They range from the ultramasculine to the very feminine. Whitam and other researchers know that homosexuals have existed in all societies for thousands of years. Records from the Brazilian and Portuguese Inquisitions contain evidence that transvestite homosexuals lived in Brazil's colonial capitol of Salvador during the 1600s. The ASU sociologist says that many cultures accept homosexuality. But this is not entirely the case in the United States.
American society tends to stigmatize the homosexual orientation.
Although the world of sex, gender, and sexual orientation is complex, most people simply do not like homosexuals. Whitam says that parents, as a rule, are unhappy with homosexual children. No one is immune. We simply do not prepare parents for the possibility that they may have gay or lesbian children. Attitudes differ throughout the world.