First off, yes, “homosexual lifestyle” has become offensive in and of itself (though perhaps inherently was not the correct word), precisely because the majority of people who use the phrase mean something vastly different than your definition, much like the majority of people use “retarded” differently than its clinical definition, which is why it has been removed from clinical manuals.
Here you go again, majority of people use the phrase … mean something vastly different than my supposed definition. As you always point out, gays and lesbians comprise 4% of the population, so how can they therefore be the majority in use of the phrase to mean something.
Further, you can stop bringing in non-use of the majority of the word “retarded” – I am not defending use of the word, I do not use it, never had. It is not on the same category in my view of the phrase we are discussing.
To tell you the truth, I am not even actually invested in the use of “homosexual lifestyle” – it is not like I come up to homosexuals or to anyone and / or start talking about such. That would be utterly bizarre! It does not come up or figure in my normal conversations with friends or family. I don’t do public writing and speaking. The closest I get to public writing or writing for reading by others is at CAF. And basing on the relative low volume of postings I have since joining the forum five years ago, you can glean how much writing I have done in the forum compared to your postings, for example, in one year.
As for public speaking, the extent I get to something like it is when I conduct Virtus classes at my parish — usually around 30 participants, my biggest class size ever at 50, with priests and religious in attendance on occasion. The sessions are on best practices to prevent child sex abuse in the school and in the community. What homosexuals do or the lives they lead does not get in as topic for discussion at all.
It just surprised me when you brought up in this thread that Sr. Jane Dominic had the complaint coming, among other things, with her supposed use of inflammatory remarks and comments against homosexuals such as the “homosexual lifestyle.” That it could even be in the category of “f----t” in offensiveness!
Considering I just converted last year and moved to DC even later than that, I have not exactly had the time to start a Courage-style group, if that’s what you’re asking. If you’re talking about the active LGBT community, I have belonged to several (very large) LGBT groups in New England and Texas for years before my religious conversion. Most of my best friends are LGBT, and I am virtually the only one in my group that opposes same-sex “marriage,” and my friends all know and are supportive of my position on the issue, with one notable atheist [non-LGBT] exception. I have met, at the very minimum, hundreds of gay and lesbian people, as well as quite a few transgendered people (although that’s a completely separate issue), and I know people in the club scene and people in the support community who are not into clubbing. I also have had enough experience in both scenes [somewhat unfortunately] to know the general proportions. In fact, at the request of my straight female friends, I have also been clubbing with them in their straight clubs, and I am well aware of the straight club/party scene as well and its proportions. You will find that the straight and gay club/party scenes are almost identical outside the artistic choices (music, decorations, cleaner bathrooms in gay clubs), the genders of the partners dancing, and the likelihood of sex (which is almost entirely due to the non-risk of pregnancy and the extremely low STD transmission rate among lesbians/extremely high libido of men).
If you have any more questions about my background in the community, feel free to PM me. I am not shy about talking about it to people who absolutely know that I oppose same-sex behavior as grave matter and sinful.
Well, for sure, you can’t be accused of shyness. Your have much to say and lots of advice across threads in the forum. I like reading the part where and when you witness for our faith.
Perhaps it is your style and sweeping generalizations that are off putting, to some of us, at least. It is hard to follow your reasoning and read the motivation behind your position on issues which at times do not clearly fold into the framework of someone who says she is as a Catholic against SS"M", and sincerely believing that homosexual acts are wrong.
If you are thinking to be an agent of change with your circle of LGBT friends, let me wish you much luck and will remember to offer prayers, that you may acquire the necessary skills and find a clear message that is cohesive and also effective, consistent with Catholic teaching. The Lord knows that in the culture in which we live, the young and old alike are in a state of great confusion. It is like we are in a Tower of Babel age, with our failure to communicate. Different meanings are being attached to and associated with common words! Just look at what we are arguing about. There are many and various competing interests, all aimed at how to achieve happiness and meaning in life, by having temporal and material needs met, but little thought by many of obtaining riches in heaven in life after.
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