not that there's anything wrong with being gay

Booman<

I can remember when many southern whites did not think that BEING BLACK IS NORMAL.

Fortunately, times, laws, and changes of heart have all but erased those attitudes. Now, GAY PEOPLE ARE THE ONLY MINORITY IN AMERICA THAT IT IS STILL FASHIONABLE TO HATE.

I value your opinion and hope this post might help bring you a change of heart, or at least inform you that wh3 has two feet and 10 toes. I am NORMAL because God created me in His image and after his likeness.
In my mind, we are all the beloved children of the same God.

Further study about gay -- and racial -- intolerance may be persued at www.tolerance.org.

Under state legislature in Tasmania, homosexual acts remain illegal. The law has been effectively overidden by federal statutes, but it's still on their books!!!

It looks like it's time for some of us to become more politically active.

With respect, there are not now, nor have there ever been arguments extant regarding anyone having a choice about what ethnicity they are. But notwithstanding one's own personal beliefs, there are such arguments about homosexuality. There are instances of gay people "changing their minds", and starting to live heterosexual lives - I'm not imagining that, or making it up - it happens.
That in mind, comparisons between the struggle for civil rights by blacks and gays is somewhat disingenuous - although I realize it's a much used selling point.

Snood - I am struggling to grasp what your point is.

Homosexuality is, under all known to me professional definitions now seen as an inherent variation in the human species occurring at roughly the same rate across human populations - (whether genetic or occurring in utero is, I believe, unproved) - which it also seems to be amongst other mammalian species, although some homosexual activity amongst otherwise heterosexual individuals seems to be even more common.

For some reason, totally incomprehensible at least to me, this variation is one of the ones which has caused the operation of prejudice. This prejudice - which has been displayed to some extent on this thread, has led to terrible suffering being inflicted upon homosexuals, to varying degrees in different societies.

Discrimination against homosexuals has taken forms as blatant as murder. It has subjected them to discrimination in employment, housing, law and social structures. Homosexual adolescents still have a higher suicide rate than other adolescents. In my profession, gayness is considered a significant risk factor in assessing for risk of suicide, or other expressions of mental ill health, because of the added burden on young people of societal prejudice and rejection and ridicule and harassment and blatant violence. Such prejudice and harassment is something to which many gay people continue to be subjected throughout their life - often from institutions such as churches and political movements and police and now, it seems, that of health professionals, at least in Colorado, seems likely to be made legal.

I think it is highly disingenous to infer, as I think you are doing, that this is normally a chosen path, and subject to change. For instance, no mental health profession still regards homosexuality as a pathological condition, and "treatment" for it is regarded as unethical and unprofessional. This has, at least, removed one level of societal oppression of gay people - and not before time.

The comparison with prejudice suffered by other groupings in our society seems to me to be quite a valid one.

Nor does it seem to me possible to argue in any responsible and rational way that homosexuality ought to be regarded as a human variation with any more odium or fuss attached to it than, for example, blue eyes. In fact, medically speaking, blue eyes ought to be regarded with MORE suspicion, for they tend to be weaker eyes than brown ones.

The jury is still out, but there ARE scientific studies that point to the concept that homosexuality may be caused by a genetic variation, like race, or blue eyes, or left handedness. When that is proven conclusively,
one might reasonably infer that a gay person does NOT have a choice in their sexual preferences.



Often, because of the prejudices and pressures put upon gays in society, a gay person will lead a heterosexual lifestyle. The social price that a gay person pays for living his life as he desires, may be too anxiety producing.

In addition, I believe that there are a percentage of people who are not truly gay, but who experiment with homosexuality in adolescence. Many will return to the heterosexual lifestyle as he or she matures.

Has Colorado gone nuts?

williamhenry wrote:


No, they aren't, it is evangelical Christians, I thought everyone knew that...

Wait a few years; it'll be Mormons (5 senators, Mitt Romney, et al).

pdog: Some hate never goes out of style, regardless of fashion!!!

WH,
...Did you read my supplementary post? Did anyone? As careful as I tried to be, I still feel like everyone missed my point. My statement was not about tolerance it was about COMMUNICATION, and maybe even PC.
...As a matter of fact, I can find parallels in race, and sex.
...As a black man I don't think I'm better than anyone, because of my color. I am a tolerant and fair person, but you can't make me say people of different ancestry, don't have cultural differences, and tendecies,
...As a man, I believe a woman should be treated fairly, egually, and paid the same as a man. However, you can't make me say, it's logical to lower physical requirements, in a dangerous job, to pretend equality. OUR BODIES ARE DIFFERENT, LEGISLATURE CAN'T CHANGE THAT! It cuts both ways, The pitch of women's voices, give them an edge as phone operators. You can't change that!
...I just think people go to far, in trying to prove how liberal they are. You don't do anyone a favor by ignoring logic and common sense.

I read your second post EXTREMELY carefully, Booman.

Australians - I have received a reply from Focus on the Family Australia- and they ARE a branch of the Colorado people:

Hi,

Yes, we are the Australian branch of the Focus on the Family organisation
founded in the US by Dr James Dobson. We began in Australia nearly a decade
ago as Pro-Fam Australia founded by Pyschologist Glenn Williams, shortly
after that we became Focus on the Family Australia.

I hope this has helped you.

Kind regards,

Maxine Prosper
Receptionist/Administrative Assistant
Focus on the Family Australia
1300 300 361

run, rabbit run.

Fight, rabbit, fight...

even better

How nice, Deb!

Even a phone number! Might wait until I get home to try that one!

I'm thinking of starting to vilify people with blue eyes. Mine are green, so that is obviously the only real colour to have - that must be the norm. Are there any despicable blue-eyed types out there?

I have hazel eyes. What could this mean?

(delete double post)

Er...well, I am unsure how to put this - but I have blue eyes, as it happens...