Monday, October 04, 2010

HOMOSEXUALITY IS NOT A MORAL ISSUE

Our nation seems confused by the issue of homosexuality. Even Lady Gaga, an outspoken proponent of gay rights, implies that there is a moral component to homosexuality when she asks that we “overlook the moral implications” of it. Unfortunately, she’s asking for the wrong thing: self-proclaimed saviors can’t overlook their beliefs any more than a gay man can think his way straight.

If we want to fight bigotry toward homosexuals, we have to stop letting heterosexuals define homosexuality as immoral. We have to demand that our legislators act based on information instead of superstition. Research tell us that homosexuality is the result of a combination of nature and nurture, just like everything else that is human. We should try to remember this.

NOTE: For the record, and for the benefit of the more imaginative and least educated reader, please understand that when we say “homosexuality” we are not talking about the sometimes bizarre sexual escapades of self-professed heterosexual men in isolation, nor do we refer to any kind of criminal or abusive behavior. These are not the hallmarks of homosexuality; they are the hallmarks of sexual perversion; they are not the same.

What we are talking about when we discuss homosexuality is the organic sexual attraction a person feels as a result of a combination of inborn characteristics and early childhood experiences. Accordingly, unless a crime or some kind of abuse is involved, homosexuals and heterosexuals alike should be allowed whatever sexual experience they, as consenting adults, prefer.

What we need to teach our children (and apparently a whole lot of adults as well) is that homosexuality is no more immoral than being left-handed instead of right-handed and bisexuals are no more evil than those born ambidextrous.

Perhaps our Puritan roots are responsible, but Americans seem simultaneously frightened and controlled by their sexuality. Instead of studying the subject with the understanding that it is natural, normal and healthy to be sexually active; we either treat it like a dirty little secret or go to the opposite extreme, publicly displaying our sexual prowess in a way that belies its inherently intimate nature: internet porn becomes an addiction and giving blow jobs, a competitive sport.

Meanwhile, our continued failure to fully educate our children regarding human sexuality has left too many with the mistaken belief that one must be exclusively masculine or totally feminine; any variation of these absolutes is cause for ridicule if not downright condemnation, or worse. This, despite the fact that sexuality appears to be a spectrum, not a set of two narrowly defined absolutes.

If we want to stop this madness, we need to change the nature of the discussion. At a recent fund raising luncheon in San Francisco, Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, who is actively fighting to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” was asked how we can make real progress toward Gay Rights. Her answer: “Stop talking about Gay Rights and start talking about Civil Rights.”

Nobody is asking anybody to change their beliefs; only that no one person or group’s extremely personal and subjective beliefs are allowed to strip another of their basic human rights: to choose to serve in the military and/or to marry and raise a family--however unorthodox that family may appear to some.

Lastly, for the “family values” crowd, let’s keep in mind that over-population has been blamed for just about every modern societal problem you can name. Mother Nature/God created homosexuals. Perhaps they have a message for us: The key to family values isn’t making babies, it’s taking care of them.

Homophobes are not taking a moral high ground when they tell you gays don’t deserve the same rights the rest of us do; they are merely advertising their ignorance, fear and lack of compassion. Instead of asking them to “overlook the moral implications” of homosexuality, we need to remind them that Homosexuality is not a moral issue.

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