About Homosexuality

[Perspective]

Two dear friends have died because of AIDS. One is sick now.
I have other friends and family with homosexual preferences, playing the field, who I worry about.

The tendency, as in this thread, is to only give one perspective - that of supporting homosexuality, without seeing the possible, and statistically - probable, harm & pain homosexual practices cause.
I think it's important to see as many perspectives of an issue as possible, to make the best, most healthy decisions.
So, I gave another perspective - take it or leave it. I posted it in hoping to help others make informed decisions, because I care & don't want to see more unnecessary pain, suffering & death.

[psychoslice]

The dangers of heterosexual is the over running of the planet, thousands of children starving to death, this out weighs the above statement, Medical Dangers of Homosexuality.

Being homosexual is not a decision. I wouldn't be saying this with such conviction if I hadn't seen mountains of convincing evidence for that, compared to the unsound and debunked stuff that tries to be against that. Suggesting that this perspective is harmful deception while citing just one part of a study out of context (a study that in the end found that sexual orientation did not change), and citing statistics as if correlation equals causation (when homosexual orientation in itself does not cause stds and all sound evidence says it cannot be changed), and the battle in the APA that happened almost 40 years ago (there was a very different environment then, now the APA is more thoroughly in agreement that homosexuality is not an illness and trying to change orientation can be harmful)... well... that does not appear to be an attempt to see many perspectives.

I was already aware of STDs, which is one part of the reason why I feel strongly about this and why I made the effort to research all these things to find out what would more successfully make a positive difference for homosexuals and what would do harm instead. After looking into the available reliable information about honest long-term studies and their follow ups, the follow ups of people who used to claim they changed but then realize they didn't after all, and the suffering a person goes through when they try to change their orientation - which leads to more lowered self-esteem and an even more increased chance of depression and suicide compared to homosexuals who don't try to change their orientation, an increased chance of living a double life (living a lie by marrying and then having a same-sex lover on the side)... the evidence is pretty overwhelming that trying to change orientation is not the answer. What they can benefit from is accepting themselves as homosexuals and accepting that their orientation is not wrong and not a choice and learning to be safe as homosexuals.

It is not a question of supporting or opposing homosexuality. Homosexuality is their orientation whether they accept themselves and other people accept them or not. They are capable of deciding to practice safer sex. That would help them to be safer. Trying to change their orientation won't. So from the perspective of someone who has felt that kind of suffering and researched many sides of all of this issue.. if you want homosexuals to be safer and happier, their best chance of that is to accept themselves for who they are and learn how to be safer as homosexuals. That can help. Finding out what can actually help, and what will do more harm instead... that can help. But just saying homosexuality is harmful and sticking with just that without looking into what would actually help... not so much.

I'm beginning to feel like I probably care way too much.... I found out years ago that saying these things very rarely makes a difference to anyone other than people who already basically agree but I say them anyway... Ah well.. may those who will feel comforted by it find comfort.

God said the greatest of all these.. is LOVE. Don't ever ever EVER cofusse that with hate.. okay people... uhhh-hmmmmnnn Exodus Int'l! Love draws others.. even if you don't agree with their choices. Tough love to some may still be love, but you need to know when to draw the line...b/c LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE IS LOVE!!!

[Silver]

Originally Posted by Time

ITs funny how homosexuality is a "problem", only because we make it one.

IF everyone just let them be, and not worry about what someone else is doing, it wouldbe a problem at all. ITs liek 9 11. Funny how there were very few andfar between terrorist attacks before 9 11. Then after when the US entered Iraq, all of a sudden theres all these bomb threats, and detonations, almost every week since. More talk of terrorist, and the like after then EVER before. Im not saying something shouldnt have been done about it, but the fact we make such a HUGE deal, is the fact were still picking up the pieces now.

The same can even be said about religion in the states. Thers protests and all the like just becasue someone tells someone else tha their beliefs are wrong. So it escalades into " burn a koran day", and protesting a little girls funeral...... If we just let people live their own lives, half of the problems were faces with wont even happen.

I totally agree with you too. I mean, I've read this thread and then there's another thread regarding the matter and I've come away from them with a more tolerant attitude, for one, but feel some of the opinions I had remained valid and I have my own personal experiences obviously, with straights and gays. The bottom line is, we are all human beings. We all get diseases, we all can either lie cheat & steal or be little angels, lol. Being religiously correct is neither here nor there.

[Chrysaetos]

Originally Posted by Perspective

Deception, & especially consistently denying deception is the root of evil. Truth and acknowledging both our divinity & imperfection is the root of goodness.

All of these terms you use here are religious: making a distinction between 'good' and 'evil'; divinity and imperfection.

