by Tim Bonney » Mon Mar 12, 2012 9:41 pm
Ed I don't see that the smoking anology works because is an action, smoking. Being attracted to a a particular gender isn't an action it is an attraction. I still cannot say I know anyone who chooses an attraction, they choose an action. I don't see any way to equate attraction and action.
Also I think one of the issues that isn't discussed well is bisexuality. There are people attracted to both genders at some level, sometimes equally, and sometimes not. Many understand sexuality to be a scale and not just two posibile orientations. Also it is true that some persons apparently discover their orientation at a later time than others. Most gay people I know knew they were gay quite early. Other persons didn't discover their orientation until later in life. But none of those things make being gay, straight, or bisexual a choice. A person who is bisexual will choose to date a man or a woman but fundamentally they are bisexual no matter whom they are dating.
You and I are not going to agree and I don't expect I can convince you. So just to be clear as to what I understand, I believe there is growing evidence that people are straight, gay, bisexual, whatever because of forces that have little to do with choice. So I'm not going to judge people for whom they are attracted to. I don't believe you can ever judge people for what they feel, only for what they choose to do with those feelings. (And I'm not the judge.)