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bitch bitch bitch
Dec. 10th, 2008 07:46 pmSo I was reading this article in a magazine that discussed the notion of "re-programming" gay people. It talked about this Christian-based rehablitation centre called New Hope that focuses on converting gay people to heterosexuality. New Hope offers therapy that helps the homosexual to turn away from the sinful temptation of being attracted to someone of the same sex, to recognize where those evil desires come from, and to turn these wrong feelings into proper, God-friendly ones.
What a load of bullshit!
I was raised in the Anglican church (the Canadian equivalent of the Episcopalian church), and was first exposed to this blatant homophobia and madness at the ripe age of 13. During a workshop on homosexuality, the priest leading the session explained that homoexuality is a result ofnegative and traumatizing experiences like an absent father or an overbearing mother. My parents are very liberal and from a very young age they raised me to respect the people around me regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or orientation. So right away I knew this workshop was bogus.
Howevere, I struggled for several years with understanding how some Christians believe that homosexuality is a sin. I wanted to be a Christian and follow Jesus, but I couldn't reconcile my faith with how a loving and good God could condemn someone because of who they fall in love with, and who they're attracted to. To this day, it is the sole reason I am not a Christian. I can not believe in a religion that condemns basic human rights and love. I just can't!
Seven years later, I do believe that homosexuality is innate and not learned or chosen. I believe that gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry, adopt, and receive the same rights as straight couples. Nothing at all will ever make me falter from these beliefs, and I will fight for those rights to be available to g/l/b/t people. That, not religion, is what I will devote my life to.
Having said that, I am always disturbed by homophobia, but this article in particular has truly upset me. I am fucking pissed off! The article in question featured an interview with a young man who was going through the rehab program. He described how he felt coerced into joining the gay community, like he "didn't have a choice" in whether to participate or not. This concept, and the others that surround this issue, honsetly make me sick to my stomach. To think that young men and women are being coerced to enter programs that will teach them to deny parts of themselves is truly sickening to me.
If you feel like learning about what these men and women go through (and torturing yourself with tripe), click here to find a link to New Hope's website. Don't say I didn't warn you, though...
I could go on for days about how much I hate homophobia in all of its forms, but I'll leave you with this wonderful quote. This is from a Dear Abby response, to a reader who complained that a gay couple was moving in across the street and wanted to know what he could do to improve the quality of the neighborhood.
"You could move."
UGH people make me crazy sometimes.
What a load of bullshit!
I was raised in the Anglican church (the Canadian equivalent of the Episcopalian church), and was first exposed to this blatant homophobia and madness at the ripe age of 13. During a workshop on homosexuality, the priest leading the session explained that homoexuality is a result ofnegative and traumatizing experiences like an absent father or an overbearing mother. My parents are very liberal and from a very young age they raised me to respect the people around me regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or orientation. So right away I knew this workshop was bogus.
Howevere, I struggled for several years with understanding how some Christians believe that homosexuality is a sin. I wanted to be a Christian and follow Jesus, but I couldn't reconcile my faith with how a loving and good God could condemn someone because of who they fall in love with, and who they're attracted to. To this day, it is the sole reason I am not a Christian. I can not believe in a religion that condemns basic human rights and love. I just can't!
Seven years later, I do believe that homosexuality is innate and not learned or chosen. I believe that gays and lesbians should be allowed to marry, adopt, and receive the same rights as straight couples. Nothing at all will ever make me falter from these beliefs, and I will fight for those rights to be available to g/l/b/t people. That, not religion, is what I will devote my life to.
Having said that, I am always disturbed by homophobia, but this article in particular has truly upset me. I am fucking pissed off! The article in question featured an interview with a young man who was going through the rehab program. He described how he felt coerced into joining the gay community, like he "didn't have a choice" in whether to participate or not. This concept, and the others that surround this issue, honsetly make me sick to my stomach. To think that young men and women are being coerced to enter programs that will teach them to deny parts of themselves is truly sickening to me.
If you feel like learning about what these men and women go through (and torturing yourself with tripe), click here to find a link to New Hope's website. Don't say I didn't warn you, though...
I could go on for days about how much I hate homophobia in all of its forms, but I'll leave you with this wonderful quote. This is from a Dear Abby response, to a reader who complained that a gay couple was moving in across the street and wanted to know what he could do to improve the quality of the neighborhood.
"You could move."
UGH people make me crazy sometimes.
