Christian words to a homosexual Page: 4 of 11
1 pamphlet : b&w ; 16 cm.View a full description of this book.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Perhaps at this point it may be useful to
point out that the word "homosexual" does not
mean, as many think, "lover of men." The word
comes from two ancient terms, one Greek, the
other Latin; it is a mixture of two languages.
Iomo in the compound is not from the Latin
homo which means "man." It is from the
Greek homos which means "the same." "Sexu-
al" is of course from the Latin sexus whose
meaning is obvious. Thus a homosexual is a
lover of the same (his or her own) sex, which a
heterosexual is a lover of the other (Greek
hetero) sex.
For a long time homosexuals, especially men,
have been regarded with contempt, sometimes
disgust, by those who do not share their sexual
drive. Their lot has been made very difficult be-
cause of this attitude. The female homosexual
has had an easier time, for some reason; the law
has taken little if any notice of her. But for the
male, the law has been very severe, especially
in the matter of overt sexual acts. In most states
of the American Republic this is still the case;
only a few have recently removed homosexual
acts from the category of crime. In England
the present law is fairly liberal; with certain ex-
ceptions, homosexual acts "between males of
twenty-one years and over, when performed
with mutual consent and in private" are no
longer matters for criminal action. This change
was made after the presentation of the famous
Wolfenden Report, in which a royal commis-
sion carefully evaluated the situation of the
homosexual in society and urged that he did not
6constitute a social menace, as had once been
thought. In Canada the law has also been
liberalized. In many other countries, such as
Denmark and Sweden, Holland, France, and
Italy, there has never been such legal con-
demnation.
In view of the legal situation in most parts of
the United States, a male homosexual must be
very careful indeed if he is not to run the risk of
arrest and severe punishment, should he and a
partner be apprehended by the police. His
physical expression of sexual interest is a crime
in the eyes of the law. Even where this is not
the case, other kinds of criminal offense may be
charged against him if he is "caught in the act."
It ought to be noted, however, that nowadays
there is a tendency for a more liberal or per-
missive attitude, even among the police in large
cities. Very likely, within a few years time most
of the harsh laws will either be repealed or
amended. To this end, a number of churches in
America have been working, through various
official boards and agencies, for such a relaxa-
tion. This is not because they approve officially
of homosexuality but because they are con-
vinced that the way homosexuals have been
treated has been unjust and unfairly dis-
criminatory.
A great deal of research has been carried on
to discover the origins of the homosexual drive.
But so far scientists have come to no agreement
on the subject. Doubtless early family influence,
perhaps certain physical factors of a congenital
sort, and certainly environmental pressures are
7
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This book can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Book.
Pittenger, Rev. Dr. W. Norman. Christian words to a homosexual, book, Date Unknown; Cincinnati, Ohio. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc1787730/m1/4/: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting UNT Libraries Special Collections.