Preface:
This short essay is a response to the essay The Tragedy of the Un-commons from the book Weber Writes 2013. In my essay, I respond by agreeing with the points made in James Stolhand's essay, and discuss homosexuality supportively.
Equal Rights
In James Stolhand’s essay, The Tragedy of the Un-commons, he explains not only his experience of discovering his homosexuality and the treatments he was submitted to but also some other treatments that other people have been through to “cure” them of their same sex desires. Stolhand, a student at Weber State University, talks about methods such as counseling sessions with a minister, electroshock therapy, and increasing the activities that boost the hormones of the person’s own gender to cure their homosexual desires. The point in his essay seems to be that no matter what reparative therapy is done, there is no cure for any sexual orientation.
I would definitely agree with every point that Stolhand makes in this essay. Homosexuality is not some unnatural abomination, especially since humans are not the only animals who demonstrate it. There have been many findings of other homosexual animals, both in zoos and in the wild. In fact, a friend of mine used to have a pair of peahens who were supposedly homosexual. Sexual orientation is all about attraction, which is something we do not control. It may in some ways seem as if we decide who we are or are not interested in, but in reality it is not a conscious choice. If we could choose who to be attracted to and who not to, we would never find ourselves “always choosing the wrong kind of people”. We also would not feel the need to turn down all of the "unattractive" people who try to pursue us, because we could simply choose to be attracted to them. Attraction is not a choice, and neither is homosexuality. They did not choose to be gay, just as you did not choose to be straight.
This short essay is a response to the essay The Tragedy of the Un-commons from the book Weber Writes 2013. In my essay, I respond by agreeing with the points made in James Stolhand's essay, and discuss homosexuality supportively.
Equal Rights
In James Stolhand’s essay, The Tragedy of the Un-commons, he explains not only his experience of discovering his homosexuality and the treatments he was submitted to but also some other treatments that other people have been through to “cure” them of their same sex desires. Stolhand, a student at Weber State University, talks about methods such as counseling sessions with a minister, electroshock therapy, and increasing the activities that boost the hormones of the person’s own gender to cure their homosexual desires. The point in his essay seems to be that no matter what reparative therapy is done, there is no cure for any sexual orientation.
I would definitely agree with every point that Stolhand makes in this essay. Homosexuality is not some unnatural abomination, especially since humans are not the only animals who demonstrate it. There have been many findings of other homosexual animals, both in zoos and in the wild. In fact, a friend of mine used to have a pair of peahens who were supposedly homosexual. Sexual orientation is all about attraction, which is something we do not control. It may in some ways seem as if we decide who we are or are not interested in, but in reality it is not a conscious choice. If we could choose who to be attracted to and who not to, we would never find ourselves “always choosing the wrong kind of people”. We also would not feel the need to turn down all of the "unattractive" people who try to pursue us, because we could simply choose to be attracted to them. Attraction is not a choice, and neither is homosexuality. They did not choose to be gay, just as you did not choose to be straight.