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摘 要

作为一种亚文化，同性恋文化一直处于边缘化状态。在不同阶段，大众对于同性恋态度截然不同。随着同性恋合法化的推进，人们对于同性恋的接受程度有所改善,同性恋题材被广泛的运用到电影中，引发了社会对于该群体的关注和思考。

2016年奥斯卡获奖电影《月光男孩》在探究男同性恋题材的同时将黑人种族问题融入其中，通过成长式的体验完成了主人公喀戎对自己的性别认同。本文通过电影《月光男孩》研究同性恋成因，美国同性恋文化的发展现状，旨在说明同性恋只是一种不同于大多数人的性取向，同性恋者应受到社会尊重并享有和异性恋者平等的权利。

关键词：同性恋；性取向；《月光男孩》； 美国

Contents

1. Introduction 1

2. Literature Review 2

2.1 Definition of homosexuality 2

2.2 Homosexuality and subculture 3

3. Causes of Homosexuality 4

3.1 Congenital factors 4

3.2 Psychological factors 5

4. Obstacles to Homosexuals in the United States 6

4.1 The confinement of religion 7

4.2 Gay bullying 8

5. The Status of Homosexuality at Present 10

5.1 Societal acceptance of homosexuality 10

5.2 Legality of homosexuality 12

6. Conclusion 13

Works Cited 15

1. Introduction

Gender is a general classification which is based on genetic and physical factors and one that is enduring. It is acquired through interaction in a social world and it changes over time. Whether people are born male or female is a general classification based on biology. However, people can choose to be feminine or masculine. Homosexuality is a common behavior pattern which has existed for a long time throughout the history of mankind and has gone through different stages of development in the United States. The rationality of heterosexuality is a deep-rooted concept which is recognized by traditional mainstream culture while homosexuality is being regarded as an immoral behavior. As a phenomenon of subculture, although homosexuality is different from the dominant culture, it is still in a marginal place and has undergone a long process of prejudice, discrimination and oppression. Since it is a sensitive and controversial issue in history, homosexuality is been neglected in films for a long time and gays are been portrayed in an insulting way. Gays or lesbians are been described as evil, abnormal or even psychopathic. Nowadays, with the openness of people’s thoughts, more attention has been paid to the minor group of homosexuality and more and more well-made movies concerned with homosexuality has aroused great awareness of the public in recent years.

Moonlight (2016) distinguishes itself as one of the first Oscar-winning film by presenting the inner conflict of sexual orientation of a black boy named Chiron. The New York Times appraises this movie as the 20th “Best Film of the 21st Century So Far”. As the first LGBT（Acronym for people who are not straight like gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people）(Summerfieldamp; Lee 140) film played by all black casts, Moonlight presents three different growth stages in the life of the leading character Chiron who faces great difficulties with his sexuality and self-identity. The film can be divided into three parts: Little, Chiron and Black. Chiron identifies himself as a homosexual through obscure gender identity disorder and has completed his cognition of the world gradually in his growth process and has finished his self-transformation finally. A major theme that Moonlight wants to express to the audience is the interactions of black male identity and sexual identity.

1. Literature Review

As a sensitive topic, homosexuality has long been studied by scholars from the aspect of sociology and psychology based on Queer theory and the theory of Sigmund Freud. Fewer studies have put the theory of homosexuality into actual practice or study the phenomenon of homosexuality through a film. Films have been produced to reflect reality or public’s attitudes towards hot topics. Along with the development of the age, there are more films aiming at homosexuality like Brokeback Mountain (2006) by Ang Lee, The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (2002) by Maria Maggenti, The Laramie Project (2002) by Moise Laufman, and Philadelphia (1993) by Jonathan Demme (Li Lost and Return 26).

However, fewer films describe the current situation of black homosexuals. There are also many books and researches which discuss homosexuality in order to help the public understand the behavior of homosexuality. All of these have shown that people nowadays hold optimistic attitudes towards homosexuality and people are more open to accept the behavior of homosexuality. The Oscar-winning film Moonlight focuses on the interactions between black male identity and the inner conflict of sexual identity.

Many Chinese scholars like Li Yinhei who have done enough data analysis and quantitative studies have confirmed that homosexual behavior is normal among human and homosexuals deserve respect (Li Communication about Emotions 167).

