What Atheists think about Homosexuality?

[corgilover]

Homosexuality is not a choice, it is how you were born. Personally I have no problem with homosexuality as it is simply two people falling in love.

[AnimatedDirt]

Homosexuality is not a choice, it is how you were born. Personally I have no problem with homosexuality as it is simply two people falling in love.

I find it difficult to agree that EVERY SINGLE homosexual was born homosexual.  I can certainly agree that the vast majority are born that way...maybe even 99.9999~%, but every single one?  There is no one person that has chosen?  I hope that thought isn't offensive.  I'm just thinking.

[corgilover]

Homosexuality is not a choice, it is how you were born. Personally I have no problem with homosexuality as it is simply two people falling in love.

I find it difficult to agree that EVERY SINGLE homosexual was born homosexual.  I can certainly agree that the vast majority are born that way...maybe even 99.9999~%, but every single one?  There is no one person that has chosen?  I hope that thought isn't offensive.  I'm just thinking.

While I respect your opinion, I must point something out. Why would anyone choose to be a member of a group who is repeatedly discriminated against?

[AnimatedDirt]

While I respect your opinion, I must point something out. Why would anyone choose to be a member of a group who is repeatedly discriminated against?

I'm not sure.  Does every person do what they choose to do because the "danger" is low or non-existent?  Sometimes peers are accepting of a certain action(s) whereas society is not.

[Traveler]

Homosexuality is not a choice, it is how you were born. Personally I have no problem with homosexuality as it is simply two people falling in love.

I find it difficult to agree that EVERY SINGLE homosexual was born homosexual.  I can certainly agree that the vast majority are born that way...maybe even 99.9999~%, but every single one?  There is no one person that has chosen?  I hope that thought isn't offensive.  I'm just thinking.

If someone is able to choose one way or the other, than I would argue that they're bi.

[Ali]

I'm not sure about this.  I think they have a problem with both the behavior and the feelings, and in debates that I've had with Christians over this, I have been told repeatedly that homo and bisexuality is a choice.  I'm not sure how they rationalize that someone would wake up one morning and just decide "Hey, I'm gay now."  But this is the impression I've gotten from past debates.  As far as they're concerned you can choose not to be gay and therefore be perfectly happy in a heterosexual relationship.  They even have gay correction camps that are supposed to "turn people back". 

But whether it is by choice or not this isn't really a valid tack with regards to debate. So what if it were a choice?
Christian's believe that people have free will.
It makes no difference really, should non Christians choose to live their lives in a way that makes some Christians around them more comfortable? You need to live life for yourself, not to please others, especially not to please people that you don't have a personal relationship with.

I agree.  I don't believe it's a choice, but even it is were - so what?  Christians don't get to dictate what other people's "choices" should be.  I actually think it's a little insulting when people try to argue that homosexuality should be acceptable because it's not a choice.  Like "Oh, don't blame them, they can't help themselves, the poor dears."  Whether or not it's a choice is clouding the issue.  It shouldn't be acceptable because they "can't help themselves", it should be acceptable because it's none of anyone else's damn business. Consenting adults get to be big boys and girls and sleep with/have a relationship/marry pretty much whoever they want.  I didn't like my brother's last girlfriend (the one before my sister in law) but it's not like I was petitioning to the government to break them up.  Adults get to choose who they spend their time with.  End of story.

[Crow]

If someone is able to choose one way or the other, than I would argue that they're bi.

You make a very good point.

[AnimatedDirt]

If someone is able to choose one way or the other, than I would argue that they're bi.

You make a very good point.

A continuous choice, yes.  But what about the one-time choice?

[Crow]

If someone is able to choose one way or the other, than I would argue that they're bi.

You make a very good point.

A continuous choice, yes.  But what about the one-time choice?

They must have some sort of bisexual (or twilight if you like the film L.A Confidential)  leanings to actually go through with the act, though that one time might make them realise that the curiosity was nothing more than visual attraction.

[AnimatedDirt]

They must have some sort of bisexual (or twilight if you like the film L.A Confidential)  leanings to actually go through with the act, though that one time might make them realise that the curiosity was nothing more than visual attraction.

I meant the one-time choice towards homosexuality not a one-time "fling" in college...or whatever.

[Crow]

They must have some sort of bisexual (or twilight if you like the film L.A Confidential)  leanings to actually go through with the act, though that one time might make them realise that the curiosity was nothing more than visual attraction.

I meant the one-time choice towards homosexuality not a one-time "fling" in college...or whatever.

I doubt it would be a choice in the general sense and are most likely homosexual. There is so much stigma that surrounds the issue they probably want to wait and make sure that they actually are attracted to the same sex before engaging and being thrown into the pigeon hole.

[Sandra Craft]

They must have some sort of bisexual (or twilight if you like the film L.A Confidential)  leanings to actually go through with the act, though that one time might make them realise that the curiosity was nothing more than visual attraction.

Would the Kinsey scale be useful here?

Rating Description
0 Exclusively heterosexual
1 Predominantly heterosexual, only incidentally homosexual
2 Predominantly heterosexual, but more than incidentally homosexual
3 Equally heterosexual and homosexual (bisexual)
4 Predominantly homosexual, but more than incidentally heterosexual
5 Predominantly homosexual, only incidentally heterosexual
6 Exclusively homosexual
X Asexual

Kinsey thought that most heterosexuals had some occasional homosexual urges, even if they didn't act on them, just as most homosexuals had occasional heterosexual urges.  (I've always found it interesting that it's only the 3 category he designates as bisexual)

In this case a person could be said to chose to act on a sexual whim but still wouldn't be choosing the sexual feeling -- that would be innate, if unusual for that person.  What I don't understand is the belief I've sometimes heard from fundies that people chose to act out homosexually without any homosexual feelings or desires.  I just can't wrap my mind around the idea of doing something I didn't need to do and didn't have any desire to do without there being a gun to my head.  What on earth is the point?

[DeterminedJuliet]

I think there should also be a distinction between sexual attraction and romantic attraction.

I know a guy who identified as sexually attracted to men, but romantically attracted to women.

I think human sexuality is far too complicated to wrap up with a neat little bow and a lot of how we perceive of the definitions that we use are culturally/historically relative. Our definition of homosexuality, as it exists today, didn't even exist a couple of hundred years ago. There have always been men who had sex with men and women who had sex with women, but could we really say they were "gay" if they didn't conceptualize of their sexuality that way? I think we have to admit that part of our modern sexuality has a social component that feeds into that identity.

I'd like to post more on this, but it's past my bedtime and I am sleepy at present. *yawn* I'll elaborate tomorrow if need be.

[Tank]

I have bumped this thread about homosexuality in science forum http://www.happyatheistforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=7711.0

This chart may throw some light on the nature/nurture/born/choice debate

[Whitney]

While I respect your opinion, I must point something out. Why would anyone choose to be a member of a group who is repeatedly discriminated against?

I have a friend who is Bi and she swore off men after yet another jerk used her then left.   But I would think that someone would have to be bi in order to choose....which would still make it a biological condition rather than pure choice.