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.