Forty years after the Stonewall Rebellion and the genesis of the modern gay rights movement, the framework of the homosexual culture is still coming into place.
This distinct group of people, consisting of every gender, race and socioeconomic background, has for decades been trying to determine where in society's framework they stand.
One of the most hot button issues of the past decade has been that of gay marriage, and the various moral and philosophical implications legalizing it brings.
However, supporters and non-supporters alike would seem to be jumping to conclusions a bit when it comes to this matter. Many both in and out of the gay community appear to be unclear as to what a gay 'relationship' is, and are all too ready to believe in dated mythologies surrounding them.
Until the latter half of the 20th century, homosexuality had all the aspects of a secret society. Men and women across the United States and the world lived in constant fear that their then-unusual tendencies would be discovered and their lives would subsequently be ruined.
Some married opposite sex partners, some lived lives of celibacy, still others retreated into the gay underground, never to be seen or heard from again.
It was only in 1973, four years after the riots at Stonewall in Greenwich Village, when the American Psychological Association removed homosexuality as a certifiable mental illness.
For much of the 1960s and 1970s, many homosexuals lived under the assumptions that they were in fact abnormal, thus the avenues for meaningless sex and lack of personal companionship was not only justified but also essential. A sense of nihilism and emptiness resulted.
It is only within the last 25 years that the notion of a homosexual relationship has become more visible, and ideally more accepted on a world front.
As with their heterosexual brethren, gay relationships come in all shapes and sizes. What it comes down to is issues of timing, compatibility and mutual understanding between partners.
The common stereotype that exists in the heterosexual community is that homosexuals are sex-crazed nymphomaniacs eager to jump from partner to partner in a game of musical beds.
While this is true of some, there exists just as much variety of relationships within the gay community, if not more, than there does among straight.
For every casual one-night stand, there exist a dozen serious, committed couples. The myth that good relationships 'just don't last' is perpetuated unnecessarily between both communities, and is in reality an easy way out for further anonymous tomfooleries.
A factor to be considered in the apparent lack of permanence in homosexual affairs is the extended closet period, which for most homosexuals is from late childhood to early adulthood.
The gay relationships that do exist and last vary by age, social status, work and education background, just as with heterosexual couples. The same issues of commitment, fidelity, and intimacy exist, and play just as much of a factor in the pair's survival.
In the modern day, the existence of homosexual companionship has been much more visible and apparent. More and more evidence is coming to light that some of the greatest literary, artistic, and scientific minds had same sex partners at various points throughout their lives.
Notable mentions include Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Leonardo da Vinci, Oscar Wilde and Gertrude Stein.
More recently, Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi have provided an excellent example of a gay relationship that works.
Like all groups faced with oppression, the homosexual plight is far from over. While the negative aspects of the culture in question will always exist, it is important now more than ever for the positive aspects of the gay community to be on the forefront.
A successful, sexy relationship can assuredly be a step in the right direction.
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