Showing posts with label Same-sex sex. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Same-sex sex. Show all posts

May 30, 2013

Is promoting same-sex sex wise?


APOLOGIA
By Hendrik van der Breggen
The Carillon, May 30, 2013

Is promoting same-sex sex wise? 

During Gay Pride Parade seasons I sometimes hear versions of the following argument: Yes, some people engage in same-sex sex, but it's harmless, so live and let live. 

With all due respect to the philosophy of live and let live (I favour choice, but informed choice is important), I would like to question the wisdom of promoting same-sex sex.

Before I begin, I should make a preliminary clarification. In my June 21, 2012, column (“Is being gay like race?”), I argue that being gay is not like race. Whereas one's race status does not involve choices or decisions, indulging in or acting on same-sex attractions and constructing one's self-understanding via the gay identity/script apparently do involve choices and decisions. Also, whereas race cannot be changed to any degree, it very much seems that same-sex orientation and same-sex attractions—or at least the decision to act out on the orientation and attractions—can be changed to various degrees.

All this to say: If a reader thinks that questioning homosexuality is unjust—as racism is unjust—I suspect the reader may be under the influence of a faulty analogy.

Let's get back to today's topic. I want to question the wisdom of promoting same-sex sex. I am raising the following question: Is same-sex sex harmful to self or others?

The answer seems to be Yes.

It turns out, sadly and often tragically, that there is considerable evidence for thinking that many persons who act on their same-sex sexual propensities (especially men) have closely associated health concerns.

According to the 2009 study What Research Shows, done by the National Association for Research and Therapy for Homosexuality (NARTH), “Researchers have shown that medical, psychological and relationship pathology within the homosexual community is more prevalent than within the general population.” For substantiation, see part III of NARTH's What Research Shows plus check NARTH's medical issues webpage.

According to the Family Research Council (FRC), there are “significantly elevated health problems experienced by homosexuals.” For substantiation, see “Is Homosexuality a Health Risk?” which is chapter 4 of FRC's 2004 book Getting It Straight: What the Research Shows about Homosexuality.

Also, according to the Christian Medical and Dental Associations (CMDA), there are serious medical concerns clearly associated with same-sex sex. For substantiation, see CMDA's webpage on homosexuality; see especially the “Physical Health” section under Annotated References.

At this juncture, a critic might dismiss the above sources as biased because the sources advocate for a particular position on homosexuality or are Christian. Yes, we should be careful of bias. But, I quickly add, part of critical thinking involves not dismissing relevant evidence and argument merely because of the political or religious predilections of the persons who present such evidence and argument.

In other words, we shouldn't be too hasty to dismiss the truth of a message just because we don't like the messenger.

Significantly, the findings of NARTH, FRC, and CMDA are confirmed by others.

Consider the following February 17, 2009, report from Canada's largest gay newspaper Xtra!: “The…list of health issues affecting queer Canadians includes lower life expectancy than the average Canadian, suicide, higher rates of substance abuse, depression….”

Xtra! quotes Gens Hellquist, executive director of the pro-gay Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition: “There are all kinds of health issues that are endemic to our [gay-lesbian] community…. We have higher rates of anal cancer in the gay male community, lesbians have higher rates of breast cancer.”

Also, consider the website for the prestigious Mayo Clinic: “All men have certain health risks. Gay men and men who have sex with men face an increased risk of specific health concerns, however.”

Also, according to Robert Cushman, a senior medical advisor at Health Canada, as reported in the May 22, 2013, issue of Xtra!: “HIV is much more common in the MSM [men who have sex with men] population than in the general population.”

According to U.S. researcher Thomas Coy, in MercatorNet, November 13, 2012: “The risk of HIV from sexual contact for MSM (men who have sex with men) was approximately 150 times greater than the heterosexual male population in 2010.” For the sake of perspective, Coy adds: “According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) the risk of lung cancer for men who smoke is 23 times greater than for men who do not smoke.”

One might object that there are individuals who smoke and remain healthy. In reply, it should be noted that those individuals are the exception, not the rule. Statistically, smoking is a serious risk to health. The parallel to same-sex sex should not be ignored.

Or one might object that the psychological issues which result in depression, substance abuse, and suicide may be due to social stigma attached to homosexuality. In reply, we should be careful neither to underestimate nor to overestimate the effects of social stigma. Still, stigma or no stigma, the physical-medical health issues remain. As Cushman points out in Xtra!: “MSM is a risky behaviour. There's anatomical reasons.”

In conclusion, the above evidence provides the outline of a cumulative case argument which strongly suggests that serious health-related problems are associated with homosexual sex, more so than with heterosexual sex. 

Is it wise, then, to promote same-sex sex? I recommend further inquiry into the effects of same-sex sex—and greater public awareness of these effects.

If promoting smoking is not wise, it may also be that promoting same-sex sex is not wise.

P.S. For the record, my raising of the above concerns about same-sex sex does not stem from homophobia (an unreasonable fear or hatred of homosexuals) nor is it an attempt to show disrespect to homosexuals (I believe that all people are made in God's image and deserve respect—health care included—so disrespecting people with same-sex attractions is wrong, period). Rather, I am deeply interested in the pursuit of truth. In view of the present prevalence of Gay Pride Parades and these parades' apparent purpose of encouraging the larger society—and our public schools—to accept and celebrate same-sex sex, my raising questions about same-sex sex is akin to seeking truth in advertising.

(Hendrik van der Breggen, PhD, teaches philosophy at Providence University College. The views in this column do not always reflect the views of Providence.)

Posted by 12 comments:
Labels: , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)