• 1. Definition of homosexuality

Heterosexuality, homosexuality, and bisexuality are three main patterns of sexual orientation in human society. A homosexual is a man or woman whose feelings of sexual attraction are for someone of the same gender while a heterosexual is a person whose feelings of romantic attraction and sexual attraction are for people of different gender. Homosexuality is also defined in terms of an attraction, preference, orientation, or identity. The word homosexuality was first put forward by Karl Maria Kertbeny, a German psychologist, who argued for the repeal of Prussia’s antihomosexuality laws. The word “homosexuality” is combined by the Greek word which means “same” and the Latin word which means “sex”.

The most common terms describing homosexuals are lesbians for females and gays for males. As a synonym of for homosexual, gay is also a word which is generally used to describe both homosexual males and females. The word has been used openly by homosexual people since the late 1960s. People in the United States used to use the pejorative word “faggot” to describe homosexuals by which had revealed their deeply distain and discrimination toward homosexuals. During a certain period of time, people even regard homosexuality as a kind of disease and wanted to find proper medicines to cure it (Marcus 165). Since the end of the 19th century, there were tidal waves for increased visibility, recognition, and legal rights for homosexuals including rights to marriage, adoption and parenting, employment, military service, equal access to medical care, and the formulation of anti-bullying legislation to protect gay’s rights sprung up too. Nowadays homosexuality has been an increasingly prominent subject of public policy discussion especially in the United States and some other western countries (LeVay 227).

• 1. Homosexuality and subculture

Traditionally, culture is been defined as “a learned set of shared interpretations about beliefs, values, and norms, which can affect the behaviors of a relatively large group of people” (Eugene 27). The expression of “gay culture” has been widely accepted by the society in recent years. Homosexuals have a sense of shared history and they also have a sense of geographic place. They have different patterns to communicate so they can meet and recognize each other.

A subculture is the ideas, art, and way of life of a certain group within a culture which differentiates itself from the mainstream culture of the society by maintaining some of its founding principles. A subculture has its own norms and values of cultural, political and sexual matters which are different from the mainstream culture of our society. As a typical phenomenon of subculture, homosexuality, which is closely related to sexual culture, is gaining currency and has aroused many disputes with the development of people’s consciousness.

Even though homosexuals are in the minority of the whole population, the sheer number of homosexuals is still extremely large. Above all, homosexuality is a common cross-cultural phenomenon which exists in many regions of the world. Social norms cannot promote or hinder the progress of homosexuality which means that the number of homosexuals will neither decrease because of being criticized nor increase because of being recognized. So long as there is a large group of human beings, there exists the gay culture.

1. Causes of Homosexuality

Physiology，psychology and sociology have made a substantial amount of research and exploration as for the formation of the causes for homosexuality. Broadly speaking, the reasons can be mainly divided into two categories: one is nature and the other is nurture. Nature refers to something about physiological like genetic, hormone level and the structure of brains while nurture means mental and social factors like childhood environment, personal experience. Sex is a biological classification, whereas gender is a social, symbolic system.

1. 1. Congenital factors

There are some fundamental aspects of life that humans cannot choose, like eye color, fingerprints and human’s sexual orientation. Some scholars believe that if they can prove that homosexuality is an inborn phenomenon, it will become very useful to help homosexuals gain social sympathy and public recognition as well as improve the social status of them. Homosexuality is not just among adults, children may be homosexuals too if their sexual orientations are obscure. It’s not too early to consider it as a possibility or even to have a strong sense, especially to children who have exhibited some classic stereotyped outward signs which we associate with male or female homosexuals (Marcus 69).

Based on the twins’ studies conducted by Bailey and Richard C. Pillard (Smithamp; Windes 364), homosexuality is caused by genetic reasons. However, many scholars criticize the result of their researches for there is no direct and strong evidence to prove the rationality of it. Even though a great number of people believe that homosexuality is decided by genetic factors, there is still no clear evidence to prove the reasonability of it. Sexual orientation is a genetically inheritable component in the formation of sexual preference, but nobody knows how exactly it is inheritable or what the mechanics of the inheritance might be. Though many researches have been done, sexual orientation still remains a mystery for humans to explore. In the movie Moonlight, Chiron has special feelings for his close friend Kevin when he was very young but actually the environment around him and his experience are the biggest reasons for his vague sexual orientation. The absence of father makes Chiron insecure and the appearance of Juan makes up the absence of paternal love of Chiron. Juan is not only a friend to Chiron but also a father to him in a sense. When Juan died, Chiron’s imaginary family has been disillusioned too. Another important male in Chiron’s life is Kevin who is Chiron’s only friend and Chiron relies on him. In a quiet night, Kevin kisses and masturbates Chiron. This helps Chiron finish his sexual recognition and make him realize his identity as a homosexual. The indifferences of Chiron’s mother and his classmates make an obvious comparison between Juan and Kevin concern to Chiron. The environment that Chiron lives in makes him rely on the two males too much and that is also the biggest reason of Chiron’s homosexual inclinations.

