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"...the Church... refuses to consider
the person as a ‘heterosexual’ or a ‘homosexual,’ and insists that
every person has a fundamental identity: the creature of God, and by
grace, His child and heir to eternal life."
"Letter to the Bishops of the Catholic
Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons," no.16
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF), 1986
Although this article speaks mainly to adolescents, the content is
applicable to all.
Am I Homosexual or Not?
You’re not alone if you’re not sure. A large study of
34,706 Minnesota secondary school students report that 26% of seventh
graders are "unsure of their sexual orientation," and 5% of
twelfth graders are still "unsure."
That’s a lot of young
people wondering and confused, a lot of young people who may also feel
alone with their uncertainty -- alone because this is not an easy subject
to talk about. If that’s you, this article is addressed to you, or to
any of your friends who may need to read it.
* "Demography of Sexual Orientation in Adolescents,"
published in Pediatrics The Journal of the American Academy of
Pediatrics, Volume 89, April 19921
What are the Chances I’m Actually
Homosexual?
The odds are quite small. Probably you’ve heard that
"one person in ten" is homosexual. That’s a myth. It’s
unfounded, so don’t let it scare you about yourself.
Serious researchers don’t take that figure seriously. The best
current studies agree on a figure of 1.5% for females and 3% for
males.* The "10%" fallacy is part of the "gay"
movement’s campaign for acceptance, which portrays homosexuality as far
more common than it is. (*The Gay Nineties, Paul Cameron)
But What if I’m One of the 1.5% or 3%?
Then most schools are concerned for you, because of a 1989
report (by the Task Force on Youth Suicide of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services) which stated that one third of all youth
suicides are by young people who believe they’re "gay." The
government quickly repudiated that report because there was no solid
research to back it up, and it turned out to be the work of two gay
activists. The media played up the study but never reported its removal.
As a result, concerned school counselors, curriculum designers, and other
educators have launched a national campaign to persuade students,
teachers, parents and the media that being "gay" or
"lesbian" is a normal and good thing. Many "ex-gays,"
people who broke out of their homosexuality, say that the biggest cause
for their adolescent depression was the enormous pressure to accept their
feelings as inborn and unchangeable. That way of thinking made them feel
trapped.
But Do I Have a Choice?
Yes. Most school administrators will insist you don’t, but
you definitely do. Of course, if you really want to label yourself
"gay" or "lesbian," you will find much support from
pro-homosexual school counselors, and you’ll be guided into peer support
groups such as "Gay-Straight Alliances."
But for your own reasons, you may not want your homosexual attractions.
Maybe you’d like to marry and have children. Maybe you don’t like the
"gay" lifestyle. Maybe it just doesn’t seem natural to you or
safe. Maybe it’s against your religion. For you, the help you get at
many schools will be no help at all.
"Project Ten"
Named for the ten percent myth, this nationwide movement
"to address lesbian and gay issues in the schools," instructs
school personnel as follows: When approached by students with homosexual
feelings, "It’s not OK to say, ‘How do you know?’ ‘Are you
sure?’ ‘You will grow out of it,’ ‘You need counseling." In
other words, any questioning of the homosexual life which you may express
will be rejected by your counselor as self-hatred or "internalized
homophobia."
If you confide your uncertainty to most school counselors, you will
probably be urged to accept any homosexual feelings as your true self. If
you say it’s against your faith, you could be told your Church is
"homophobic." If you say you don’t want to be homosexual, you
could be told you’re wrong to feel that way.
A Cultural Battle
In an effort to reverse alleged hatred of people With
homosexual orientation, homosexuality is actually being promoted. A great
cultural battle is going on --a battle of Truth vs. falsehood-- and you’re
in the middle of it. Society is locked in a fierce debate. A second major
myth is being pushed on us: "You have to accept your homosexuality,
because you can’t change it.
Let’s Check Out that Myth
"If. the patients were motivated, a large percentage gave up
their homosexuality. The misinformation spread by certain circles that
homosexuality is untreatable by psychotherapy does incalculable harm to
thousands of men and women."
Dr. Reuben Fine, Director New York Center for Psychoanalytic
Training, "Male and Female Homosexuality: Psychological
Approaches" (Page 87), Psychoanalytic Theory,
Hemisphere Publishing (Harper and Row), 1987
"In a 1997 study of 860 people in treatment for persistent same
sex attractions, after two years 284 people (33%) had become exclusively
heterosexual."
Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, National Association for the Research and Therapy
of Homosexuality
Many factors influence the success of treatment, but in the above
study, ninety-nine percent of those 860 participants reported that
treatment was "valuable" to them. In other words, they all grew
as a result, and no one felt brain-washed, which is how the media depicts
psychological therapy for homosexuality.
Your Choice
A great mountain of clinical evidence adds up to one message
for young people:
You don’t have to accept and live out homosexual feelings. But in the
cultural. war, the "pro-gay" voices regard any therapy for
homosexuality as an insult, and these voices insist that you can never be
free of those feelings. But rest assured, you are not on a one-way street.
You are at a crossroads. Choose your path. The choice is yours.
But What Does the Church Say?
The Church stays out of the debate about treatment for homosexual
feelings but has a lot to say about the value and meaning of those
feelings and the value of acting on them.
"...an overly benign interpretation was given to the homosexual
condition, some going so far as to call it neutral or even good...
homosexual activity prevents one’s own fulfillment and happiness by
acting contrary’ to the creative wisdom of God."
CDF Letter, nos. 3 & 7
"To choose someone of the same sex for one’s sexual activity
is to annul [erase] the rich symbolism and meaning, not to mention the
goals, of the Creator’s sexual design. Homosexuality is not a
complementary union, able to transmit life..."
CDF Letter, no.7
"Increasing numbers of people today are bringing enormous
pressure on the Church and society to condone homosexual activity as
normal and morally acceptable. The Church is really concerned about the
many who are not represented by the pro-homosexual movement and about
those who may have been tempted to believe it; deceitful
propaganda." CDF Letter, no. 8
Love’s Fierce Voice
The Church is saying that God’ intends something more for
you, that Homosexuality cannot satisfy the deepest desires of your heart,
and that you are hearing lies from society.
Why is the Church so strong and confrontational on so sensitive a
subject? Why does the Church risk arousing the rage of those who disagree?
Because lives and eternal souls are in danger, especially those of the
young and undecided. At such moments, love requires that the Church be
very bold, for the protection of all who will listen.
Copyright (C) 2000 Courage
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