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Statsproj
Statsproj
SEXUAL ORIENTATION
A SOCIAL STIGMA?
1 Acknowledgement 1
2 Introduction 2
2.1 Statement of problem(Hypothesis) 2
2.2 Mode of data collection 4
2.3 Sample being studied 4
4 Conclusion 18
4.1 Overall analysis 18
4.2 Recommendations 18
Introduction
Statement of problem (Hypothesis):
First things first, let’s look up the definition of sexual orientation in a
dictionary.
'a person's sexual identity in relation to the gender to which they are
attracted' it says.
In 2019, for most Indians, it is common knowledge that some people
can feel attracted to the same gender. Most people have an inkling
of the words gay, lesbian and bisexual. However, when asked what
these words mean, many look away, smirk, laugh or completely
disregard the question altogether. The subject of sexual orientation
is viewed as something very secretive that is talked about in hushed
tones behind closed doors as juicy gossip, usually in negative light.
This is mainly due to the fact that sexual orientation is many a time
equated to sexual activity, which is completely incorrect. An
orientation defines who you are attracted to which is inherent and
out of our control, while sexual activity is something that people
choose to engage in. It is ironic that the same group of people won’t
bat an eyelash when a boy is attracted to a girl or vice versa. This is
because our society is extremely heteronormative and people are
given the label of heterosexual as a default right from the moment
they exit the womb. So, when someone isn’t attracted to the
opposite gender, eyebrows are raised and opinions are formed
because it is 'different' or rather 'abnormal' and treating that person
as a museum exhibit is an acceptable practice, even though it’s
essentially the same thing! It is often forgotten that heterosexuality,
homosexuality, bisexuality etc. all originate from the same root word
sexuality and ultimately equate to ‘attraction to another person’.
On the other hand, there are also many people who use the words
‘gay’ and ‘lesbian’ as a form of hate speech to downgrade someone’s
personality and dehumanise them. They are often thrown around as
buzz words in schools, colleges and even on social media as a tool to
insult someone based on what they wear and how they act. Why is
this so? One of the main causes is the skewed manner in which
alternate sexual orientations are portrayed in the media. A majority
of Indian TV shows and movies do not have any gay characters and
the ones who do usually use them as an element of comic relief.
These characters don’t have a well drawn-out storyline and their sole
purpose is to act bizarre and constitute an anomaly in the system. As
a result, that is exactly how they are treated in real life! A tear in the
tapestry of society. A loose screw in a well-oiled machine.
Society aside, even the law treats heterosexual citizens different
from citizens of other sexual orientations. Until September last year,
it was a crime to engage in sexual activity with another person of the
same gender. And even today, same-sex couples are not recognised
by the Government of India and are hence, not granted civil rights
such as marriage, adoption and joint housing. History has it that the
courts usually refuse to acknowledge the existence of such rights and
brush them under the metaphorical carpet. This makes life very
difficult making several people never truly feel like they are an equal
citizen of this country.
Now, keeping all of this information in mind, let’s talk about
something we are all familiar with: high school. High school is a very
stressful time in a teenager’s life where they deal with school exams,
competitive exams, body image issues, peer pressure, raging
hormones and much, much more! Now, let us suppose that a
particular high school student also happens to be gay. In a utopian
world, this would be seen as a natural trait of a person and certainly
not a struggle! In harsh reality however, the latter is unfortunately
more common. Statistics show that homosexual teenagers show a
higher rate of suicide, anxiety and depression than heterosexual
teenagers. Interestingly though, unlike studying and doing
homework, being gay isn’t stressful in itself. It is the environment a
person grows up in and the people they are surrounded by that
determines their stress level. If sexual orientation was something
that people could be allowed to freely talk about, that gay high
school student wouldn’t have a reason to feel stressed. That gay high
school student wouldn’t have the fear of losing family and friends
lingering at the back of his mind. That gay high school student would
never, even for a second, feel ashamed for who he is.
As citizens of India, we have the right to freedom of speech. So, we
have decided to exercise that very right and lift up that metaphorical
carpet! We have conducted this anonymous survey titled 'Sexual
Orientation: A Social Stigma?' in hope of starting conversations and
sharing experiences pertaining to this issue in a bid to create an
environment where everyone feels included.
