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Hollywood and the media relentlessly propagate the
image of the fit, healthy, and well-adjusted homosexual, and activists
attempt to portray their lifestyle as equivalent in every way to their
heterosexual counterparts. The reality
is at polar opposites to this caricature as was
recently conceded by the homosexual newspaper, New York Blade News. Homosexual and lesbian relationships are
typically characterized by instability, promiscuity, and unhealthy and risky sex
practices, factors that greatly increase the incidence of serious and
incurable sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including hepatitis, HPV,
syphilis, gonorrhea, and AIDS.
Scientists believe the
increased number of STDs is because of an increase in risky sexual practices
by a growing number of homosexual men who believe HIV is no longer a
life-threatening illness.
Lesbians
are at Risk
Many Lesbians also have sex
with men. The homosexual newspaper The Washington Blade, citing
a 1998 study in the Journal of Infectious Diseases, reported
that "the study's data confirmed previous scientific observations that
most women who have sex with women also have had sex with men." The
study added that "sex with men in the prior year was common, as were
sexual practices between female partners that possibly could transmit HPV.
"Behavioral research also
demonstrates that a woman's sexual identity is not an accurate predictor of
behavior, with a large proportion of 'lesbian' women reporting sex with
(often high risk) men......the median number of lifetime male sexual partners
was significantly greater for WSW (women who have sex with women) than
controls (twelve partners versus six). WSW were
significantly more likely to report more than fifty lifetime male sexual
partners."
Cancer
Risk Factors for Lesbians
Citing a 1999 report released
by the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of
Sciences, the homosexual newspaper The Washington Blade
notes that "various studies on Lesbian health suggest that certain
cancer risk factors occur with greater frequency in this population. These
factors include higher rates of smoking, alcohol use, poor diet, and being
overweight." The Blade
also reports: "Some experts believe Lesbians might be more likely than
women in general to develop breast or cervical cancer because a
disproportionate number of them fall into high-risk categories."
A study in the American Journal
of Public Health concurs that bisexual women are at increased risk for contracting
sexually transmitted diseases, suggesting that the willingness to engage in
risky sexual practices "could be tied to a pattern of sensation-seeking
behavior."
The assumption that lesbians
involved in exclusive sexual relationships are at reduced risk for sexual
disease is false. The journal Sexually Transmitted Infections
concludes: "The risk behavior profile of exclusive WSW was similar to
all WSW."
Sexually Transmitted Diseases Among
Lesbians
In a study of the medical
records of 1,408 lesbians, the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections
found that women who have sexual relations with women are at significantly
higher risk for certain sexually transmitted diseases: "We demonstrated
a higher prevalence of BV (bacterial vaginosis),
hepatitis C, and HIV risk behaviors in WSW as compared with controls."
Compulsive
Behavior among Lesbians
A study published in Nursing
Research found that lesbians are three times more likely to abuse alcohol
and to suffer from other compulsive behaviors: "Like most problem
drinkers, 32 (91%) of the participants had abused other drugs as well as
alcohol, and many reported compulsive difficulties with food (34%),
codependency (29%), sex (11%), and money (6% )." In addition, "46%
had been heavy drinkers with frequent drunkenness."
Alcohol
Abuse Among Homosexuals and Lesbians
The Journal of Consulting
and Clinical Psychologists reports that lesbian women consume alcohol
more frequently, and in larger amounts, than heterosexual women. Lesbians
were at significantly greater risk than heterosexual women for both binge
drinking (19.4% compared to 11.7%) and for heavy drinking (7% compared to
2.7%).
Violence
in Lesbian and Homosexual Relationships
A study in the Journal of
Interpersonal Violence examined conflict and violence in lesbian
relationships. The researchers found that 90% of the lesbians surveyed had
been recipients of one or more acts of verbal aggression from their partners
during the year prior to this study, with 31% reporting one or more incidents
of physical abuse.
In a survey of 1,099 lesbians, the Journal of Social Service
Research corroborates this finding.
Homosexual and lesbian
relationships are far more violent than are traditional married households: The
Bureau of Justice Statistics (U.S. Department of Justice) reports that
married women in traditional families experience the lowest rate of violence
compared with women in other types of relationships.
