What is a homosexual?

What is homosexual?

A sexual and emotional attraction to those of the same gender. Not exclusive to male on male, or female on female.

Definition

A broad meaning term, to describe the physical, emotional, attraction of members of the same gender. This includes woman who prefer woman, which is why many experts advocate a different choice for the noun, to denote same sex attractions.

History

A hybrid word, derived from both Greek and Latin, considered to be confusing, and also no longer accurate, or applicable. Homos in Greek meaning same, often confused with the Latin Homo, meaning man, as in homo sapiens. The combination of meanings, implying same sex.

Used as an adjective, then it becomes a word again, a hybrid, derived still from the Greek Homos (meaning same) and from the Medieval Latin word Sexualis, derived from the Classical Latin Sexus (meaning sex).

Used in this manner, it refers more to a behavior, though it still applies to denoting relationships, orientation, and people.

The word is believed to have first appeared in print, in a German pamphlet, around 1869, by Karl-Maria Kertbeny, in an argument against the Prussian Anti Sodomy laws

Kraft-Ebbing used the term, as well as heterosexual, in his Psychopathia Sexualis (around 1886).

Both terms were quickly picked up by doctors and laymen, becoming accepted terms in society, at that time.

Many believe he took the words from a work (Discovery of the Soul) published by Gustav Jager in 1880, who used the works of Kertbeny as his source.

About

Extremely varied, but centers around the physical, as well as, emotional attraction between two people, of the same gender. It can be independent, though difficult.

One may indeed have a physical attraction to same gender persons, without actually acting upon those desires, those attractions.

One may feel aroused, even engage in mental images of engaging in such sexual or physical contact with a person of the same sex, though never actually doing it.

Practice (Associated Acts): Emotionally, one may feel closer, share more, with a person of the same gender, though not engage in any physical display of such attachment, or attraction.

Noteworthy: Psychology was one of the first medical fields, to explore the same sex relationship. In the late 19th Century, it was considered abnormal, or an illness, that remained dominant, until 1973, when it was no longer listed as a mental illness.

A study (1999) by Bruce Bagemihl shows that homosexual behavior was observed in at least 1500 different animal species, excluding human beings.

It is also well documented in at least 500 of those species, showing that they engage in same sex, relations.

Arguments exist, claiming that the term 'homosexual' is gender biased, and that another term needs to be used, when describing those who are attracted to the same gender.

Some of the terms that have some acceptance, is isosexual, controsexual, intersexual, simulsexual.

Related Terms

Currently there is no hard fast data, relating to how much of any population, is homosexual, bisexual, or heterosexual.

Alfred Kinsey in his study, claimed that 46% of his study group, showed a reaction, sexually. He also claimed that about 37% had at least one same sex experience

A 1992 study, found that countries had a wide difference, of those who had some form of same sex experience.

Britain showed 6.1% while France showed 4.1%

A 2003 study showed that Norwegians had a 12% response, and in 2006, New Zealand showed a rate of 20%.

During the 2008 US Elections, exit polling showed that 4% claimed to be homosexuals, the same as in a similar poll, in the 2004 election.