When did being a homosexual actually begin to mean that you are a horrible person? I think that it doesn't make sense to hate a person because of their sexual orientation. I have found that I am one of the few straight males that I know who is so against anti-homosexual sentiment. I never really understood the mentality. Do they think that they are going to be seduced by every gay man out there? If so, let's sit down and talk about narcissism. You don't get hit on by every girl you come in contact with either, do you?
Being gay does not mean you are wrong, not in the slightest sense of the word. Unfortunately, many Americans today view homosexuality as a very bad thing. I have never had to confess my sexuality to anyone, so I am not going to say, "I know what it's like", because quite frankly I don't. It has always bothered me though that anyone's sexuality affects the judgement another person makes about them.
The thing that bothers me the most, though, has to be the use of "gay" as a derrogatory word. "That's gay" is a favorite at my rural high school and many times it makes me feel like telling them off. The problem is that people cannot tell others off because of the lack of courage. I myself have been in this situation and haven't said a word because fear of public opinion. That is a flaw I wish I didn't have because it is important to me to express what you feel.
Courage enough to say what you believe in is needed greatly in society. More people need to stand up for this. Judgement without any true basis is unnecessary and needs to be eradicated from the public's opinion. So please, don't be another person like that and support gay rights, they are just like you are.
nholl52691
Many, many years ago.
The Book of Leviticus in the Old Testament was written well before the birth of Christ. and that was a long time ago It was very clear that homosexuality was wrong. My guess is that it merely codified cultural practices that were considered common long before they were adopted by the Jews. A lot of the laws in Leviticus have to do with health such as not eating pork. I suspect that these societies realized that sodemy was profoundly unhealthy.
But homosexual behavior has not been wrong in every culture. It was pretty acceptable in ancient Rome I think. I also think that a lot of Asian cultures were pretty accepting of it. They also were (and are) pretty accepting of what we consider to be pedeophillia too.
I'm quite a lot older than you and I remember when the word gay was not even a word that was associated with homosexuality. It actually had a meaning that had to do with happiness and joy. It did not become an insult until it was co-opted and given a new meaning. I lived in Australia for a year and they must have at least 500 insulting words for homosexuals. I think it is a backlash against and rejection of their own early history where a lot of them were transported Brittish convicts who called each other "mates".
no, being gay doesn't mean you're a bad person. But being gay can be interpreted for being "wrong", and its been viewed that way for... a VERY LONG TIME.
I am a christian, and I would never say that homosexuality is natural or what not. I believe that its the society that encourages people to express themselves, and some people just choose to be different, to experiment.
But honestly, I am apathetic when it comes to politics concerning gays. Gay marriage or not, as long as it doesn't concern me, I really don't care.
-Lani
I disagree with the mentality as much as you do. But a lot of it came about in times when the population was low, and heterosexuality was encouraged by many influential societies, especially Abrahamic ones. Those mentalities just kinda stuck, and then turned into prejudice.
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Do read my post fully. Not only does it help you understand my point instead of making rash statements, but it also gives me some semblance of faith that people can read and understand an argument.
...from which you approach the question. In a judaeo-christian context, the condemnation of male homosexuality dates back to biblical times (female homosexuality is not mentioned in the bible in any context). In a more generally Western context which includes the Greeks and Romans, however, the widespread negative judgement came much later (only after those cultures began to convert en masse to christianity in the 3rd to 5th centuries. Other cultures, like the Japanese, have never really considered homosexuality to be socially taboo. In general, the Eastern point-of-view is historically far more tolerant of homosexuality and transgenderism, though again the introduction of the Abrahamic belief-systems into those cultures are generally less tolerant today than they were just a few hundred years ago. Many modern Western societies are coming back around to a more tolerant perspective on homosexuality, thanks to the dwindling influence of christianity and islam in those areas.
TTFN,
Blackout
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