LGBT Rights

In a society that is continually evolving, it is no surprise that some aspects are more accepted than others. One of the topics that has most recently been under the spotlight is same-sex marriage. Although same-sex couples are not a new addition to our society, the laws in which they must abide by are constantly fluctuating. However, one’s perception of same-sex couples may be altered if one were to view same-sex couples through a sociological lens including subculture, ethnocentrism, cultural universals, and nature vs. nurture. The culture of a society is based upon the values, norms, and materialistic goods of a given group. Within a culture, there are also several subcultures, which are smaller groups that share the same interests or beliefs. Examples of subcultures are religion and race. Same-sex couples have their own subculture known as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). However, certain societies are more accepting of this subculture than others. For example, according to statistics posted on ProCon.org, in the United States same-sex marriage is legal in 17 states and the country itself encompasses a large population of homosexual individuals (Gay Marriage Background 2014). Unlike the United States, however, countries such as Russia and Afghanistan have little tolerance for such groups. According to an article posted on BuzzFeed.com, in countries such as Afghanistan individuals may be sentenced to the death penalty if convicted of same-sex activity under the Taliban rule (Jones 2013). This cultural conflict is due to globalization and is known as ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is the concept of one judging a culture based on the standards of his/her own culture. In a related event discussed in an article entitled For Austrians, Ho Ho Ho is No Laughing Matter, posted to NYTimes.com, Australians would rather see the symbol of their culture, Christkind, at Christmas rather than Santa Claus. Australians attribute the popularity of Santa Claus