Posted by Irritated Again on 10/18/2004, 10:51 pm, in reply to "Re: Protest Against Homophobia Results!!!" "The most recent case" was in fact about hate and homophobia, huh? I beg to differ. This is EXACTLY what I'm talking about. If someone disagrees with you, it's automatically hatred. I do not know the mindset of the Christian Principles group, but the IDEA that they were promoting was not hateful or homophobic. You might find the idea that someone can change their sexuality "sickening," but that doesn't mean that there is hate behind that concept. The argument that there is a gay gene is extremely debateable. You use the argument as though it is fact. It might be fact, but it might also be fiction. There are numerous cases of homosexuals who were able to change their behavior and found themselves happier in a heterosexual lifestyle. That doesn't mean that all gays who try to change will be happier. Quite the contrary, they might be miserable. However, judging from the documented cases of those who have changed for the better, the idea that gay people can change their sexual preference is not based on hate; it is based on documented evidence. Also, your definition of homophobia is incorrect. Homophobia is actually when one fears that he or she is homosexual. A good example is Kevin Spacey's next-door neighbor in the movie "American Beauty." He constantly refers to gay people as faggots and expresses how disgusting he finds them, but in the end, we discover that he is in fact a closet homosexual. In response to your comments on racial oppression, yes, much of the discrimination they suffered through was based on hate. Much of the oppression of the gay community is also based on hatred. My problem with gay people is that almost any time someone disagrees with them, they automatically jump to the conclusion that the "opposing force" hates their guts when it is just not so. I'd like to reiterate that I don't know how the Christian Principles group presented their case. Their presentation of the idea may have seemed hateful (I doubt that, though), and if it was, then I respect your proactive response to the event. However, if your cries of hate and homophobia were simply reactions to the idea that homosexual behavior can change, I have only contempt for your protests. Responses such as "Gay by nature, proud by choice" (I saw that one) would have been appropriate, as would your own presentation explaining why homosexual behavior CAN'T be changed. But "Stop the hate"? Please. I believe homosexuality is wrong, but I have better things to waste my mental energy on than hating you, and besides that, I have no desire to hate you. The whole point of my argument is NOT to offend you, put you on the defensive, or to insult you. It is simply to point out that you are quite flippant in your usage of the term "hate." You apply it to certain situations and in certain contexts where hate is not even a factor.
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Ah, but there IS a "homosexual lifestyle." Yes, you are from all different walks of life. Yes, you all have different careers, viewpoints, ideas, hopes, dreams, etc. But you all participate in a common lifestyle: you have sexual relationships with members of the same gender. That is absolutely a type of lifestyle related to sexual preference. It is possible to participate in more than one lifestyle (there are sexual lifestyles, religious lifestyles, etc.), so your argument that there is no such thing is flawed.