• 1. Psychological factors

The identities of homosexuals are rhetorical created through discourse, not simply the products of innate biological and psychological characteristics or the result of dysfunctional social structures (Bradshaw 105). Sigmund Freud was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for treating psychopathology through dialogue between a patient and a psychoanalyst. He held the idea that the behavior of homosexuality was formed later and is affected by the environment. Freud’s theory of psychosexual development claims that, following on from the initial polymorphous perversity of infantile sexuality, the sexual ‘‘drive’’ pass through the distinct developmental phases. Although these phases then give way to a latency stage of reduced sexual interest and activity (from the age of five to puberty, approximately), they leave, to a greater or lesser extent, a ‘‘pervers’’ and bisexual residue which persists during the development of adult genital sexuality. Freud argued that neurosis or perversion could be explained in terms of fixation or regression to these phases whereas adult character and cultural creativity could achieve a sublimation of their perverse residue (Marcus 143). No one could describe exactly how their feelings of sexual attraction get bestowed on and how early they have formed in our lives. People may change their sexual orientation to be homosexual if their psychosexual development has been repressed, distorted or retarded. For instance, people’s sexual orientation may be changed if one has a bad or unpleasant experience with the opposite sex, be tempered by people of the same sex, or have feelings and close behaviors towards people of the same sex.

In Moonlight, Chiron lives with his mother who is a prostitute with drug addiction. Chiron is an introverted, timid and miserable boy for his mother doesn’t care much about him and always shouts at him for no reason even though he’s still a little child. Chiron is a solitary child with no real friend in his life and his classmates tease at him by calling him “little”. Chiron faces difficulties with his sexuality and identity. At this time, Calvin shows up and they cherish each other and become close friends then. Chiron gets great help from Juan who teaches him how to swim and suggests him to find his own path in life. The two males do not only play vital roles in Chiron’s growth process but also exert great influence on Chiron’s construction of identity and sexual orientation. Chiron admits that he hates his mother and asks Juan what faggot means. Juan tells him that it is a word that people use to try to make gay people feel bad and that it is okay to be gay but Chiron should not allow other people to mock at him. After Chiron and Kevin kiss each other and Kevin masturbates Chiron, Chiron has finished his construction of gender and has realized his feelings for Kevin. The construction of identity which is deeply influenced by the environment, personal experience, and public opinion plays an essential role in the formation of sexual orientation.

1. Obstacles to Homosexuals in the United States

Homosexuals are in a marginal position in society and most homosexuals are being discriminated by others, so they choose to disguise their sexual preference and marry someone that they do not love actually. Many people who have homosexual feelings in later life refuse to ‘‘come out’’ for fear of society’s reaction, so there are still many obstacles for homosexuals to face up their sexual orientation (Wu 37). The racial relationship between the American Whites and Blacks has always been an important issue in American society, let alone blacks who are gay. Homosexuals especially black gays have been treated differently even in this modern society.

1. 1. The confinement of religion

Religion is a system of beliefs and practices to which a group of people interpret and respond what they feel is scared and supernatural. To people who firmly believe in it, religion can be used to define which behavior is right and which is wrong. If humans do the right thing, they can win the reward given by God and if they do something wrong, they will be punished by God. Most Americans believe in God faithfully and when they meet difficulties like birth, marriage, serious illness and death, they hope that God’s supernatural power can help them to be perseverant and lucky enough to overcome the difficulties and lead them to a better life (Li Queer 179).

The relationship between religion and homosexuality can be different at different period of time. The United States is a Christian country where most people are the devout followers of the Bible and they believe in God deeply. The Bible provides clear standards and requirements for people to follow. It requires people to be self-discipline in order to live a better and spiritual life. It holds the idea that homosexuality is a sexual sin which is against the willingness of God and Jesus is a God who devoted to save human’s lives and help sick people including homosexuals. God created male and female and arranged that one man and one woman to be husband and wife is the only normal, moral and God-blessed living pattern for humans. Influenced by these doctrines, most Christian people think it is immoral to be homosexual especially to black people and they strongly oppose the behavior of homosexuality.

