I think the logic is a bit fuzzy in the above analysis, but we’ll set that aside for now. In other words, homosexuality could be “cured.” Which in turn implies that being gay is some sort of illness. Hence, the offense taken to this point of view.
If it is not an immutable characteristic, that would imply that a gay person could be somehow transformed into a straight one. The question of whether sexual orientation is subject to nature or nurture – or some combination of both – has been hotly debated for years. Karen Kaplan of the LA Times explains the problem: I understand that for many people it’s not, but for me it’s a choice, and you don’t get to define my gayness for me.” “I gave a speech recently, an empowerment speech to a gay audience, and it included the line ‘I’ve been straight and I’ve been gay, and gay is better.’ And they tried to get me to change it, because they said it implies that homosexuality can be a choice.
UPDATE: See HuffPost Live debate on this topic here.Ĭan you be gay by choice? Consider the following, from the Huffington Post:įormer “Sex and the City” star Cynthia Nixon says she is gay by “choice” – a statement that has riled many gay rights activitists who insist that people don’t choose their sexual orientation. Choosing one’s own (sexual) identity: Shifting the terms of the ‘gay rights’ debateīy Brian Earp ( Follow Brian on Twitter by clicking here.)
