Ex-gays, non-discrimination, and rental concerns

["Joan Opyr" <auntiestablishment@hotmail.com>]

Hello all--

It's Monday morning, and I'm still not getting any work done on my book.  
Wonder why?  Ah, well, here goes:

1) In enacting non-discrimination legislation, it doesn’t matter if 
homosexuality is a choice or not.  Religion is a choice, and yet it’s a 
federally protected category.  You might feel as if you were born a 
Catholic, a Mormon, or a Muslim, but you chose/choose that ongoing 
affiliation.  And a landlord with a yen to discriminate might well argue 
that some religious practices are inherently dangerous: perhaps my North 
Carolina roots are showing, but snake handling and drinking poison leap to 
mind.  If these seem a little remote, then how about the Christian Scientist 
who won’t be seeking medical treatment for that mysterious pain in his side? 
  And perhaps a Jewish tenant is a little more likely than a Baptist to find 
that her home (i.e., your property) has been vandalized?

Neither the "it's a choice" nor the "inherently dangerous lifestyle" 
argument will wash.  No, homosexuality is not comparable to race, but if 
you're reasoning that we should extend protection to people of color because 
they didn't "choose" to be black, isn't the implication that they would be 
white if they could?  Not an argument I'd care to be making.

2) Before contacting any of the ex-gay groups John Harrell cites in his 
post, I’d strongly recommend renting a documentary called "One Nation Under 
God."  It’s about the founders of Exodus International, two gay men who left 
the group when they realized they’d fallen in love with one another.  It 
offers some interesting insight into the "methodology" of many conversion 
groups (i.e., make-overs for lesbians and football lessons for gay men).

As for Anne Heche, Sinead O’Connor, and Julie Cypher—-with the exception of 
Ms. Heche, who claims to have spent her lesbian years under the control of a 
space alien named Celestia, none of these women have described themselves as 
"coming out of homosexuality," and none have denounced or repudiated their 
time in same-sex relationships.  As all three were involved with men before 
they became involved with women, I think Brad is correct when he says that 
it might be more accurate to call them bisexual rather than ex-gay.

Here again, though, Ms. Heche is a potential exception: her autobiography is 
entitled "Call Me Crazy."

Growing ever more skilled in work avoidance,
Auntie Establishment


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