The Reality of Sexuality

This is a picture of me and my friends at a concert over the summer. You can see that shorts and belly shirts are common to see in the United States, especially in warmer months, but would be seen as extremely offensive and inappropriate in Muslim countries.

The chapter about sexuality is something that really sparked my interest. I have been eager to learn more about it since I have friends who are questioning their sexuality, and it would be nice to better understand their situation in order to be a better support system to them. I think sexuality is something that many people have not wanted to talk about, and that is why there is so much stigma connected to it. I am glad that the word is getting out there, and people are becoming more educated on the topic so we can discuss it more freely.

                In class we talked about how sexuality and the expression and freedom of ones sexuality varies tremendously from place to place around the world. We see one extreme in Middle Eastern countries where you can only see a woman’s eyes to Miami Beach where some women are topless. According to BBC News, it is really important to the Muslims in these countries to be covered up, and they advise foreigners to follow their strict dress code in order to refrain from offending someone. This idea can go a long way in explaining the vast culture differences between the two places. In lecture and also on the exam, we discussed the idea of sexual identity. I think it is something that many people put in black and white. They think someone is gay or straight because it is something that is easier to wrap their heads around. I think that there is a whole grey area in between. I think bisexuality is a n example of a place in the middle of gay and straight. Most of the older generations have a hard time with bisexuality. Many times they think that the individual is just confused or experimenting. I have a really good friend who has always dated males, but she met a woman and fell in love. She said she just did not see her as a gender, but as a person. I do not even know if the qualifies as gay or bisexual or what because there are so many factors that go into it. There are some people who may be gay curious or bi curious, as well and do not identify with any particular sexuality completely.  I was also shocked that AIDS patients were so afraid of being judged by others that they would refrain from getting their medications. I think that is so sad that this society has stigmatized this illness so much that people would do this. According to the CDC,most of the people who contract the disorder get it through male to male sexual contact. I think this is one big reason why AIDS has become so stigmatized by the public; it is now being associated with being gay.

                I think America has come a long way in becoming more open minded and accepting about all aspects of sexuality, but I think there is still a lot of room for improvement. Even if someone does not agree with someone’s preferences, we should all still be more accepting of the people around us.