About Sexual tolerance

America has long been regarded as a symbol of diversity. The country includes many opinions and ideas on several societal concerns. As a result, America is viewed as a symbol of diversity. American culture has transcended tight adherence to social conventions and formerly unacceptable behavior, and has become more accepting depending on their beliefs and perspectives. As a result, the question of same-sex marriages has sparked considerable debate and is now being considered. Because of the shift in attitudes on gender roles, the prospect of same-sex weddings is shifting.Some indicators of change in views about gender roles and orientations are the increased inclusion of females in the armed force and the current steps taken to pass laws allowing same-sex marriage. However, there are still wide variations in opinions about these issues among the Americans. Despite this shift in the way of viewing things in the society and increased tolerance to various kinds of sexual orientations, some people have remained fixed in the old and outdated views. This percentage of people in the society still views sexual orientations other than the straight ones as being intolerable and unacceptable. Consequently, gay and lesbian kids are receiving considerable criticism from the community and bullying which has resulted in a significant number of suicide cases among gays and lesbians (Burns, n.d.). Further, the situation in the United States is being made graver by the fact that the religious institutions have joined the victims' peers in the undue criticism of the lesbians and the gays.
On the contrary, research and polls studies have revealed that Americans attitude towards gay, lesbian marriages, in general, are changing, and more people are in support of these groups. According to research conducted by Pew Research Centre (2015), it has proven that 55 percent of American population support marriages between same sexes while 39 percent did not support it (Pew Research Center, 2015). Although there have been hot debates among Americans regarding different views towards sexual roles and same gender marriages, trends that have been observed have shown that more Americans are increasingly getting used to same-sex marriages thus accepting it in the society. Older generations in the American society found it hard to support gay and lesbian marriages, and this was attributed to strict cultural norms that were followed. Nevertheless, things have changed in the modern time, and most of the older generation has been compelled to support gay marriages. According to Pew Research Center statistical results of research conducted in 2015, the recent years has seen a significant increase in the number of old generation supporting same-sex marriage (Pew Research Center, 2015).
Despite the changing attitudes regarding sexual orientations, a large number of strict Christians in the United States are still holding onto their traditional doctrine ideologies against intermarriages between same sex, gay relations as well as the lesbian relations. The black Protestants and the white evangelistic Protestants have been the most vocal about the issues and have very small percentages supporting relationships, and unions between the same sex and their change towards accepting the relations is critical. Besides, a small percentage of the Republicans is also against the same-sex marriages and criticizes gays and lesbians, and the majority of Americans supports their attitudes. However, most mainline Protestants and Catholics support the emerging sexual orientations and marriages between same sexes. From the statistics of the Pew Research Center (2015), 66% of Democrats and 61% of independents are now in support of these marriages. Nevertheless, there have been increases in the number of Americans who have overcome these stereotypes and now show support for women enrollment in the armed forces (Pew Research Center, n.d.). In addition, these women are climbing the professional ladder indicating changing perspectives and attitudes of the Americans society. Currently, more than 200,000 women are on active duty in the military, and more than 60 of them are in the admirals and generals position (CNN, 2013).

Conclusion

The outlook of the Americans is changing concerning same-sex marriages, gender roles, and sexual orientations. This has been evident from the steps taken by the government to pass laws allowing these marriages and their continued dedication to increasing the number of women in the armed forces. Despite these changes in views and perspectives, some gay and lesbian youths have received criticism from their peers and the society and some have ended up committing suicide. However, there are still wide variations in the opinion of the Americans about the above issues with some supporting the move and others going against it. Both political parties and religious institutions are also changing their views on the emerging dimension of sexual orientations. Most Catholics and mainline Protestants have accepted the changes while strict black Protestants and white evangelistic Protestants have remained fixed in their old perspectives. Further, these changes in the attitudes are being demonstrated by the increase and acceptance of the number of women joining the armed forces and their growing opportunities to rise in the ranks.

References

Burns, J. (n.d.). It Gets Better. Retrieved December 22, 2015, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ax96cghOnY4
CNN (2013). By the numbers: Women in the U.S. military. Retrieved December 22, 2015, from http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/24/us/military-women-glance/
Pew Research Center (n.d.).Changing Attitudes on Gay Marriage. Retrieved December 22, 2015, from http://www.pewforum.org/2015/07/29/graphics-slideshow-changing-attitudes-on-gay-marriage/