Lesbians, gays and transsexuals

| Friday July 20, 2007 00:00

For many years in America, the disease was regarded as a 'gay' disease and since at that time there was still widespread discrimination against homosexuals, little attention was paid to those who were living with the syndrome.  And while the national and international HIV epidemic has developed, ironically primarily through heterosexual sex, attitudes to homosexuals have continued to be stigmatising and discriminatory.
Yet were it not for the American homosexuals who, horrified at the decimation wrought by the new disease, demonstrated against government and fought for treatments to be found and made available and for experimental drugs to be released early for use, today we would have very few treatments for HIV. 

UNAIDS reports that men who have sex with men (MSM), a term which includes gay and bisexual men, heterosexual men who engage in male-male sex, and transgendered males, remain among the 'at risk' and neglected four key populations in HIV messaging and programming. This fact begs us to find how much is really known about homosexuality and sexual orientation.

What is sexual orientation?
Sexual orientation is the direction of one's sexual interest. It may be toward members of the same, the opposite, or both sexes. Sexual orientation is an inherent part of every individual's core identity and reflects the complexity of factors that determine to whom we are sexually attracted.

The most commonly used categories of sexual orientation are: heterosexuality (meaning being sexually attracted to members of the opposite sex); homosexuality (being sexually attracted to members of the same sex); and bisexuality (being sexually attracted to members of either sex). Less formal terms such as 'straight' for heterosexuals and 'gay' for homosexual males and 'lesbian' for homosexual females, are often used.
What is transsexuality?

Transsexuality has much to do with one's gender identity. Gender identity refers to one's inner sense of identity as being female or male. It differs from sexual orientation, as one's inner sense of being female or male may be different from to whom one is drawn sexually.
When a person's biological gender does not coincide with their gender identity, or when their biological gender has ambiguous male and/or female physical characteristics, that person may identify as transgender. 'Transgender' is often used to encompass other terms with which people will identify, of which 'transsexual' is one.

 Transsexualism is a condition in which a person identifies as the gender opposite to the sex assigned to them at birth. Transsexualism should not be confused with cross-dressing or with the behaviour of individuals, which can be described as transgender but is not transsexual.

Intersexuality is a term used to describe a person whose sex chromosomes, sex organs and/or secondary sex characteristics are determined to be neither exclusively male nor female. A person with intersex may have biological characteristics of both the male and female sexes. Some people refer to them as the third gender, though they commonly fit within the transgender group.

What factors determine an individual's sexual orientation?
This question, which will probably never have a definitive answer, has been stirring debate for many years. A range of explanations for sexual orientation have been offered, with different researchers and analysts presenting a variety of arguments for possible causes ranging from genetic predisposition and individual choices about lifestyle, to environmental factors.

The biological basis of sexual orientation has long been a topic of controversy in both science and society. Growing bodies of research support the view that genetics and the environment work together to determine sexual orientation.

But some issues remain unclear, such as how much of sexual orientation is genetic and how much is shaped by environmental influences, including family, society, and culture. It is also unclear whether sexual orientation is a fixed trait, or is subject to environmental influence and changes over time.

According to the Council for Responsible Genetics, 'Sexual orientation, like any other human behaviour, is experienced in complex and variable ways, which are undoubtedly influenced by both biological and societal factors. By seeking a definitive basis of such behaviour in genetics, we risk oversimplifying our view of behaviors, and ultimately, of our world.'

Do any studies support the existence of a 'gay gene'?
In 1999, a study by a research team with the University of Western Ontario, in Canada, concluded that no such gene existed. This was after they had conducted a study which involved 52 pairs of gay brothers to see if they shared more of the genetic markers (indicators) of homosexuality than would be expected. 'Our data does not support the presence of a gene of large effect influencing sexual orientation,' they concluded.

One researcher, Jeffrey Satinover, writing in the Journal of Human Sexuality, said, 'There is no evidence that shows that homosexuality is genetic - and none of the research itself claims there is. Only the press and certain researchers do, when speaking in sound bites to the public.'

 So what environmental and social factors may influence homosexuality?
In 2006, two Danish researchers, Frisch and Hviid reported that for men, unknown paternal identity, parental divorce, short duration of cohabitation with both parents, and long duration of father-absent cohabitation with mother, were all associated with increased rates of homosexual marriage. For women, homosexual marriage rates were elevated among women whose parents were married briefly, and those who experienced long periods of mother absence, due either to abandonment or death during the teen years. The researchers, however stressed the fact that the study was not designed to examine all possible contributions to sexual orientation.

Do homosexuals enjoy human rights, particularly in Africa?
Afrcian tradition tends to have rigid positions regarding gender and sexual behaviour. Consequently, many African countries are hostile to the idea of accepting homosexual behaviour as legal and acceptable.This results in these groups being socially and often legally marginalised and therefore not being targeted with safe sex and HIV prevention messages.

So far, South Africa is the only African country to legalise same-sex marriages (and just the fifth internationally). The nation recorded this piece of history on 1 December 2006, and has overt clauses within its constitution that outlaw disrcimination based on sexual orientation.

To show the contrast between South Africa and most other African nations, just last year, the UN's human rights body responsded to a complaint brought by the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC) and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) upon the detention of 11 men in Cameroon on the basis of their presumed sexual orientation.

The 11 were arrested at a bar frequented by gays and lesbians in Yaound and detained on anti-homosexuality offences arising from Cameroon's Penal Code.  According to the IGLHRC, nine of the men were found guilty of 'sodomy' and sentenced to ten-month jail terms. One of the men died of AIDS-related complications shortly after his conviction.
Why are men who have sex with men identified as one of the key 'at risk' groups of people likely to contract HIV?

This is primarily because their main form of sexual contact is anal sex and without condom use, this is an activity which makes HIV transmission more likely. The anus is a thin membrane susceptible to tearing. HIV and other Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) can easily enter the bloodstream, especially when there are abrasions or tears in the anus. Having only a thin membrane between one's bloodstream and his partner's bodily fluids (where one partner is HIV positive) is what makes anal sex dangerous. Condoms are therefore advised for safer sex.
(Media Resource Desk)