- Among those who have come out to their friends about their
sexual orientation, 100% of heterosexuals, homosexuals and
bisexuals, and 25% of those having other than mentioned sexual
orientations and said their friends were supportive of the same,
while the rest said their friends weren't.
- Among those who have come out to society about their sexual
orientation, 75% of heterosexuals, 100% homosexuals and bisexuals,
and 25% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations
and said society was supportive of the same, while the rest said that
society wasn't.
- Among those who have not come out to their parents about their sexual
orientation yet, 92% of heterosexuals, 100% of homosexuals and those not
sure of their sexual orientation, 50% of bisexuals and 25% of those having
other than mentioned sexual orientations said their parents would be
supportive of the same if they came out in the future, while the rest including
100% of asexuals and those not comfortable disclosing their sexual
orientations said their parents wouldn't.
- Among those who haven't come out to their friends about their sexual
orientation yet, 100% of heterosexuals, homosexuals and those not sure of or
not comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation, and 25% of those having
other than mentioned sexual orientations said their friends would be
supportive of the same if they came out in the future, while the rest including
100% of bisexuals and asexuals said their friends wouldn't.
- Among those who haven't come out to society about their sexual orientation
yet, 87% of heterosexuals, 100% homosexuals and those not sure of their
sexual orientation, 16% of bisexuals and 25% of those having other than
mentioned sexual orientations said society would be supportive of the same if
they came out in the future, while the rest including 100% of asexuals and
those not comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation said that society
wouldn't.
- 45% of heterosexuals believe a person's sexual orientation is
biological and not one's choice, while 55% believe it's one's choice.
- 100% of homosexuals, bisexuals and asexuals felt a need for discussing the
topic of sexual orientations among children..
- 88% of those having other than mentioned sexual orientations felt a need for
discussing the topic of sexual orientations among children, while 11% weren't
sure of the same.
- 66% of those unsure of their sexual orientation felt a need for discussing the
topic of sexual orientations among children, while 33% felt it should not be
discussed among children.
- 100% of those not comfortable disclosing their sexual orientation felt there is
no need to discuss the topic of sexual orientations among children.
Conclusion
Overall analysis:
If it’s one thing that stands out more than anything else in the results
of this project, it’s the sheer fact that all of us 11th graders who
answered this survey aren't all that straight! Evident as it is that
nearly half of those who have answered this survey are what society
deems as 'abnormal'- not heterosexual in much simpler terms.
This sole result is indeed a slap in the face for everyone- from our
parents who raised eyebrows while seeing us work on this project, to
the person at the print shop printing our project caught off guard
reading its title, and finally to our own selves, in whose minds this
unscrupulous belief of everyone normally being heterosexual and
anything other than that being abnormal had begun to resonate.
Another striking conclusion is the much higher degree of confidence
and comfort among heterosexuals about their sexual orientation and
being open about the same than those having other sexual
orientations. Needless to say, the results pertaining to the attitude
of, and level of support from parents, friends and especially society
towards different sexual orientations speak for themselves on this
count.
Ultimately all these results and conclusions go on to fiercely reiterate
just one very simple fact- that being heterosexual is normal and
being anything other than that is not normal- for us, for our friends,
our families and of course, for our society.
Recommendations:
The need of the hour is to generate awareness in society about the
acceptance and inclusion of all people of all sexual orientations, all of
which are all but perfectly normal and natural. Thiss can be
implemented via a range of awareness campaigns and public
movements, which fortunately do seem to be on the upsurge in the
present day.
As for us students in specific, the very fact that nearly all of the
respondents said their friends have spoken to them about alternate
sexualities, but barely half said their parents or school had done the
same reveals a gaping flaw in the system of passing on values and
knowledge of such sensitive subjects from the elders to the
youngsters. Due to this, in the absence of learning these things in the
right way from their elders, the present generation gets its hands on
such information from other sources including friends and mass
media, giving birth to and substantiating unfounded myths like such.
Therefore, education of students and youngsters about sensitive yet
important topics like sexual orientations in the right way and spirit
must be given immediate priority in order to help them become
humane humans, and to make our society more inclusive.