
Halperin, David.
One Hundred Years of Homosexuality. New York: Routledge, 1990. Print.
Murray, Stephen.
Homosexualities. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000. Print.
Singco-Holmes,
Margarita G. A Different Love: Being Gay in the Philippines (First Edition).
Pasig City: Anvil Publishing Inc., 1993. Print.
Singco-Holmes,
Margarita G. A Different Love: Being Gay in the Philippines (Revised Edition).
Pasig City: Anvil Publishing Inc., 2005. Print.
ATTACHMENTS
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| Guidelines for the Interview |
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| Gay Survey, page 1 |
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| Gay Survey, page 2 |
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| Straight Survey, page 1 |
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| Straight Survey, page 2 |
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