Gay rights within the template of religion proves flaws in "religion"

[robvalue]

A lot in this topic has baffled me, so I wanted to throw in my 2 small coins.

I don't agree that being heterosexual, homosexual or bisexual is a choice. By those terms, I would mean your natural disposition and preference, your sexuality, which I would have though by now was pretty much unanimously settled as genetic.

What you can choose is who to have sex with, and who to have a relationship with. And neither of those things define or change what I would call your sexuality. I am heterosexual, and I could have consensual sex with every man in the world and I would still be heterosexual. I could marry a table lamp and I'm still heterosexual. I only become homosexual if I somehow actually change the way by brain works to alter my base preferences. I imagine that this may be possible through a psyche-breaking amount of relentless conditioning/programming, although I'm not sure it is possible at all, but even if this is the case it's hardly a simple matter of choice. I know such programs have been attempted in the past, but as far as I know they haven't been successful.

I would have thought this is all quite obvious at this relatively enlightened stage of history, but we have all heard so many stories of people trying very hard to be straight. No matter how long they are in a relationship with a partner of the other sex, or have sex with them, they end up unable to deny who they are. I don't think I've ever heard of anyone changing their sexuality by choice.

And of course, it's all totally irrelevant to whether or not gay people should have rights. Which to any reasonable person the answer is yes. The idea that they should have the right to be gay doesn't even make sense to me, I don't understand that question. They are gay, rights has nothing to do with it.

I think the word "homophobia" sums things up very well, it's an irrational fear of gay people. Homophobes are scared that gays will (a) turn them gay (b) try and have sex with them © take over, and they worry that if they aren't seen to oppose them, then they are gay as well. It boggles my mind how anyone can be scared about someone's sexuality. Of course, homophobes will not admit they are scared. Instead they cite nonsense reasons like, like.. what was that book called?