Culture Wars

1. Culture Wars 12 Sep 2012 Bill Brewer — Bill Brewer

2. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . • The reality of homosexual recruitment. • The invention of “sexual orientation.” • Equation of “sexual orientation” with race. • Disagreements among homosexuals themselves about the nature of homosexual behavior. • Unproven claims and biased research on the biology of homosexuality. • Use of self-assessments as evidence to the nature of homosexual behavior. — Bill Brewer

3. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . • Use of violence and intimidation to force acceptance of homosexuality. • Efforts by homosexuals to obstruct people seeking relief from homosexual impulses. • Promotion of homosexual lifestyles via propaganda and sentimentality. • Invention of homosexual “ethnologies.” • Conflation of ancient homosexuality with modern-day practices.  — Bill Brewer

4. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Equation of bias against homosexuality with other prejudgments; e.g., race, sex, and religion. • The sociologically dysfunctional nature of homosexual relationships. • The moral confusion inherent in homosexual lifestyles. • Spiritual and physical pathologies intrinsic to homosexuality. • The absence of moral courage in the face of gay activism. • The social and individual benefits resulting from suppression of homosexuality. — Bill Brewer

5. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Questionable “outings” of historical figures. • Existence of open homosexuality as a motive for hatred of America. • The reduction of objections to homosexuality to simply matters of ignorance, bigotry . . . • The “personal to political” motivation under-lying gay activism. • The worldview implications of embracing homosexuality as normal. — Bill Brewer

6. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 1 — The reality of homosexual recruitment. • If homosexuals are “born not made,” then why do individual homosexuals admit to and engage in recruitment? • How does the claim that “genuine heterosexuals cannot be recruited into homosexuality” facilitate the mainstreaming of homosexuality into public life? • How does that notion facilitate exposure of children and young people to what would otherwise be understood as recruitment? — Bill Brewer

7. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 1 (cont.) — The reality of homosexual recruitment. • How does the assertion of “born not made” respond to parental concerns with public school teachers who are openly homosexual? • How does it justify programs — sometimes mandatory — encouraging young people to question their “gender identity”? • How does it lead to the establishment of homosexual support groups in schools and the referral of troubled youth to those groups for “help”? — Bill Brewer

8. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 2 — The invention of “sexual orientation” as a justification of homosexuality. • Where and why did the idea of “sexual orientation” originate? • Which of the following aspects of life are part of “sexual orientation”? • Cultural? Social? Philosophical? • Religious? Educational? Familial? • Experiential? Biological? Physiological? • Psychological? Moral/ethical? Volitional? • How many “orientations” can be constructed from the preceding factors? • Conservative “orientation”? Liberal? • Racist? Welfare? Criminal? • Gang? Drug? Pedophile? • Homosexual? Heterosexual? — Bill Brewer

9. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 2 (cont.) — The invention of “sexual orientation” as a justification of homosexuality. • Which of the preceding “orientations” are grounded in something really real? • Which should be “privileged”? • Which might suggest impure motives on the part of those who would assert them? • What are the dangers of “reification” — of thinking concepts (e.g., “sexual orientation”) produce effects in the real world (e.g., “gay sex”). — Bill Brewer

10. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 2 (cont.) — The invention of “sexual orientation” as a justification of homosexuality. • Do heterosexuals owe their existence to homosexuality or vice versa? • How can a homosexual orientation ever be ontologically equivalent to a heterosexual orientation? • What part of gay activism is driven by deep-seated intuitions of ontological inferiority? • Can social acceptance ever ease those dark intuitions? — Bill Brewer

11. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 3 — Equation of “sexual orientation with race. • How does the concordance of sexual orientation among pairs of identical twins compare to concordance for drug addiction? • What about unwed pregnancy? • How do twin studies show that homosexuality is not monolithic? • What evidence do twin studies provide for recognition of an “addiction orientation”? • Is concordance for sexual orientation among pairs of identical twins greater or lesser than a fair coin toss? — Bill Brewer

12. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 3 (cont.) — Equation of “sexual orientation with race. • How can twin studies be used to prove sexual orientation is not really real in the same way that race, for example, is real? • How well do self-reported racial identifications correlate with genetic markers? • How well do self-reported sexual identities correlate with genetic markers? — Bill Brewer

13. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 3 (cont.) — Equation of “sexual orientation with race. • What degree of correlation would be reasonable if sexual orientation really were like race? • In light of genetic evidence, why is society so eager to affirm sexual orientation and so wary of affirming race? — Bill Brewer

14. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 4 — Disagreements among homosexuals themselves about the nature of homosexual behavior. • Is homosexuality a matter of nature or nurture? • Chosen or innate? • Is it something to be celebrated or resisted? • What ethic governs homosexuality? • How does it differ from heterosexual ethics? • Which form(s) of homosexuality is society supposed to accept? — Bill Brewer

15. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 5 —Unproven claims and biased research on the biology of homosexuality. • How much of the evidence in favor of a biological basis for homosexuality comes from “advocacy researchers” — i.e., researchers who have prior commitments to justifying homosexuality? • How much of that evidence has been validated? • How much has been shown to be defective? • Why is such research always aimed at justifying homosexuality rather than curing it? — Bill Brewer

16. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 6 —Use of self-assessments as evidence to the nature of homosexual behavior. • How does the human need for a “personal narrative” make self-assessments particularly error-prone? • What’s the chance of “I’ve always felt this way” actually being true? — Bill Brewer

17. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 7 — Use of violence and intimidation to advance mainstream acceptance of homosexuality. • Why do gays find violence and intimidation necessary to advance their cause? • If violence and intimidation are justifiable in advancing gay demands, why aren’t they justifiable in resisting those demands? — Bill Brewer

18. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 8 —Efforts by homosexuals to obstruct people seeking relief from homosexual impulses. • Should homosexuals be permitted to “come out” in response to the “discovery” of their heterosexuality the same way heterosexuals “come out” as homosexuals? • If homosexuals can block attempts at changing gender identity, why shouldn’t heterosexuals do the same? — Bill Brewer

19. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 8 (cont.) —Efforts by homosexuals to obstruct people seeking relief from homosexual impulses. • Why should the change in gender identity from straight to gay always be a “one-way street”? • How much do we know about the causes, prevention, and cures of homosexuality? • How much of that information is suppressed by gay activism? — Bill Brewer

20. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 9 — Use of propaganda and sentimentality to promote homosexual lifestyles. • How do gay activists conflate “fact” with “meaning” to promote acceptance of homosexuality? • Would the discovery of a genetic link (fact) for homosexuality necessarily imply (mean) that homosexuality is normal and should be accepted? • How many people know about Matthew Shepard? • How about Jesse Dirkheiser? — Bill Brewer

21. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 10 —Invention of “ethnologies” to give homosexuality cultural status. • Does homosexuality really have an ethnology or has it simply existed on the margins of many cultures? • Does heterosexuality have an ethnology? • What about celibacy? — Bill Brewer

22. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 11 —Conflation of ancient homosexuality with modern-day practices. • How does ancient Greek and Roman homosexuality compare with present-day sensibilities toward same-sex sexuality? • In light of differences, how can ancient practices be used to justify present-day behavior? — Bill Brewer

23. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 12 —Equation of bias against homosexuality with other prejudgments; e.g., race, sex, and religion. • Is homosexuality like religion and subject to change? • Is homosexuality like race and morally neutral? • Or is homosexuality fraught with moral implications– like the fact of being male or female? • If so, what are those implications? — Bill Brewer

24. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 13 — The sociologically dysfunctional nature of homosexual relationships. • Will the channeling of male sexuality into monogamous heterosexual unions unravel in response to the legitimation of same-sex sexuality? • How can a decline in the status of women and children be avoided in the face of that unraveling? — Bill Brewer

25. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 14 —The moral confusion inherent in homosexual lifestyles. • When is a “peeper” not a peeper? • Answer: When the man in question dresses as a woman and claims the right to use the ladies dressing room. • Since gay sexuality has nothing to do with procreation or child-rearing, how can homosexual morality escape being either (1) a caricature of heterosexual morality or (2) its negation? — Bill Brewer

26. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 14 (cont.) —The moral confusion inherent in homosexual lifestyles. • In terms of virtue, how do we know a “good gay” when we see one. • If the virtue of a horse is in its swiftness and the virtue of a knife is in its sharpness, what is the virtue of a gay? • What is the “telos” (end or design) of gayness? • How can gays stigmatize bad behavior within their own communities without being guilty of the same hate speech of which they accuse heterosexuals? — Bill Brewer

27. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 14 (cont.) —The moral confusion inherent in homosexual lifestyles. • On what grounds can the gay community make a claim on the conscience of individuals or society at large? • What offense to moral sensibilities does the “AIDS Quilt” represent? • Do gay activists take responsibility for the hundreds of thousands of deaths their agitation caused during the early days of the AIDS virus? — Bill Brewer

28. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 14 (cont.) —The moral confusion inherent in homosexual lifestyles. • Why do gays “out” their own against the wishes of their victims? • Why have we changed from (1) a society that used to protect children against exposure to homosexuality to (2) one that now confers children on gay couples in order to legitimate same-sex relationships? • Do homosexual marriages give or receive legitimacy through adoption of children? • What about heterosexual marriages? — Bill Brewer

29. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 15 —Spiritual and physical pathologies intrinsic to homosexuality. • Should the costs of gay lifestyles (financial and otherwise) be shifted to the general population? • Or should gays bear the full consequences of their behavior? • Would such a shift put the prosperity of the larger society at risk? • How is the public good served by making gay lifestyles more attractive and accessible? — Bill Brewer

30. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 16 —The apparent lack of moral courage in those who are silent in the face of gay advocacy. • But first . . . • Is moral courage even possible without moral clarity? • Do gay advocates seek moral clarity? • Or rather a different morality? — Bill Brewer

31. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 17 —The social and individual benefits resulting from suppression of homosexuality. • Do people experiencing same-sex attraction live longer, healthier lives in a society that suppresses homosexual behavior or in one that encourages it? • Does a society promote life and health by suppressing same-sex sexuality or by encouraging it? — Bill Brewer

32. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 17 (cont.) —The social and individual benefits resulting from suppression of homosexuality. • If equality of real money with play money wipes out the value of money for everyone (counterfeiters included), then why wouldn’t the equality of gay marriage with heterosexual marriage likewise wipe out the meaning of marriage for gays and non-gays alike? — Bill Brewer

33. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 17 (cont.) —The social and individual benefits resulting from suppression of homosexuality. • Do humans have natural affections, negative and positive? • Do natural affections motivate uncivil responses to homosexuality? • Can uncivil reactions be eliminated without undermining natural affections? • How does the suppression of homosexuality simultaneously prevent abuse of natural affections AND abuse of homosexuals? — Bill Brewer

34. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 18 — Questionable “outings” of historical figures to make homosexuality appear respectable. • Was the Apostle Paul a closet homosexual because he spoke against same-sex sexuality? • Was Jesus bisexual because he loved both Mary and Martha along with their brother Lazarus? • Who could not be “outed” based on such reasoning? — Bill Brewer

35. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 19 —Existence of open homosexuality as a motive for hatred of America. • Do radical Islamists use the openness of homosexuality in America as a recruitment tool? • What aspect of American life most effectively prevents moderate Muslims from speaking out in defense of America? — Bill Brewer

36. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 20 —The reduction of objections to homosexuality to simply matters of ignorance, bigotry . . . • Is name calling on the part of gay activists a dodge to avoid legitimate questions? • Is criticism of same-sex sexuality hate speech? • If gays claim to “embody” homosexuality as part of their “nature,” how can opponents separate aversion to (1) the “notion” of homosexuality from (2) the “people” who engage in homosexual behavior? — Bill Brewer

37. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 20 (cont.) —The reduction of objections to homosexuality to simply matters of ignorance, bigotry . . . • Should the conflation of (1) “ideas” with (2) “persons” be challenged as a disingenuous way of shielding questionable ideas and questionable behavior from critique? — Bill Brewer

38. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 21 —The “personal to political” motivation underlying gay activism. • Does the heedlessness of same-sex sexuality inspire confidence gay activists are seeking the public good in “going public”? • What part does a guilty conscience play in gay activism? • Are gays willing to put innocent people at risk to gain what they want? • What about calls for eliminating restrictions on blood donations? — Bill Brewer

39. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 21 (cont.) —The “personal to political” motivation underlying gay activism. • What about the forcible “outing” of homosexuals by other homosexuals? • What about demands for ending “don’t ask, don’t tell” regardless of impact on national security? • What about unwillingness to “go public” when it comes to public health? — Bill Brewer

40. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • Reason No. 22 —The worldview implications of embracing homosexuality as normal. In terms of worldview . . . • NATURE OF HUMANITY: • Do manhood and womanhood have essential natures and hence essential virtues? • NATURE OF HISTORY: • Is history being re-written to justify an Dionysian ideology of same-sex attraction? • NATURE OF THE COSMOS: • Is the cosmos itself by nature homophobic? — Bill Brewer

41. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • SOME FINAL QUESTIONS: • How much of the preceding content is religious in nature? Homophobic? • Or more pointedly, how much is grounded in common-sense reservations about hasty acceptance of lifestyles that raise so many unanswered questions? — Bill Brewer

42. 20-plus reasons to question gay activism . . . (cont.) • SOME FINAL QUESTIONS (cont.): • Is American society more likely to indulge homosexuality or oppress it? • If oppress, then why are gay activists exempted from conventional critique? • And finally, does gay activism deserve the indulgence of having its dogmas go unchallenged? • Or does it have a lot of answering to do? — Bill Brewer