As part of school literature, Nathaniel Hawthorne's Scarlett Letter was required reading. I read this story twice during my high school years. The Scarlett Letter is about a woman who gives birth to a daughter after having an affair and ends up facing public scrutiny and is terribly humiliated by everyone because of her actions. This story is set in 17th century Puritan Boston, Massachusetts, and explains how sexually intolerant early Americans were. Early Americans, especially men, betrayed their loved ones quite often. We've all seen it in movies and read about it in books, so there's no denying it. Most Americans today are still opposed to adultery, but they are increasingly comfortable with immoral acts such as adultery. American attitudes toward sex have become more tolerable toward same-sex and premarital adult sex and not so much toward extramarital sex. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The General Social Survey is a sociological survey that collects and maintains information about the social concerns and attitudes of people in the United States. It has been collecting and tracking data on attitudes about sex since 1972, and one of the things the study found is that Americans are becoming increasingly tolerant of same-sex adults. In fact, from 1990 to 2012, acceptance of same-sex sex tripled, from 13% to 44% of Americans saying it's "not wrong at all." The legalization of same-sex marriage occurred around the same time, and same-sex marriage became legal in all states. “Growing support for gay marriage reflects how attitudes toward same-sex sexual activity are changing over time.” One of the main driving forces behind the change in same-sex adult acceptance is because, as more people identify as gay or lesbian, there is a greater chance that we Americans know someone who has sex with them. same sex. When you get to know someone instead of just hearing about them, you often get a higher level of support for that person and their cause. As USA Today suggests, the basis of the change is a personal connection with someone who is LGBT. “The number of Americans who say they have a close friend or relative who is gay or lesbian has increased from 22% in 1993 to 63% today, with millennials leading the way with 71% who say they have a close friend or relative gay or lesbian." I find this to be true because being a same sex adult and being gay was morally wrong growing up, and I can say I had no close friends or family who were gay, however recently my brother came out as gay. It was always something I hated and my reaction to a gay brother was very harsh, but when he said it I accepted. While I don't completely agree, having a gay brother has definitely increased my tolerance just in the three months since he told me. Just as I was taught to be against homosexual sex, I was also taught that premarital sex is not moral. This seems to coincide with the beliefs of Americans forty years ago, but according to the GSS, premarital relations are also more tolerant. As mentioned above, respondents could answer that behaviors/216813271/