To people who believe in Christianity, different colors have different meanings. For example, white means pure, clean and virgin; red is related to blood, death and sin; black represents darkness and is concerned with sin and trial. Christianity emphasizes believers to live soberly by controlling their appetites and desires including sexual desires. Religion has a powerful influence on public’s opinion about homosexuality and other concerned issues in the United States. Some religion think homosexuality has negative effects so they forbade the behavior of same-sexual practices at first. Christians view homosexuality as a shame to both males and females and there was a sexual revolution during the 1960s and 1970s which emphasize people to be pure and abstinent (Simon 213). That’s why homosexuality has a close relationship with religion in western countries especially in America.

According to the data of the General Social Survey, American’s attitudes toward the morality of homosexuality is more liberal between 1973 and 1976 while people are more conservative about homosexuality between 1976 and 1990. Since the 1970s, American people are more rational and more willing to accept the existence of homosexuality and do not strictly restrict the civil rights or liberties of gays and lesbians like before (Florence 401).

In Moonlight, the technique of color application plays a crucial role in conveying the major theme of the inner interactions of Chiron. First of all, an obvious comparison of Chiron’s dark black skin color and the purely white bed sheets and the white bathtub is strong evidence which shows the specialty of Chiron and the inner struggle of the little young boy. What’s more, another common used color in the movie is blue, just like Juan says, “In moonlight, black boys look blue. You are blue.” The word “blue” is commonly used to refer to people who are pessimistic, frustrated and in a low spirit. The color application of blue indicates that black people still suffer from discrimination which may make them feel gloomy, depressed and make their future tough, let alone black homosexuals. The female role Teresa who mainly wears blue clothes in the film is an openhanded and kind woman who makes up the maternal love that Chiron’s mother doesn’t give him. Chiron’s mother also wears blue shirts in the last scene of the movie when Chiron and her put down all the misunderstandings and reconcile with each other. Blue is not only the color of the sky and the sea but also the color which represents black people who always hold hopes for their unforeseen futures. Besides, red is the color which is related to blood, sin and guilty in Christianity, it can be shown in the movie when Chiron’s mother abuses Chiron because Juan finds her buying drugs from him and reprimand her, the light in his mother’s room is dark red and his mother wears red clothes too. It is his mother’s indifference and abuse that makes Chiron an isolated and helpless child. From the colors which are applied in the movie, we can find the hidden clues of the oppression of homosexuality by Christianity.

• 1. Gay bullying

Gay bullying can be the verbal or physical abuse against a person who is perceived by the aggressor to be a lesbian, a gay, a bisexual or a transgender. Homosexuality is a sensitive topic because homosexuals can rarely gain societal recognition and most people cannot accept the behavior of homosexuality. People are being trapped into two divergent worlds when it comes to global viewpoints on homosexuality. Homosexuals choose to hide their sexual preferences in order to avoid being discriminated by others. They lock themselves in their own isolated world by concealing their sexual orientations. Influenced by religion, most people in the United States believe the behavior of homosexuality is impure. Therefore, they hold a negative attitude toward homosexuality and they think that the homosexual behavior should be prohibited. This may lead to homosexuals being discriminated and it becomes more difficult for homosexuals to enjoy equal rights in society.

In Moonlight, Chiron is being teased by his classmates and they call Chiron “nigga” and “faggot” because of his sexual orientation even though most of the classmates are also black people. He doesn’t have a true friend in school. Chiron’s mother doesn’t help him when Chiron is being teased, bullied and abused and that makes Chiron be more confused with his identity and sexual orientation. The appearance of Juan helps Chiron a lot and he relies on Juan and his girlfriend Teresa. Chiron does not know how to protect himself and he is so isolated that he keeps silent even though being teased by his classmates. Chiron realizes that he is different from other boys, he wants to find ways to live on. In the film, when Chiron gets home after Juan teaches him how to swim and tells him the story of black boy being blue, Chiron pours blue dye to make the bath water looks like sea. This reflects that Chiron wants to find a peaceful world to protect himself and can gain others’ recognition. The indifference of people around Chiron makes him more isolated and self-contemptuous. Moonlight is the protective color for Chiron, only during nighttime, in private space, could Chiron feel free and find a place to hide himself.

In the second part of Moonlight, Chiron has made it clear that he has special feelings for Kevin after kissing Kevin on the beach but they do not have courage to declare publicly that they love each other. Kevin is afraid of admiting his relationship with Chiron and he is instigated by his classmates to beat Chiron publicly. Chiron does not fight back even though his heart is deeply hurt, he loses both love and friendship because of Kevin’s indifference and that makes on the verge of a breakdown.

