villainess

In addition to the fear, power, and gender role things, there's also the issue that monotheists tend to like to hear that there's one right answer to everything -

One God
One species made in His (or Her, in theory, I guess) Image
One Chosen People
One Savior
One right role for men (father/breadwinner)
One right role for women (mother/helpmate)
and on and on... I've read Christian authors who even suggest that there's only one right mood (either cheerful or angry, depending) and one right way to dress...

So it makes sense that they think there's only one right way to have sex.

They also think it confirms their views if people who pick the "wrong" answers are miserable, even if that requires effort on the Christians' part to make them so. They still try to do this to sexually active women and members of other religions when they can, no surprise that they do it to gays.

the.villainess

freeth1nker

Well, it's true... Most people today realize that racism is wrong but they still haven't got it with homophobia.

shome42

Here's my theory on why people irrationally fear gays, at the risk of sounding like a bad Freud ripoff--

I think EVERYONE has had some sort of gay thoughts, if nothing else, subconsciously...

Naturally, people who are raised to think that gays are going to Hell resent them because they remind them of the part of themselves that they hate.

As well, because they subconsciously know homosexually is somewhat present in all of us, in varying degrees, they fear gays will draw out the innate homosexuality in their children, thereby sending their children to Hell.

In short, they get pissed cus they're really closet homos. The more latent gayness in someone, the more rage towards homosexuals.

----------------------------------

Now on a more realistic note--

It's because people are raised to hate gays.

I used to "hate" gays when I was a kid, the reason being my father made them out to be quasi-predatory freaks, and I simply emmulated his attitude.

I seriously doubt any homophobes just one day decided to hate gays. They were most likely raised that way.

beoba

Random childhood story:

I was too young to remember this myself, but my mom has told me about it.
I was arguing with a fundy kid from down the street over comparing two (now forgotten) items.
While he was pushing for "one must be better than the other," I was arguing that "they're not better, just different!"

Anyway, your post reminded me of that story.

KnightWhoSaysNi

A good political cartoon from the Globe and Mail:

penumbra

from the OP Anybody see the movie "Pleasantville"? Many people fear anything that upsets their view of the established social order, that pushes them ouside of their current comfort zone.

BTW, I saw that "Pleasantville" was on tv at least twice last week. They oughta run that every other night in prime time until the election!!

TomboyMom

I think villainess is on to something here. It's comparable to anti-semitism. To the Jews, it looks like, "Why don't they leave us alone? We're not bothering them." But if there can only be One True Religion, then merely by worshipping in a different way, without any proselytizing or speaking out against Christianity, Jews are maintaining that Christians are wrong, and if wrong must logically believe that Christians should be eliminated, therefore as a purely defensive strategy, Jews must be eliminated.

Similarly, since there is one correct kind of sexuality, (normal, moral, healthy, etc.) merely by having a different kind of sexuality, gay and lesbian people must be asserting by implication that heterosexuality is wrong, and therefore homosexuals must be suppressed, because they are trying to prevent heterosexuals from having their kind of sex and marriage. This sounds silly, until you remember that their propaganda does state that they are "defending traditional marriage." Like, allowing gay people to marry will be an attack on their right to marry. It as though they cannot grasp the concept of "different strokes for different folks." Like: some like vanilla, some like chocolate, it's O.K.--relax. They seem to think that my preference for chocolate means that vanilla will no longer be available.

Rene, tired of having to state the obvious

villainess

This also explains why some Christians think that saying, "Well, if everyone was gay humanity would become extinct," is a good argument against allowing homosexuals any freedom at all.

the.villainess

Maverick

This is not really a "Secular Lifestyle" issue. Their is a moral component to the discussion, but for now I will try Misc. Discussion.

Maverick
Secular Lifestyle Moderator

abe smith

that there is not, nor has there EVER BEEN. so far as I am able to determine,
ANY LEGAL DEFINITION of the two terms "A MAN" and "A WOMAN".
Think about that! If all those prohibitionists are going to confect LAWS specifying that "marriage" is/has to be limited to "one man" and "one woman". well Folks, doanchu think that SOMETIME SOMEWHERE there's going to HAVE to be those definitions set down LEGALLY in blackandwhite, you shd pardon the expression?
I bet none of you straight people has ever TRIED to write such definitions! Go ahead. Shall we open up a new thread? "Define the two terms: * a Man* and *a Woman*. "
I.ve written Bill Frist twice asking him for these definitions, but he hasn't answered yet. Notice carefully that "ther Barbill" never told us what the two ARE.