By now it鈥檚 pretty clear that, as Lady Gaga sings, we are 鈥楤orn This Way鈥�. The evidence is more than strong enough to declare the argument won.
We are part of the normal mammalian sexuality spectrum, not the result of something that 鈥榞oes wrong鈥�. If it were, we would have been bred out long ago.
That leaves those still clinging to the delusion that sexuality is a 鈥榗hoice鈥� with nowhere to go. Attempts to change sexual orientation permanently have always failed, often tragically, causing severe anxiety, depression, drug and alcohol abuse, self-harm and suicide.
Yet the more the evidence piles up, the more savagely our cornered opponents fight the truth. They cling to the lie of 鈥榗hoice鈥� to justify their discrimination.
Wayne Besen, of 鈥楾ruth Wins Out鈥�, says they are 鈥渇ighting back tooth and nail, getting more shrill, getting angrier, and they will not give up鈥�.
And like cigarette manufacturers who find it increasingly difficult to sell their toxic products in Western markets, they export their anti-gay cause to less sophisticated places like Eastern Europe and Africa. Their greatest success to date has been in Uganda, where the enactment of the death penalty for homosexuality has only been postponed after a huge global effort.
Besen says, 鈥淭heir whole goal is to create a situation where there are anti-gay countries all around the world surrounding the United States and Western Europe.鈥�
This battle is now being fought in Australian schools.
Evangelical Anglicans like Access Ministries, under the twin covers of chaplaincy and 鈥楥hristian Religious Instruction鈥� (not, you will note, education), are being given taxpayers鈥� money to damage our children.
They teach them that same-sex attraction is 鈥榥ot part of God鈥檚 plan鈥�. Some are no doubt kindly, sincere and well-meaning individuals. Some teach them that homosexuality leads to an eternity in hell. Some say they must be possessed by demons.
Let it be said plainly 鈥� to teach children that diverse genders, sexualities and attractions are anything other than normal, natural and to be celebrated, is child abuse.
Their 鈥榬eligious鈥� teaching is nothing more than sanctified ignorance and prejudice. It legitimises bullying and feeds low self-esteem, depression and self-harm. Sometime, it kills.
And you and I are paying them to do this, through our taxes.
And then we pay again to deal with the epidemic of entirely avoidable mental ill-health. While we mourn those who did not survive the onslaught and are no longer around to be rescued.
Evangelical Christians are not alone in this. Catholics, Orthodox Jews, strict Muslims, and, I have no doubt, other snake-oil peddlers such as Mormons and Scientologists, are guilty too. It is time to stop subsidising these dangerously deluded people and get them away from the children.
No Arthur. Religious fundamentalists who belong to any anti gay campaign are inciting hatred and discrimination by expressing such views. They rely on one’s right to freedom of speech to get away with it. Most gays and lesbians wishing to express a ‘gay agenda’ are usually only asking for acceptance and equality – not fueling hatred and prejudice.
There is a difference. I agree Doug !
“… and, I have no doubt, other snake-oil peddlers such as Mormons and Scientologists, are guilty too. It is time to stop subsidising these dangerously deluded people and get them away from the children.”
As soon as you start down the path to discriminate against people’s beliefs and enact laws to prohibit them, it is not too much further down the same path that those same laws (or variations of them) will be turned against other minorities including racial groups and the gay community.
There are better ways to stand up for one’s rights and protect the rights of children–attacking the beliefs of others isn’t one of them. A religious person’s freedom to speak and act is the same freedom as a gay person’s. You cannot stop one without stopping the other. Think about it.