KarMel Scholarship 2005
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“The Separate But Equal Sex” By
Matthew Todd |
Desciption of Submission: “An argumentative essay defending
homosexuality as being natural.” - Matthew
Homosexuals are humans
too! A person’s sexuality does not in
any way define the actual person and does not determine whether the person
deserves acceptance or not. Just because
someone has certain urges and certain desires towards the same sex, does not
mean they are wrong for feeling that way.
Also, one has to consider other possibilities. For example, did the persecuting of
homosexuals start since the beginning of man, or has it developed over the
years through organized religions’ prejudice?
About eleven years ago,
a report by molecular genetic researcher Dean Hamer and his colleagues were
beginning to show that the X chromosome inclines a boy to become either
heterosexual or homosexual (LeVay).
Hamer was seen as a threat to sexual genetic research. Many are obligated to think homosexuality is
strictly a person’s choice; Hamer was out to try to prove people were actually
born that way. Neurobiologist Simon
LeVay is also out to prove being homosexual is an inborn quality.
Although neurologists
are trying to prove homosexuality is a natural part of the human sexuality and
although neurologists are willing to help gays and lesbians gain more societal
acceptance, there are still people like Professor Guy Albrick, head of the
Department of Molecular Neurology at the fundamentalist college Levitican
University, trying to prove Hamer and LeVay’s ideas of homosexuality
wrong. He’s devised a radically new
technique to help male students who are troubled by homosexual urges
(LeVay). In an experiment he was able to
graft genetically engineered nerve cells into his students’ hypothalamus region
to help generate attraction for the opposite sex (LeVay). Albrick has even been able to go as far as
turning these cells into a vaccination he secretly injected into some of the
cadets at the school’s officer-training corps.
Amazingly enough this experiment worked!
Unfortunately there were some serious side effects to this vaccination,
which caused Albrick’s guinea pigs to suffer from anger and aggression
problems. All of these men have been
arrested for rape, gay bashing, and other violent crimes relating to this
so-called “medicine.”
Many people to this day
consider the possibilities of homosexuality being genetic. Psychiatric professor Richard Pillard of the
Boston University of Medicine conducted a survey to
random individuals about their family’s sexual history. Of the heterosexual males, 4% had brothers
who were predominantly homosexual, which was assuring to the Boston University
team considering 4% is the national average for men with a lifelong history of
same-sex attraction (Pillard). According
to the homosexual male study, 20% has as many gay brothers as the average
straight man (Pillard). These numbers
were almost practically the same for lesbians and their siblings as opposed to
the heterosexual female, except the numbers were not as high.
Pillard was also able
to conduct a “twin” study, both identical and fraternal. About 50 to 70% of identical twins will be
concordant, while 20% was the result of fraternal. Pillard also mentions the rarities of a pair
of gay twins being separated at birth and raised in completely different
environments and both end up being gay, which is oddly higher for men as
opposed to women. These studies though
are not hard proof but do imply greatly the genetic influence of homosexuality.
Homosexuality has
always been a condemnation to Christians.
Many of the narrow-minded holy men and women used the story of
It seems very obvious
now that many blinkered Christians and religious figures were willing to claim
that the bible referred to the condemning of gays. As in Leviticus 18:22, “You shall not lie
with a male as with a woman; such a thing is an abomination.” Scholars of the Hebrew word translated the
Bible and the word to presage homosexuality was “shakhabh,” and while many of
the mainstream religious groups are willing to quote this line from Leviticus,
“to’ebah” to the Hebrews is the word for abomination, which is reserved to
condemn idolatry, not sexual acts (Simpson).
Throughout the ages,
many people were willing to twist The Word and cloud the real ideals and
concepts behind it. One must also think,
what are the real translations and when did society really start “hating”
homosexuals? In the New American Bible,
“arsenokoitai” means “practicing homosexuals.”
In the 1st century text, to be homosexual is not a sin…even a
“practicing” one. The Greek word
“malakoi” was translated through the times to mean “catamites,” “the
effeminate,” and “male prostitutes,” until the 20th century when
Roman Catholics said it meant “masturbators.”
Then in Romans 1:26-27, God give up men and women to disgraceful
passions and acts of reprisal for idolatry and failure to recognize Him,
meaning we have casual connections to these sexual acts, which is later,
condemned anyway (Simpson)! Huh?
Despite all the
prejudicial behavior towards homosexuals, it has become more apparent as times
change; homosexuality is an issue that has become more accepting. Using the National Opinion Research Center
General Social Surveys (GSS), researchers examined and analyzed data from 1973
to 1977, and Norval D. Glenn and Charles N. Weaver found small but significant
increase in more positive attitudes regarding its morality (Loftus). Robert C. Smith, though, reported a decline
from 1973 to 1991 due to the restriction of homosexuals’ civil liberties, and
found an increase of Americans believing homosexuality is always wrong. Alan S. Yang used data from 1973 to 1996 and
found that the morality of homosexuality remained steady until the 90s, and
liberalized from that point on (Loftus).
