Somebody made a statement today that showed me the prevalence in flawed thinking in the general population. Flawed thinking and ignorance - and what a potent pair they make indeed. People who probably do not even know one person who falls within the GLBTI spectrum, nor knows anything about them beyond the standard rhetoric in circulation out there telling people how "wrong" it is to be gay or that it is some kind of "sinful lifestyle choice" are advocating anti-gay measures and even taking an anti-GLBT stance in politics, ostensibly in the interests of what they call "morality".
What did they say? Well, here it is, folks:
"There is certainly a logical link between homosexuality, incest and beastiality and other deviant behaviour".
Huh?
While that may seem like a silly question, it is meant genuinely. The source of the "facts" provided this person may indeed indicate the motives behind the act of supplying them. Was it to disseminate truth? To impart wisdom? Or was it to achieve less noble goals?
Let's try to answer these questions by looking at the facts at hand:
Firstly, a persons sexual orientation or gender identity does no harm to the person him or herself - or to those around them.
Secondly, a person's sexual orientation or gender identity is natural, inborn and immutable (cannot be changed). This can be borne out by the countless examples of homosexuality in animals, as well as the heart-rending testimony of those people who survived (obviously unsuccessful) attempts by so-called 'ex-gay' ministries to turn them heterosexual.
Thirdly, bestiality is a subject on its own which refers to sex acts between different species of animal. One can argue that heterosexual people being, more numerous than GLBTI people, would be more prone to such temptation than gay folk.
Fourthly, pedophilia on the other hand is asexual. It is not necessarily same or opposite sex based. Pedophilia refers to sex acts between adults and young children, most typically without consent of the minor in question. This is undoubtedly harmful - but once again MOST DEFINITELY NOT a typical GLBT trait.
A few short years ago a study on pedophilia revealed some interesting facts: It turns out that most pedophiles are heterosexual males, followed by heterosexual females - and only then by homosexual males and last but not least, homosexual females. So once and for all, their claims in this regard are unfounded, based on misinformation and ignorance.
Oh and lastly - "incest" ? Come on, man - incest is between siblings - most typically of opposite genders. Incest by the way is illegal because of the dangers posed by inbreeding and the effect this could have on the gene pool - not merely for "moral reasons" - in fact, many kings and queens as far back as ancient Egypt married their siblings to continue their royal lines "of pure blood".
There is a trend among conservative groups to use information and "statistical" material produced by a certain Dr Paul Cameron - who is a foremost self-proclaimed American "expert" on homosexuality - and who has been barred from practicing psychology because of his continued use of false statistics and completely unscientific methods in producing the material he supplies to the religious right groups around the world. Among his assertions are the following: gay men are more likely to suffer from anal infections, gay men live shorter lives, gays are more prone to suicide, gay men are unhygienic, you can "become " gay through careless contact with gay people (especially as a child), homosexuality is a result of poor upbringing, gay people can become 'straight', AIDS is a "gay disease" (despite the fact that most AIDS victims are heterosexual and female) - and the list goes on. In fact this man hates gay people so much that back when the AIDS epidemic began in 1984, he was called in by President Reagan as an advisor - who recommended (based upon his own flawed research and self-proclaimed status as an "expert" on homosexuality) to the US Senate the extermination of the US GLBT population as a means of eliminating the problem. Very scientific, very logical indeed.
I think education grounded and based in truth and fact is the way forward - listening to old recycled rubbish which keeps doing the rounds is useless and destructive. Get educated.
And yet, when face with evidence to blow holes in their flimsy pseudo science big enough for a gay elephant to mince through, they still come up with pearls of ignorance like:
"There is certainly a logical link between homosexuality, incest and bestiality and other deviant behaviour".
I fail to see how any of these things - WHICH ARE CLEARLY UNRELATED to homosexuality in any way shape or form - define homosexuality as a "threat" to "morality" or the so-called "family" or "civilization".
In short, these people who follow this line of thinking and call it "moral" should be asking themselves how "moral" it is to continue allowing hatred and incitement to it, based on immoral pursuits and assertions and attacks upon the equality, freedoms and dignity and human rights of others?
I think somebody's logic module is due back at the lab to get a few bolts tightened.
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All material copyright © Christina Engela, 2019.
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