Inthosedays，manyAustralianslookeddownonChinesepeople.Theyevendescribedthemas“uncivilised”.TheygavethesameexcusesforresistingtheiradmissiontoAustraliansociety.Differentappearances，differentfood，differentlanguages，religionsandtraditionsmadeChinesepeople，inthosedays，unwelcome.Thishaschangedradically.ButitwastherealitywhenIwasgrowingup.
Eventually，education，changesinthelaw，greaterexposuretoChinesefamiliesandindividualsandopportunitiestoappreciatethesharedfeaturesofdiverselivescombinedtoeffectachange.However，thechangeofattitudeonlycameaboutwhenAustraliansofEuropeanethnicitybegantomeet，know，trustandappreciatepeopleofChineseethnicity.Then，atlast，thefeelingsofsuperioritybegantomeltaway.Thefearofdifferencewastemperedbyacquaintanceandknowledge.Respectforpeaceful，goodandoftenhighachievingChineseimmigrantsresultedinachangeofnationalattitudeandoutlook.Yetthislargelyoccurredbecausetheseparationofthepastgavewaytoacquaintance，familiarity，andknowledge.Fearwasstilled.Itwasreplacedbyknowledgeandmutualrespect.
Sexualitydiscrimination：Soitiswithsexuality.Inthepast（andinmostpartsoftheworldeventoday）peopleinthesexualminoritieshavebeenprogrammedtolielow.Todisguisetheirtruefeelings.Topretendtobeheterosexual，andtofeelshameabouttheirmostintimate，self-definingemotions.Many（perhapsmost）gaypeoplecansuccessfullypassthemselvesoffas“straight”.Ididso，Ithink，formanyyears.Australia，likemostcountries，generallypractisedtheprinciple：“Don’task；don’ttell”.Thatprinciplewasreinforcedbylegalconsiderations.Untilthepasttwentyyearsorso，sexualactivitybetweenmenwasaseriouscriminaloffenceinAustralia.Thiswassoalthoughthemeninvolvedwereadults，consentingandactinginprivate.PolicewereengagedinAustraliatoentrapgaymen.Theirvictimswerethenprosecuted，shamedandsentencedtolongperiodsofimprisonment，ifcaught.Moreover，self-denialwasreinforcedbyrepeatedreligiousinstruction；byparentalandfamilyexpectations；andbyeconomicself-interest.
ThirtyyearsagovirtuallynoonewhowashomosexualinAustraliawasopenaboutit.Everyonewentalongwiththepretence.Tothisday，manypeople，includingsomeinhighpositions，maintainthedenial.Intruth，theyaresometimesencouragedtodosobyhomophobesandfanatics，someoftheminhighoffice.Butgraduallytheoldpackofcardshasbeguntocollapse.Wearenowwitnessingtheconsequencesofthischange.Ithasnotyetbeenfullyaccomplished.Lawsstillexistthatdiscriminateagainstsexualminoritiesonthegroundsofsexualorientation.ButtheoldcriminallawshavebeensweptawaythroughoutAustralia.Newprotectionsagainstdiscriminationhavebeenintroduced.Andmostimportantofall，increasingnumbersofhomosexualcitizensarethrowingoffthepretenceandseeking，ordemanding，acceptancebytheirfellowcitizens-oftheirequality，humandignity，andself-respect.
Reasonsforchange：Whyhasthischangeinrespectofsexualorientationcomeaboutatthispointinhistory？WhydoesithappenthattheNetherlands，Belgium，Massachusetts，Spain，Canada，andSouthAfricahavemovedtowardsequality，forexample，inmarriagerightsforhomosexualcitizens？Whyhavemanyothercountriesenactedlawsprovidingforcivilunionsbetweensame-sexpartnersenjoyingofficialrecognition？Whyhavesomanylandsinsuchashorttimeofhumanhistoryrepealedcriminallawspunishingsexualactsbetweenconsentingadultsinprivate？Andwhyhavecourtsinseveralcountriesstrucksuchlawsdownasbreachingfundamentalconstitutionalnorms？Whyhavecommunitiesofsexualminoritiessprungupinevenmorelands，withcelebrationofdiversity，ofsharedeconomicinterests，ofpublicationsandcivilsocietyorganisationstoreinforcetheincreasingnumberofpeoplewhoacknowledgesexualfeelingstowardsmembersoftheirownsexandrefuseanylongertobeashamedofthatfact，whichisafactnaturaltothem？
Thereasonsforsuchchangesarecomplex.Someproponentsofequalityforsexualminoritiescontestthatitisevennecessarytoexplainandjustifythedevelopments.Theyassertthat，inprinciple，itisnobusinessoftheStateorthecommunitytodiscriminateamongstcitizensinbasiccivilrightsonthefootingofwhatthosecitizensdosexuallyintheirrelationswithotheradultsorinthebondsthattheyformwithotherhumanbeings.Forthem，theseareprivatematters.Theorganisedcommunityhasnorighttointerfere.Ithasadutytotreatallpersonswithequalitybecausethatisafeatureinherentinthehumandignityofallofus.
Giventhatinmany（perhapsmost）countriesoftheworldlaws，religion，socialstigmaandotherimpedimentsstillexisttotrueopennessaboutsexualorientation，outsidethemajoritynorm，thewidespreadchangesthathaveoccurredinthepastfewdecadesareremarkable.Itisworthcollectingsomeofthecauses.Theyinclude：
（1）Theadvanceofunderstandingofhumanpsychologyandtheresearchperformedduringthetwentiethcenturyintofeaturesofsexualattraction.ThewritingsofSigmundFreud，AlfredKinsey，EvelynHookerandothershelpedtodemonstrate，empirically，thevarietyofsexualexpressionamongsthumanbeingsandtheimperfectionsofthestrictbinaryassumptionuponwhichearliermoralattitudes，inpartatleast，hadrested；