Studies also continue
to show that older groups, the less educated, African-Americans, males, people
in the South and Midwest, small communities, and, of course, religious fundamentalists are a lot more negative towards
homosexuality. Studies then showed
younger, more educated people, Caucasians, residents of the big cities and big
city suburbs,
Homosexuals are willing
to consider themselves a minority group because they
are a small group who is forced to face much discrimination. Although they have made valid arguments, the
church believes they are too hyper-sexualized and deviant to be accepted as
minorities. Consider also that in the
late 1940s to early 1950s, after World War II, many Caucasians were becoming
more accepting of African-Americans, yet to this day there are still people out
prejudice towards them and do not see them as equals, plus portraying them with
blatantly offensive stereotypes (Loftus).
In this case, may the heterosexuals sit at the front of the bus, while
the homosexuals go to the back!
Homosexuals should not
be deviated whatsoever just because they feel they are who they are. Who are heterosexuals and religious
conservative groups to judge? In Genesis
1:26-27, God says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” It is a very agreeable concept that God would
not allow his children to “choose” a lifestyle that is frowned upon, and then
be victimized by the constant insults, brutality, and bias homosexuals are
forced to face throughout their lifetimes (Simpson). It is also ridiculous to think just because
someone feels love, compassion, and romance of the same sex makes them
perverted demons, plus that those feelings are only limited to heterosexuals.
According to the
American Psychological Association, questions have been asked about
homosexuality and the “choice” vs. the “natural.” Human beings can not choose to be either gay
or straight. Sexual orientation emerges
for most people in early adolescence without any prior sexual experience
(APA). Too many psychologists do not
consider sexuality a conscious choice whatsoever, and for it to be voluntarily
changed is something that would be next to impossible. Unfortunately many out there are willing to
jump to the conclusions to the whole choice and mental disease bit, and have an
unwillingness to even take to consideration that homosexuals “cannot” choose a
lifestyle condemned by much of the conservative, religious, and in general the
homophobic society.
Through the times,
society has been overtaken by the limited religious points of views and
prejudices altogether if it were to even be questioned then they would
basically be reviled just because they did not feel and think like everyone
else. Many homosexuals have been
misjudged, mistreated, and even murdered because they were who they were and it
is wrong for anyone to think that just because someone has feelings of love and
compassion for someone of the same sex is disgusting and mentally deformed,
they may God judge them in the end.
Throughout history, not only homosexuals
were considered sinful, but the same with Jews, blacks, Hispanics, Asians, the
mentally retarded, and etcetera. People
are made fun of for being short, fat, skinny, too tall, too smart, too dumb,
and etcetera. For the most part, it is a
sad fact that it does not matter who you are, people will always find a reason
to feel disdain towards you. As far as
homosexuals are concerned, they are human beings like anyone else, and if
anyone feels otherwise, then those are people that deserve the most pity.
Ambrose, Tom. "Destroying Our Way of Life."
www.WorldNetDaily.com,
Baird, M. Katherine and Robert M. Baird, eds. Homosexuality: Debating the Issues.
Calverly, Steve and Robert Goetze. “A
Biological Basis for Homosexuality Has Not Been Proven.” Web article at http://www.execulink.com.
DeMarco, Donald. "Homosexual Love Is Not True Love." Marriage and Divorce. Tamara Greenhaven Press, 1997.
DeMarco, Donald. "Testing Love's Impulse."
Family, June 1993. Thomson Gale.
Greenhut, Steven. "Criticism of Homosexuality Is Not Wrong." Subject. "Criticism of the Gay Agenda Is Not a Hate
Crime."
Kennedy, D. James. "The Bible Condemns Homosexuality"
Subject. "Leading Voices Under Attack." Moody,
March/April 1996. Moody Magazine 1996.
LeVay, Simon. “The Queer Gene
Unleashed.” The Mail and Guardian,
December 1996. The
Mail and Guardian 1996.
Loftus, Jeni. “Americans Have
Become More Accepting of Homosexuality.”
Subject.
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Pillard, Richard. “The Causes of
Homosexuality Are Probably Genetic.” Subject. “The Genetic Theory of Sexual Orientation.” The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review. Winter 1997. The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review 1997.
Simpson, Bruce J. “Christians Should Accept Homosexuality.” Subject. “A Newer Testament: Resurrecting the Truth About Christianity.” Genre. June 1999. Genre 1999.
Is Sexual Orientation A Choice. Subject. Answers to Your Questions About
Homosexuality. Retrieved
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