Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender rights in the United States have evolved over time and vary greatly on a state-by-state basis and many are making strides to reverse laws on homosexual couples. However, homosexuality is still viewed in our culture to be a disease rather than a personality trait. That something must be wrong with a person to feel such a way. Richard D. Mohr combats these critics of homosexual behavior in "Prejudice and Homosexuality". Mohr gives facts, defends arguments, and describes what a life free of prejudice would look like. .
Mohr begins his article by giving many facts associated with homosexuality. For instance, in 1993 the New York Times-CBS Poll found that only one-fifth of Americans suppose they have a friend or family member who is gay or lesbian. This is a surprisingly low number since there are so many practicing homosexuals in America. Mohr also gives details of a study conducted by Alfred Kinsey who studied the sex lives of 12,000 white males in 1948. The findings were shocking to the nation: thirty-seven percent of the men had at least one homosexual experience to orgasm; an additional thirteen percent had homosexual fantasies to orgasm; four percent were exclusively homosexual; five percent had virtually no heterosexual experience and nearly one fifth had at least as many homosexual experiences as heterosexual experiences. In 1953 Kinsey also studied 8000 women and found the occurrence of homosexual behavior to be about half the rate of men. These results should have put homosexuality in perspective for our culture. Showing that homosexuality isn't an immoral act and that it is just a way of life for those who are homosexual. Instead, homophobia scoured the nation and homosexuals were made to feel that they weren't equals with heterosexuals. .
"Many people think society's treatment of gays is justified because they think gays are extremely immoral" writes Mohr.
