In Praise Of Homosexuality

Homosexualityⁱ is the answer.

What, you ask, is the question? Fair enough. But let's begin with some facts. No. First comes disclosure. I'm heterosexual. I blush to admit it since it's not fashionable at the present, but I have to place Truth above my embarrassment. OK. Now that's out of the way.

Facts:

There's a lot of homosexuality in the world. Conservative estimates place the number at between one and two percent. So that means that there probably are at least 100 million individualsⁱⁱ who would so identify themselves. That doesn't include the bisexual and trans-sexual population – but who's counting.

Same sex bonding, moreover, is not limited to humans. According to Wikipedia,

“Homosexual behavior in animals is sexual behavior among non-human species that is interpreted as homosexual or bisexual. This may include sexual activity, courship, affection, pair bonding, and parenting among same-sex animal pairs. Research indicates that various forms of this are found throughout the animal kingdom. As of 1999, nearly 1,500 species, ranging from primates to gut worms, have been observed engaging in same-sex behaviors; this is well documented in about 500 species.”

We're not alone.

Homosexual behavior has existed as long as people have. Longer when you consider its presence in other species. It was prominent in ancient societies and must have been sufficiently influential a few millennia ago that the Bible had to spend a lot of time excoriating its practitioners. And the disrepute resulting from theological sources, as well as the psychological reactions of non-participants, resulted in widespread condemnation by the governments of societies around the world. In some placesⁱⁱⁱ sodomy merits the death penalty – even today. In many lands it is simply ignored, although some cultures celebrate it. It's unlikely that you'll get through an evening of television or the movies without seeing homosexual characters or hearing homosexual themes – usually in an approving manner. Yet it wasn't until 2003^iv that the United States Supreme Court struck down anti-sodomy laws, and the battle over same-sex marriage is still going on. (Back to disclosure. As I said in a previous essay,^v I'm opposed to homosexuality because of the hijacking of the language. “Marriage,” “gay,” and “partner,” for example have been twisted into words with very different meanings from the past, though the use of new words with more specific meanings could have preserved past definitions in a recognizable way. The practice itself is of no interest to me and I have enough problems of my own without involving myself in those of its adherents.)

However it doesn't make sense to me. I don't mean to judge the specific behavior of members of the LGBTQ community. It's the biology that confuses me. I've learned that it's nature, not nurture, that is the background of homosexuality, and that it's not a disease but a normal condition. But what is its origin?

If it's an inborn characteristic as current teaching tells us, it is governed by genetics. And beyond that, it should be ruled by the precepts of evolution. That means that the characteristic is heritable, and its persistence suggests that it is beneficial to the continuation of our species.^vi Which doesn't make all that much sense. Homosexual unions are un(re)productive, and if the behavior is not taught, it is unclear how it can be transmitted. It should be self-limited, and it should have disappeared a long time ago. But it didn't.

Is that proof that evolution doesn't work? That it is an intriguing, but false, concept? Does it prove that homosexuality is part of a Divine Plan? That the Creator wants homosexuality to persist? Or perhaps it indicates that there are mutations that occur frequently enough to keep the number of homosexuals constant. Whatever.

If it is part of a Divine Plan, however, it's one we might consider imitating.  As I've noted before,^vii we should be encouraging homosexuality and homosexual unions because they are of benefit to the world. One of the major problems we face is the threat of overpopulation and one solution is obvious – sterile unions. Same-sex unions, or whatever else you want to call them. Whether we can relate to their “life-style” or not, they are clearly doing a service for the rest of us, and for that we should be grateful. We may have a question, but we also have an answer.  The question is about the past.  The answer is about the future.

Next episode: “The Tenth Amendment And “ … all the other Acts and Things … ” --  You know what I mean.





 

i         When I use the term I'm referring to all the variants of same-sex bonding, gender dysphoria, and the like. It's just easier to use a single word, even though I realize that the varieties have many differences.

ii        Give or take a few tens or hundreds of millions.

iii       For example countries ruled by Sharia law.

iv       Lawrence v. Texas, 539 U.S. 558 (2003)

v        “It Goes Without Saying,” November 28, 2010

vi       That's what natural selection is all about.

vii      “The New Paradigm,” July 27, 2014. Actually, much of what I'm saying here I've said before. But I never considered the place of evolution in the equation, though its role is uncertain. Nor have I considered mutation as a cause of homosexuality.