What role does "rite of passage" play in shaping attitudes about homosexuals? - homework help?

Females have a "rite of passage" from child to adult, built into their physiology - at start of menstruation; usually older and other women help the new 'initiate' understand what's happening. She was a girl yesterday - now she is a woman. That's reinforced with the experience of childbirth.

Males in Western societies don't have a recognizable or agreed upon rite of passage that marks when a boy has stepped into the world to be recognized as an adult male.

Contrast the current way of being with that of more traditional and primitive societies.

So many males exhibit their status as men by emphasizing

male dominated activities. Because we live in a culture of tolerance; the media exerts influence - reinforcing certain images (The Marlboro Man; 007; Rambo; various sports heroes) and males seek images with which to identify.

In efforts to have everyone recognize their lawful adult status , there is an over emphasis on whatever has been recognized as peculiarly masculine - especially where there is some legal recognition by age - old enough to drive; old enough to drink; old enough to rent restricted movies; enter strip clubs etc.

Any male who doesn't do those things becomes part of the inferior non-male sector of society.

Years ago I saw a documentary somewhere about a modern time (South American I think) society where males who took a passive role in a homosexual act were considered female and inferior - even despicable; but as long as the homosexual was the penetrator he remained 'male'. It was interesting because it reflected on the psychological aspect whereby males need to see or feel that they are the doers; initiators; the ones who do things to, rather than receive or accept what is done to them.

Hope there is something of use in all of that - good luck with your project.

we do not have a 'ceremony-of-passage'. there is not any ceremony the place we spank one yet another with moist noodles and pound on our chest to the beat of faucet-dancers tapping wildly in the amazon rain. We purely comprehend we are gay sooner or later and that's all there is too it. the rationalization why adult males are lots greater homophobic than women people is the relationship between loss of masculinity and homosexuality that society endorses. If a guy isn't involved in lady they are seen female, because of the fact a guy is assume to have ravaging rapidly moist targets constantly and in accordance to society a gay guy can no longer try this because of the fact he desires to be ladylike and petite. this is relatively somewhat ironic - did you know that throughout Masters & Briggs 1996 survey ninety 3% of lady admitted they fantasized approximately being dominate in the mattress room? in the comparable survey sixty 4% of adult males pronounced that the have fantasized approximately being submissive in the mattress room. This purely is going to coach that what people somewhat choose and what society says that individuals choose are 2 completely opposite issues.