COLUMN: Gay rights affect all people
Well, here it is: the obligatory gay rights article. You knew it was coming sooner or later. This is, after all, a liberal opinion column.
But in all seriousness, this is an important topic and one that merits discussion. LGBT issues are personal for me, but that’s not why I’m writing this article. The fact is that LGBT issues affect us all.
Chances are you know and love someone who is gay, bisexual or transgender. Roughly five percent of the world’s population is homosexual and millions of people are transgender. These people are our friends, family, classmates and coworkers.
It is incumbent on us, then, that we all understand homosexuality and care about the issues that confront the LGBT community.
Homosexuality has been documenteds and tolerated in many societies throughout history. In ancient Greece, it was believed that a male-male relationship was conducive to the fulfillment of the soul and maturation of the intellect. Many of these relationships were pederastic, but certainly not all. Alexander the Great, for example, had adult male partners.
Same-sex love was celebrated in Chinese arts, and some scholars claim that almost every emperor in the Han Dynasty had male lovers. Homosexual relationships were also commonplace, respected even, among the warrior class in Japan.
And various cultures have long recognized a third gender. In South Asia, The Hijra are a caste of transgender people who live a feminine role. They may be born male or hermaphrodite, but they are regarded as being neither male nor female.
In nature, too, homosexuality exists. Homosexual behavior has been observed in hundreds of species, including: antelopes, boars, bulls, chimpanzees, cows, ducks, cats, dogs, fruit flies, geese, gorillas, monkeys, horses, rams and sheep. In fact, nearly 1 in 10 sheep exhibit an exclusive attraction to the same-sex.
So it can fairly be said that homosexuality is not some perverse aberration of modern society. It has existed both in nature and throughout our history. But is homosexuality a choice? The scientific evidence is clear and compelling: the answer is no.
Twin studies have found that if one twin is gay, then the other is significantly more likely to be gay also. This fact holds true even when the twins are separated at birth and raised by different families in different cultures. Other studies have found that the more older brothers a man has, the more likely he is to be gay. So it is apparent that genetics is a major determinant in homosexual orientation.
All this is not to say that biology is the only factor. Psychological and environmental variables may contribute to homosexuality as well. To a large extent, though, our psychology and environment are beyond our control, so homosexuality would still not be a “choice.”
It’s not as if straight people wake up one day and proclaim, “Hey, I want to be a heterosexual.” Likewise, gay people do not choose their orientation. And really, who (save sadists) would choose to be homosexual and subject themselves to the stigma and discrimination associated with it?
Some religious groups counsel their homosexual and bisexual members to seek counseling to “correct” their orientation. In 1995, Jayce Cox was referred to BYU by his bishop to undergo electro-shock therapy. Electrodes were attached to his hands, arms, torso and genitals. The counselor would then administer a mild electric shock in conjunction with slides or video of gay pornography. This, as you can imagine, was a profoundly painful experience – both physically and emotionally. Similar stories are shared by thousands.
The American Psychological Associated has expressed serious concerns about so-called “conversion therapies,” especially those that employ aversive techniques like electro-shock therapy. “The reality is that homosexuality is not an illness,” the APA reported. “It does not require treatment and is not changeable.”
In light of the evidence that sexual orientation is largely fixed, the LDS Church now concedes that they do not know the cause of homosexuality and that many members will not be able to overcome their same-sex attractions. And just last week, LDS officials agreed to meet with Affirmation, a support group for gay Mormons, to discuss the church’s policies and attitudes toward gays. These are promising developments; hopefully other religious groups will follow suite.
We are also witnessing progress more generally. According to a recent Gallup poll, Americans are more progressive on homosexuality today than ever before. Nearly half of the respondents (46 percent) support same-sex marriages. Still, this support is tepid and misconceptions about and prejudice toward homosexuals abound.
Case in point: on Feb. 12 of this year, 15-year-old Lawrence King was shot dead by fellow student Brandon McInerny. Lawrence, an openly gay student, had asked Brandon if he would be his valentine. That was Lawrence’s only offense. And the following day he was murdered for it.
I am not merely asking for tolerance. No, I’m asking for acceptance and understanding. Because fundamentally, this isn’t about homosexuals, bisexuals or transgender people. It’s about human beings. It’s about affording everyone the dignity they deserve – in marriage, in employment, etc. And until we recognize that, we have a long way to go before the constitutional promises of equality and justice are actualized.