PaulGewirtz
PotterStewartProfessorofConstitutionalLawand
Director，TheChinaLawCenter
YaleUniversityLawSchool
November2006
Homosexuality：AnswerstoFrequently
AskedQuestions
ByJohnBalzanoandAlfredoB.Silva
1.Whatishomosexuality？
Homosexualitygenerallyreferstoasexualorientationcharacterizedbylastingaestheticattraction，romanticlove，andsexualdesireexclusivelyforthoseofthesamesex.Itisusuallycontrastedwithheterosexuality，sexualandromanticattractiontoanindividualoftheoppositesex，andbisexuality，attractiontobothsexes.Theterm“homosexuality”intruthhasmanycompetingdefinitionsandconnotationsandhasevolvedinmeaningovertimeindifferentplacesandcultures.Homosexualitynowoftendescribesmorethanjustanindividual’ssexualbehavior；rather，itdescribesthefeelingsandrelationshipsthatmakeupahealthyandsatisfyingself-identityforhomosexualpeople.
2.IshomosexualityaWesternconcept？
HomosexualityisnotentirelyaWesternconstruct.Whileitistruethathomosexualityasaconceptreferringto“exclusive”sexualorientationoriginatedinWesternmedicalliteratureoveracenturyago，relationshipsandattractionbetweenpeopleofthesamesexhaveexistedallovertheworldthroughoutnearlyallperiodsofrecordedhistory.Westernhistoryisrepletewithfiguresknowntohavehadsame-sexrelationships，includingSocrates，EdwardII，JuliusCaesar，Michelangelo，andAlexandertheGreat.Examplesofsame-sexloveandrelationshipsalsoappearthroughoutJapaneseandChinesehistoryandancientliterature.Anthropologistsstudyingsame-sexrelationshipsofNativeAmericanandAfricantribeshaveuncoveredatraditionofsame-sexmarriagesbetweenmalesinthoseareasaswell.