"Now I don't want to get off on a rant here, but...." -Dennis Miller
Like everybody, there are quite a few things in this world which just annoy the hell out of me. I try not to voice these opinions for various reasons. I never want to hurt anyone's feelings, I appear bitter when I do, etc. Unfortunately, unless I voice my frustrations, they don't go away. The solution I've come up with, is this Rant & Roar section of my website. Every so often, I plan to vent my frustration, go on a rant and just plain roar about a certain topic that annoys me. I mean absolutely no offense to anyone in particular. This section is not an excuse for me to attack anyone. It's just me letting off some steam.
You can also check out my previous rants.
You know, when I was younger, I honestly didn't believe that people would, for any reason, discriminate against others based on religion, place of birth, skin colour, or sexual orientation. I found the concept unimaginable. As I got older, I discovered much to my sadness, that these things DID exist. Today, I want to talk specifically about those who discriminate against homosexuals. A friend of mine is gay, and I was never able to understand how someone could consider him "wrong" or "immoral". The sad truth however, is that Homophobia isn't only existent, but also accepted as normal in many places. Of course, it soon became apparent that the vast majority of those who fear homosexuality are religious fundamentalists (usually Christian fundamentalists). It also became apparent that their "reasons" for viewing homosexuality as "wrong" are based completely on ignorance and stupidity. What I want to do now is look at the most common reasons given for viewing homosexuality as wrong. These are reasons that I've read or I've heard while debating with people.
"AIDS and other STDs started from homosexuality and bestiality."
Well, there's some truth to this statement... oh wait... NO THERE ISN'T!!! The above statement is complete and total bullshit. The kind of ignorance it takes to believe the above statement is amazing. Why don't people actually READ UP on this stuff before jumping to absurd conclusions that are not based in reality. Homosexuality isn't more or less responsible for sexually transmitted diseases than heterosexuality is. And, for the record, AIDS was NOT the result of bestiality! Someone was BITTEN by a monkey. They didn't have SEX with the monkey. I'm sure it's hard for some of these rednecks to tell the difference, but trust me, there IS a difference.
"I don't see how something that is supposed to be right can kill so many people (through AIDS and hundreds of other STDs)"
So, just because homosexuals are AFFECTED by STDs, it suddenly means they are the CAUSE of them? Well, AIDS and other STDs affect us heterosexuals too. So, I suppose you disapprove of heterosexuality for the same reason then. And, if you don't see how something that is supposed to be right can kill so many people, then you must also be against religion. After all, Christianity alone is responsible for MILLIONS of more deaths than homosexuality. So, that means if you hate homosexuals for this reason, then I guess you hate Christianity even more for the same reason.
"There is a reason why two men can't have children."
First, you are implying that the reason it's okay for heterosexuals to have sex is because they CAN have children. If you are not basing this on religious views, then the statement really becomes irrelevant. After all, homosexuals don't HAVE sex in order to have children. If you ARE basing this argument on religious views, then the argument becomes irrelevant as well. I mean, the argument is implying that homosexuals SHOULDN'T have sex because they CAN'T have children. That would then mean that heterosexuals SHOULD have sex because they CAN have children (after all, there is a REASON why a man and a woman can have children according to this argument, right?). The New Testament however denounces sexual impulses or ANY KIND. According to Christianity, it's far better to be celibate than it is to be married. So, religiously speaking, heterosexuality is just as "wrong" as homosexuality in this regard.
"I don't see it anywhere else in nature."
Then maybe you should actually try LOOKING. Homosexuality DOES exist in nature. It's not common, but it's there. And, you don't see heterosexual animals claiming the homosexual ones are "wrong" in nature either. Also, let's not forget the fact that religion is not found anywhere else in nature.
"It's people indulging in lustful sexual acts."
What does this have to do with homosexuality? Heterosexuals indulge in lustful sexual acts also. Now, you could argue that it's only okay for heterosexuals when they are married, but since the very people who would claim this are trying to strip homosexuals of their right to marriage, it's clearly THEIR fault that homosexuals are "indulging in lustful sexual acts". After all, you are denying them the one thing you insist they need to be moral.
"We shouldn't be put-off by the word "discriminate." After all, most of us would still agree that "discriminating tastes" in food or clothes are better than the opposite. So, some kinds of discrimination must be permissible. Perhaps, is it all right to discriminate among wines but never with people? But, this can't be right. For surely there are occasions when we must be allowed to discriminate against people on the basis of their behavior. What about people, for example, whose behavior toward the property of others is simply to take whatever they want?"
