President Bush recently announced that he has lawyers looking for a way to "codify" marriage between a man and woman... Basically, to keep marriage hetero.
He says, "Yes, I am mindful that we're all sinners, and I caution those who may try to take the speck out of their neighbor's eye when they got a log in their own. I think it's very important for our society to respect each individual, to welcome those with good hearts, to be a welcoming country. On the other hand, that does not mean that somebody like me needs to compromise on an issue such as marriage. And that's really where the issue is heading here in Washington, and that is the definition of marriage. I believe in the sanctity of marriage. I believe a marriage is between a man and a woman."
*sigh*
When will we learn? Preserving social traditions that conflict with social change is just another example of intolerance. And we can bleat and bluther all we want about how sorry we are for slavery, for the Jews, for rounding up the Japanese during WWII, or any other social injustice... But how sorry are we really, if we continue to make the same intolerant mistakes?
Let me disspell a few myths or objections about homosexuality...
Myth #1: Homosexuality is unnatural
Well, what does unnatural mean? That which goes against nature, right? So, to determine if homosexuality is unnatural, all we need to do is hold it up to nature to see if and where it conflicts. And what do we find?
Well, in nature, every mammal has been observed taking part in same-sex activities, bonding, and affection. Very often in some animals, homosexuality actually increases in times of over-population... a sort of population control.
Something that we don't find in nature is monogamy, especially for life. The only animals who do mate for life, and only occasionally at that, arefoxes, wolves, gibbons, beavers, dik-diks, coyotes, elephant shrews, and geese. (what the hell is a dik-dik? Stupid research...) A few animals will mate for a season, but most mate and move on.
Granted, animals don't have a social convention that pressures them to stay together, if only for the sake of their children, but then, they also realize that most infants have a remarkable tenacity and will to survive, and many animals in nature let their children figure it out on their own.
Of course, I'm sticking to mammals here, since they portray the most human-like characteristics. But there's a lot of different behaviors we could look at in nature, from the birds and the bees all the way down to the amoebas.
Okay, so the argument can be made, "Well, animals aren't humans. They don't have souls, they aren't special like us, blah blah blah." Fine, let's look at just the humans. Homosexual behavior has been recorded in every culture that was advanced enough to keep detailed enough records. Even tribes which had no outside human contact until visited by anthropologists have exhibited homosexual behavior in some of its members. Every country on earth has been documented as having the same.
Any behavior observed by all races, all peoples, all cultures, and in all countries throughout all recorded time must certainly be considered natural.
Myth #2: People are either gay, or they are straight
People often take this for granted, but it's simply not true. Sexual behavior is indeed a line, with exclusively hetero on one end, and exlusively homo on the other, and people do tend to hover around either end of the spectrum, but that doesn't mean people don't rest somewhere, anywhere, in between.
Myth #3: Homosexuality is contagious
This is the idea that if you experiment, or have a single homosexual act, or even (according to some conservatice fundamentalists) an erotic homosexual thought, and find it even marginally enjoyable, a seed has planted (those conservative fundamentalists would call it a virus) and eventually you will end a full-fledged member of the homosexual community. The idea of "catching" homosexuality is as absurd as the idea of "catching" heterosexuality, though I'm sure that it's this thought process that led people to think that homosexuality can be cured. (The love of a good woman'll do that, says the conservative. The love of a good woman has also driven men to do murder, to lie, to cheat, and to steal, incidently)
Seriously, it astounds me to think that some people believe that a small dose of homoerotica could suddenly "take over" a completely robust heterosexual. It's not like they're getting possessed by demons or something.
This idea probably came about because of people who were severely suppressing their homosexuality, and once they dipped their toe in to see how the water was, they dived right in and no looking back.
Myth #4: Homosexuality is a choice
This myth seems to contradict the previous one, since how can it be a choice if it's something you "catch", whether you want it or not... But then, people will believe all manner of contradiction if it keeps them from having to change.
For quite some time, it has been pretty well established that sexual orientation is part of the basic personality structure, and formed before the age of two. Recent studies, both behavior and biological, are indicating that sexual persuasion might be genetically decided before you're even born.
Regardless, whether it's decided before birth or before you reach two years old, neither instance really amounts up to a choice. Of course, people can (and often do) choose to not follow their natural orientation, but proponents of this myth don't like it when you point this out to them. "That's not what I meant!" They exclaim.
What they mean, is that people choose to be gay the same way you choose what restaurant you want to go to, or what team to root for in a ball game. Of course, they always mean it to be someone choosing behavior that is either crazy or criminal-- why in the world would they want to do that, and don't they know it's wrong?
But, they decide as they shrug their shoulders, it's their choice. Implied in this choice, of course, is rebellion and hostility towards God, parents, society, and the American Way.