The absence of love and friendship make Chiron a contradictory person who is eager to be understood, recognized and loved, but also afraid of being seen through. Chiron is totally infuriated and he beats the classmate who instigates Kevin to beat him. Chiron chooses not to press charges because he wants to protect Kevin and he cries when his teacher believes that Chiron has to take actions to protect himself since he is still a child. He tells his teacher “I ain’t no boy. You don’t even know. You don’t even know…” He cannot tell the teacher that he loves Kevin because he thinks that no one will understand him. He chooses his own way to protect Kevin and he is determined to protect their forbidden love. He looks at Kevin when he is been sent to the police station and even at that circumstance they two still do not have enough courage to recognize their feelings for each other.

1. The Status of Homosexuality at Present

With the rising of gay liberal movements in most western countries, homosexuality has gradually become accepted by the public. The same-sex marriage has become legal in most countries especially in western countries. In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which negates its previous definition of regarding homosexuality as a mental disorder. During the 1980s to 1990s, many developed countries passed laws to decriminalize homosexual behavior and prohibit people from discriminating against lesbian and gay people in employment, marriage and housing. There was a dramatic turning point that the Supreme Court of the United States publicized the legality of homosexuality in the United States in June 26th, 2015. Homosexuals face their normal sexual preference directly and they seek for equal rights and legal status with the heterosexuals.

• 1. Societal acceptance of homosexuality

People in western countries have become increasingly accepting of homosexuality over the past few decades compared with the eastern countries. With the legality of homosexuality in the United States, homosexuality has gained societal acceptance and being recognized by the public. Broadly speaking, since it’s not easy to change as soon as the sexual orientation has formed, the homosexuals should not be discriminated and people have gradually recognized the rationalization of the existence of homosexuals. People are paying more attention to homosexuals and government are seeking practical ways to protect the equal rights of the homosexuals in recent years with more celebrities declare that they are homosexuals like the famous talk host Ellen DeGeneres. Jason Collins became the first active male professional athlete in major American professional sports leagues to publicly come out as gay. In October 2014, Apple CEO Tim Cook became the first CEO of a Fortune 500 company to publicly identify himself as gay. Nowadays, people in the United States are more open and tolerant toward the behavior of homosexuality (Li Homosexual 79).

In Moonlight, Juan and Teresa accept and help Chiron a lot even though they know that Chiron is a gay. Juan plays the role as the father of Chiron and he comforts Chiron, “You can be gay, but you gotta let nobody call you no faggot”. This shows that even though homosexuals are in a difficult situation and are suffering from discrimination, they should be strong enough to protect themselves and be confident in themselves instead of hiding themselves. Juan teaches Chiron that he has to remember there is no place in the world without black people, black people are everywhere just like them. Juan tells him: “At some point you gotta decide for yourself who you gonna be. Can’t let nobody make that decision for you.” Chiron didn’t fight back even though his classmates tease at him by using some offensive, inappropriate, or crude sentences like “the nigga forgot to change his tampon, he just having women problems today.” But when Kevin is driven by his classmate Terrell, who always bullies Chiron in public, to beats Chiron, Chiron is totally infuriated and he hits Terrell angrily not because he bullies him but because Chiron feels humiliated and heart-broken to be beaten by Kevin who he trusts deeply. In the film, the female character Teresa also plays an essential role in Chiron’s growth that cares about Chiron sincerely even though Juan has died and she encourages Chiron to be brave when Chiron is in low spirits by saying that “Stop putting your head down, it’s all love and all pride in this house.” Teresa accepts Chiron’s identity as a homosexual. She gives enough love to help Chiron overcome the most difficult period in his life.

2. 1. Legality of homosexuality

The United States was at one time a leader in the realm of gay rights. Most countries have no law to forbid homosexual relations, but that doesn’t mean gay people and lesbian people can lead their lives in a climate free from prejudice and harm (Smith 136). For instance, gay people in the United States are sometimes treated as a special kind of mental illness and most people hold the view that it’s a great disgrace to be a homosexual. Gay people in western countries protest for legal rights to marry and adopt. The legality of homosexuality takes a long time and people have sacrificed a lot for it.

