@ #117: I did not argue that homosexuality did not exist until recently, but rather that it seems to occur here and there sporadically in history, usually in conjunction with other developments in society, all of which seems to indicate something other than genetics. After all, the prohibitions of the Mosaic law would hardly make sense if no homosexual behavior even existed.
But of all the arguments used for gay marriage, I find the “I was born that way” the least viable, for at least two reasons: First, the jury is still out on whether it is even true or not. Even Peter Tatchell, who helped found OutRage!, admits there’s no such thing as the gay gene. Second, even if it were proved beyond any doubt whatsoever that gay behavior WAS gentically based, that still leaves us with the question about whether the accept it. It certainly would not settle the debate as to whether public policy should celebrate homosexuality via gay marriage. As noted, some people believe there is a genetic basis in predispositions toward undesirable behaviors such as violence, theft, and dishonesty. If we discovered a liar gene, would we re-write our laws so that people who are genetic liars are no longer in danger of perjury if they lie on the witness stand? Or would we hope that some kind of gene therapy could correct gayness AND dishonesty? We would still be left with a debate that cannot be settled “scientifically.”
