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HOMOSEXUALITY IN AMERICA:Exposing the Myths
I
NTRODUCTION
The reality of homosexuality
P
ART
1
What ever happened to“live and let live?”..................................
2
The definition of homosexuality...............
3
Identity or behavior?..................................
3
Recent history and organization................
3
Origin.........................................................
4
Homosexual activist groups......................
4
Political/social agenda...............................
5
No neutrality..............................................
5
The effects of homosexuality....................
6P
ART
2
The myths about homosexuality................
9
The response to homosexuality...............
15S
IDEBARS
 Insight:
homosexuality and evolution.......
6
 Insight:
What does the Bible say?...........
13
 
by Bob Davies
Ministries to homosexuals.........................
4
Notes........................................................
22
s
THE HOMOSEXUAL MOVEMENT,A Response by the RamseyColloquium.................................
16
s
HOMOSEXUALS AND THE CHURCHby Bob Davies.............................
20
s
THE EROSION OF HETEROSEXUALITYby Charles W. Socarides..............
23
s
 
Additional copies of Homosexualityin America: Exposing the myths:$2 for a single copy$1.50 each for 2-9 copies$1 each for 10-49 copies$.50 each, 50 or more copies.Order from: AFAP.O. Drawer 2440Tupelo, MS 38803
H
OMOSEXUALITY
 
IN
A
MERICA
: E
XPOSING
 
THE
M
YTHS
2
Homosexuality in America:Exposing the Myths
© 1994 by The American Family AssociationHomosexuality in America: Exposing the MythsPublished by:The American Family AssociationP.O. Drawer 2440Tupelo, MS 38803
v1.97
By RICHARD G. HOWE
I
NTRODUCTION
The reality of homosexuality
M
Y
 
FIRST
 
ENCOUNTER
 
WITH
 
HOMOSEXUALITY
 
WAS
 
NOT
 
IN
 
AN
 
ADVERSARIAL
 
CONTEXT
.I hadn’t thought much about homosexuality, so, for the most part, I hadn’t developed a theoryof what homosexuality was, what caused it, or what, if anything, should be done about it. I wassimply repulsed by it and thought it was immoral.Will (not his name) was a good friend. Though he seemed somewhat effeminate, it nevercrossed my mind that he might be homosexual. He never made a pass at me or gave any indicationthat he considered himself different. Our friendship revolved around our common interest andparticipation in music, and, more importantly, our relationship to Christ. You see, Will claimedto be a Christian.After our friendship had developed to the point where Will trusted me, he confided that hehad had homosexual “struggles” since his pre-teen years. Because of his Christian commitment,Will at first didn’t try to justify his homosexuality to himself or to me. It wasn’t long, however,before his struggles returned and he found himself vacillating among periods of control, periodsof indulgence with its attendant guilt and periods of comfortably practicing his homosexuality.I believed that homosexuality was wrong. I believed that it could not be justified from aChristian perspective, but I found myself inadequate to understand and help him. After a while,because of school commitments, Will and I went our separate ways, and I lost contact with him.Some years later he returned and we quickly began to catch up on each other’s lives. We wentfor a walk one evening and he must have known that the question on my mind was how he finallyhad come to terms with his homosexuality. Up to this point in our reunion, Will had beenexcitedly filling me in on the wonderful ministry opportunities he had had with his music.Will was also eager to tell me how he was doing regarding his homosexuality and I was eagerto hear. To my delight, Will told me that his homosexuality was finally over. Gone were the dayswhen he would try to justify what he knew all along was an abomination before God. He hadfinally learned that homosexuality was a violation of God’s created order, and the love he thoughthe was experiencing was nothing but a sinful substitute for what God had intended.Since that time, I have known several homosexuals. Some were professing Christians; somewere not. Some struggled with their homosexuality; some did not. So I would be irresponsibleif I allowed my conclusions about homosexuality to come solely from the few homosexuals Ihave known.To truly understand homosexuality we must avail ourselves of the analysis of the issueafforded by those who have brought to bear the tools of research and examination politically,socially, scientifically, philosophically, and theologically.This work is an attempt to synthesize the tremendous amount of information on the subject(with primary concern about homosexuality as a social phenomenon), critically analyze thatinformation and advance the claim that homosexuality is not normal or benign, and should notbe given preferential treatment by law. My critical analysis of homosexuality will be interspersedthroughout this work, but will mainly be in the section “The myths about homosexuality.”I make no pretense of being unbiased. I do not think that is possible. I am convinced thathomosexuality is morally wrong and is personally and socially destructive. I am convinced thatthe Bible is clear on the subject, and that an empirical analysis of homosexuality will corroboratethe biblical assessment that homosexuality is not what God intends for individuals or society.However, that opinion – once held as a consensus in our country – has come under attack asthe homosexual community in America has made major strides into public policy.
1
Todayhomosexuality is becoming increasingly more difficult to ignore. Homosexuality is being forcedupon us through legislation, taught to our children in school and promoted in the powerful arts/ entertainment complex.If it is true that homosexuality has the destructive effects on the individual and society thatmany believe, then it behooves us to know our enemy and forestall any further advance of homosexuality by understanding what it is, what the homosexual community is up to, and howto answer their arguments in the open marketplace of ideas.
 