The Stonewall rebellion was a serious and violent demonstration by members of the homosexual community against a police raid in June 28, 1969. The Stonewall rebellion which has been widely accepted to constitute the most essential event in leading the gay liberation exerted great influence on homosexuals in the United States fighting for their rights and it was regarded as a significant turning point in the history of the United States. President Bill Clinton"s Executive Order (1998) prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation in the competitive service of the federal civilian workforce. In May 17th, 2004, Massachusetts became the first state to legalize same-sex marriage and more and more states follow the steps of Massachusetts to recognize the legality of homosexuality. And in May 9th, 2012, President Obama announced on ABC news that he supports marriage equality and homogeneous marriage. Through unremitting efforts, the legality of homosexuality in the United States finally came true in June 26th, 2015 which means homosexuality has gained wide social acceptance. Nowadays, gay people in most western countries are protected by equal-right laws. Even in Russia where there used to have strict laws to punish gay and lesbian people, homosexuals are now free from official sanctions.

In the last part of Moonlight, Chiron and Kevin reunited together and Chiron has changed a lot after growing up. He wears gold necklace, gold watch, gold bracelet and gold teeth in order to make him look stronger and powerful. He tells Kevin, “I’m me. I am not trying to be anyone else. When we got to Atlanta, I started up build myself from the ground. Built myself hard.” Chiron has changed a lot and we can find some obvious characteristics of Juan like wearing golds and trafficking drugs. He chooses to imitate Juan to protect himself from being bullied like when he was young. Similar with Chiron, Kevin also leads a terrible life with 18 months of probation and his wife has divorced him. “It was all I could do was to do what folks thought I should be doing. I wasn’t really myself.” Kevin tells Chiron. He contacts with Chiron and he tells Chiron that he never really did anything he actually wanted to do and he wants to change the life that he used to live. In the end of the film, Chiron gets up the courage to commit his love for Kevin. He confesses to Kevin “You are the only man that’s ever touched me. You are the only one. I haven’t really touched anyone since.” Chiron leans on Kevin’s shoulder after they have acknowledged their feelings for each other which means that they have found their own way to live in this society without caring about others’ views.

1. Conclusion

As a gay romance film, Moonlight mainly focus on black gays and it takes a form that is similar to a triptych in order to explore the path of a man from a neglected childhood, through an angry adolescence, to self-realization and fulfillment in adulthood (Wu 9). Chiron has finished the construction of his sex consciousness under great pressure and he finds the roots of sexual desire. The film completely presents Chiron’s confusion of his sexual orientation and the struggle of Chiron’s inner world. The process of Chiron’s construction of sexual orientation is also a challenge for audience to remodel their self-consciousness.

People’s attitudes toward homosexuality are closely related to their understandings of gay culture and their acceptance of homosexual groups. Homosexuality is a common cross-culture phenomenon which can be found in all cultures. As a sub-culture phenomenon which aliened from the mainstream culture, homosexuality has long been a contentious topic for various reasons in history. Under the pressure of Christianity, homosexuals are painful and being prejudiced by the public, and so do homosexuals in China who are being oppressed by Confucianism. Nowadays many western countries have recognized the legality of homosexuality and have passed laws to protect the legal rights of gay people. However, the realization of legality of homosexuality in eastern countries still has a long way to go. These cross-national differences in acceptance can be largely explained by three factors: the relative strength of democratic institutions, the level of economic development, and the religious context of the places where people live.

Although homosexuals are a minority group, it is detrimental to social harmony and development if we ignore them. The study of homosexuality not only deepens people’s understanding of the behavior of homosexuality but also helps to promote the communication between the mainstream and the minority of homosexual people. Every one’s choices deserve respect when it comes to decide what kind of person that they want to be. Maybe we are not gay people, but we should treat gay and lesbian people with tolerance and respect their sexual orientation.

From my standpoint, gay culture is an essential part of our diversified culture. Homosexuality is not a violation of moral rules, it is just a way of life that people choose to live and every human’s normal sexual orientation should be respected. People have rights to choose what kind of person they want to be. Not only should government protect the right of the minority of homosexuals but homosexuals should be confident and perseverant too. All groups should stand together because only when we match our words with actions can we make a real difference in protecting homosexuals and create a more harmonious society. With the development of China’s international status and the maturity of its economy, China is assuming a greater role in critical issues like homosexuality. I hope this thesis can arouse Chinese people’s attention in order to find more practical methods to encourage the public to hold a correct attitude toward homosexuality, to create a more equal environment for the homosexuals to live and to find a right way of treating homosexuality with Chinese characteristics.

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