One of the most interesting matters regarding homosexuality in history is that it has been rare in a number of cultures or been absent in some cultures. For example, Dr. Neil Whitehead and Briar Whitehead state regarding various cultures: "If homosexuality were significantly influenced by genes, it would appear in every culture, but in twenty-nine of seventy-nine cultures surveyed by Ford and Beach in 1952, homosexuality was rare or absent."[1]
Two areas of historical inquiry in relation to ancient occurences of homosexuality which have been studied by historians are Roman homosexuality and Greek homosexuality.
In modern times in the United States the term culture war has been used to describe the polarization on various issues between conservatives and liberals and the issue of homosexuality is part what is known as the culture war. Conservatives point out that the weight of evidence shows there is a significant body of research showing the homosexuality inordinately harms individuals and the larger society as a whole in comparison to heterosexuality (for example, through higher rates of diseases, higher domestic violence rates, etc.).