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Ok. What’s Really Wrong with Being Gay? By Sue Mayer If you asked a hundred people what is ‘wrong’ with homosexuality, I doubt you would get even one rational, evidence based answer. Some would hazard a guess that it is something about it being ‘un-natural’ or because the Bible [1] or the Koran [2] says so. Yet there is no rationale for either. Various other animal species have been found to have homosexual behaviour, and any references in holy books, however little, came from the minds and pens of those who wrote or interpreted them in the societies in which they lived. Centuries of stigma, hate and fear pinned to vague assumptions or rabid bigotry. Others might suggest that it is because ancient peoples needed lots of children and homosexuality might have reduced the reproductive capability of the population, but this would seem unlikely as the number of children needed to increase the population is more than just numbers, it is to do with their survival, in creating sustainable populations, and is certainly far from what humanity needs today as the weight of the human population strains the earth’s resources. So why all the fuss about schisms in the Anglican church, gay Bishops and mystification about other Christian & Islamic homophobia - Soddomy and Gomorah?
To the enquiring mind it makes no sense - until you realise that maximising ‘souls’ for Jesus, maintaining social control and male superiority is a main priority for the religions. Is ‘God’ the supposed ‘creator of mankind’ intrinsically against gay men? And what other questions does this raise? ‘God the father’ of the Abrahamic religions is male and supposedly omnipotent, and there have been ancient Pagan religious cultures that were not homophobic. So, if it’s not a silly question, what is it that makes patriarchal, male dominated monotheistic religions, homophobic? Could it be the same reasons that they are sexist and misogynistic? Let’s cut to the chase, it is about the traditional Christian attitudes to women and sexuality? - Women as subservient, inferior, vulnerable to superstition, to be dominated, domesticated and dependent - and to be feared - as threat to male supremacy. And sex as only legitimate within holy matrimony (what a misnomer) for the procreation of children and not for pleasure. (human physical pleasure, has to come a poor second to religious ecstasy!) Paradoxically these arguments are separate but bound together in the creation of (white) male supremacy with its pointy hats and burning crosses.
Same sex relationships undermine the notion of superiority and inferiority, dominance and subservience of men and women, and it subverts the institution of marriage that is based on that. The Christian institution of holy matrimony, preferably sanctified by a priest as the only family relationship in which to have children, gave the church enormous power over people, and together with its attitude of ownership of women by men, it has a lot to answer for. Relationships between two men or two women, built upon equality love and respect is subversive to their long held traditions. It also explains why the church resisted so determinedly, civil marriage, divorce and civil partnerships as attempts to subvert its authority. Together with their attitudes to women, Christian attitudes to sex have been particularly pernicious. Any sex outside the narrow confines of marriage between one man and one woman for procreation is considered wrong, if not evil and must be punished. Whether it is sex before marriage, between single people, adultery, between homosexual men or women, sex for money, sex for pleasure, even solo sex, has to be punished. And even today, the religions opposes attempts avoiding the punishments for 'illicit sex' - unwanted pregnancy and motherhood (contraception or abortion), avoidance of STD (using condoms), even vaccination against HPV – ensuring that all children receive comprehensive safe sex teaching - anything that takes away the deterrence and punishment - fear, disease, stigma & poverty - is a major preoccupation of the religions and especially Roman Catholicism and fundamental, evangelical Christianity – the supposed ‘moral’ majority. How else can their opposition to anything that removes these evils be explained?
Once you start seeing homophobia and other aspects of ‘Illicit Sex’ [3] in the context of religious attitudes to women, and beliefs about human sexuality, it all becomes pretty obvious. But it is evident that some gay men seem to view this idea as demeaning to them, women 'raining on their parade'. As they successfully 'come out' of the closet (there being no recognition that women do not have a closet in which to hide) there is no reason for them to recognise or admit that the origins of female oppression come from the same source as homophobia . Patriarchal religion has historically colluded with the other male elites in society, government, military and academia. It has over centuries produced the macho culture in which we live. Male dominated, competitive, punitive and aggressive. Male homosexuals it seems are men first and they are not going to give up that advantage for the sake of women's equality. [1} One of many such sites: http://www.contenderministries.org/articles/christianliving/homosexuality.php [2]Islam’s Love Hate Relationship with Homosexuality http://www.frontpagemag.com/articles/Printable.aspx?GUID={DE9BC115-7388-46A3-8ED9-813BD71AEA25} [3] ‘Illicit Sex and the God Machine ‘
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