Faith | Page 3 | A.J. Wood

January 28, 2003 by A.J. Wood

gay people in the mainstream

Thank you Dawn. Let’s be honest if I wasn’t reading your blog everyday the content here would most certainly be boring. *chuckle*

Let’s talk about sex. Dawn mentioned her friendship with a gay couple and posed questions regarding courting rituals. I think much of the problem that comes with the acceptance of homosexuality stems from how people view gender roles.

Ask most straight men if they would look at your typical Penthouse lesbian spread and they wouldn’t blink. Two girls gettin’ it on? Most men aren’t turned off by this. It’s erotic, men live the fantasy and project themselves into the photo, video, etc. Somehow two women together can still be seen as feminine. Break the Penthouse mold, beef a girl up, cut her hair really short, throw on a flannel shirt and now that the guy isn’t physically attracted to her she’s a dyke. Personally, I don’t know any lesbians that own “Where The Boys Aren’t 69”. That’s why they call it “Gay For Pay”.

Now ask any man or woman what they think of viewing male porn. For some reason both straight men AND women are turned off by this. Why? I feel it’s because two men together can’t be seen as masculine. If Britney & Christina were caught in liplock, instant chubby for most of the male population. How many women fantasize about seeing Brad Pitt & Tom Cruise having hot sex? “Ewwww!” says the straight crowd. Even in a straight threesome, put two girls with a guy and everybody licks & sticks no rules. Put two guys with a girl and Tom better not be stickin’ it to Brad while he’s stickin to Ms. Thing.

I think people who are gay while being defined by gender roles also have the clarity to see through them. My sister is gay and it occurred to me when she dated men while they were physically strong, they’re personalities were submissive, however, when she dates women she’s not as dominant. I think my sister’s softer side comes out when she is dating a woman.

I hope for the day when there is more acceptance of homosexuals in the mainstream. If you think about it take away the physical act of sex (which REALLY is people’s problem right?) and you can’t logically argue that loving someone, even of the same gender is wrong.

Bestiality – WRONG. Animals have no soul. While God will most certainly allow Fido a place by your side in Heaven, he won’t be speaking there either.

Pedophilia – WRONG. Children do not have the physical, mental or spiritual maturity for a committed relationship let alone sex.

Two adult men or women spending their lives together, sharing with one another, moving towards a common goal… seems odd that anyone could consider that wrong.

December 11, 2002 by A.J. Wood

Time to stir things up a bit.

Dawn has made some comments recently about the issue of Pro-Choice. I thought I’d drop in my two cents as most people think I just party all the time and couldn’t care less about social issues. (You know who you are)

I think Pro-Choice hasn’t made an impact because most people feel “that would never happen to me”. Pro-Life currently has the advantage of strong political clout and extremists on the religious right who are more than happy to harass people who would dare venture into an abortion clinic (abortioncamsDOTcom). It’s easy to be Pro-Life and shake your finger at immoral sexual behavior. If a couple gets pregnant “they deserved it”, “they shouldn’t have been having sex to begin with”, or any number of God driven justifications. But the fact is accidents happen, women get raped, men get trapped and both sexes can be irresponsible when it comes to bedroom behavior.

I agree that Pro-Choice is not Pro-Abortion. I also believe that abortion shouldn’t be used as a means of birth control. I’m not sure what I think anymore of it being called “a woman’s right to choose”. I would rather see it as “a couple’s right to choose”. I know it’s idealistic, but just because it’s a woman’s body doesn’t mean she bares the sole burden. It’s a reality for many sure, but why enforce that behavior by isolating women even more? Any man is capable of providing emotional & spiritual strength during a pregnancy and should be encouraged to do so.

Most of the movies I’ve heard or read about on the topic involve a woman protagonist struggling on her own endowed with this heavy responsibility. Where are the movies that show men involved in the same crisis? If you’re attempting to sway public opinion and rally support wouldn’t you want to include all races & genders?

I think it’s “a woman’s right to choose” because there haven’t been any role models or stories that men can identify with. Personally, I know guys who’ve dated women that had abortions without telling them, who had partners that lied about birth control or STDs. These things don’t just happen to women. I also know guys who stood by their girlfriends/spouses/lovers when told about an unexpected pregnancy. And Chuck & Ken aren’t alone, there are plenty of single fathers out there doing the best they can.

On a personal note, just because I’m Pro-Choice doesn’t mean I’m a sexual deviant or completely without faith in God. But if someone else chooses to have an abortion, they have to live with the consequences not me and if it is a sin then shouldn’t God be the one to punish them? If you force people to have babies that don’t want them do you really think that child will grow up in a happy & healthy home environment? There are already enough children in foster care being railroaded by the system, why would you want to condemn more innocents to that?

If society educated men & women to be more responsible for themselves and share more as a couple then perhaps Pro-Choice wouldn’t be seen solely as a woman’s right to choose. And maybe one day society wouldn’t care about Pro-Choice vs. Pro-Life because people would be more responsible period.