Gimme a break. You can't choose to be right- or left-handed, and you can't choose your sexual orientation either. (The truly sad thing about it, is that sometimes, people who are left-handed are forced to learn to do everything with their right hand... The same thing happens a lot for homosexuals too) Just like heterosexuals, as homosexuals grow up, go through puberty, and all that, they begin to be attracted (both physically and romantically) to a particular gender. (This is why discovering you're bisexual must be even more confusing than discovering if you're gay or straight)
Focus on yourself for a minute. When you first became attracted to a particular gender, you didn't question it did you? You never chose to be straight (for those who read this and are gay... I'm not referring to you, obviously), you just were. You knew< without having to make a choice, without having to be told, who you were attracted to. What makes you think that anyone is any different than you?
Discovering that you are gay can be (often is) a traumatic experience. Most of society is screaming at you to stay in the closet, while your very nature is pleading with you to get out. And here's where the actual choice comes in: Who do you listen to? Do you have the courage to be yourself?
Myth #5: Homosexuals recruit others
This myth grew out of the evangelical camp, where testifying, converting, and proselytizing are basic foundations of the faith. They feel that gays somehow have the same zeal to convert others as they themselves do, when all they are doing is projecting their own images onto them. But, as with most projections, the image is highly distorted and wrong. The other idea behind this is that the homosexual community is pretty much socially outcast, and people who spread this myth assume that because they themselves would hate to be alone as a social outcast, and therefore try to recruit friends to join them in their misery, gays must be doing it too.
A gay person, individually, may want to have sex with a heterosexual that he or she finds attractive, and they may even make a pass. But all they are doing is making a personal statement of desire, and not trying to recruit members. You may enjoy being in the mile-high club, and want a loved one to join you in the experience, but it's not like you do it make your ranks bigger.
Additionally, gays who are out of the closet will very often offer comfort and support to gays who are miserably in the closet, which can often be perceived wrongly by those who have no idea.
But that's as far as it goes. Besides, this whole idea is dependent on the idea that homosexuality is a choice, and every homosexual knows that it just isn't the case.
Myth #6: You can spot a gay a mile away
Two words: Rock Hudson.
Some gay men are effiminate, most are not. Some gay women are masculine, most are not. According to the organization that considers itself an expert on homosexuality, the Pentagon, "feminized males make up only a small proportion of homosexuals, perhaps 10 percent. Thus 90 percent . . . display no overt behavioral stigmata."
Myth #7: Homosexuals spread AIDS
I'm not going to really address this issue, since I don't believe that AIDS is a virus. Go here for a lot more information on that.
Myth #8: Gays are not fit for military service
All the reasons why gays shouldn't serve in the military boil down to one flimsy excuse: All the prejudices that heterosexuals have against homosexuals would make the heterosexuals(!) unfit for combat. They argue, "Wouldn't you be uncomfortable with some gay guy trying to hit on you?"
What the military is really uncomfortable with is this: Men in the military go after women with zeal and fervor and then generally treat them like shit (think Navy boys on shore leave). What the military is afraid of is that gay men would treat heterosexual men the same way that hetero men treat women. If it every comes down to that, all I have to say is that they fucking deserve it.
Myth #9: Homosexuals can't control their sex drives
Right... When you consider how well homosexuals have controlled not just their sex drives, but also their conversations, innuendos, and attractions, you begin to see how rediculous this claim is. If a man can keep his sexuality a secret from family and friends, then I wouldn't worry too much about his sex drive.
Myth #10: God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve
Wow, isn't it great how clever people can make intolerance sound. God made everybody, gay and straight alike, so yes, he did make Adam and Steve.
Myth #11: There aren't enough gays to even worry about
The percentage of homosexuals in America is estimated at roughly 1 to 10 percent of the population. That figure doesn't seem to be very accurate-- if one percent of the population were gay, than roughly half of America's gay population would have shown up at the 1993 March in Washington D.C., which is highly unlikely.
But, it's not like the numbers are important... the Los Angeles Times had an article on April 25, 1993, which stated:
What does all this mean in regard to current debates about the place of homosexuals in American society? It means exactly nothing.
Whether homosexuals are 1% of the population or 10% or some figure in between, they are beyond any argument or cavil 100% entitled to the same protection under the law and the enjoyment of the same rights that everyone else is guaranteed. That specifically includes the right to be free from discrimination and intimidation in employment, housing and schooling. It means the right to be protected from hate-inspired physical assaults. It means the right to privacy as that right applies to everyone else.
It also means, President Bush, that creating a law so that America recognizes only marriages between a man and a woman is not only intolerant, but unAmerican and unConstitutional as well.
*Note:I did not include the myth: God is opposed to homosexuality, because it is a long discussion covering many areas in the Bible. If you're interested in hearing why I think God isn't opposed, or if you're interested in telling me why you think God is, go ahead an email me. The link is on the left.
