Page 8 HIGH GEAR DECEMBER 1980
Are most gays parents?
(Continued from Page 6)
most, of their sexual interest is directed towards people of the same sex is an idle superstition not even heard of by most people in most places throughout
history.
The difficulty that many Americans have in accepting the pos-
sibility that most gays are parents is largely due to supposing that certain preconceptions and "social circumstances are universial and inevitable when they have actually existed mostly in the United States and parts of Europe in recent times.
In most places throughout recorded history (and even today) no necessary connection has been seen between marrying
a specific individual and a person's romantic feelings, or even between marrying a specific individual and a person's strongest sexual urges.
Marriage has usually been
regarded as being a duty to one's family and to society and as a
way of achieving status. (Even in America today, marrying to
achieve status is far from being
unheard of).
Passages in the Bible that admonish husbands and wives to cleave to each other and cherish USED CARS
each other refer to proper behavformed. ior after a marriage has been
Not a lack of ability
Contrary to idle superstition popular in some places, being primarily homosexual in one's sexual orientation does not mean a lack of ability to perform heterosexual acts. It means the
absence of any overwhelming urge to perform such acts. Contrary to the assertions of certain fessional judgments on their own psychiatrists who base their proprivate hangups, the basic attitude of gays towards non-gay indifference. The disgust that sex is not fear or revulsion, but some gays express at heterosex-
uality is the disgust of people thrilled and delighted at that who have been obliged to act which completely bores them.
The chief question faced by most gays who are interested in marrying and/or having children is one of ethics rather than physical ability: Can you be fair and honest with everyone who will be directly involved?
This is, of course, a basic ques-
tion that should be considered by anyone thinking of marrying of
belief of many anti-gay activists, having children. (Contrary to the heterosexuality is not a substiBASIC & CUSTOM VANS
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tute for thinking,)
One of the most common major failings in discussing homosexuality, a failing of gays and non-gays both, is generalizing from outlooks that are.too short-sighted and localized.
The question of whether or not most gays are parents involves countless people besides known gays living in the United States.
Married gays with children are less likely to be seen as being gay, and in general people who quiet and circumspect lives than have children tend to lead more they would otherwise be leading.
The gay rights movement in the United States has become open and widespread during a period in which a larger percentage of the entire population has ing children, or is at least waiting been staying single and not havto have children until later in life. Even if it could be proven that most gays in the United States are not parents now, no valid firm conclusions would follow about gays living in the past or in the future in the United States or about gays living any place else.
might be startled and argue with The fact that many people the phrase "if not most" in the sentence "Many, if not most, more a reason for leaving it gays are somebody's parents," is in than for removing it.
being the same, as being identical, interchangeable units of some threatening, monolithic alien group.
Much of the rhetoric of antigay activists is based upon ‘a phony comparison: Single gays without children are compared to married non-gays who are parents. Ignored or suppressed is the obvious basic fact that people who have children usually live differently than those who do
not--not because of any particular sexual orientation, but simply because parents face circumstances and responsibilities that non parents do not.
Any mention of gay men and women who are parents tends to work as an antidote on some of the poison of the falsehood through over-generalization which anti-gay activists use as the basis of their rhetoric.
R. Woodward
Boswell's book
(Cont'd from previous page) types are always quoting Boswell points out that linguists have only been able to surmise what most likely surmise that it refers the word means, and that the to a male prostitute who takes the active role
The translations of some words are not even reasonable guesses. Whenever the word "sodomite" appears in the King James Version of the Old Testament it represents the Hebrew tion of which is "sacred" The word "kadesh. "the literal translaword probably refers to prostitutes affiliated with a foreign religious cult.
Boswell also points out certain matters in the New Testament which have always been in plain sight, but which have not been generally noticed. There is for example no statement in the New Testament that sex is to be
The subject of gay parents is usually played down or ignored in discussions and descriptions of gay life by non-gay media. The more any aspect of the subject of gay parents is argued over, then more gay parents will be heard of and considered.
The basic strategy of anti-gay
activists is to depict all gays as what she wants
for procreation Paul tells married couples to have sex to avoid frustration
Other than demonstrating that Christianity is not the ultimate
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cause Boswell does not venture any final conclusions as to how intolerance against gays managed to take root in the early medieval period. He does, how-
intends to increase as politicalstability decreases, and he points out that Europe in the centuries after Rone's decline char ged from being a largely urban rural one. society into being a primarily
ever, observe that intolerance
Rural societies tend to base their social organization anc exclusively on family relationideas of proper behavior more ships, and there is in general only a much narrower range of social relationships for an individual to observe and become accustomed to.
More on Boswell's book in the next issue of High gear.
Mailbag
(Continued from Page 6) How do you go about telling people or not telling them? It shows me how strong you are! You dealt with all of these questions beautifully!
I see a lonely emotional uphill climb in your past -I don't mean to sound amnious. I don't mean that at all. What the point of all this is, is that you are one strong and beautiful person. You could have just given up, but you grew so strong through all of this. Like I said, I'm only scratching the surface and there is some other things that I can't fit here but I want you to know that I am learning and understanding more and more everyday! You know am always around for you! I you!"
KS
This letter helped me a great deal. It basically says it all! Read and learn.
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