Western Perception of Homosexuality Versus The Rest of The World
The population that has come to be referred to as "gay" in the West is not a descriptive term that would be recognized by all men who have sex with men (MSM) as known in the rest of the world. While gay culture is increasingly open and discussed, the world of MSM consists of a diverse population that often may respond differently depending on how communications in clinical settings are framed."Gay" is generally used to describe a sexual orientation, while "MSM" describes a behavior.
Some men who have sex with other men will not relate to the term "gay" or homosexual, and do not regard sex with other men as sexual activity, a term they reserve for sexual relations with women. This is particularly true among individuals from non-Western cultures . Nevertheless, it is also common in the US. Terms such as MSM or “same gender loving” are often used in place of the word gay. It is well known that in the developing countries, especially in Muslim countries where there is a widespread segregation between the sexes, a vast majority of men tend to have a cultural tendency to participate in same-sex activities during their pre-marriage years which subsequently can turn into a sexual habit . Also, men in Africa & Latin America, engage in sexual relationships with other men while still referring to themselves as 'heterosexual',which is known as being on the "down-low" Same also goes for men who engage in homosexual activities in the military, gender segregated schools and universities or prison, most of them do not consider themselves as gay but still engage sexually with members of their own sex in order to fulfill their sexual desires.
There is a lack of information on sexual behaviour in most developing countries. The limited sources that are available indicate that although homosexual self-identification might occur relatively infrequent, the prevalence of homosexual behaviour is high . This large percentage of men is not taken into consideration when conducting sexual identity surveys which in many countries can make up more than 50% of the male population leading to underreporting and inaccurate surveys. Sexual Orientation and Young People
Read more about this topic: Demographics Of Sexual Orientation
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“The priesthood in many ways is the ultimate closet in Western civilization, where gay people particularly have hidden for the past two thousand years.”
—Bishop John Spong (b. 1931)
“The most evident difference between man and animals is this: the beast, in as much as it is largely motivated by the senses and with little perception of the past or future, lives only for the present. But man, because he is endowed with reason by which he is able to perceive relationships, sees the causes of things, understands the reciprocal nature of cause and effect, makes analogies, easily surveys the whole course of his life, and makes the necessary preparations for its conduct.”
—Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 B.C.)
“Perhaps these pages are more particularly addressed to poor students. As for the rest of my readers, they will accept such portions as apply to them.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
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—Louis, 1st Earl Mountbatten Of Burma Mountbatten (1900–1979)