The Differing Social Taboos of Same-Sex Sexuality

In her article, “Toward a Global History of Same-Sex Sexuality,” Leila J. Rupp describes some of the history and implications of same sex interactions within differing cultures. Perhaps the most striking part of this article that stood out to me was Rupp's description of cultures in which male-male/ female-female sexual activity is institutionalized. For example, in ancient Greece, adult male citizens used sexual acts as a form of dominance. These actions were not necessarily ones of lust or pleasure; instead, they merely formed an establishment of hierarchal power in society based on age and experience. Similarly, Rupp describes many cultures of New Guinea in which boys are not allowed to grow into men without the incorporation of the semen of older men into their bodies via anal sex, oral sex, or skin smearing. In this example, the semen of older men is supposed to produce masculinity/ warrior personality in young boys. I found this description to be an interesting contradiction of our current conception of same-sex behavior. In fact, today, many would believe that these actions would make men less masculine than their peers, rather than more “warrior-like.” However, I also think that in this day and age it is becoming more socially acceptable (dare I say, “popular”) to be a homosexual man.

In the media, there is a reign of attractive and successful gay couples who are thought of as chic and cool by the masses (i.e. Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, Brothers & Sisters, Brokeback Mountain, etc.). Meanwhile, as is discussed in “Cumpulsory Heterosexuality and the Lesbian Experience,” the lives of lesbian women are rarely seen in popular culture. Instead, lesbian women are often downtrodden by both men and women, and are even demeaned in a pornographic sense. For example, when it came out that Cynthia Nixon (otherwise known as Miranda from Sex and the City) was a lesbian, I witnessed differing reactions from both male and female perspectives. Many of my guy friends were excited by Nixon’s news on the prospect that they would see some girl-on-girl action via HBO. My female friends, on the other hand, were “freaked out” by Nixon’s newly-outed sexuality. Perhaps due to Rich’s coined “compulsory heterosexuality” (or the inherent social view that female heterosexuality is more attractive than homosexuality and is necessary for female economic survival), these girls found it “weird” and “uncomfortable” to watch Nixon on SATC. There is extreme irony in this feeling of female weirdness, however, since the basis of this TV show lies in the perpetual- though non-erotic - bond between four females.

So, why is it ok for us to be threatened by homosexual male activity, socially treat flamboyant gay men as acceptable, be turned on by girl-on-girl action as men, or have to look away from lesbian affection as women? It seems that yet again, those who drift from Western cultural norms are pushed out of society and are made into abnormal examples of existence. Thus, it is important to remember that, much like Fausto-Sterling’s example of the gender continuum, there lies a continuum of sexuality as well, and no human should be made into a spectacle because of where they happen to fall on this scale. Instead, to be able to grow as individuals and as a society, we need to recognize the widespread incidence of same-sex sexuality, and establish this behavior as another cultural norm.