"The foundation of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality; ...the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained..." George Washington, First Inaugural, April 30 1789
"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams
The nature versus nurture argument is a good one to defend a position of denial. I think its the best one. You assume homosexuality is a choice. I equally and strongly believe that it is predetermined (as does Olson). At that point, there is no real constructiveness to further discussion because we will never come to common ground as long as each believes what he/she believes. There it is just best to agree to disagree.
But without opening a new line of debate because we did all that over the gays in the military thing last April. I still wonder why someone would CHOOSE to be denied jobs, denied respect, forced to live a secret life, choose to never be married, never have children, denied housing, publicly mocked, ridiculed, arrested, beaten and in many cases killed...it just does not sit with me that someone would ever CHOOSE that life (other than Christ who offered himself up for us all).
What "rights" are you giving? IIRC the government has no power to do that under our system ...
"Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." John Adams
I notice he didn't specify which religion, I wonder why?