Gay Men's Challenges Support Group

This community is dedicated to the challenges that gay men face, both between the partners in a relationship and from other influences (family, society, etc.).
Societal attitudes towards same-sex relationships, reflected in the attitude of the general population, the state and the church, have varied over the centuries, and from place to place, from expecting and requiring all males to engage in relationships, to casual integration, through acceptance, to seeing the practice as a minor sin, repressing it through law enforcement and judicial mechanisms, to proscribing it under penalty of death.

In most developed countries, same-sex relationships are accepted, and are accorded legal protection. Many governments have established formal structures for confirming legal relationships (either as marriage or partnership) between people of the same sex. For example, the Supreme Court of Canada, citing the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, established that the Government could allow same-sex marriage on the basis of human rights, which it then did when Bill C-38 received Royal Assent on July 20, 2005. Some people argue for legal recognition and social acceptance of same-sex relationships, believing that homosexuality is an inborn trait; yet it is difficult for others who believe that homosexuality is a choice to change their moral stance on homosexuality. Some religious groups fear the slippery slope effect, arguing that same-sex tolerance is a step toward tolerance of other currently unaccepted practices such as polygamy and incest. Other religious-minded people believe that same-sex relationships are incompatible with their religious beliefs and worldview. They often attempt to use state-sanctioned punitive measures to discourage homosexuality, short of death or imprisonment. This includes attempts to rescind domestic partnership benefits through anti-gay-marriage initiatives with broad language.