High
Incidence of Mental Health Problems
A national survey of lesbians
published in the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology
found 75% of the nearly 2,000 respondents had pursued psychological counselling of some kind, many for treatment of long-term
depression or sadness. There was a distressingly high prevalence of life
events and behaviors related to mental health problems. 37% had been
physically abused and 32% had been raped or sexually attacked. 19% had been
involved in incestuous relationships while growing up. Almost one-third used
tobacco on a daily basis and about 30% drank alcohol more than once a week;
6% drank daily. One in five smoked marijuana more than once a month. 21% of
the sample had thoughts about suicide sometimes or often and 18% had actually
tried to kill themselves. . . . More than half had felt too nervous to
accomplish ordinary activities at some time during the past year and over
one-third had been depressed.
Greater
Risk for Suicide
A study of twins that examined the relationship between homosexuality
and suicide, published in the Archives of General Psychiatry,
found that homosexuals were at greater risk for overall mental health
problems, and were 6.5 times more likely than their twins to have attempted
suicide. The higher rate was not attributable to mental health or substance
abuse disorders.
Another study published
simultaneously in Archives of General Psychiatry followed 1,007 individuals
from birth. Those classified as "gay," lesbian,
or bisexual were significantly more likely to have had mental health problems.
Significantly, in his comments on the studies in the same issue of the
journal, D. Bailey cautioned against various speculative explanations of
the results, such as the view that "widespread prejudice against
homosexual people causes them to be unhappy or worse, mentally ill."
Reduced
Life Span
A study published in the International
Journal of Epidemiology on the mortality rates of homosexuals
concluded that they have a significantly reduced life expectancy. In a major
Canadian center, life expectancy at age twenty for gay and bisexual men is
eight to twenty years less than for all men... Under even the most liberal
assumptions, gay and bisexual men in this urban center are now experiencing a
life expectancy similar to that experienced by all men in Canada in the year 1871.
In 1995, long after the deadly
effects of AIDS and other STDs became widely known, homosexual author Urvashi Vaid expressed one of
the goals of her fellow activists: "We have an agenda to create a
society in which homosexuality is regarded as healthy, natural, and normal.
To me that is the most important agenda item." Debilitating illness,
chronic disease, psychological problems, and early death suffered by
homosexuals is the legacy of this tragically misguided activism, which puts the
furthering of an "agenda" above saving the lives of those whose
interests they purport to represent.
Those who advocate full
acceptance of homosexual behavior choose to downplay the growing and
incontrovertible evidence regarding the serious, life-threatening health
effects associated with the homosexual lifestyle. Homosexual advocacy groups
have a moral duty to disseminate medical information that might dissuade
individuals from entering or continuing in an inherently unhealthy and
dangerous lifestyle. Education officials in particular have a duty to provide
information regarding the negative health effects of homosexuality to
students in their charge, whose very lives are put at risk by engaging in
such behavior. Above all, civil society itself has an obligation to institute
policies that promote the health and well-being of its citizens.
On Marriage, by Bishop Fred Henry, Calgary, Canada
“Marriage, the committed union
between a man and a woman with its inherent capacity for bringing children in
to the world, remains what it is. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
explicitly links belief in the rule of law to belief in the sovereignty of
God. Without grounding in either natural law or revealed law, our government
has voted to alter the definition given to marriage for the purposes of
Canadian civil law.....
“Article 16 of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights declares: "The family is the natural and
fundamental group unit of society and is entitled to protection by society
and the state." Despite the opinion of the justices of the Supreme Court
and some members of Parliament and the Senate, the state has no authority to
alter the fundamental meaning of marriage or to make the family a creature of
the state.
No extension of terminology for legal purposes will change the reality
only the committed union of a man and a woman carries, not only the bond of
interdependency between the two adults, but the inherent capacity to bring
forth children.
“The recognition and benefits
associated with marriage around the world over the millennia have been rooted
in the awareness that the dependency of children carries with it
responsibilities and life-structuring commitments for the adults who are
their parents. Other bonds of love and interdependency of commitment and
mutual responsibility exist. They are not, however, the same as marriage.
Crucial is the recognition at all levels in society, of the human rights and
freedoms of all persons, organizations and groups who view marriage as the
union of a man and a woman with the inherent capacity to bring forth
children.
“In the Roman Catholic Diocese
of Calgary, marriage will be celebrated only as the union of a man and a
woman. I appeal to everyone to uphold the true meaning of marriage. Provide support
for those who are married and those who soon will be. Pray for the success of
marriages, and celebrate the contribution marriage makes to our society by
way of the family. We must persuade our government and the courts the course
of action they have undertaken is misguided.....”
Bishop Henry has been named in two complaints to Alberta’s Human
Rights Commission in an attempt to silence him.
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