16 July 2007

Homosexuality not a choice (1) by Bernard Muscat, Malta Gay Rights Movement (Times of Malta, July 16, 2007)

Joseph Aquilina (The Bible And Homosexuality, July 7) joins the long list of people who build their case against homosexuality almost entirely on the Bible. He kicks off "wisely" by saying that gays choose their sexual orientation and opt to "live that lifestyle". I would really like to hear from Mr Aquilina about the time when he chose to be heterosexual, assuming he is, because since I am being told I chose to be gay, I am assuming the gentleman equally chose to be straight, much in the same way in which I chose to be right-handed as opposed to left-handed, right?

Various quotes from the Bible are then presented to us in list form. Some of them have no connection to his argument, while others tell us that the Bible dislikes homosexuals, disapproves of gay people's love for their partners and considers gay relationships "vile". Keeping this in mind, Shakespeare himself once said: "Even the Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose."

Mr Aquilina is one of those who find a text which seems to support their prejudice and spend the rest of their life quoting it. On exactly this point, Rev. Mel White said: "Even when we believe Scripture is without error, it's a risk to believe our understanding is without error."

Moreover, the Bible is a book about God - not a book about human sexuality. Since Mr Aquilina is so fond of quoting random texts from the Bible to support his cause, maybe he also agrees with other Biblical texts, such as Deuteronomy 22:13-21, which says that if a bride is not a virgin, she is to be executed by stoning immediately. Or Leviticus 18:19, which forbids a married couple from having sexual intercourse during a woman's menstrual period. If they so do, they are to be executed. Let's not take the Bible literally, shall we?
As gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals, we are unnatural, Mr Aquilina accuses. To counter this flawed argument with proof and research, during the last three decades, organisations such as the American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organisation have stated definitively that homosexual orientation is as natural as heterosexual orientation, and that homosexuality is not a matter of individual choice.

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