The image below is a screenshot of the Equal Ground's digital booklet for parents with LGBTQ children. Equal Ground stands for gay rights, which should be commended. But there are some facts they have provided, which supports an unscientific cliché view that people are born gay. It doesn't really matter whether a person is born gay or developed homosexual tendencies. He or she is bequeathed with equal rights no matter what, regardless or what they are or what they do. But it is very understandable that the “born gay” theory is one foot on which the gay rights movement stands on. My opinion is that gay rights movement should not be based on such myths. It is always good to take the side of science than to be politically correct. Equal Ground “born gay” theory shuts the way for LGBTQ individuals who wants to change. In this blog post I would critically examine the facts provided.
Genuine ignorance is profitable because it is likely to be accompanied by humility, curiosity, and open mindedness; whereas ability to repeat catch-phrases, cant terms, familiar propositions, gives the conceit of learning and coats the mind with varnish waterproof to new ideas. ~John Dewey
Even though it is said in the beginning that there is no conclusive consensus, the booklet clearly suggest that biological factors DETERMINE a certain sexual orientation. It is true that It is impossible to pin point a certain factor that leads to homosexuality. Homosexuality is a result of complex biological, social and psychological factors. Even the culture, laws, friends, TV and media plays a role in shaping a predominant sexual orientation. Biology plays a role in human sexual behaviour like it is the case with every other behaviour like paedophilia, drug addiction, heterosexuality, over-eating, obsessions and compulsivity's. But, it is important to note that these biological factors are not decisive factors. In other words biological factors do no DETERMINE a sexual orientation or any other human behaviour. There is an extremely small minority in which biological factors play a strong role.
Equal Ground says that homosexuality is in genes. According to “gene theory” homosexuality should run in families. If one person in a twin couple is gay the other person should be gay. How could the “gay gene” pass without the ability for gay couples to reproduce offspring?
Studies of identical twin pairs have essentially made it impossible to argue for the genetic determination of homosexuality. Since identical (“monozygotic,” in the scientific literature) twins have identical genes, if homosexuality were genetically fixed at birth, we should expect that whenever one twin is homosexual, the other twin would be homosexual (a “concordance rate” of 100%). Even Michael Bailey himself, co-author of the landmark 1991 twins study (which supposedly found a concordance rate of about 50%), conducted a subsequent study on a larger sample of Australian twins. As summarized by other researchers, “They found twenty-seven identical male twin pairs where at least one of the twin brothers was gay, but in only three of the pairs was the second twin brother gay as well” (a “concordance rate” of only eleven percent).
Dr. Francis S. Collins, one of the world's leading scientists who works at the cutting edge of DNA, concluded that "there is an inescapable component of heritability to many human behavioural traits. For virtually none of them is heredity ever close to predictive." Dr. Collins succinctly reviewed the research on homosexuality and offers the following: "An area of particularly strong public interest is the genetic basis of homosexuality. Evidence from twin studies does in fact support the conclusion that heritable factors play a role in male homosexuality. However, the likelihood that the identical twin of a homosexual male will also be gay is about 20% (compared with 2-4 percent of males in the general population), indicating that sexual orientation is genetically influenced but not hardwired by DNA, and that whatever genes are involved represent predispositions, not predeterminations."
(Dr. Francis Collins was the head of the recently concluded ground-breaking Human Genome Project which identified the role of each and every human gene.)
The “gay gene” theory with its flaws, is not used by gay activists anymore. They are more in to saying that gay people have different brains. Which is also not accepted because there is no way to find that people are born with different brains. Science proves that brain structure might alter with human behaviour. A study showed that taxi drivers have distinguishable brains.
Equal Ground have consciously or ignorantly shadowed the effects of parental behaviour in homosexuality. Childhood sexual abuse is not even mentioned. These environmental factors/incidents yet again are not decisive factors. There are many heterosexuals who were sexually abused and are from dysfunctional families. It is not really worthy to examine the cause that develop homosexuality. Its always good to stick with reality.
“I can’t help it”. The very words carry a kind of whimper. I hate this plea. It isn’t accepted as an argument for paedophilia and shouldn’t be. I’d want to be gay whether I could help it or not. The day that the battle for homosexual equality is won and over will be the day a man, straight or gay, can boast that he chose." - Matthew Parris (A gay person). In a way comparing gay lifestyle to animal homosexual behavior is demeaning.
LT Magazine Campaign in Collaboration with Equal Ground
The booklet says that the desire to change one sexual orientation (homosexual to heterosexual) is a mental disorder. The booklet doesn't help the parent who’s son/daughter says “Mom/Dad I’m gay, but I don’t want to be”. One might argue that oppression/discrimination drives a person to seek change. Its not the case always. It could be morals (which we shouldn't try to define for others), religious beliefs (which should be respected) , the longing to marry a person of the opposite sex, to have offspring. The booklet indirectly but clearly suggest to embrace the gay lifestyle. A mental health professional will not do so. It is an ethic of the therapist to remain neutral. The patient must decide to go gay or to change. The change does not mean exclusive heterosexuality (which I don’t think is there). Therapy doesn't repress sexual desires but makes them more attracted to opposite sex. Therapy doesn't create fake heterosexuals but helps people to reach their life goals, enabling them to live in harmony with their beliefs, morals and values.
If Equal Ground really stands for the equality, they should help gays who wants to change. They also contributes to the diversity Equal Ground talk about. By telling that people are born gay Equal Ground does not make space for diversity and ironically straight-jacket homosexuals.
Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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