In Social Deviance

Alfred C. Kinsey argued in 1948 that "It would encourage clearer thinking on these matters [of labeling homosexuals] if persons were not characterized as heterosexual or homosexual, but as individuals who have had certain amounts of heterosexual experience and homosexual experience. Instead of using these terms as substantives (real and apparent entities) which stand for persons, ...they may be better used to describe the nature of overt sexual relations, or of the stimuli to which an individual erotically responds."

Here I shall look at this statement regarding sexuality and gender from a sociological perspective on deviance. In this discussion I will address the following questions: What role does sexuality (and gender) play in society? How are these categories constructed? How are they maintained? And what do these categories reveal about important configurations of power in American society?

The "social construction" of the category of gender has had its roots firmly planted since biblical times: from the creation of the female, Eve for man (so Adam would not be lonely) to the 1800s when women were not allo

wed (by men) the right to vote. It has been prevalent in marriage ceremonies as brides promised to "honor and obey" their husbands (although the "obey" part seems to be absent recently). The role of the male being dominant or superior to the female is one that insists on transcending time despite modern day efforts for gender equality in society. We (society) constructed this category based on a patriarchal system that places the primacy of masculinity above all else. Gender ensures a distinction between male and female, affirming male dominance over the weaker female. And the dichotomy of the patriarchy over all else that threaten it must be maintained through continual reaffirmation and reinforcement.

Some would even go so far as to say that "all concepts of health and disease are informed by human values" (Bayer, p. 193). These values are what serve to help define the concepts of disorders and illness. Bulimia - it's an eating "disorder." Or is it society's pressure for women to look like thin and beautiful models? Homosexuality - it' s a mental "disease." Or is it simply exhibiting another form of sexual behavior? If it is a variant of sexuality, we know from NARTH, it certainly isn't "normal." However, "Normality and health cannot be understood in the abstract, rather they depend on cultural norms, society's expectations and values, professional biases, individual differences, and the political climate of the times" (Bayer, p. 182). This is why tradition has been able to classify a broad range of behaviors as warranting clinical attention. "Along with other forms of sexual deviance [transvestism] has been medicalised, treated as if abnormal and needing medical care" (Woodhouse p. 136). And in the classification of homosexuality, "the struggle for legitimization therefore entailed a challenge to psychiatry's authority and power to classify homosexuality as a disorder" (Bayer, p. 189). All of this makes very clear the role particular institutions in society have in classifying, constructing, and reinforcing what is deviant in society.

Government is another forum where the role of power is rampant, specifically in legislating laws to control, restrict, and punish behaviors deemed deviant by society. The power of legislation is conveyed many times in this statement regarding the matter of biology in homosexuality. "If homosexuality were found to be an immutable trait, like skin color, then laws criminalizing homosexual sex might be overturned. Same sex marriage, job protection, antidiscrimination in housing laws - all these could hinge on the redefinition of homosexuality as biologically caused rather than socially and culturally chosen" (Garber, p. 225). This statement brings up several ways of exerting control over deviant behavior (linked to a particular group of people): by making the behavior a punishable, criminal act; by discrimination through laws; by not granting protection of rights; and by prohibiting the recognition of same sex marriage (as if by not recognizing it, it isn't really there).

An example of this conflict is going on right now, here in San Diego County. People are upset that the Grossmont Union High School District voted to add the words "actual or perceived sexual orientation" to the district's nondiscrimination and multicultural policies, which already include protection from discrimination based on race, religion, gender, and disability. According to an article in the San Diego Union Tribune on June 4, 1999, those opposing the new policy that would give special protection to gay and lesbian students believe it is "enabling this (homosexual) agenda to infiltrate the schools." One student remarked, "I think if they give the gay people rights, then they have to give everybody rights." Another parent remarked, "This isn't about protecting kids, because adequate protection already exists. This is about legitimizing homosexuality, bisexuality, etc., in a

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 3418
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page double spaced)