The life expectancy for an adult gay male is on average 40 years less than for a straight male. Roughly half the life expectancy. But try to bring that up in a political debate and you're branded a homophobe/hatemonger/religious nut/etc. That's the problem is that no one wants to debate the issues in a logical fashion. One side wants to begin with the premise that heterosexuality and homosexuality are equal, only lifestyle preferences. The other wants to start from the position that it's a mortal sin and the end of Western civilization. The entire debate needs to be more civil. Just because I disagree that homosexuality is a 'normal' way to live does not mean I'm a hatemonger/homophobe/whatever. One side tells everyone 'we have to be tolerant', yet no one feels obliged to 'tolerate' my viewpoint. Why is it always one side that needs to be tolerated, but not the other?
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Because tolerance of intolerance is an oxymoron, perhaps?religious bigotry. Don't want to be called a bigot? Then don't hold bigoted views.
When did merely having an opinion suddenly meant it was a valid opinion?
But try to bring that up in a political debate and you're branded a homophobe/hatemonger/religious nut/etc
This is one of the things I hate most about fundies. Not only do they cherry pick the Bible, they also cherry pick scientific evidence.
If homosexuals live less, why Truman Capote died at seventy, why so many gay politicians in Europe are over fourty?, why isn´t any data confirming your stupidity?
It's strictly because you are an asshat, nothing more.
The 40 was the result of a study based on obituaries in gay community newspapers, and repeated endlessly in fundie and conservative blogs. The methodology is nonsense. The obituaries are volunteered by friends. Thus a young death, which is a more extraordinary and upsetting event, is more likely to be memorialized. Also, as one ages, one's friends die off, too. Furthermore, older gay couples are not as likely to remain in close contact with the gay community. Actuaries haven't used obituaries for mortality studies since the 1700's.
The average life expectancy of a gay man in the United States is 36? 36?!?!
"The life expectancy for an adult gay male is on average 40 years less than for a straight male. Roughly half the life expectancy. But try to bring that up in a political debate and you're branded a homophobe/hatemonger/religious nut/etc. "
Smokers also tend to die younger, but you'd never dream of persecuting them, would you? Even if it were true, then, how would your claimed drop in life expectancy for gays justify your persecution of them?
"One side tells everyone 'we have to be tolerant', yet no one feels obliged to 'tolerate' my viewpoint. Why is it always one side that needs to be tolerated, but not the other?"Of course we tolerate your viewpoint. Short of killing you, what else can we do. However, we are not required to respect every stupid, poorly-supported assertion that is presented.
How about we make a deal. You stop associating all homosexuals with AIDS, drug use, flamboyant public sexual behavior and I'll stop associating you with homophobic hate mongering religious nuts.
Ah, yes, the "politically incorrect" argument, where what I say is not popular, so it must be a truth people don't want to face.
One side tells everyone 'we have to be tolerant', yet no one feels obliged to 'tolerate' my viewpoint. Why is it always one side that needs to be tolerated, but not the other?" There's no reason to tolerate irrational bigotry.
Call me a bit of a stickler, but I find it extremely hard to be tolerant and civil toward someone who starts the discussion with a blatant falsehood from a discredited non-scientific study in the first sentence. You are not only a homophobe, but you are also a buffoon for not better checking your sources before criticizing others for rejecting them!
To quote Emo Philips, "I don't mind if people act homophobic, as long as they do so in private, behind closed doors."
"The life expectancy for an adult gay male is on average 40 years less than for a straight male. Roughly half the life expectancy. "
So why are all you guys arguing that homosexuality is a CHOICE? Choosing to be hated, discriminated against, and die young - why can't you see that they're not doing it on a whim.
With less persecution and better AIDS medicines, the life expectancy of a gay male is probably just a couple of years behind that of the straight male nowadays.
Bringing that up ought to be in defense of gay people, in favor of better healthcare and against persecution. How can you use that against them? Ya know, males have shorter life expectancy than women; should all men become women?
You can't argue it the way you want to do it. One side looks at reality, the other hides in fairy tales and myths.
Intolerance can't be tolerated, as that would mean the end of tolerance. That's why tolerance is tolerated but intolerance is not, why human rights is promoted while hatemongering/homophobia/whatever is not.
American Idol Chat Idiot Chat. Seems very appropriate.
Confused?
So were we! You can find all of this, and more, on Fundies Say the Darndest Things!
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