IS HOMOSEXUALITY NATURAL?

JIM KEPNER, MODERATOR,

THE MODERATOR OPENED THE DISCUSSION AS TO WHETHER THE TERM NATURAL MEANT NORMAL OR AVERAGE AND IF THE SEX PLEASURE PRINCIPLE WERE TO BE CONSIDERED AS WELL AS THE "SEX FOR PROCREATION ONLY" THEOREM. HE POINTED OUT DR. ALBERT ELLIS' PREMISE THAT EXCLUSIVE HOMOSEXUAL OR EXCLUSIVE HETEROSEXUAL CONDUCT WAS NEUROTIC.

ONE WOMAN SUGGESTED THAT THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION OF THE NATURALNESS OF HOMOSEXUALITY WOULD DEPEND ON IF ONE SUBSCRIBED TO THE SCIENTIFIC OR THE RELIGIOUS POINT OF VIEW. SHE QUOTED FROM SPEECHES MADE BY DR. FRANK BEACH JR. AND DR. WARDELL B. POMEROY AS REPORTED IN PREVIOUS ISSUED OF THE LADDER AND POINTED OUT THAT BOTH THESE MEN HAVE STATED FLATLY THAT HOMOSEXUALITY IS PART OF OUR MAMMALIAN HER|TAGE, THAT IT IS PREVALENT IN ALL SPECIES OF ANIMAL AND THEREFORE CANNOT BE CONSIDERED UNNATURAL.

ANOTHER INDIVIDUAL SUGGESTED THAT BEHAVIOR COULD BE CONSIDERED UNNATURAL WHERE ADJUSTMENT HAS NOT BEEN MADE WHERE HOMOSEXUAL TENDENCIES DO EXIST AND CANNOT BE ESCAPED. IT WAS FURTHER SUGGESTED THAT HOMOSEXUALITY IS A STATE OF BEING AND NOT JUST A PHYSICAL EXPRESSION, THAT THE FACT A PERSON WAS A HOMOSEXUAL BEFORE KNOWING ABOUT OR DESIRING THE SEX ACT WOULD INDICATE SOME OTHER FACTOR WAS INVOLVED. HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVIOR, HE INDICATED, DOES NOT NECESSARILY INVOLVE "CHOICE."

THE FACT THAT EACH CULTURE DETERMINES WHAT BEHAVIOR IS NATURAL OR UNNATURAL WAS ALSO BROUGHT OUT. WHAT IS NATURAL IN ONE CULTURE MAY BE CONSIDERED UNNATURAL IN ANOTHER AND VICE VERSA. IT WAS ALSO POINTED OUT THAT MANY PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE IN THE FIELD OF PSYCHOLOGY MAINTAIN THAT THERE IS A HOMOSEXUAL COMPONENT IN ALL PEOPLE AND THEREFORE IT COULD HARDLY BE AN "UNNATURAL" PHENOMENON.

WHY THE QUESTION AT ALL BEFORE THE GROUP? SOMEONE ASKED. THE ANSWER LAY IN THE PROBLEM OF LEGAL DEFINITION IN THE COURTS, IN THE RELIGIOUS POINT OF VIEW, AND IN THE SCIENTIFIC QUESTION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT HOMOSEXUALITY CAN BE CURED.

IT WAS CONCLUDED BY THE GROUP THAT THE QUESTION AS TO WHETHER OR NOT HOMOSEXUALITY WAS NATURAL WOULD BE RELEVANT AS LONG AS PEOPLE WERE DISTURBED BY THE QUESTION.

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