Homosexuality is becoming a prominent part of modern culture. This newly created “class” of people has caused much conflict in social and political realms. While biology has found pathologies for many behavioral attributes, homosexuality has yet to find scientific validation.
Rather than allowing science and psychology to examine homosexuality as a behavioral phenomenon, we have allowed politics and the entertainment media to dictate the representation and prevalence of homosexual persons-resulting in many unfounded stereotypes.
The term “homosexual” was coined in Germany in 1869. “Homosexual” was the preferred name because of its neutral and scientific nature, rather than the more common, behaviorally denoted terms, “fems” and “sodomites.”
It was at this time that formal psychiatric studies began to be conducted. Homosexual Germans did not subscribe to the idea of inborn causation, but rather believed that homosexuality was a morally superior achievement to heterosexual relations.
In 1973, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from its list of mental disorders to avoid instances of moral judging.
This decision by the APA was not a decision based on research, evaluation or consensus-it was the result of power, politics, threats and intimidation.
The newest language in the homosexual lexicon is the term “sexual orientation.” This term is preferred to “sexual preference,” thus implying that sexual behavior is something over which you have no control.
But sexual orientation is a vague term; there is no test to find one’s sexual orientation other than self-declaration. Does a simple homosexual thought imply that one is a homosexual?
In 1995, J.C. Gonsoriek, R.L. Sell and J.D. Weinrich published a study titled “Definition and measurement of sexual orientation” in the journal Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior. In it, they stated: “There is serious doubt whether sexual orientation is a valid concept at all.”
An example of this is Anne Heche, ex-girlfriend of Ellen DeGeneres. Heche is now in a heterosexual marriage with a child.
This obviously begs the question: Is she gay, ex-gay, bisexual or simply sexually confused? One study found that half of lesbians over a five-year period changed their sexual identity and preference. Another study found that a quarter of lesbians had sexual relations with a man within six months of the survey.
After decades of research, there still remain no biological indicators or “gay genes.” A recent study comparing twins found one association suggestive but not statistically significant.
While genetic factors can’t yet be ruled out, environment remains, by far, the largest contributor to homosexual causation. Research suggests the majority of homosexuals are not strictly homosexual but rather bisexually promiscuous.
There is one aspect of the homosexual lifestyle that has been scientifically examined, however, and that examination has lent fairly definitive conclusions: health risks for homosexuals.
There is strong evidence about the increased health risks to homosexuals not only from HIV-homosexuals make up 45% of new cases-but also STDs, substance abuse, mental illness, hemorrhoids, cancer, hepatitis and parasitic and other infections.
Life expectancy is between eight and 20 years fewer for gay and bisexual men. Half of today’s gay and bisexual men will not reach 65 years of age.
Our current conceptions and definitions of homosexuality are not supported by science or solid evidence.
Our definitions and considerations of homosexual behavior need to have some rigor and objectivity. If we are ever to truly understand homosexuality, we need to examine it from a scientific perspective and not rely on political correctness to guide us to the truth.