Not That There’s Anything Wrong With That

Active Homosexuality

“Hey, I don’t care what people do behind closed doors. Not my business.”

“Two consenting adults can do whatever they want, it is a private matter.”

“Not that there is anything wrong with that.”

We have all heard these statements before or variants of them. They are usually voiced by people who know that active homosexuality is wrong but are afraid to seem judgmental or unkind. To avoid the topic altogether, many convince themselves or are convinced by homosexual activist that active homosexuality is merely private matter, a choice that has no impact on anyone else and thus should not be the subject of public policy (or discussion).

It is not the purpose of this post to get into the morality of the gay lifestyle, rather to make the point that it is not merely a private matter between consenting adults that harms no one and thus has no public policy implications. First, some facts. I have excerpted the executive summary of an article by physician John R. Diggs, Jr., M.D.

Executive Summary

Sexual relationships between members of the same sex expose gays, lesbians and bisexuals to extreme risks of Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs), physical injuries, mental disorders and even a shortened life span. There are five major distinctions between gay and heterosexual relationships, with specific medical consequences. They are:

* Levels of Promiscuity

Prior to the AIDS epidemic, a 1978 study found that 75 percent of white, gay males claimed to have had more than 100 lifetime male sex partners: 15 percent claimed 100-249 sex partners; 17 percent claimed 250-499; 15 percent claimed 500- 999; and 28 percent claimed more than 1,000 lifetime male sex partners. Levels of promiscuity subsequently declined, but some observers are concerned that promiscuity is again approaching the levels of the 1970s. The medical consequence of this promiscuity is that gays have a greatly increased likelihood of contracting HIV/AIDS, syphilis and other STDs.

Similar extremes of promiscuity have not been documented among lesbians. However, an Australian study found that 93 percent of lesbians reported having had sex with men, and lesbians were 4.5 times more likely than heterosexual women to have had more than 50 lifetime male sex partners. Any degree of sexual promiscuity carries the risk of contracting STDs.

* Physical Health

Common sexual practices among gay men lead to numerous STDs and physical injuries, some of which are virtually unknown in the heterosexual population. Lesbians are also at higher risk for STDs. In addition to diseases that may be transmitted during lesbian sex, a study at an Australian STD clinic found that lesbians were three to four times more likely than heterosexual women to have sex with men who were high-risk for HIV.

* Mental Health

It is well established that there are high rates of psychiatric illnesses, including depression, drug abuse, and suicide attempts, among gays and lesbians. This is true even in the Netherlands, where gay, lesbian and bisexual (GLB) relationships are far more socially acceptable than in the U.S. Depression and drug abuse are strongly associated with risky sexual practices that lead to serious medical problems.

* Life Span

The only epidemiological study to date on the life span of gay men concluded that gay and bisexual men lose up to 20 years of life expectancy.

* Monogamy

Monogamy, meaning long-term sexual fidelity, is rare in GLB relationships, particularly among gay men. One study reported that 66 percent of gay couples reported sex outside the relationship within the first year, and nearly 90 percent if the relationship lasted five years.

Encouraging people to engage in risky sexual behavior undermines good health and can result in a shortened life span. Yet that is exactly what employers and governmental entities are doing when they grant GLB couples benefits or status that make GLB relationships appear more socially acceptable.

We have public policy designed to discourage many private behaviors that could possibly harm the participants or those around them(e.g. smoking, illegal drugs,etc). The risks of active homosexuality are frightening. The statistics about promiscuity (most with hundreds of partners) and monogamy prove the lie that homosexuality is about love for most. It is about compulsion. This compulsion leads to higher risks of contracting and spreading STDs and higher risks of injury. The gay lifestyle exposes the participant to other serious health risks resulting in high rates of psychiatric illnesses, including depression, drug abuse, and suicide attempts. These are all behaviors and maladies with clear public health concerns. Finally, a study shows that this behavior can reduce overall lifespan by twenty years.

I ask you, what other behavior that carried such risks to the participant with clear implications for public health would be treated as merely a private matter between consenting adults?

So if you have ever used the phrase “Not that there is anything wrong with that,” remember these statistics. Next time, for the sake of accuracy, you should say, “Kill yourself, what do I care?”