Gay and Lesbian Rights

Homophobia is very strong in Northern Ireland, and there is little doubt that much of the prejudice derives from the influence of fundamentalist Christianity. The Catholic Church officially regards homosexuality as an 'unnatural' disease, as do many of the Protestant churches.

Although in the Gospels Jesus Christ pronounced nothing on the subject of homosexual behaviour, it would be wrong to assume that he condoned it. On the contrary, all the evidence points in the opposite direction. He is represented (Matthew 5, 17-20) as endorsing every pronouncement of the Mosaic Law, which required the death penalty for men guilty of homosexual acts (Leviticus 20, 13), and he is presented elsewhere in the Gospels as extremely rigorist in his views on sexual matters.

For example, he wanted to go much further than the strict Mosaic Law in condemning what he regarded as sexual sins. While the Law allowed for divorce in certain circumstances, he condemned it outright and claimed it made people adulterers (Matthew 10, 2-12). He even encouraged his followers to mutilate themselves rather than give way to sexual temptation (Matthew 18,7-9). As Gerald Larue writes (Sex and the Bible), the Biblical attitudes towards homosexuality are “the product of a small group of peoples who inhabited a corner of the Mediterranean world some two or three thousand years ago”. It is no more relevant to the modern age than, say, another injunction in Leviticus not to 'round the corners of your heads' or 'mar the corners of thy beard' (Leviticus 19,27).

Antipathy to Gays and Lesbians is also part and parcel of the negative attitude to sex in general displayed by the churches. This springs from the puritanism of Irish Christianity, with its prejudice against pleasure and desire. In its historical treatment of sexuality as essentially sinful and 'dirty’, it is a repressive tradition which has done much harm to Irish people.

For Humanists, on the other hand, sex, whether straight or gay raises no special moral problems at all. We regard it as a basic human want and as one of our most intense pleasures. We believe that individuals should be permitted to express their sexual proclivities as they wish, provided they do not harm or exploit others. It is exploitation and abuse which we oppose, but not free adult consent.

We do not approve of people being treated as sexual objects, why is why we favour intimacy, sensitivity, respect and honesty in this as in all interpersonal relationships. Beyond that, we maintain that sexual matters are no more special ethically than, say, driving a car, and therefore we deplore the overemphasis on sex in the province to the neglect of more serious injustices and immoralities in our society. We would like to see morality focused on the really pressing political, social and economic problems inherent in contemporary life.

Humanists favour freedom of choice in matters of sexual conduct between consenting adults. We believe that it is each person's individual responsibility to behave in accordance with humane principles and only in the case of protecting minors should the state rightly intervene.

The International Humanist and Ethical Union Policy Statement on Homosexuality, 1994

The IHEU affirms:

I. That one of its aims is to secure justice and fairness in society and to eliminate discrimination and intolerance.

2. That this extends to all people regardless of their beliefs, sex, sexual orientation, or race.

3. That homosexuality and bisexuality are the natural orientation of a human minority which has existed throughout history.

4. That lesbians, gays and bisexuals make as valuable a contribution to society as their heterosexual counterparts. They are a cross-section of humanity, differing in no perceptible way from their fellow human beings, other than in their sexual orientation.

5. That the fear and hatred of lesbians and gays, known as homophobia, is totally irrational. It is a social evil akin to racism and, as the Nazi experience has shown, can have the same evil consequences. It harms both the victimised individuals and the society which tolerates it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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