Get facts straight about gay life

I REFER to an article by Paul Kokoski entitled Gay Parades Not To Be Condoned published in the July 6 DAILY NATION claiming that homosexuality was abnormal and dangerous and that Gay parades were “a celebration of unbridled lust”.

Credible scientific evidence indicates that persons are born homosexual; they do not become homosexual because of peer or family influence.

It is illogical to claim that homosexual behaviour is a matter of self-affirmation and that gay parades are anymore a celebration of unbridled lust than are exhibitions by heterosexuals of “wuk-up”.

Scientific consensus does not support any link between homosexuality and paedophilia.

A study into the prevalence of paedophilic offenders showed homosexuals to be guilty in less than one per cent of the cases.

Some child abuse specialists argue that homosexuality and paedophilia are not synonymous, but rather mutually exclusive.

For instance, homosexual males are attracted to masculinity in a partner, but such masculinity is not typically seen in small children.

Kokoski quotes Dr Cretella as saying homosexuals appear to frequently suffer from depression and anxiety.

This begs the question, are they depressed because they are living a lifestyle which is “anti-life” or because they are reacting to prevailing views in society that denigrate and ostracise them?

It is also ludicrous to claim that boys adopting a homosexual lifestyle because of influence from same-sex parents have a 30 per cent chance of being dead or HIV positive by the age of 30.

What this does not say is what percentage of boys with same-sex parents end up being homosexual.

In any event, were we to assume that all boys with same sex parents become homosexuals?.

A 30 per cent incidence is far less than the 70 per cent who apparently run no such risk.

Is this suggesting that boys who adopt a homosexual lifestyle from influence other than from same-sex parents do not run this risk?

The specificity and exclusiveness of the claim alone is enough to reveal its irrationality.

One hopes that future displays of lifestyle oppression lacking credibility and value will not be tolerated.

ISSAC A. RAMPHAL