My Views on Homosexuality & Orientationism
��� Discrimination based on sexual orientation - - the term I use for this type of prejudice is "orientationism." In the United States, gay marriages are "illegal." This is blatant orientationism. I don't see any valid reason why homosexuals shouldn't be able to marry others of our own gender. We should be entitled to equal partnership benefits and guidelines as heterosexuals - - so how can we if we're not legally allowed to get married? It makes absolutely no sense.
��� I believe that part of the hostility toward homosexuality comes from the common assumption that it is our "lifestyle choice." But it was NOT my choice to be a homosexual. I cannot control the sexual feelings that I've grown up with and still continue to have. Someone cannot just "decide" to be gay. If someone maintains that he or she is gay, but is not attracted to members of his/her own gender, then he/she is not truly a homosexual. Voluntarily identifying with the gay stereotype and realizing that you are sexually attracted to your own gender are two very different things.
��� Too much of this comes back to religion and how people were raised. Whatever happened to the separation of church and state? As someone who will never have children of my own, I am appalled by parents who "groom" or "train" their children to be hetero. If parents raise their children with the stringent expectation that their children are supposed to be heterosexual, and if any of their children are actually gay, then it will only hurt those children in the long run. If children are raised with the concept that it is "wrong" to be gay, and they subsequently discover they are gay, they may ponder or even committ suicide. That type of upbringing also may instill anti-gay sentiment in siblings or other children toward their gay peers. This is why children can be so hostile toward peers who are gay, or even when children simply SUSPECT that their peers are gay. I know that I personally still resent my parents for "expecting" me to be hetero, when I can't force myself to conform to mainstream heterosexuality.
��� I'm not ignoring the biological importance of heterosexuality. It is crucial to the survival of living species. I am not in any way suggesting that heterosexuality should be abolished, degraded, or condemned. Rather, I believe that heterosexuality is just as important as homosexuality and bisexuality - - equal but different in its details. Marriage is not solely about producing children. Reproduction can be an integral part of it, but first and foremost, marriage should be about LOVE. Is it always? No. There are arranged marriages, marriages of convenience, etc. But the love of two homosexuals is no more or less genuine than the love of two heterosexuals. It's time people realized this. I don't see what's so difficult to grasp about this concept. Why do people have to shun, ridicule, harass, or kill because someone else is a different sexuality than them? Why do they feel it's acceptable for someone of a different sexuality to hold a lesser place in society? I'm sorry, but that's ludicrous! For this reason, orientationism is also a form of gender discrimination, as orientationists are judging someone on the basis of the person having a spouse of the same gender.
��� Religion should not be sexually-specific. While I personally believe in the existence of several Gods and Goddesses in co-existence with the Christian God, we won't go into that specifically (if you want, read my views on religion). I don't trust the argument how the Christian God made all people heterosexual. That makes no sense at all. It is perfectly logical that the Christian God created SOME homosexuals too. Think about it: if everyone was born a heterosexual then there would be even more overpopulation in the world than there is now. Doesn't the concept of Creation convey that the Christian God theoretically instilled so much variety into the world? Why not human sexuality too? I'm also skeptical about all of these Bible verses that supposedly condemn homosexuality - - we can't be certain of how much of the Bible is actually legitamate (although I'm sure that much of the Bible is based in reality), since none of us were alive back then. I'm not trying to bash Christianity; I just can't see how anti-homosexuality is very open-minded or worldly for Christians. I thought Christianity was supposed to be about love and acceptance and celebrating who we are as humans?
��� While I don't believe in "special rights," "special benefits," and "special privileges" for gays, we are entitled to equal treatment. I know from firsthand experience that there's A LOT of animosity and hatred toward gays and lesbians. I don't see why people can't accept that it is how we were born and not a "lifestyle choice." As it is, some people often tend to suspect that I'm gay based solely on my characteristics and their own personal interpretations of my characteristics. "Gay Power" is not a term of superiority . . . it is simply a cry of equality from the gay community where we want to be accepted along with heterosexuals - - similar to a cry of "Girl Power", "Black Power", or "Dude Power".
��� People have asked me how I know that being gay was not my "choice." Well how do heterosexuals know that heterosexuality isn't a "choice"? I trust my instincts and I trust that I know myself well enough to determine who I am. I've literally cried myself to sleep at night thinking about this, asking myself WHY people have such a problem with my sexual orientation or anyone else's for that matter. What gives someone the right to tell me or anyone else that who I am is "wrong"? I've pondered suicide because I've thought why is it worth living in a world where people are going to pass judgement on me just because it was written somewhere by someone that they think something is "wrong." Millions of gay teens around the world struggle with this everyday since it is considered so "sinful" to so many members of certain religions, societies, and cultures.
��� It is also a myth that gays try to "convert" people to our way of life - - at least, I don't approve of trying to convert someone's sexuality. Sexuality is an integral part of the very essence of life; it's what fuels lust, passion, and most importantly, LOVE. And yes, homosexual love is genuine too. I don't think that "everyone should be gay," I don't think that homosexuals are "superior" to other sexualities, I don't think that X-number of people in the world should be gay. Everyone should just be accepted as they are born, male, female, white, black, Latino, Asian, hetero, gay, bi - - we were all created a certain way for a reason. Why is it so easily accepted that people are different races, different genders, different ages, that some people have different hair color, different eye color, are mentally disable or handicapped - - but some individuals seem to have a problem with someone who is not the same sexuality as them! WHY?! What is wrong with someone being a different sexuality than someone else?
��� Isn't saying that "everyone should be heterosexual" basically the same as saying that "everyone should be homosexual" or "everyone should be bisexual"?
��� I just don't see why people have such a problem if someone is a different sexuality than them? We have multiple races, genders, and age groups living on the planet. Why is sexuality any different? It reallly shouldn't matter - - but unfortunately, it matters to some people. I just don't get it.
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