Tolerance and Acceptance Clarified
Dear Editor, In regards to Jon Cox’s article on acceptance and tolerance, no one is asking him, or anyone in general, to accept homosexuality. The only people on this entire planet who have the workable option to accept homosexuality are those people who have those types of feelings. This is because same-sex attraction comes from within someone and it has, is, and will be there for their whole lives. It is not an outside influence. People don’t become gay by watching Will & Grace nor does someone become gay by seeing two men or women holding hands at the mall. It just doesn’t happen that way. If it did, we could have legislated the causes away years ago. As it actually exists, homosexuality is a fascinatingly unique personality trait that finds no reasonable comparison in all the canonic classification of ‘sin’. It is not even remotely like alcoholism, as it is so frequently compared against. Nor is it selfish behavior, or at least no more selfish than straight behavior. Even as it has been considered sin in scripture is not a realistic understanding of it. So anyway, real acceptance by Mr. Cox is not even a reasonable request. However, tolerance of different people is a very reasonable request and is, in fact, what our country and the LDS religion espouse. Since homosexuality isn’t against the law in our secular country and Christ’s beatitudes, nor any prophet for that matter, has said that we mustn’t tolerate the differences in each other, Mr. Cox has no real reason to not tolerate homosexuals.Mr. Cox asks this question: Where is the line between tolerance and acceptance? So I answer: We accept who we personally are. We tolerate who others are.As to the many other concerns that he scattered through his article, maybe he needs to understand who gay people are on a personal level. It has been said many times, “With all thy getting, get thee understanding.” So if ANYONE wants to understand what some real gay people, specifically gay Mormons, feel about their lives, go to www.affirmation.org. It is clean, safe and very real. Understanding others is the easiest way to be able to tolerate others.
Shane WhiteStudent ID Number: 528-91-2092Home Phone: 563-2671E- Mail: shanewhite@cc.usu.edu