Racism & Homosexuality

A prominent view in our times is that the negative view of homosexual activity is the same as discrimination that existed in the human past against those with different skin color. This article attempts to point out why this is not the case. 

In our human past, certain groups of Caucasian races decided that those with different skin color were less than human. Thus, it was considered that these individuals can be treated in an inhumane manner. People of different color were denied rights that other humans would share because they did not qualify as human beings. They were treated and handled as property because of the same reason i.e. they are not human.

Now there are indeed those who oppose homosexual activity because they consider homosexual persons to be less than human. Though the act of opposing homosexual activity is justifiable, this underlying concept of homosexual persons being less than human is indeed in error. Homosexual persons are in-fact humans. The countries that consider persons with homosexual tendencies to be less than human are therefore certainly worthy of correction.  

However, the valid objections to homosexual activity are indeed based on the very fact that homosexual persons are indeed human. It is the very reason that homosexual persons are indeed human that dictate their homosexual activity itself be rejected. If homosexual persons were less than human, then it would certainly not be the concern of anyone that they engage in sort of activity among themselves. After all, the animal kingdom is full of examples of homosexual activity. But because homosexuals are indeed human, we must consider if promoting homosexual activity is compatible with the common good. As shown in the previous post, promoting homosexual activity is indeed against the common good. Therefore it must rightly be opposed. 

In this sense, the opposition against homosexual activity cannot be compared with racism. While a person maybe born or lead to homosexual tendencies through no fault of their own, it simply has to be discouraged because the activity is against the common good. To use an analogy, a person who is unusually prone to anger by birth/social factors needs to be discouraged against acting on this disposition. This is not because the person is less than human but indeed because he is human and him being encouraged to act this way will violate the common good.

The readers must be reminded that the problem with racism is not due to race being a category that a human being cannot choose/change before/after his/her birth.  Racism is problem because all persons of all races are human. Homosexual activity is problematic because it is not acceptable that such an activity be promoted/accepted among human beings (because it is contrary to the common good). Thus to compare the two issues is to compare apples and oranges.

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Secular case against same sex marriage ( gay marriage )

It is a common objection by many today against opponents of same sex marriage that such opposition lacks any grounding in anything beyond one’s personal preference on the matter. Others may simply disregard such opposition by pointing out that it is merely a religious belief held by those who oppose it but not shared by them.  This article strives to make a non-religious case against gay marriage using a common ground that many may agree with.

In order to build an argument against gay marriage that many can accept, one must first base its foundations on a common ground that all may agree with. For our argument, we will expect the reader to agree with the common ground described by the following propositions:-

1. Any action whose wide spread adoption can lead to or pose a danger to the extinction of the human race is against the common good
2. Such an action must never be promoted

For the benefit of the reader, we will also present the following example to help understand the above propositions.

Consider the usage of a chemical compound known as chlorofluorocarbon (or more commonly referred to as CFC). The use of the compound was regulated and was called to be eliminated since the 1990’s due to the harm it causes to the ozone layer. In this scenario, we have the harmful act of “using CFC” being regulated since it threatens the human race. No one should accept the argument that technological progress could lead to the discovery of a way to remake the ozone layer and therefore CFC usage should allowed to be continued unregulated. Neither should one accept the argument that since a small percentage of persons using CFC could cause negligible harm the act of using CFC should not be frowned upon.  All would agree that CFC usage (act that causes human extinction) should be discouraged rather than promoted.

Thus we hope that the reader is convinced that the above two propositions of the position presented as common ground are agreeable to all (or at least to many). 

In the case of allowing gay marriage, one implicitly (and even explicitly) detracts the stigma associated with gay marriage and promotes homosexual activity. Homosexual activity cannot lead to natural procreation.  But if the human race does not procreate, then it leads to human extinction. Therefore, here we have an act which if adopted by the majority of the human race, will be detrimental to the common good. Therefore, following the position we agreed upon at the beginning of this article, we must conclude that homosexual activity must never be promoted or made to look acceptable since it is against the common good. Allowing gay marriage and providing benefits for such couples does promote such activity. Therefore, gay marriage should not be allowed since it would be to promote an act that is against the common good.     

EDIT: I thought I should include a point form of the argument as well.

1) An act which adopted by all would lead to human extinction is contrary to the common good
2) It is incorrect to encourage/allow any such activity since to do so would be to encourage/allow one to act contrary to the common good
3) Homosexual activity, IF adopted by all or many would lead to problems regarding the propagation of the human species
4) Therefore, Homosexual activity should never be allowed or encouraged
5) Therefore, Same sex marriage should never be allowed since it promotes homosexual activity

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