Why do people disapprove of homosexuality?

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In my experience, it really comes down to the fact that homosexuality defies social norms. The most popular and emotionally voiced slur I have heard against gay people, during my upbringing, is "queer." I was never an out gay youth when I was growing up nor was I really aware of my sexuality until after having graduated high school and entered the world where it's quite easy to avoid unpleasant and uneducated people, but this did not stop others from guessing at things about me that I would not have knowledge of until a half-decade later.

The reason I am so sure is that I was also targeted for my Tourette Syndrome, my social awkwardness, and my tendency to have dramatic rage episodes. What made me a target was that I was different, and it is that simple. I would have been treated similarly if I had been born mentally disabled, and I have heard of youth who were ADHD being treated very badly. It wouldn't matter whether I had a visible physical deformity like a hair lip or I had something less visible. People used to catch abuse for being born left-handed. This kind of abuse occurs unless it is against it is socially unacceptable to play a part in it.

What makes things more difficult sometimes for gay people is that, in some places, people are still allowed to say, "well, Jesus made me do it." Until it has been established that religion is not an excuse and is never an excuse for being cruel toward others, it will play a role in the problem. People didn't stop treating the left-handed like scum until we decided that using superstition as a justification for mistreating people is a type of savagery. Homophobia will be a problem until "Jesus made me do it" meets the same fate.

Between males, it is a very unsanitary habit. Even more so than heterosexual conjugation.

ruveyn

I'm going to leave Babylon alone, because I know nothing on that subject.

Main reason why the Aztec Empire fell: they angered all the other nations in Meso-America with their War of the Flowers and tribute system. This enabled the Spaniards to use divide and rule very effectively.
Other main reason: smallpox.
The Aztec Empire was at its height when Cortes arrived in Tenochtitlan. It was not suffering for the priest-caste's practice of homosexuality. Cortes and his men did NOT have as easy a time in conquering Mexico as is commonly assumed. They were helped by Moctezuma's sense of fatalism and belief in the fulfilment of the Quetzalcoatl prophecy...and also by the fact that the Aztecs were not used to warfare where you actually aim to kill the enemy, as opposed to taking them prisoner for sacrifice. I do agree that there was something basically unsustainable about the Aztec Empire at its foundation and there was a general malaise, but I think homosexuality was not part of this.

I don't know why exactly the great Mayan civilisation crumbled, but I suspect that it had far more to do with droughts or perhaps even overpopulation (like to see how homosexuality would cause that). Maybe it was an epidemic, a revolt, or just a collapse of trade routes. I've never seen any respectable academic source attribute it to homosexuality.

As for the Incas, I thought the blame there lay with the conquistadors. Again, where is your source attributing this to homosexuality? I can drag up a lot attributing these civilisation collapses to other things, if you like - but I know of none the blame homosexuality.

Unless you want to argue that homosexuality is a symptom of general malaise that saps the health of civilisations, which I think is incorrect. However, I find it's impossible to disabuse people of that notion once they have it in their heads. No matter if you point out the many great individuals from history who have been homosexual, or that homosexuality happens widely in the animal kingdom, or even the benefits of having homosexual individuals in the community.

What do you think of Gibbon's argument that the adoption of Christianity led to the decline of Rome? As well as all the other theories regarding military, economic and ecological decline? Why go straight for homosexuality?

How is it more unsanitary than the equivalent act between heterosexuals?

Maybe I don't wanna know that...

As far as I can tell there isn't, but perhaps there is an extra connotation of unsanitariness and obsession with anal (as that is the only non-penetrative sex gay men can have) with homosexuality?

True dat. But would it continue after the religious excuse is done away with? I fear that it would, but it would at least have one less 'argument' with which to support itself.

There are ways to clean that area first.

You are answering the question why do people disapprove of anal sex, not homosexuality, aren't you? Given heterosexual mens obsession with heterosexual anal sex, I alway find societies focus on anal sex as a reason to disapprove of homosexuality bizarre.

The man reason for disapproval of anything is fear of difference and wanting to strengthen your own in-groups, isn't it? Its exactly the same as the lack of tolerance/fear people have of autistics, so its really weird when an autistic has issues with homosexuality.

Do you mean it the only penetrative sex gay men can have? I dont get this at all. Gay and straight men do exactly the same stuff (if unsanitary means hygeine then gay men probably have the edge on cleanliness).

If anything, between loving couples (not casual sex) gay anal sex is likely to be driven by the need for intimacy rather than the messed up straight male need to dominate through anal sex. In that sense, I find straight anal sex much more unsanitary.

Straight anal sex is far too often a reflection of US porn's obsession for men to dominate, its not about just another act of intimacy (although of course it can be .)

It defies gender roles, simple as that. Everything else on that list is redundant since it all revolves around that fact.

Packing the Fudge. Whether it is between men or a man and woman is very unsanitary.

ruveyn

Sanitary or not, I consider the issue Hannitized.

e-coli perhaps?

Hey! I'm not trying to say homosexuality will kill the world, I'm just answering the OP's question with possible reasons. Rather than beat me over the head with reasons why homosexuality SHOULD be OK, or whatever... you might try answering the OP with your own original idea or opinion of why people find it so objectionable - to the point of making laws against it.

Personally, I don't care about a person's sexuality unless I want to be part of it. I live in California where it seems every 9th person is gay. I know a lot of homophobes so I thought I could shed some light, but whatever. I just feel attacked and belittled.

Jesus loves you.

If you are talking about bum sex, about half of the gay people out there have never even tried it, and enough of the remainder are fairly fastidious about keeping themselves clean. There are gay guys who are indiscriminate about that sort of thing, but they are also either white trash or ignorant children.

Furthermore, plenty of straight people do bum sex. You probably have or will. The only reason you think it's weird when gay people do it is that you don't have a context for understanding it. If you were to know a couple of gay guys for long enough to have an intuitive understanding of the dynamics of their partnership, this would cease to be a problem.

I'm sorry you feel that way. I'm sure that wasn't the intention of anyone posting in this thread.

It's just when you posted that observation that rampant homosexuality is a sign that a civilisation is about to collapse, you seemed to be in agreement with it. If you want to claim something like that on a forum like PPR, you need to have a strong argument to support it.

I'm interested in hearing any theories about why homosexuality is disapproved of, btw - even if I don't agree with them.