THE POWER OF LOBBYING

By Philip M. Lustre Jr.


WHEN I was taking up Sociology of Deviant Behavior as one of my major subjects in college in 1975, homosexuality and its flipside, lesbianism, were regarded as forms of deviant behavior.

Homosexuality and lesbianism were regarded as not normative, as they were described to have violated the established norms, mores, customs, and traditions of society. 

Hence, homosexuality and lesbianism were regarded to be at par with other forms of deviant behavior - alcoholism, criminal behavior, suicide, and various forms of eccentric behavior like sexual perversions, among others. 

The prevailing orthodoxy then was that homosexuality and lesbianism were essentially learned behavior, which meant a heavy tilt toward nurture over nature. 

Homosexuality and lesbianism were not genetically defined, unlike today. But times have changed. 

Homosexuality and lesbianism are now regarded as normal. It has been expanded to included bisexuals and transgenders to comprise the so-called LGBT (lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgenders) community.

Ergo, it is politically incorrect to refer to them as abnormal people. 

The woman trapped into a man's body argument, or vice versa, is still prevalent. 

Gays and lesbians have learned to argue that they are normal human beings, who are capable of loving, hating, cajoling, rejecting, or whatever, any person. It's just the object differs.

Instead of a woman being loved by a man, it's a man being loved by a gay. 

I don't know exactly how the reversal has developed. 

I could only surmise the strong gay rights groups, which are still strong and powerful lobby groups in Europe and the U.S. 

Remember the gay groups, who have caused the career downfall of rabid anti-gay but conservative singer Anita Bryant? 

Alcoholics don't have strong lobby groups although they have the Alcohol Anonymous. Society can't expect the Alcoholics Anonymous to lobby for the alcoholics, although its emphasis is to reform alcoholics.

Criminal organizations, or the underground groups of organized crime, have their Mafias, Triads, and Yakuzas,but they hardly operate above the ground.

Suicide maniacs or those into fetishism and other forms of sexual perversions don't have any.

My take is that the growing liberalism towards lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgenders (even the definition has expanded to include the last two) is largely a function of strong lobby groups.

I guess the same liberalism will be developed towards other forms of deviant behavior if similar lobby groups will be formed.

Lobbying is the main factor for all those efforts for social acceptance.