Is Homosexuality Moral?
Statement
Gay people are immoral.
Q1 Analysis
If the statement is based on the belief that homosexual sex is immoral, then it may not be a Q1 violation, depending on your reason for this belief. But if the statement reflects a belief that someone who is emotionally homosexual is immoral regardless of whether they engage in homosexual practices, then this is a Q1 violation unless you believe that homosexuality is a conscious choice or that it is possible to be immoral because of feelings you have no control over.
Q2 Analysis
This is not a Q2 violation so long as you allow your emotions and sexual practices to be examined in the same way that you are examining homosexual emotions and practices.
Discussion
There are a number of reasons that someone might believe that homosexuals are immoral. You might believe that homosexuals are immoral because:
- Homosexuality is a choice made for the purpose of engaging in immoral practices. This assumes that the practices are immoral, and this assumption would need to be justified.
- Homosexuals can willfully change their sexual orientation but do not do so. This implies, by Q2, that you believe you could willfully change your sexual orientation. (If you do not believe you could do this, then it may be difficult for you to insist that homosexuals can do it.)
- Homosexual practices are unnatural. If so, then how do you define "unnatural"? If it could be shown that non-human animals engage in homosexual practices, would you change your mind? Do you think these practices are unnatural because they cannot result in a child? If so, do you consider other sexual practices that cannot result in a child (contraceptive use, sex after menopause, etc.) unnatural?
- You find them disgusting. If so, do you consider everything you find disgusting immoral? If not, then what is the difference? And how would you convince people who do not find it disgusting that it is immoral?
- Homosexual relationships are not traditionally recognized. If so, do you believe that other relationships that may not have been traditionally recognized (such as marriage between people of different races or religions, or in which both partners are equal) are immoral? Do you believe that all traditionally recognized marriage practices (e.g., arranged marriage, child marriage, plural marriage, and marriage without possibility of divorce) are moral?
- They are said to be immoral in religious scripture. If so, do you believe that your scripture was written for people today, for people a long time ago, or for both? Do you believe that no moral or ethical issues (such as slavery and treatment of women) have changed since these scriptures were written? If some have changed, is it possible that the issue of homosexuality has changed?
Another important issue when discussing whether or not an individual is immoral is whether or not that person believes they are immoral. In the case of homosexuality, do you think that homosexuals believe that their behavior is immoral but engage in it anyway? If not, then would you be okay with someone saying you are immoral because you do something they consider immoral (such as showing your hair or owning a painting depicting God) even though you think you are behaving morally?
You are encouraged to leave your answers to the questions posed in this post in the comments section. This post is based on an excerpt from Ask Yourself to be Moral, by D. Cancilla, available at LuLu.com and Amazon.com. See the 2Q system page for details of the philosophical system mentioned in this post.
