Lesbian Cheerleader

Why do people still believe that homosexuality is a choice? I don’t understand why this concept is so complicated, it’s really not.

Opponants to Gay Rights constantly try to argue that homosexuality is a choice that we make. I have heard too many times that it is a “disorder”, a lifestyle we “choose” to lead. I’ll discuss this after the jump, but first let me take this oppertunity to poke fun at Sarah Palin:

There are so many reasons why homosexuality not a choice, at least not in the choice that one can choose to be homosexual or choose not to be homosexual. Reasons that any reasonable person with a working sense of logic should be able to understand.

The first and most obvious one is, if we were able to choose not to be gay, why do we not do so and thus avoid the harm that often comes to us because of it? From the social stigma that comes with homosexuality to the most extreme cases (South African women getting raped for being lesbians, homosexual people being handed the death penalty in Islamic countries) we can see that it is not about making a choice. If it was as simple as making a choice, would it not stand to reason that the people involved would simply choose not to be homosexual rather than face these terrible things?

Lets look at what our choices are based on. Why do we choose one thing over another? Given the choice between steamed broccoli and chocolate fudge cake, I’d go for the fudge cake. I know that the cake is bad for me and the broccoli is good for me – so why do I choose the cake? It’s because I like the cake and I do not like broccoli. If we could choose what we like and what we dislike, dieting would be a breeze and we would have almost no difficulty in teaching our kids to eat healthy food! Wouldn’t that be nice?
The same logic can be applied to homosexuality. I like girls. I do not like guys. Given the choice between a guy and a girl, I would choose the girl. Just like I can’t change the fact that I dislike broccoli, I cannot change the fact that the thought of being intimate with a man disgusts me. I choose to be with the girl based on likes and dislikes that I cannot change.

Mmmmm cake!

One thing argued by those claiming that homosexuality is a choice is that there is no scientific evidence to suggest that homosexuals are born this way – therefore it must be a choice. This assumption is based on flawed logic. There are many things about us that were not set at or before birth, but are beyond our control. Going back to likes and dislikes, I think you would be hard pressed to prove that my dislike for brocoli has anything to do with my genes!

Here’s food for thought for all the straight people who still think homosexuality is a choice. Imagine that one day you were transported to a world where homosexuality was the norm. Only homosexuals can get married. Only two people of the same sex can procreate. People who choose different-sex partners are stigmatised and frowned upon. Put yourself in that picture. Now, can you honstly tell me that you could simply choose to be intimate with somebody of the same sex and be content with that?

Side Note:
What about transexual people? There are cases of people undergoing sex reassignment surgery and then having to have their marriage annulled becuase same-sex marriages are illegal, even when their partner is still attracted to and willing to stay married after said operation.
How does sexual orientation apply to transexuals? Should a TS person have to change their sexual orientation when they change their sex?
Being transexual myself, I grew up thinking that I was a straight male. By my teens I came to the realisation that in my mind I am actually female, so I went about changing my sex through SRS. Throughout this entire process my sexual preferences never changed. I remain attracted to females, but I am not allowed to marry one as I was before my surgery. I could get married to a male, but since sexuality is not linked to physical sex and cannot be changed through surgery, I cannot find myself attracted to males. By changing sex I have lost the right to get married to the person I love. How can this be justified?