[Bush2000]

There are many gays that have physical characteristics that can't be explained by learned behavior.

Such as?

[MAWG]

"There are many gays that have physical characteristics that cant be explained by learned behavior." Such as?

Damn, that's tempting but, I'm gonna resist.

[Bush2000]

A few observations...

1. People have the right to their own moral beliefs. They don't have to kowtow to anyone -- neither you nor the gay lobby.

2. People have a fundamental right to discriminate based on their own moral principles or even blind ignorance as long as they don't violate state or federal laws. Discrimination, contrary to what the media would have everyone believe, isn't a dirty word. The freedom to think is the freedom to discriminate.

3. There is no denying the fact that the gay lobby would like nothing better than to "normalize" their sexual practices by way of spreading their doctrine in the schools. Parents have a fundamental right to decide the curriculum that their children will be exposed to. Parents elect school boards. School boards make local policy decisions. Arguing about who is more right is beside the point. Parents have the right to decide.

4. Pedophilia has been delinked from homosexuality by the APA. I don't necessarily agree with this decision (since, in my experience, the vast number of psychologists I know are gay); however, one thing that we can probably agree on is that sexual predators need to be punished severely, regardless of their sex or sexual orientation.

5. I doubt seriously that many people here on Free Republic care what you or anyone else does in the privacy of their bedroom, as long as it doesn't injure someone else. I think what many of us object to is the overt and intentional sexualization of our culture by homosexual activists. For example, gay pride parades that devolve into bacchanalian celebration of their sexuality in the streets. This is a valid point: Heterosexuals don't organize straight pride days. Nor do you see this display of overt sexuality in public. It therefore shouldn't surprise gays that straights object to having our faces rubbed in their bedroom exploits. Keep the bedroom where it belongs: in the bedroom.

6. I don't believe in the notion of gay marriage; however, gay activists do have a valid point in asserting the problems of dependent health care coverage and estate planning. I think there's room to compromise here. Call it a taxpayer union, if you like. The government could recognize the existence of some bond between two people -- regardless of whether they are gay or straight -- that confers some rights to health care coverage and estate planning ... but which does not legitimize gay marriage (which, frankly, is more of a moral institution than a secular one).