Lies and slanders

[erudito]

Since homosexuals are [almost] always born into heterosexual families and overwhelmingly heterosexual milieus, they are the most isolated of all social groups. So the easiest to demean and slander. And find it the hardest to achieve social “critical mass” to stand up for being treated as just folk (or even a sense that there are other people like

Comments

I added a word

[erudito]

Just to make you happy. The overwhelming majority of folk are heterosexual. Homosexuals have significantly fewer children. Only a small proportion of children are homosexual--given that homosexual parents are not significantly more likely to have homosexual children than the rest of the population. So the proportion of homosexuals who have one or more homosexual parents is extremely small.

[auntyyolly]

Hmmm, I'm a heterosexual born to a homosexual. That queers the mix somewhat ...

Good post, E. I'm just waiting for our glorious political leaders to follow up this week's sterling efforts by demanding that all Catholic and Protestant leaders in Australia start using their influence to stamp out rampant homophobia. It's killed many more Australians than terrorism.

I suspect I may be waiting a while ...

More

[erudito]

Thanks :)

I'm a heterosexual born to a homosexual
Another one of my acquaintance then :)

Know a guy who chose to angst to three people about his father coming out as gay. (Two of them had gay mothers and one a gay sister: he hadn't quite twigged to that when he chose his audience ...)

Re: More

[auntyyolly]

Hey! I know who that was, it happened in my house! Spyd, Mendoza and I were the trio of scoffers at the waily waily. In the immortal words of Spyd, "Is he using your penis? No? Then stop worrying about how it affects you."

Re: More

[erudito]

I forgot to mention that made me laugh lots :)

[fizzyland]

This is such a well-written post. I don't understand why the Judeo-Christian religions(and I include Islam in there) are so adamant in their homophobia. But then, religion is always the last to embrace any kind of social improvements.

Origins

[erudito]

Thank you

The key original revelations for the people of the book came out of desert/fringe dwelling pastoralists and farmers (Arabs and Hebrews). Keeping the birth rate up was a high priority.

Then the early Christians took on the Stoic concept of sex (good only for babies) plus a touch of Manichean influence (some parts of Creation are problematic), and they were away ...

[my_pandemonium]

Can you forgive them?

Yes

[erudito]

If they promise to go and sin no more :)

Re: Yes

[my_pandemonium]

What if they can't? What if their life has brought them to a place where they will never see this your way?

Re: Yes

[erudito]

Then it becomes all about self-defence.

There are two broad issues. First, making sure that one is treated as a full citizen under the laws. That is a politics and persuasion exercise.

The second is what folk think. It is not entirely a separate issue, but is to a large degree. After all, folk can think something is wrong without thinking it is the government's business.

It also still matters independently of public policy issues because it can affect people's day-to-day interactions. On the other hand, folk can think something is wrong without thinking it justifies discourtesy, violence, etc.

But the big thing is not to internalise it. Not even a little bit. (Which is actually a lot harder than it sounds.) It is the most important thing, and in some ways the most hopeful. Because if it becomes about saying no, I am a real person and I am not going to have my life blighted by this suddenly, it is not about abstract projection. It is about confronting a real person having a real life and its effects on that real