Posted on 12/16/2011 5:51:42 PM PST by Kazan
Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich suggested Thursday that being gay is a choice. At least for some people.
Asked if people can choose to be gay, Gingrich told the Des Moines Register editorial board that he does not "believe in genetic determinism, and I don't think there is any great evidence of genetic determinism."
He said that certain people may choose to be gay if they have certain genetic traits and are raised in a certain environment.
"I think people have a significant range of choice within a genetic pattern," he said. "I believe it's a combination of genetics and environment. I think that both are involved. I think people have many ranges of choices."
Gingrich's appears to be saying people can choose to be gay if they have certain "propensities" and genetic and environmental characteristics. Asked if people can choose to be straight, he responded, "Look, people choose to be celibate."
"People choose many things in life," he said. "You know, there is a bias in favor of non-celibacy. It's part of how the species recreates. And yet there is a substantial amount of people who choose celibacy either out of religious vocation or for other reasons."
Earlier in the interview, Gingrich was asked if he saw a correlation between the civil rights and gay rights movements. He called the parallel "ludicrous" and "offensive," saying no one is trying to segregate gay Americans. The former House speaker added that his position reflects "a 3,000 year tradition that is very deep in our culture for very profound reasons."
"I think there's an enormous difference between an inescapable fact of race...and a question about culture," he said. "A question about 'what are your values?' I think marriage is between a man and a woman. That's a value proposition."
"There's a big difference between saying that you are going to have an acceptance of people's lifestyle and saying you now are going to normalize that as the standard for the whole country," he continued, before reiterating his support for reinstating the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy.
Gingrich, whose half-sister Candace Gingrich-Jones is gay, earlier this week said he supported sending a constitutional amendment barring same-sex marriage to the states.
“Newt is riding the fence on this one.”
No, he isn’t. There is no evidence one way or the other concerning why people are gay. There are opinions galore, but no evidence.
I had gay patients in my counseling practice and some were satisfied with their state and some were not. It was not my business to push them one way or another, rather it was to help them come to a resolution with which they were satisfied and could lead a successful life.
If homosexuals are “born this way”, couldn’t pedophilia use this same irrational excuse; or are homosexuals ‘pedophobic’?
Excellent post; if they’d stop shoving their abnormality in our face, there wouldn’t be a ‘problem’ with society. They know they’re abnormal and continue to demand ‘we’ don’t think that of them also.
Just not Newt.
Not very familiar with Santorum, are you?
4%? They wish. Probably closer to 1%
What specifically are we to disagree with?
“Look, people choose to be celibate.”
“Just not Newt.”
And, probably you are not celibate, either. Neither is Bachmann/Romney/Santorum/Paul/Perry/etc.. Now, do we want to count the times they were not celibate? I think Santorum has the most kids - maybe you have more than he does?
This is ridiculous.
I agree with you. Newt Gingrich discussing exercising the restraint of one's sexual proclivities is beyond ridiculous.
“I agree with you. Newt Gingrich discussing exercising the restraint of one’s sexual proclivities is beyond ridiculous.”
Newt was asked the question about gays and he answered the question. Since he has a half sister who is gay, that’s likely why he was asked that question, due to the half sister stating she would not support him for president because he did not go along with her gay agenda.
If it bothers you Newt doesn’t go along with the gay agenda, you can vote for Romney as he does.
Exactly. That is the excuse they want ingrained in society, and a "hate crime" to deny. Forcing everyone to agree homosexuality (or bisexuality, pederasty, etc) is innate and immutable normalizes the behavior. Then Jerry Sandusky could conceivably claim civil rights violations.
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This is excellent. Whatever else about Newt, he isn't terrified spitless of the media or the fag mafia - but I repeat myself. And one of the things so many Rs are terrified to do is say what Newt says. I'm very pleased.
Newt was asked if homos chose to be homos. He entered into a discourse on choices, values and marriage.
"If it bothers you Newt doesn’t go along with the gay agenda, you can vote for Romney as he does."
I've financed Santorum and will vote for him, because among other things, he opposes the gay agenda and when the discussion enters traditional values, he stands on much firmer ground than Newt. Or Romney. If you like Newt, that's fine; he has a number of positions I'm fine with and can support. When it comes to family values, marriage, etc., he would do well to couch all his responses in terms of, "mistakes I have made and would want to spare others the anguish."
IMHO, Newt, probably because of his academic background, comes across as a lecturer. It's his strong suit in a number of areas. This isn't one of them.
I did not say that Newt was wrong, I simply suggested that he was not taking a strong position.
And I agree with your view.
True, but with all the will power in the world, I couldn’t choose to be gay. Guys are gross, so there is no attraction.
Homosexuality is not a choice. But it doesn’t come from birth either. Something clearly happens to people early in life to make them turn out gay - a funny uncle, or whatever. Every gay I’ve ever known eventually reveals some kind of childhood abuse or trauma.
Newt is riding the fence on this one.“I think people have a significant range of choice within a genetic pattern,” he said. “I believe it’s a combination of genetics and environment. I think that both are involved. I think people have many ranges of choices.”
What, you don't think that genetics have any effect on behavior? Babies' behavior differs in the crib, before environment has even begun to happen. And since people do learn, experience also influences behavior. So much is obvious.What is also obvious is that gay parents are a rarity, and the other kind of parent doesn't expect their children to be so, either. So that if ever a necessary-and-suffiecient "gay gene" were discovered which could be detected in utero, gays would become antiabortion en masse on that very day.
Actually there is a lot of evidence about what causes homosexuality:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2730140/posts
Not born this way: The facts, plus help available
Save California ^ | Various authors
Posted on Sunday, June 05, 2011 7:48:09 AM by scripter
Without any reputable evidence, the entertainment culture, uneducated media, and sexual activists have seduced today’s teenagers, in particular, to believe that people are born homosexual.
However, science has found no biological basis for homosexuality, bisexuality, or transsexuality.
Study after study has found the “LGBT” lifestyle to be unhealthy, with the highest rate of sexually-transmitted diseases, and higher cancer rates and earlier deaths.
While all people are worthy and valuable, the fact is people are not “born this way,” as a popular song insists.
(click the FR thread and there are many links within. Much, much evidence.)
Actually a small percentage of homosexuals (no idea how many but some, they’ve said it themselves!) have chosen to have sex with the same sex. They decided to. Most have not actually chosen, though anyone who has sex (or any voluntary activity) chooses whether to engage in it or not engage in it. There are many former homosexuals who have chosen to leave the “gay” life.
You apparently have not read Gov Perry’s positions or heard any of the ads he has put out.
Newt is saying this as a matter of convenience; to feed and tickle itching ears; Rick Perry is stating it because he truly believes and knows that the homo agenda is destructive. He knows what it will ultimately do to the Military of the U.S. because ...well because he did serve. Something Newton hasn’t done.
Gays recruit younger or vulnerable people to become gay. The “victim” wants to be liked so goes along with this repulsive, disgusting behavior to be “liked”.
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