I sat down Monday morning to read the Lantern only to be outraged and appalled by the column before me. “Homosexuals live a dangerous lifestyle” is an inconclusive, vague and fallacy-ridden argument.
On the first note, ‘homosexual’ is a term that is inclusive of both gay men and lesbian women. Rich Bordner’s whole argument is completely biased on accounts of the sexual activities of gay men and completely neglects one half of the gay community. That is utterly sexist.
The study, which he uses as evidence, claims, “75 percent of homosexual men are currently carrying at least one pathogen, although each one isn’t necessarily sick or infecting others.”
The argument is based on a study of “200 studies on homosexuality,” which are supposedly “very diverse; both random and nonrandom, covering wide geographic areas, and many have bias controls.”
The assertion that some of the studies were random automatically discounts the Schmidt book. There has never been a ‘random’ sampling of homosexuals. It is impossible to get such a sample. All samples are either convenience samples, stratified samples, or samples that require self-disclosure, which is subject to a selection bias.
Additionally, there is absolutely no way to accurately measure any statistics on the homosexual community. Even if the government tried to put sexual preference on a census form, they would not get an accurate measurement.
Homosexuality consists of many different acts, not just anal intercourse. Many gay men do not even participate in anal intercourse. Also, it would be completely ridiculous to neglect the number of heterosexuals that participate in anal intercourse. Most studies show approximately 15-25 percent of heterosexuals participate in anal intercourse, which makes them a greater risk than the gay male community. Furthermore, the highest rate of new AIDS cases reported is in African-American women.
It is offensive to even assume that just because someone identifies as a homosexual, they are sexually active. In addition, it is outrageous to charge that all gay men are promiscuous. Many openly gay men are relationship-oriented and have had few, perhaps no sexual partners.
Finally, to regard homosexuality as a “mental danger” is a fallacy. All legitimate psychological studies in the past three decades have stated that homosexuals are as equally capable of living healthy and happy lives as heterosexuals.
To find out the real deal about homosexuals, come to a Question and Answer session sponsored by The Straight and Gay Alliance, Thursday, May 24, at 8:30 p.m. in the Ohio Union Grey Suite H. Snacks and beverages will be provided.
Timothy OrtylUndecided
