Social Analysis

Social systems that exist are a way wherein stereotypes and harmful perspectives of queer people are spread. These harmful stereotypes and perspectives on queer people make people believe that queer people should not and cannot be parents, which causes them to be wrongfully denied the ability to foster or adopt children. Mass media has become a social institution wherein many people get their information about the world and learn about diverse groups of people, including queer people. Mass media exists in the form of news, TV shows, movies, and social media. In mass media, several harmful queer stereotypes exist. These are that queer people are predators, carry STDs, and in some cases, heterosexualizing queer relationships. 

An example of this is the Singaporean show, My Guardian Angels, where the gay character is an older pedophile who spreads STDs to teenage boys. This type of queer representation is harmful because for those who are hostile towards queer people, or who do not know a lot about queer people, the image they now have of queer people is that they are STD-carrying predators that harm our youth. However, this is a completely false image of who queer people are. Queer people are not predators, there may be queer predators, but they are predators because of some mental illness or mental issue, not because they are queer. In fact, pedophilia is likely caused by an individual’s childhood experiences, genetics, hormones, and developmental differences, not by being gay or transgender. But, seeing as there is not a plethora of queer characters in media, showing a minority group as a pedophile causes people to associate pedophilia with a said minority group, even if there is no real, scientific correlation between the two. 

The prevalent ideologies that are at work are heteronormativity and homophobia that is being supported by those who read scripture literally and fail to understand the overall message of said scriptures, by doing that, they fail to take in the true meaning of the wisdom the scripture(s) are trying to impart on us; Instead of loving the dear neighbor, they are choosing to hate and harm the dear neighbor. 

Heteronormativity is the normalization and expectation that everyone is straight. However, that is simply not true. Homosexual behavior has been observed in more than 1,500 different species in nature. The idea that homosexuality is unnatural is simply false. Animals who have no idea of sin or good deeds partake in homosexual acts uncaring and receive little to no consequences. It is natural for humans to explore one another's bodies, those of the opposite sex and same sex. Homosexuality and transgenderism have been recorded in many ancient cultures including, but not limited to, Ancient Rome, Ancient Greece, Ancient Egypt, Japan, China, and Native American cultures. Therefore, society's development into a heteronormative society is ignorant of the rich history of these civilizations. Homophobia can be traced back to when the Church started to gain power and persecute sinners. This is the exact opposite of Jesus’ will. Jesus believed in nonviolent communication and creative non-violence. As such, this rise of homophobia is against the will of Jesus and God, and should no longer be practiced. God is a loving god, not a punishing god.