Changes in the Expression of Same-Sex Relationships in American History (Essay Sample)

Changes in the Expression of Same-Sex Relationships in American History Author Institution of affiliation Changes in the Expression of Same-Sex Relationships in American History Sexual orientation, preferences and expression have had different definitions over the years and in different societies and culture. The definition of same sex relationships in America has been denoted on two basic terms of normal and abnormal. In the instances where it was accepted, the society regarded such relationship- whether physical or emotional- as necessary and normal. However, the history of America is made up of many occasions and societies that did not tolerate same sex relationships and viewed them as abnormal. Although the Freudian theory views all human beings as bisexual, society has always dictated the sexual orientation and preferences of people with clear boundaries between the normal and the deviant (Carby, 1994). Such divisions have been made on the basis of anatomical orientation, religious and legal grounds. Most societies and cultures in America over time have based what they believed to the right or wrong about same sex relationships and gender orientation on religion and the law. This paper, therefore, analyses the changes that have occurred in America over three historic periods in the expression of same sex relationships. The illustration that is presented from Windsor on the case of Nicholas Sension is a good example of how sex was seen in the seventeenth century in America. Although married, Sension was accused of sodomy and making sexual advances to men within the community. The classification and acceptable sexual behavior, at that time, was defined by the law and religion. Religion and the law had no place for sexual actions that they condemned as unclean. This included any overtures out of sex within the confines of marriage. Sodomy and its expression was an indication of depravation and lustful impulses that led to sin. However, sodomy was not viewed as a result of sexual orientation (Godbeer, 1995; Peiss, 1983). Gender identity was another issue that elicited varied reactions from society in the seventeenth century. A person was identified as either male or female, and not anything in between the two. The definition of gender orientation was left to religious and legal institutions, which viewed women as inferior to men. Theology, for instance, expressed the differences between men and women in terms of thinking capabilities. It made the assertion that one was either male or female and that crossing the set boundaries was defiling and sinful. Therefore, a person could not define themselves as both male and female at the same time. Cases of hermaphrodites needed the legal system to intervene and define the gender orientation of the person. This was because science and medicine, at that time, had not made clear boundaries for such cases. Courts, therefore, had the jurisdiction to force people to change their gender orientation as a way of defining clear boundaries between the sexes. Sexual ambiguity was not admitted and hermaphrodites were viewed as monsters (Brown, 1995). Medico-scientific theories define sexuality as being parallel. It bases its arguments on the Galenic framework that viewed sexuality as having a mutability potential for sexes, where women were "an imperfect version of men”(Brown, 1995). People were defined to have one sexual anatomical orientation. Hermaphrodites, thus, were regarded to represent a slip in sexual identity in this theory. On the other hand, women who preferred to dress like men, a condition known as transvestism, were seen to be blatantly disregarding the social laws of the time. This posed a change to the use of clothing to offer a distinction and definition to sexual identity. Transvestism was a threat that was perceived to be aimed at making the categorization of sexes as meaningless. Women and men were not supposed to wear clothes designed for the opposite sex, a violation that led to pollution and sin (Brown, 1995). The violation to such laws was not condoned and was severely punished. In this era, heterogeneous communities took it upon themselves to define what was allowed, and not allowed, as a definition of the right sexual orientation and behavior. "Maintaining gender distinction fell almost entirely to laypeople”, who defined the sexual orientation on popular conceptualization (Brown, 1995). The case of Thomas Hall in Warrosquyoa, is an important illustration of social construction of sexual identity. In his/her own account, Hall believed that he was both a man and a woman. Hall dressed in women’s clothes. Although he had a male genitalia, Hall saw it as a piece of flesh that had no function. He mentioned that he had a ‘hole’, which made him more female than male. However, the residents of Warrosquyoa carried out a body search and declared that he was a man. This was based on their finding that Hall had a penis and not a vagina. With this evidence, the community made Hall dress as a man and conform to the definitions of a man and not a woman (Brown, 1995). The beliefs of people in the seventeenth century on sexual orientation was based on the presence of the female and the male genitalia. They believed in the differences in sexes and maintained that a person had to choose one orientation and express it in the form of dressing and behavior. Gender was a basis for authority, labor allocation and maintaining social order. However, there are accounts of women who expressed their sexual orientation as men. This includes a Spanish nun who changed her gender to male, worked in the army and received pension within this era. These illustrations depict the definition of maleness and femaleness that was constructed on economic, political, and social contexts (Brown, 1995). The 1600s experienced varied reactions on the issue of homosexuality. On one hand, clerics and judges regarded this as a violation of defiling and a disruption of the social order, a view that was upheld by the ordinary people. However, colonists and people with an attraction to the same sex had a more preserved attitude towards homosexuality. Some people viewed the impulses towards same sex relations to be acceptable to certain persons. In this case, punishment for such identity and acts was not considered appropriate by these people. This went against the expectations of leaders for punishing sin, which was what they used to describe sodomy and homosexuality. Laws in different places, for instance in New England, defined sodomy as sex between a woman and a woman, a man and a man, fornication, and incest (Godbeer, 1995). These acts were punishable by death. Nineteenth century and early twentieth century saw an evolution on the expression of sexuality and same sex relationships in America. Same sex relationships between women can be regarded as a social and cultural construction that developed from childhood, through adolescence and matured in adulthood. The affectionate relationship between mothers, daughters, sisters, and female friends was regarded as the starting for a loving relationship between them. These relationships were accepted in this era as depicted by manuscripts of love letters and notes written between women. These emotional ties between women cannot be explained from the Freudian perspective because the emotional intensity of the friendship was viewed as complementary to heterosexual relationships. The role differentiations based on gender generated emotional relationships among women, which was permitted by the society (Smith-Rosenberg, 1975). The Blues genre of music was practiced by many black female singers in the nineteenth century. In these songs the singers expressed their beliefs on social evils and cultural practices that surrounded women. At this time, the black female was not allowed to show sexual desire, but to offer passive pleasure for men (Smith-Rosenberg, 1975). However, female black writers and blue singers directed their efforts towards creating awareness of the freedom of the woman to enjoy her sexuality and break free from the social constrictions. One singer, Ma Rainey, sang a song that affirmed the practice of lesbianism. She asserted her sexual preference for women and was condemned by society for this. The words in her song "expressed a contempt for a society that rejected lesbians" (Carby, 1994). This was a clear effort to define lesbianism as acceptable as long as there was a public proclamation of preference for women by a given woman. The public presentation of female singers in this era was used to express female sexuality as a symbol of desire and not an object of male gratification. The cultural restrictions on female sexuality was blatantly disregarded and attacked by these singers. The sexual superiority of men was trampled in an effort to raise the awareness of women to their own sexual power (Carby, 1994). The affections expressed between women in the nineteenth and early twentieth century was cultivated by friendship due to gender roles. The social conditioning that was provided for girls included them in female social circles that offered support for transitions into adulthood, including marriage. These social friendships often evolved and grew into emotional relationships that sometimes involved physical relations between women (Smith-Rosenberg, 1975). The society in America did not condemn such ties but regarded them as essential for sexual development of the girls. As the twentieth century progressed, cultural taboos were instigated and viewed homosocial female ties as unacceptable and steered women towards heterosexual relationships. Although Sigmund Freud describe human beings as bisexual, the lines drawn between normal and abnormal sexual relationships are still present in the current society as they we...