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March 1, 2004 by Jonathan Dolhenty, Ph.D.
The subject of homosexuality is one of those topics about which a lot of people have something to say and about which many people get very upset. It amazes me that there is so much misinformation today about homosexuality since so much research has been done on the matter and the evidence thus far seems quite clear and forthright, although there is still much to discover and understand. Let's consider some of the facts. Homosexuality has always existed and, as far as we know, it has appeared in every culture so far studied by anthropologists. Attitudes toward homosexuals have varied in different societies and have varied at different times within the history of those societies. There are social groups today where homosexuality is condemned and social groups where it is integrated into the rituals of the culture. There are even a few societies where homosexual experiences are required as part of the maturing process. Even in Western Civilization at times, homosexuality has been accepted as part of the coming of age. At other times it has been considered merely a strange aberration, not to be encouraged but not necessarily to be condemned. At still other times it has been roundly condemned, secretly practiced, and attempts have been made to wipe it out (to no avail, I might add). Some of the fears about homosexuality expressed today in the United States are that it will destroy the family, that it seeks to promote itself through seduction of the young, and that it is responsible for a decline in morality. Thus far none of these fears have been shown to be grounded in objective evidence. Regardless of what the more vocal opponents of homosexuality have said, and rhetoric aside, they have yet to produce a shred of evidence showing that homosexuals are harmful to society. Homosexuality has been studied from a scientific point of view for more than a hundred years. There are volumes of research material available. It seems, however, that few of the public opponents bother to check the research. The stand they take in opposition to homosexuality is "moralistic" and not scientific. Now, that is fine up to a point. Any individual or private group (such as a religion) certainly has the right to believe that homosexual acts are "sinful" or "immoral" or whatever. In the public arena, however, homosexuals should not be discriminated against simply on the basis of their orientation. I am here reminded of the totally ridiculous theory of Rev. Tim LaHaye, a prominent leader in the fundamentalist Christian tradition and an activist against the homosexual "movement." He thinks that homosexuals are produced by a "melancholy temperament," permissive childhood training, insecurity about sexual identity, childhood sexual experiences, early interest in sex, and youthful masturbation with sexual fantasies. There is no evidence in the scientific literature to support any one of those items as leading to homosexuality nor is there evidence that all of them together leads to a homosexual disposition. What Rev. LaHaye needs to do is honestly research his subject. But then he still believes that when a man overindulges his sex glands, he doesn't have much energy left to work! That idea went the way of the trash can about ninety years ago or so. Again, there is not a single piece of evidence to support the nonsense that the reverend espouses. There are many other items of total nonsense in his book The Unhappy Gays: What Everyone Should Know About Homosexuality. It's worth a read just to see that many of the old unfounded myths about homosexuality are still with us. Many people are unfortunately deceived by the use of the terms abnormal, unnatural, and perverted. Strictly speaking, these terms have no place in a scientific discussion of homosexuality, with the possible exception of abnormal in a statistical sense. But in that sense, left-handedness is abnormal, brown eyes and black hair in our culture are abnormal, and an IQ of 140 is abnormal. The use of the above terms is usually a "moralistic" one and that depends, of course, on what code of ethics or morals one accepts as valid and true. Regardless of what some may think, homosexuality is not a growing phenomenon. It may appear to be to the uninformed observer simply because more and more homosexuals are going public and raising a ruckus about minority rights, appearances in parades, and so on. The data, both historic and contemporary, indicate that the number of homosexuals at any time in our society, probably in most societies, remains about the same. What causes homosexuality? No one really knows. Current research tends to indicate some possible genetic influences, some biological influences, some environmental influences, and maybe other influences not yet known. It is probably a combination of factors, no one of which is an absolute determinant. There is, however, some compelling evidence that a homosexual disposition is set very early in life, sometimes as young as five or six, and that homosexuality is generally not a "chosen" characteristic. It is possible that future research may provide conclusive evidence of what many homosexuals have said: "As far as I know, I was born this way." Can homosexuality be "cured"? Assuming for the moment that it is something that needs to be cured, the evidence is not in favor of a cure, at least in the sense of a permanent transformation in sexual orientation. Obviously people can usually change their behavior if they really desire to do so. But the evidence has shown thus far that most behavior changes as far as homosexual orientation is concerned are temporary and may lead eventually to serious psychological problems. One should be prudent about accepting too hastily the notion of "cure" since the "evidence" for most so-called cures is coming from certain religious groups and not from medical or psychological science. It should be remembered, however, that sexual orientation is but one small aspect of a person's total personality and character. It really should not be the most significant characteristic. It is unfortunate, I think, that many homosexuals have given the impression that their sexual orientation is the most important thing in their life. Homosexual writers, philosophers, scientists, artists, and so forth, have contributed greatly to Western Civilization in spite of what some may view as a social "handicap." I would propose, both from a scientific and an ethical point of view, the following: Homosexual citizens, who are, after all, contributors to society, and usually are law-abiding individuals, should be treated with the same respect as other citizens and should have all the rights and privileges enjoyed by other members of the society within the framework and structure of traditional social and cultural values. What consenting parties do in the privacy of their lives and in their own bedrooms should be of no concern to other individuals or to society taken as a whole. Society has no business legislating personal or private behavior between and among consenting individuals. On the other hand, I would note that homosexuals do not have any right to demand special status nor do they have the right to demand special favors because of their sexual orientation. A landlord should not have to rent to homosexuals if he does not want to. An employer should not have to hire homosexuals if he does not want to. After all, a landlord or an employer should not have to rent to or hire heterosexuals either. The concept of "equal rights" does not imply equal rights to "equal things." This seems to be a concept that gay-rights activists (as well as some other rights-activists) do not understand. After all, both men and women in our society have equal rights; but this does not mean I, as a male, have the "right" to use the ladies room to relieve myself or the women's locker room and shower at the local country club. We shouldn't allow all this equal-rights talk to degenerate into nonsense. Enrich Your Life With a Philosophy Book... Enrich Your Life With a Philosophy Magazine...
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