This point has most recently been seen written as; "extreme gender ideology imposed on everyone" in a recent attack of equality.
First let me state that none of the marriage equality bills i have read has even hinted at forcing same-sex marriage upon anyone. The bills just seek to bring our marriage legislation back inline with the constitution and allow all Australians the same rights of legal marriage. Existing heterosexual marriages will not be effected by allowing equal marriage rights, please read some of the proposed bills if you do not believe this.
Generally speaking people that are fighting for equality are equally concerned with everyone's rights and freedoms, forcing straight people into gay relationships is just not something i can see any of us doing. We are not the ones trying to force our ideology on anyone, we are not the ones trying to force you to deny your true self.
As for "extreme gender ideology imposed on everyone", that's really some rather disingenuous and inflammatory language, It is difficult for myself or any rational person to understand what is meant by this kind of rhetoric. Perhaps the bigots who use this language are trying to imply that allowing marriage equality would turn people gay? I don't know how anyone could think that, but sexuality doesn't really work that way.
Also being homosexual isn't extreme ideology at all, it is well documented aspect of normal sexuality. Homosexuality is a natural part of human gender identity. These bigots that think they are above the laws of nature make me so sad. The extreme ideology would be claiming that homosexuality is unnatural, harmful of somehow wrong.
The only way that marriage equality is forced on everyone is that after it passes every Australian gay or straight will have the right to marry (if they wish). You will still be able to choose not to marry and be able to choose who you marry. The only way this effects you is if you fall in love with a member of the same sex, and you both desire to marry under law.
Again, making the marriage laws constitutional and allowing marriage equality wouldn't effect any religions current definition of marriage. Australian legal marriage is not meant to be the current definition of marriage of any one religious sect, and the two things are indeed separate, improving one does not effect another. It would however allow those religions that accept the natural diversity of human sexuality to practice their religion and allow their practitioners the same legal rights as those whose definition of marriage matches the 2004 changes.
If someone is using this kind of argument to justify their own prejudices, i would suggest they have no idea of the reality of the situation or are simply trying to spread an anti-gay agenda.
Sore eyes? Hard of reading? Try out the video version of this post.
Or read on brave soul. Scientific Study's have proven that homosexuality is not a choice. Better yet all it should take to end this "argument" is one homosexual person, if only i had access to a homosexual, where does one find such a beast?...
Wait i do, i am one of those, so i ask myself if being gay is a choice and the answer is flat out no. Being homosexual is not a choice for me. No gay person i have spoken to has ever said it was a choice. And that's all it takes, one homosexual telling you it wasn't/ isn't a choice for them, that is enough to make your "argument" invalid. If you don't believe me ask yourself. Was your sexuality a choice? Did you choose which gender you are capable of being attracted to or falling in love with?
Now homophobes have been told being gay isn't a choice for years, and yet they still lie, i hope no one who says that is a christian because there is that "little" commandment about committing falsehoods.
Manny years ago i was watching a talk show, i think it was the Ricki Lake Show. Stop judging me! Anyway, so this episode was the homophobes Vs the gays. They had a lot of "religious" people on the pro-bigotry side. One guy on the pro-homophobia side, stands up and says;
"Being gay is a choice! We all are attracted to the same sex, but we are strong enough to fight those urges."(or words to that effect).
One of the panelists pointed out rightly that feeling that way meant the guy was probably bisexual and not actually straight. Now i have seen this repeated a few times over the years. It seems that a lot of homophobes are fighting their own internal battles, ether they are bisexual and only "choose" to act on feeling for the opposite sex. Or they are gay and "choose" not to act on their natural urges. Know i have noting against anyone who doesn't want to love who nature designed them to, but i do have a problem if they feel they need to act this way due to indoctrination or ignorance. I have a greater problem if they demand that i should act that way too.
I think they muddy the water, they claim that homosexuality is a choice because they are "choosing" not to physically act upon their natural impulses. Or that somehow not acting upon ones natural sexuality means they have changed who they are. But they fail to realize that it is the fact that they have these impulses that make them homosexual.
As an example, i haven't had sex in months, (since my breakup), but that doesn't make me straight. Hell, i could force myself to have sex with a woman, (shudder) and that still wouldn't make me any straighter.
Also if being gay is a choice then i challenge any bigot to honestly change their sexual orientation. Whats the problem, they can always just change back right?
I am
writing this to address some of the catch phrases and fallacies that
bigots use to oppose equality. I intend to link to these instead of
having to rehash the same BS every time. Also i hope that those
searching might read it and choose to further educate themselves by
doing their own research. This post also applies when bigots use language such as "lifestyle", and "sexual preference". As terms like this are used to imply our sexuality is a choice.
The
"argument" that homosexuality is a choice gets used as some kind of "
trump card". I don't really understand why though, if homosexuality was a
choice, that wouldn't mean we should make homosexuality illegal or
remove rights from homosexuals. Why would we punish something that does
no harm, homosexuality is simply the ability to romantically love a
member of the same sex. And homosexual love making between two
consenting adults doesn't seem like a problem. The acts performed in
homosexual sex are performed by straight couples all the time and there
is no campaigning against that. Though i am sure that homosexuals are
just the tip of the iceberg for the bigots.
