Topic : 06/06 "I'm Gay, OK?"

Sex is an animal drive, an instinct...it's not a choice. 

The desire to have sex is not a choice, but the desire to actually perform the act IS a choice.

Who to have it with is a choice...but how you DESIRE to have it with is NOT a choice. 

I agree. This idea that boys who play with dolls will turn out to be gay is so stupid. My brothers and I, who are all with in 4 years of age with each other, all played together with various toys. They played dolls with me sometimes, I played cars with them sometimes. My little brother had a pink teddy bear who he called 'Pinky Bear' that he slept with for years, he still has him to this day. And his GIRLFRIEND thinks it's adorable...LOL

I have to say that I feel very sad for you. My daughter is gay and she is very loving and loves the Lord.  She would be the first one to give her shirt off her back to anyone that needs it.  When she hears of a person in trouble or hurting, God she is there in a heart beat.  I pray that you are not judging the gay population, for that is of the devil.  Isn't this what satin wants? God wants us to love one another not matter what.  I don't feel that here and I pray I am wrong.  God be with all of us!

In reply to the first and second paragraphs above:  

  

The quote in the second paragraph is from the preamble to the Declaration of independence. Unfortunately, as interpreted, it does not apply to homosexuals, either men or women.  

  

Additionally, the constitution does not protect people due to either sexual orientation or gender identity. In most states, it is legal to fire or deny employment solely because a person is homosexual. It is also legal to refuse to rent an apartment, break a lease or rental agreement,  or refuse to sell a home to a homesexual person. Eight states plus D.C. prohibit discrimination based on both sexual orientation and gender identity. Another nine states prohibit discrimination based on just sexual orientation.  

  

I have not read each statute so I don't know how far those protections extend. They usually prohibit discrimination in employment and "public accomodation." Some, however, are less expansive; instead of public accomodations, they specifically mention only housing, which is far more restrictive. Some statutes restrict legal protections further by exempting small businesses, etc.  

  

Legal protections are also provided by some municipalities and counties.   

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Think about that for a moment. How would you feel and what would you think if you or someone you love was denied shelter or the means to support him or herself with no recourse? If you are a Christian, ask yourself "What would Jesus do?"  

  

I am Jewish, but  I am friends with someone who is gay, and is also Jewish. (Very religious.) He is able to live with it and can continue to be homosexual as well as praying in Synagogue and etc.

No, a man cannot go from gay to straight or indeed vice versa. What sometimes does happen is that a person will stay in, or be in denial and/or not realize their homosexuality (or bisexuality in some cases) so it will appear that way.

And last, but certainly not least, if a male child is dressing up and playing with dolls, there's nothing wrong with that. Most young males will have an inclination towards 'girly' toys. However, it is paused because of society and upbringing. There have been many proven studies that decline any association with playing with 'girly' toys and homosexuality.

Thank you.

I no more chose to be gay than I chose to be right-handed... and I was aware of both of them about the same time - when I was 2 or 3, as best as I can recollect. Why am I referred to as "They" as if I'm somehow different from anybody else? First, if I CHOOSE to live my life by the bible's OLD testament, AND if I'm a Christian (I am), then we can debate the meaning of one or possibly two bigoted (the writers of old scripture were filled with the same prejudices, ignorance's, etc., as somebody "inspired" to write about God may or may not be today!) letters that may not even mean a hill of BEANS to the next guy or gal... How arrogant of us to think that the rest of the world should live by the esoteric measure that WE deem appropriate! Who the heck are WE to decide how our neighbor should decide to live their life? THAT is not "Godly" as far as I know! I just so happen to be a taxpaying, spiritual, God-loving, voting, home-owning citizen of a country that denies me the same civil rights that everybody else is allowed, even the people we imprison for committing felonies! My spouse of 19 years and I are not allowed to make decisions for each other in the hospital (nor visit one another in the ICU); we are not allowed the same tax exemptions as the rest of the country; we can be "bashed" based on nothing but our sexuality and that is not considered a "hate crime" in most states; our wills can easily, and often effectively, be contested by family members that have shunned us and not spoken to us for many, many years, and the law indicates that this is perfectly acceptable; and people think that because we want the few, basic civil rights, that we have some sort of "special agenda"?? My God, what are you people thinking!?? I want to live and work peacefully beside my neighbor with the same basic human rights granted to the worst of our society's dregs... But you think I want something "special". Give me a break. Don't "Bash" me, and I won't call you a hypocrite! I want to love and be loved - where - tell me where - is the sin in that? There's not even room for a debate or a discussion as far as I'm concerned, it's as clear as it can possibly be. The meek shall inherit the earth. And God will make clear the bigotry's, arrogance, self-righteousness and UN-Godly behavior of those that would deny us our basic dignities and call themselves "Christians" . The worst kind of evil are those that would do cruel, unkindness' in the name of "God". We know throughout history that the worst atrocities have been committed by those that would call themselves "Christian Soldiers". I imagine they must make God REALLY pi$$ed off. Not me, and my loving, committed partner of 19 years who love our families and do our best to be good people and make the world a better place for having welcomed us into it.