The above statement is someone's attempt to justify discriminating against homosexuals. This is quite the moronic argument. When we discriminate concerning food (or wine), we say "I don't like that type of food." We don't say "The food is morally wrong because I don't like it and therefore shouldn't exist anymore and shouldn't be eaten by anyone." When someone likes a kind of Pizza that others don't, we don't try to strip this person of all his human rights and consider him to be "unnatural" or "immoral". As for the subtle comparison between homosexuality and criminal acts, it doesn't apply at all because it leaves out an important concept: consent. Homosexuality is between two CONSENTING adults. That is what separates homosexuality from criminal acts. Let's stick with the example that the statement above uses. Assuming I want something that my friend has. I then ASK my friend "Hey, do you mind if I take that?" He says "Sure, go ahead! I don't need it anymore." I then take the piece of property. Is that stealing? Well apparently the person who wrote the statement above thinks so.
"A large minority of homosexuals are pedophiles. Therefore, homosexuality causes pedophilia."
This argument was actually made by the American Family Association. They wrote an article which claimed there was a link between homosexuality and pedophilia. Well, there are at least two undeniable reasons why this claim is total crap. First, they say a large MINORITY. Conveniently, they don't give any statistics. What exactly IS a large minority? 1%? 5%? Funny how they don't seem to give any actual numbers, don't you think? Secondly, a correlation is not the same thing as a connection. I mean, if you believe the above statement is true, then here's something else to think about. A LARGER minority of Christians are rapists. I guess that means Christianity causes rape. And hey, the VAST majority of rapes are caused by heterosexual males (and for those who are easily confused by big words, a MAJORITY is bigger than a MINORITY). Looks like Christianity and heterosexuality undeniably cause rape! It's a good thing I'm a JEWISH heterosexual or I guess I'd be out raping people now.
"It's written in the Bible"
This is really what it comes down to, isn't it? Leviticus 18:22 - "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination."
Well, you know what? The Bible also approves of slavery. I guess that means I can take any Christian fundamentalist I want and make him or her my slave for 7 years. Nothing morally wrong with THAT according to the Bible. It's also written in the Bible that any child who curses at his parents should be put to death. Exodus 20:17 - "And he that curseth his father, or his mother, shall surely be put to death." The fact is, much of the Bible is not followed because fundamentalists choose to follow only what they WANT to follow. The reasons they want homosexuals to have no rights is not because of their religion, it's because of their personal prejudice. They just use the Bible as a way of justifying their hate.
Look, homosexuality is just a different sexual preference. I don't know why some people are so scared of that! Some people like olives, some don't. Some people like Pizza, some don't. Some people like same sex partners, some don't. To actually take away a person's rights because of his or her sexual orientation is not only close-minded and stupid, it's downright evil.
I now want to address the claim that homosexuality is a moral choice. IT'S NOT! Homosexuals don't choose to be homosexual anymore than the rest of us choose to be heterosexual. You don't wake up and say "Gee, I think I'll be attracted to women today." It doesn't work that way. You don't choose your preferences. You don't choose which kinds of food you like and which ones you don't. Do you think a 3-year-old child who tries a piece of candy for the first time sits and goes "hmmm, I wonder if I should like this candy or not...."? The child doesn't weigh the possibilities and then decide to either like or dislike the candy! There is no conscious choice being made here.
It's way past time for people to become more tolerant and less ignorant. What two consenting adults choose to do in the privacy of their own home is their business and no one else's! This religious intrusion into the lives of others has got to stop. I've heard arguments that Christians should be allowed to persecute homosexuals because it is part of their religion to do so and by stopping them, we are infringing on their right to free religion. Well you know what? Too bad! If you were part of a religion that said you needed to go on a killing spree every two weeks, doesn't mean we should let you! And what if a homosexual believes that his/her religion (whatever it may be) is, in fact, tolerant of homosexuality and just interpreted wrong by others? Then by telling them they are "immoral", you are infringing on THEIR right to free religion.
Fortunately, as a society, we've started to grow up. We're realizing that just because some people are different, doesn't mean we should go around burning them at the stake. Hopefully, in time, people will understand that ALL people are to be treated equal, no matter what their religion, skin colour, place of birth or sexual orientation.
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