An Essay...
One of my friends posted this and I liked it a lot. It is apparently from a book of arguments on several different topics...this one obviously being homosexuality.
Virtually Normal; An Argument About Homosexuality
By Andrew Sullivan
"The homosexual experience may be deemed an illness, a disorder, a privilege, or a curse; it may be deemed worthy of a "cure," rectified, embraced, or endure. But it exists. It occurs independently of the form of its expression. It is bound up on that mysterious and unstable area where sexual desire and emotional longing meet; it reaches into the core of what makes human being who he or she is. The origins of homosexuality are remarkably mysterious, and probably are due to a mixture of some genetics factors and very early childhood development. The truth is that, for the overwhelming majority of adults, the condition of homosexuality is as involuntary as heterosexuality is for heterosexuals. Such an orientation is evident from the very beginning of the formation of a person's emotional identity."
"Any heterosexual man who takes a few moments to consider what life would be like if he were never allowed a formal institution to cement his relationship will see the truth of what I am saying. Imagine a life without recognized family; imagine dating without the possibility of marriage. Any heterosexual woman who can imagine being told at a young age that her attraction to men was wrong , that her loves and crushes were illicit, that her destiny was singlehood and shame, will also appreciate the point. Gay marriage is not a radical step; it is a profoundly humanizing, traditionalizing step. It is the first step to any resolution of the homosexual question, more important than any other institution, since it is the most central institution to the nature of the problem, which is to say, the emotional and sexual bond between one human being to another. It is ultimately the only reform that truly matters."
Virtually Normal; An Argument About Homosexuality
By Andrew Sullivan
"The homosexual experience may be deemed an illness, a disorder, a privilege, or a curse; it may be deemed worthy of a "cure," rectified, embraced, or endure. But it exists. It occurs independently of the form of its expression. It is bound up on that mysterious and unstable area where sexual desire and emotional longing meet; it reaches into the core of what makes human being who he or she is. The origins of homosexuality are remarkably mysterious, and probably are due to a mixture of some genetics factors and very early childhood development. The truth is that, for the overwhelming majority of adults, the condition of homosexuality is as involuntary as heterosexuality is for heterosexuals. Such an orientation is evident from the very beginning of the formation of a person's emotional identity."
"Any heterosexual man who takes a few moments to consider what life would be like if he were never allowed a formal institution to cement his relationship will see the truth of what I am saying. Imagine a life without recognized family; imagine dating without the possibility of marriage. Any heterosexual woman who can imagine being told at a young age that her attraction to men was wrong , that her loves and crushes were illicit, that her destiny was singlehood and shame, will also appreciate the point. Gay marriage is not a radical step; it is a profoundly humanizing, traditionalizing step. It is the first step to any resolution of the homosexual question, more important than any other institution, since it is the most central institution to the nature of the problem, which is to say, the emotional and sexual bond between one human being to another. It is ultimately the only reform that truly matters."