My son played with Barbie dolls when he was little and wanted me to paint his nails once. He always wanted to carry the dolls around naked even when we went out to eat and my husband at the time felt embarrassed. I told him it was a faze and my son did like the dolls naked and did not want clothes on them. My son is now 14 and is all boy. No female tendencies and has had several girls friends.

I am an adult lesbian and my experience is typical. I knew that I was "different" when I was 5 years old. I remember throwing away my baby dolls when I was 3 years old. I did not have the words to express my differentness, nor did I know anything about sex. I knew, however, that my differentness had something to do with the girl/boy thing.

  

I had my first serious crush on another girl when I was 15 and it terrified me! I ran as fast as I could in the opposite direction but like a water freezing in a bottle, the feelings could not be so easily contained  and eventually returned. I "came out" to myself in my early 20's, but soon retreated once more to the ease of heterosexuality. I did not have the tools to fight familial and societal pressures. 

  

I tried very hard to be heterosexual. I was married for 13 years. It was a troubled marriage, but not for the reason that many will speculate. I finally acknowledged my sexual orientation and identity (sexuality is a basic part of human identity) in my 40's.  

  

Some of you have probably heard of the Kinsey scale that allows definition of sexual orientation from exclusively heterosexual to exclusively homosexual on a 7-point scale. I have personally met people who fall everywhere along that scale. I fall somewhere in the homosexual - not bi-sexual - part of that continuum but not at the very end. Even those who consider themselves to be heterosexual may locate themselves somewhere other than at one end of the scale. I also suspect that the distribution of people in each "slot" follows a Gaussian (bell curve) distribution, but because I have not studied it may be way off! :-).  

  

Despite my attempts to be something else, I am who I am, and earlier activities were behavior without substance. I suspect that people who profess to have changed their sexual orientation are either in the middle of the Kinsey scale or temporarily change behavior. Such denial of one's basic nature often leads to illness, both physical and emotional (depression and anxiety are common in such circumstances).  

  

Credible peer-reviewed research shows that sexual orientation is not a choice. (How many of you heterosexuals choose to be heterosexual? Wasn't it just obvious?) Fact: Homosexuality runs in families. There appears to be a genetic component, but it is not as simple as pure Mendelian inheritance. Some scientists have speculated that the environment of the womb affects sexual orientation. I don't know, but certainly find it interesting.  

  

I do know that the human brain is incredibly complex with a great deal of diversity between individuals, the stuff that allows evolution to occur. With all of that complexity and differentiation between individuals, is it any wonder that human sexuality is also complex and diverse?  <-- Please note that this is an observation not a judgment.   

  

Peace to all. 

Though a few individuals may make a choice to engage in a homosexual act or acts, do to various peer or social pressures, I believe that the vast majority of people who do engage in such acts are born with such emotions. We see homophobic tendencies in nature, so it would not be surprising at all to see it in the human race. Living in New York all my life, I certainly have had my fair share of conversations with those who are homosexual. One thing they all had in common was that it was something "different" each and every one of them had felt from early childhood on through puberty and beyond. These people were often ashamed of their feelings, and had to deal with the difficulty of keeping them a secret or subjecting themselves to the intolerance and violence that often follows a person who has shared their homosexual affections with others. I believe tolerance needs to be taught and that differences need to be understood as natural. One more note, why is it that people, whom are labeled as "pedophiles", have to be treated with fanatical hatred? Everywhere states are shifting their focus from providing therapy on how to control and discipline a person’s such desires and urges, while incarcerated, to a policy of “lock them away, let them back out after a few years, and expect them to be miraculously cured by simply being jailed.”  Why is it that sexual child abuse continues to rise despite having new sex offender laws, longer sentences, monitoring devices, etc.? Do people really believe these “pedophiles” have ”chosen” to be locked up and ostracized from society?  Do people not understand that this is not a choice either?  All comments welcomed and appreciated.