LETTER: Egotism is the enemy
Editor,
I’ve watched the homosexuality debate. Recently, one title read, “Gays are not the Enemy.” I agree. There is something deeper. Simply put, the enemy is human selfishness.
In society, there is an alarming amount of infidelity among heterosexuals and homosexuals. Too many care about money, sex or self-fulfillment more than their responsibilities to other people. Classically, the institution of marriage had two parts: It determined sexual relationships, but more importantly, it required long-term responsibility for children.
This is why I cannot support institutionalized homosexual marriage. Among homosexual men in particular, casual sex, rather than committed relationships, is the rule and not the exception. And even when they do enter into a more committed relationship, it is usually of relatively short duration. For example, a study of homosexual men in the Netherlands (the first country in the world to legalize marriage for same-sex couples), published in the journal AIDS in 2003, found that the average length of “steady partnerships” was not more than 2 years.
“In addition, studies have shown that even homosexual men who are in ‘committed’ relationships are not sexually faithful to each other. The 1994 National Health and Social Life Survey … found that 75 percent of married men and 90 percent of married women had been sexually faithful … A major study of homosexual men in ‘committed’ relationships found that only seven out of 156 had been sexually faithful, or 4.5 percent. The Dutch study cited above found that even homosexual men in ‘steady partnerships’ had an average of eight ‘casual’ sex partners per year.” (Family Research Council, Oct. 13, 2003)
If same-sex relationships are legally recognized as marriage, the idea of marriage as a sexually exclusive and faithful relationship will be dealt a serious blow. This is why other subversive practices, like polygamy, are roundly disapproved by society: They deceptively claim to fulfill the basic human needs met by committed family love.
It’s time for society to learn to put families and our future first.
Brian K. Anderson