Originally posted by Petrouska
Well, I do not think it's a crime to be homosexual or bisexual. It is way a person wants to lead his/her life and as long as they do it out of choice, it's perfectly alright. And as you say, people have the right to live their lives the way they want, as long as their way of life is not a nuinsance to the public!
But sometimes, environment does play an important role in making an individual turn homosexual. Take Saudi Arabia for instance. It is probably one of the countries with a high number of gays and lesbians. It could probably be because of the stringent and dogmatic views of the country and its law. It's generally beleived that if the normal is forbidden, people take the abnormal path. In such countries, it is a crime for a man and woman who are not related to be seen together in public places. When people of the same sex gather for an event or are seen together, it does not raise suspision. And some people could see it a way of rebelling againt their country or religion. In some cases, if men and women experience traumatic experience at the hands of the opposite sex during childhood, then there is a possibility of these people seeking comfort and love from other people of their own sex. This may make them feel secure.
So, if an individual has taken the decision to be homosexual maturely, then there isn't a problem. Otherwise, they may require councelling.
People don't take the "decision to be[come] homosexual" - there is no logical argument or science behind this. Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems to me you are thinking of sexuality in terms of the intercourse and action - when, in reality, sexuality goes well beyond that. It's a complex term we give to the entire experience and awareness of gender identity and sexual thoughts. There is more to a sexual orientation than just the physical needs and actions.
So going by the dictionary definition, a person can be a closeted gay and married (and consequently sexually active) to a woman for all his life. At the same time, it is entirely possible for the heterosexual community to experiment with alternate sexuality, but that wouldn't make them gay. It's not the action but the desire that marks one's sexuality.
The exact cause of homosexuality has not been pinpointed and proven beyond reasonable doubt by the scientific establishment, but most scientifically minded organisations do regard it as something that one has no control over - the only choice is whether to act upon the desire or not. The desire, however, is not something one can choose to have and stay with them.
Environment and upbringing probably does play a part in forming ones sexuality - how important and crucial it is, we will have to wait and see - but that still does not make it something one is consciously choosing for oneself. In fact most people who are sexually active did not one day wake up and suddenly decide to be gay or straight.
Homosexual actives are quite common in prisons and similar places where finding members of the opposite sex could be difficult - but it's the basic human drive for sex that leads people to experiment and release their sexual needs by fornicating with anyone they could get hold of, not their natural desire that does. Again, has there been any documented case where prisoners were still 'into' homosexuality even after being released from prisons?
I have never come across this piece that there are more LGBTs in Saudi Arabia. Would you back up that with any reliable source, because so far I have not come across this information. It seems to me that from an outsider's perspective, the number of gays, lesbians and bisexuals may seem alarmingly high - because of the archaic and barbaric punishments (often) used against the community there. Similarly, in Iran, sex change is a very common scenario because while Iran does not acknowledge the existence of gays (and it is a criminal offense, to some cases leading to even capital punishment), they do permit sex change as a 'remedy' to the homosexual problem (what they perceive it to be), and desperate gays, lesbians and bisexuals will take any mean to avoid facing public flogging, capital punishment or a celibate life. This is a sad scenario actually - people who are comfortable with their gender and body are now forced to give it up for their love and relationship.
Edited by Beyond_the_Veil - 12 years ago