Cultural Moral Evolution: A Proposed Model and Application in a Review and Analysis of the Evolutionary Stages of Diverse Cultures and the Impact on the Emergence and Identifi cation of LGBTQA+ Communities

Abstract

The authors present a five-part initial examination of cultural moral evolution in several diverse cultures, looking specifically at attitudes towards LGBTQA+ communities and scrutinizing how societal attitudes shift from fear, animus, tolerance, and acceptance to integration. This evolution is gauged through various societal lenses, including laws, religion, human rights, and educational practices. In Part One, the authors discuss the concept of cultural moral evolution and how it differs from and shares some of the same traits as cultural anthropology. Part Two explores cultural moral evolution towards LGBTQA+ communities in three countries: Malaysia, the Netherlands, and Saudi Arabia. Part Three extends this analysis to four US states – Florida, Alaska, Hawaii, and Colorado. Part Four focuses on the US military, particularly the US Navy, analysing its cultural moral evolution towards the LGBTQA+ community. Finally, these observations are synthesized, with a summary of how the cultural moral evolution model is applied across different societal segments.