ciple and a historical and empirical perspec-tive.The Biblical case against homosexualitywill be discussed later. Regarding the histori-cal perspective, it is beyond the scope of thiswork to fully advance the practical argumentsto prove that homosexuality is socially de-structive, though in an overall argumentagainst the legitimacy of homosexuality, thehistorical perspective is important.
3
However, we don’t have to look at the vastspans of history to know that the contempo-rary state of decay in America and the break-down of the family is due, at least in part, to thepresence of homosexuality. As Linda Chavez,former Executive Director of the U.S. Com-mission on Civil Rights, says:Historically, virtually all societieshave condemned incest, adultery, andhomosexuality because such practices,in distinctive ways, threaten the family.…[O]ver the last 25 years, we have be-come increasingly tolerant of sexuallypermissive behavior. But that tolerancehas had consequences. We face epi-demics in sexually transmitted diseases,teenage pregnancies, abortions, illegiti-macy, rape, and sexual abuse. Marriagerates are on the decline, and divorce ison the increase, especially amongyounger couples. The American familymay not yet be an endangered species,but it is far from thriving.
4
H
OMOSEXUALITY
 
IN
A
MERICA
: E
XPOSING
 
THE
M
YTHS
3
What ever happened to“live and let live?”
Why all the bother? What ever happenedto the old adage of “live and let live?” If some-one wants to be homosexual, why is that any-one else’s business? If you’ve asked yourself questions like these, perhaps it would help toalert you to what homosexuality is all about.Though it is true that individual homosexu-als may differ in their opinions regarding pub-lic policy, there is a strong movement in ourcountry whose agenda is specific and whoseeffect is spilling beyond the homosexual com-munity. Its agenda is forcing homosexualityupon many who reject the notion that homo-sexuality is a legitimate lifestyle. Not forcingin the sense that people are being coerced tobecome homosexual themselves. Rather, thehomosexual agenda is radically affecting pub-lic policy in ways that those who oppose ho-mosexuality cannot ignore.The issue of homosexuality is not simply amatter of what goes on between consentingadults in the privacy of the bedroom. Basicelements of society are targets of change.There are issues that defy neutrality. Considerthese goals that the homosexual communityseeks to achieve.
2
The implementation of homosexual, bi-sexual, and transgendered curriculum atall levels of education.
The lowering of the age of consent for ho-mosexual and heterosexual sex.
The legalization of homosexual marriages.
Custody, adoption and foster care rights forhomosexuals, lesbians, andtransgendered people.
The redefinition of family to include thefull diversity of all family structures.
The access to all programs of the BoyScouts of America.
Affirmative action for homosexuals.
The inclusion of sex-change operationsunder a universal health care plan.Those who oppose homosexuality arefighting for the prevention of social sanctions,either concretely or in principle, for homo-sexual acts. We want to outlaw public homo-sexuality. We want the right not to have ho-mosexuality imposed upon our sentiments byhaving it treated in public school curricula asif it were a normal alternative lifestyle. Wewant the right not to have homosexuality im-posed upon our sentiments by being forced tohire someone because he is a homosexual.
Weresist the effort of the homosexual communityto establish their lifestyle as legitimate.
We believe that homosexuality is immoraland leads ultimately to personal and socialdecay. We argue both from a Biblical prin-
PART
1
The empirical arguments against homo-sexuality are discussed in the section “Themyths about homosexuality.” Special consid-eration is given to the medical consequencesof homosexuality.
5
In addition, video tapes such as
The Gay Agenda
and the testimony of those who havecome out of homosexuality, give clear testi-mony of the destructive effects of homosexu-ality on the individual.
6
Again, not every individual homosexualnecessarily favors each one of these social andpolitical goals. But the movement is there andit is gaining inroads into the fabric of society.The information offered here is your weaponto fight the homosexual agenda.
The definition of homosexuality
Simply put, homosexuality is sexual rela-tions between members of the same sex.
7
Of-
We resist the fact thatthe homosexual commu-nity is seeking to establishtheir lifestyle as legitimate.
ten the terms “homosexual” and “gay” referspecifically to homosexual males, while theterm “lesbian” refers to homosexual females.The term “bi-sexual” or “bi” refers to males orfemales who have sexual relations with bothsexes.Sometimes the distinction is made betweenhomosexuality and homosexual actions, i.e.,between being a homosexual (having a homo-sexual orientation) and engaging in homo-sexual activity. While the distinction is rel-evant in theological and social contexts, forthe most part the focus should remain on ho-mosexuality as an action when we are discuss-ing public policy.
Identity or behavior?
Today the homosexual community is cast-ing the debate along the lines of 
one’s identityas being a homosexual
rather than
one’s ac-tions as engaging in homosexual activity.
Thismakes it easier for the debate to be construedas a civil rights debate, and consequently moredifficult for those who oppose homosexual ac-tivities in the public arena to argue their case.It is easier for the homosexuals to preclude adebate when the focus is on the more abstractissue of one’s personal nature rather than themore concrete issue of one’s behavior.Homosexual activists understand that thevast majority of Americans are repulsed byhomosexual acts. As Congressman WilliamDannemeyer comments:[H]omosexuals were…diverting at-tention from the one aspect of theircause that was most vulnerable: theirsexual habits. Most people simplyfound the idea of homoerotic behaviordisgusting …But the homosexuals werewell aware of how ignorant the generalpublic was concerning their practices,and their campaign to establish the pre-determined nature of their “sexual ori-entation.”
8
Our argument focuses on homosexual ac-tions, i.e., whether there should be laws regu-lating them.
9
Recent history and organization
Is it possible to talk about homosexualityas a social entity? Are homosexuals inAmerica banded together in order to advancesome social agenda? While not all homosexu-als are part of one political movement, there isno doubt that there exist powerful, politicallyorganized groups. As homosexual rights ac-tivist Dick Michaels said near the beginning of the homosexual movement:Homosexuals could be a very potenteconomic and political force –
if united 
.The time has come for new leadershipto rise from the wreckage of the past.
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