This billboard, paid for by RestrainTheJudges.com, a radical right wing, anti-Constitution group, was placed at a mall in Dearborn Michigan. More are planned for other cities in Michigan as well. The reasoning used in the billboard is that if something is a behavior than it is not a civil right.
Where are they wrong? Well, first, not all behavior is equal. Yes, homosexual acts are a behavior in the strictest sense, but not homosexuality itself. One's sexual orientation is not a binary thing. In other words you are not strictly straight or gay. It is a continuum (Kinsey), with most people falling in the middle and only a few that are strictly gay or straight. Since we live in a society that frowns upon homosexuality most people choose straight with out realizing they are making a choice. It is like choosing a hamburger over fried crickets. Crickets are more abundant than hamburgers, but in our society it is gross to eat them. Never mind that they are better for you.
This means that the few gays we have in the US. According to the CDC (study link), of the adult population, "1.6% identified as gay or lesbian, and 0.7% identified as bisexual. The
remaining 1.1% of adults identified as ‘‘something else,’’ stated ‘‘I don’t know
the answer,’’ or refused to provide an answer." This is what you would expect in a continuum. That means that for those who identify as gay, they are completely gay with no real ambiguity. This is their sexuality, it is a part of who they are. Thus their sexual orientation is not mere behavior, but who they are and who they have been since birth.
Note: If you think about it for a minute, one can assume that a similar number are completely strait. That means the majority of "strait" people are so by choice. In societies where homosexual behavior is not frowned upon, people tend to explore same sex relationships. This was the case in Ancient Greece and Rome; and to a lesser, and more complex extent the case holds for women in American culture. While it is true that few in these cultures would identify as gay, they still were able, if not were encouraged to, express the full range of their sexuality.
Note: If you think about it for a minute, one can assume that a similar number are completely strait. That means the majority of "strait" people are so by choice. In societies where homosexual behavior is not frowned upon, people tend to explore same sex relationships. This was the case in Ancient Greece and Rome; and to a lesser, and more complex extent the case holds for women in American culture. While it is true that few in these cultures would identify as gay, they still were able, if not were encouraged to, express the full range of their sexuality.
But if it is a behavior then it is not a Civil Right? Speech is a behavior. So is religion. And that's the thing, no person is born with a particular religion, or point of view. They are ideas that lead to learned behavior. So, according to RestrainTheJudges.com, religion should not be considered Civil Rights either. They should not be protected. That means we will have to strip "In God We Trust" and "Under God" from all buildings, currency and the Pledge!
No matter how you slice it, anti-gay bigotry only makes sense if you follow the random writings of anonymous, bigoted, goat herders from the bronze age. This is a throw back to pre-civilized society. It is the type of thinking that impedes human progress and understanding.
So let me fix that sign for ya!
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