Exploring Working Class Attitudes towards Homosexuality: The Impact of Social Structure and Cultural Trends

In today's society, the discussion of gender and sexual orientation has become an inescapable topic. Social theorist Roger Lancaster's perspective provides an in-depth look at this issue, particularly from the perspective of how class conditions affect attitudes toward homosexuality.

Since Max Weber, social theorists have argued that class conditions inevitably foster socially conservative tendencies among the working class and the masses. The logic behind this view is that the preference for tradition in class dynamics hinders economic innovation and thus accelerates the process of exploitation. This preference for tradition is also reflected in issues of gender and sexual orientation, especially in the prevalence of homophobia.

However, Roger Lancaster points out that because of historical and geographical differences, it is not possible to generalize that the working class or the masses are homophobic for reasons inherent in their class structure. In fact, there have been long periods in history when the lower classes have been indifferent to homosexual activity.

Lancaster further points out that organized religion is often a strong promoter of homophobia, but that religious traditions mean different things to different people. This suggests that attitudes toward homosexuality are not determined by religious beliefs alone, but are a much more complex socio-cultural phenomenon.

In today's Mexico (and elsewhere), working-class and mass-class youth seem to be particularly vulnerable to homophobia. Lancaster suggests that rather than treating this vulnerability as a natural phenomenon or cementing it in a static view of class culture, we should think about it in the context of the convergence of political-economic and social trends.

He emphasized that factors such as neo-liberal policies, controversial political events, emerging religious fervour, etc. had, to varying degrees, aggravated the fear and rejection of homosexuality. These factors, coupled with issues such as inadequate access to higher education, have formed a complex social network affecting people's attitudes towards homosexuality.

Roger Lancaster's analysis reminds us that intolerance of the working class should be seen as a trend rather than a rule. It calls for a deeper understanding of how social, economic, and cultural factors work together to shape attitudes toward homosexuality and, based on that, a search for strategies to promote inclusion and diversity.