Perspective, why do you need to use these terms if it's ''Just a matter of anatomy, and not religion'' to you?

"I totally agree with you too. I mean, I've read this thread and then there's another thread regarding the matter and I've come away from them with a more tolerant attitude, for one, but feel some of the opinions I had remained valid and I have my own personal experiences obviously, with straights and gays. The bottom line is, we are all human beings. We all get diseases, we all can either lie cheat & steal or be little angels, lol. Being religiously correct is neither here nor there."


Thanks SG. I liken it to people who do martial arts, or even some extreme sports. They know its dangerous, they know they mabey should or should do it, and yes some of them die, but that wouldnt let me stop them from doing it, its their choice.

Perspective - Im sorry to hear about your friends. Dispite everything it hurts to loose friends, no matter the cause :(

I can understand how you feel about it then a bit more. But you have to understand, statistics can be tricky. In order for it to actualy be dengerous to be gay, is to assume all gays have unprotected sex, and have wild sex parties and share partners etc....

THis is why i find the stats you have posted a bit off.

Your are using a study, that was only for a small number of american cities, and you are using those stats to reflect on not jsut your country, all of them.

This doesnt always work becasue of stats like:

40% of amaricans dont believe in evolution while, 60% of canadians belive in it, and the rest have a number of opinions.... while the states is over 70% christian.

We are side by side, and yet, the stats DONT add up. NOw compare this to the rest of the world...... and its gets MORE scewed.

Generaly speaking, gays are slightly more suceptable to SOME stds. But saying its a health risk/dangerous to be gay, is really assuming MANY things. Its assumign all gays around the world are the same, its assuming all gays practice anal sex, its assuming all gays practice unprotected sex.......

Originally Posted by arive nan

Being homosexual is not a decision. I wouldn't be saying this with such conviction if I hadn't seen mountains of convincing evidence for that, compared to the unsound and debunked stuff that tries to be against that. Suggesting that this perspective is harmful deception while citing just one part of a study out of context (a study that in the end found that sexual orientation did not change), and citing statistics as if correlation equals causation (when homosexual orientation in itself does not cause stds and all sound evidence says it cannot be changed), and the battle in the APA that happened almost 40 years ago (there was a very different environment then, now the APA is more thoroughly in agreement that homosexuality is not an illness and trying to change orientation can be harmful)... well... that does not appear to be an attempt to see many perspectives.

I was already aware of STDs, which is one part of the reason why I feel strongly about this and why I made the effort to research all these things to find out what would more successfully make a positive difference for homosexuals and what would do harm instead. After looking into the available reliable information about honest long-term studies and their follow ups, the follow ups of people who used to claim they changed but then realize they didn't after all, and the suffering a person goes through when they try to change their orientation - which leads to more lowered self-esteem and an even more increased chance of depression and suicide compared to homosexuals who don't try to change their orientation, an increased chance of living a double life (living a lie by marrying and then having a same-sex lover on the side)... the evidence is pretty overwhelming that trying to change orientation is not the answer. What they can benefit from is accepting themselves as homosexuals and accepting that their orientation is not wrong and not a choice and learning to be safe as homosexuals.

It is not a question of supporting or opposing homosexuality. Homosexuality is their orientation whether they accept themselves and other people accept them or not. They are capable of deciding to practice safer sex. That would help them to be safer. Trying to change their orientation won't. So from the perspective of someone who has felt that kind of suffering and researched many sides of all of this issue.. if you want homosexuals to be safer and happier, their best chance of that is to accept themselves for who they are and learn how to be safer as homosexuals. That can help. Finding out what can actually help, and what will do more harm instead... that can help. But just saying homosexuality is harmful and sticking with just that without looking into what would actually help... not so much.

I'm beginning to feel like I probably care way too much.... I found out years ago that saying these things very rarely makes a difference to anyone other than people who already basically agree but I say them anyway... Ah well.. may those who will feel comforted by it find comfort.

Hear the sound of two hands clapping !!

In an interesting synchronicity, one of my facebook friends just posted a link to this site that catalogs a few incidents where research related to sexuality has been intentionally distorted. Dr. Lisa Diamond herself had a few things to say about the way people have been misusing her research, and about the harm of ex-gay ministries.

http://respectmyresearch.org/article...2%80%99-study/
http://respectmyresearch.org/scienti...-lisa-diamond/

"My hope is that readers and thinkers in general will take a look at the sorts of work that's presented on NARTH and say 'well, maybe I better look at that work myself before I take at face value what they are telling me that it says.'"

I think I just found a new hero.

I never understood why religious groups condem homosexuality as being a sin, rather than something normal. Are they not aware of all the different species of animals that scientists have recorded exhibiting homosexual behavior?