Scholarly Research: Quotes

"When translated into implications for society at large, nearly 50 percent agree that homosexuality, as a corruption of society, can cause a civilization's downfall" (Klassen/Levitt 32).
Since this article was published in 1970, the information within it preserves the attitude that existed at the time towards homosexuality. If this same question were to be proposed to today's American society, it is likely that a much smaller percentage of people would see homosexuality as potentially causing a civilization's downfall.

"Substantial majorities agree that homosexual men should be allowed to work in the arts and in artistic occupations, but almost equally large majorities believe that they should not be permitted to engage in professions of influence and authority" (Klassen/Levitt 32).
The use of these outdated statistics supports my thesis because I'm arguing that progress has been made in the societal acceptance of homosexuality. The mindset that gay men are only suitable for a very limited number of occupations is likely a thing of the past; today, the controversy surrounding homosexuality seems to be centered around whether or not they should be allowed to marry, not which jobs they should be allowed to hold.

"The traditional view based on the study of homosexual patients is that homosexuality is a neurotic disorder" (Barr/Catts 213).
More recent articles will show that homosexuality is no longer thought of as a neurotic disorder. I think that my paper will benefit from elaborating upon the events that took place in order to dismiss homosexuality as a neurotic disorder. This event is important because it shows that the public is able to accept homosexuals as "sane" people; they function the same as heterosexuals in nearly every way aside from their attraction to the same sex.

"The psychological adjustment of homosexuals and their psychiatric treatment are made unduly difficult by existing community attitudes. The acceptance of homosexuals by society is slowly increasing, but could and should be facilitated by reform of existing laws against homosexual acts between consenting adults in private" (Barr/Catts 214).
Society's former views of homosexuality have been difficult to alter because they are seemingly solidified within the culture. This may be why acceptance is becoming more commonplace from generation to generation; each new generation is able to establish their own standards for what is culturally acceptable.

"Characterizing hostility toward homosexual persons in terms of a phobia implies that those attitudes are based upon an irrational fear" (Herek 2).
Never before had I noticed the heavy connotation that the word "phobia" holds. The implication that homosexuals are something to be feared is almost incomprehensible to me, as I'm sure it is to many others of my generation. The likening of homophobia to an irrational fear seems absolutely inane.

"Lesbians, gay men, and their supporters eventually pressured the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality from its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual as a form of mental illness" (Herek 2).
This article is more recent than the article that addressed the traditional view of homosexuality as being a neurotic disorder. I intend to figure out what happened between the date that the other article was published (1976) and the time when this article was published (1984), as this event was powerful enough to cause the American Psychiatric Association to change their classification of homosexuality.