Gay...Not a Choice...

Everyday people cut down homosexuals because they believe that being gay is a choice made by an individual. The Decatur Daily News Online posted a poll with the question, "Do you think homosexuality is biological or a matter of individual choice?" and ran it for two days. Out of the 646 respondents to the poll, 458 (70.9 %) said it’s a matter of choice and 188 said it’s biological. This is a completely false assumption; recent studies show that being gay involves genetic and also involuntary changes within a person and has nothing to do with a mental voluntary choice made by the individual. Mirroring this argument, heterosexuals don’t wake up one day and say “I want to be straight!” it just happens as the person matures and develops. Heterosexuals should ask themselves a question, when did they “decide” to be straight? They soon realize that they never made a physical choice; they just developed into a person that was attracted to the opposite sex.

Dr. Dean Hamer, a "gay gene" researcher, and himself a gay man states that "Genes are hardware...the data of life's experiences are processed through the sexual software into the circuits of identity. I suspect the sexual software is a mixture of both genes and environment, in much the same way the software of a computer is a mixture of what's installed at the factory and what's added by the user." Psychiatrist Jeffrey Satinover, M.D. also studies sexual-orientation causes and states that "Like all complex behavioral and mental states, homosexuality is...neither exclusively biological nor exclusively psychological, but results from an as-yet-difficult-to-quantitate mixture of genetic factors, intrauterine influences...postnatal environment (such as parent, sibling and cultural behavior), and a complex series of repeatedly reinforced choices occurring at critical phases of development." Having a close or distant relationship with one of the parental figures can also influence a child’s sexuality.

I personally, have never in my life been attracted to women. During my early childhood development, I looked at older males with amazement, almost as role models. I wished I could be as strong, smart, muscular, and charming as them. When puberty hit, those feelings turned more towards attraction for those men who had the qualities that I once looked upon in awe. I was always very confused when I would here the other middle school boys talking about boobs and such, I never saw what was so good about them.

I had a very strong relationship with my mother, less with my father. My father was at work all day so my mom and I formed a stronger bond. When I would hang out with my elementary friends, who were mostly girls, my dad would ask "Don't you have any guy friends?". At the time, I didn't really have any guy friends because, I felt so distant and different from the rest of the boys at school. I didn't fully realize who I was inside until 8th grade.

I must ask one question, why would I "choose" to be gay if everyday of my life is filled with people insulting me, putting me down, walked all over me, being alienated, and above all discriminated against? I know I didn't choose to be gay and I'm actually kind of glad that this is who I am because, I can educate people on how hard it really is to live a lifestyle that many people disagree with. I hope to teach people that all human beings are the same and we should all be treated with respect.

More Information/Sources:
National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality. (NARTH) Home Page. 18 April 2007

Fight For Adoption, Give Me a Good Reason Why We Can't!

Many gay and lesbian people are choosing to become parents. Some bring children from past relationships or some impregnate themselves using artificial insemination. Others prefer adoption to be their method of having a child. State laws vary on adoption rights, not every gay and lesbian person has the same ability to adopt.

Only Vermont, New Jersey, Massachusetts and California permit same sex couple adoption. Some states permit single people to adopt, others discourage it. Because gays are not allowed to marry, it can be hard for gay people to adopt a child in those states. Thankfully, because New Jersey and Vermont have civil unions, both parents have equal rights in adoption cases.

Florida prohibits gays from adopting. In 1977 Anita Bryant led a statewide campaign to overthrow Dade county’s gay rights law. She proposed that gays and lesbians were child-molesters, she convinced the senators to vote for a ban on gay adoptions. The law has been challenged many times, but only unsuccessful results ensue. There is a current lawsuit challenging the law. The focus, a Florida couple who wants to adopt several foster children they have been raising for years.

FOR

• The United States has a surplus of children waiting to be adopted. It is unfair to keep these children out of a home when there are gay and lesbian couples all over the nation willing to take the children.
  
• Surprisingly most children in America don't live with two married parents. In fact, according to the 2000 census, only 24% homes were composed of a married mother and father with children living at home. The Florida court argues that children are better off raised in a two-parent heterosexual household. On the contrary, scientific studies have shown that children who grow up in one or two-parent gay or lesbian households fare just as well emotionally and socially as children whose parents are heterosexual.
• Studies have shown that children are more influenced by their interactions with their parents, rather than by their sexual orientation.
  
• If a couple has a child through artificial insemination, only the birth parent is counted as the "legal guardian". Through second-parent adoption, both parents can obtain legal custody of the child. In the states that do not allow second-parent adoption, if the "legal" parent dies, the "secondary" parent, even if they have been raising the child for years, can be seen as a total stranger in the eyes of the law. The child may also not be eligible for the "secondary" parent’s health insurance, social security or other insurance if that parent dies. This is only going to hurt the child.

AGAINST

• Florida argues that it has the right ban gay adoptions because, it is the state’s way of saying it disapproves of gay and lesbians becoming parents.
  
• The Florida court argues that children are better off in homes with a mother and a father who are married.
  
• Some opponents argue that children of gay and lesbian parents will be subject to harassment and ridicule.

Hopefully this case is won and homosexuals gain another win towards their "battle" for equality across America.

More Information/Sources:
Belge, Kathy. “Lesbian and Gay Adoption Rights” Lesbian Life. 26 April 2007

The Road to Gay-Marriage...the Obstacle... the White House...

America faces a challenge that many people have trouble dealing with, it's the issue of gay marriage. Countries around the world have handle the issue in different ways; some have approved it in one way or another, while some have chosen to ignore it altogether.

Same-sex marriage has been approved in Great Britain and most recently in South Africa. The United States has chosen to leave the decision of gay marriage up to the individual states. Regretfully, this way of handling the issue was almost overthrown; when in 2000 at the State of the Union address, President Bush proposed an amendment be made to ban same-sex marriage forever.

The president wanted to ban same-sex marriage and publicly announced it, because he knew that it was what the majority of his voters wanted to hear. His actions also struck fear in homosexuals, because their president was willing to ban their right to love forever. The amendment would ban same-sex marriage and also demand that no states would recognize same-sex couples. This extreme, discriminative, and conservative action was backed by many states who were opposed to the legalization of gay marriage.

As of now Massachusetts is the only state in the United States that allows same-sex marriage, and New Jersey, Connecticut, and Vermont have all approved civil unions, the marriage "alternative". However, in 39 states legislatures have decided to prohibit and not recognize same-sex marriages in their states.

No one knows if the nation as a whole will ever fully accept gay-marriage, but gays of today and in the future are fighting for their right to love.

More Information/Sources:
"Public's shifting view can open way to fair solution." USA Today . Academic Search Premier. 4 March 2007.

"Down State." New Republic 15 Mar. 2004: 7+. Academic Search Premier. 4 March 2007.

"New Jersey lawmakers OK gay civil unions." Christian Century 124.1 (2007): 14-14. Academic Search Premier. 13 March 2007.

The [Breif] History of Homosexuals Journey Towards Equality

The homophile movement began years ago in order to bring equality to all people no matter what their sexual-orientation.

After World War Two gays migrated to certain areas around the country, because gay communities were being allowed to form in a few urban areas. From 1950 to 1960, gay bars became more common and gays identified with their identities more closely. However, gays began to believe themselves to be part of a minority group.

Reported by some historians, a 1965 gay march held in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia truly kicked off the beginning of the modern gay rights movement. ONE Inc. in San Fransisco was the first "Out" homosexual organization in the United States and ONE Magazine was the first largely distributed gay and lesbian magazine. Later several other organizations were formed to fight for gay rights.

Now, in 2007, sexual orientation is not covered by the national civil rights. The United States Military Branches also actively discriminate against gays and lesbians. The nation leaves hate crime laws up to the state. Some states are making progress by adding sexual-orientation to their hate crime laws, while others are not going to budge any time soon. Today only 24 of the 50 states include sexual-orientation in their hate crime laws. Although, more are joining in the trend to protects gays as the years go by. Hopefully, at the current pace that the nation is moving in now, equality for gays will come sooner rather than later.


More information/sources:
Johnson, Ramone. “Gay, Lesbian, Transgender Hate Crimes” Gay Life. 17 April 2007

Wikipedia. Home Page. 18 April 2007 <www.wikipedia.com>