First of
all, call it what it is. There are three ways to refer to a person; Same
sex/gender attraction, homosexual, and gay. A person with same sex attraction
experiences romantic or sexual desires towards the same gender, but sometimes
they don’t necessary act on these feelings; a homosexual is someone that is
sexually involved with someone of the same gender, and gay is when someone has
chosen this as its identity. Why is important to understand the meaning of each
of these terms? Here is an example: If a guy is trying to overcome his same sex attraction feelings and someone calls him gay, he probably wouldn't appreciate that. On the
other hand, if a guy who is experiencing the same type of feelings identifies
himself as gay, it is ok to call it that way.
And here is a helpful website for those who are interested to learn more about the LDS church perspective on this topic https://mormonandgay.lds.org/
Second, we
can’t call someone homosexual when they are not even sexual. This goes more towards
people who call little kids gay, or they think they have some sort of attraction
to the same sex.
Now, one of
the most controversial question is, if someone was born this way or not. There have
been many studies to help respond this question. In 2008, the American Psychological
Association (APA) stated: “There is no consensus among scientist about the
exact reasons… although much research has examined the possible genetic,
hormonal, development, social and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no
findings have emerged that permit scientist to conclude that sexual orientation
is determined by any particular factor or factors. Many think that nature and
nurture both play complex roles…” With the corrosion of the biological
argument, scientists are turning toward the nurture of psychological arguments,
but they have concluded that homosexuality does not have a single cause.
Another
important question is: are homosexual attractions changeable? In other words,
can a person change? And the answer is YES! People can and do change. A. Dean
Byrd, a president of Thrasher Research Fund, concluded: “While there may not
necessarily be a conscious choice in the development of the attractions
themselves, there is nevertheless a choice as to how the individual responds to
the biological and environmental influences around him. And even when the attractions
develop, there is a choice in how the individual will respond to those
attractions: either to accept and act on them, or to choose not to act on them
and to focus on eliminating or dismissing the attractions.”
There is so
much more we can learn and understand about same-sex attraction, but I would
like to finish with a video for all of you to watch that talks a little bit
more about the causes, possibilities to change, and personal testimonies.
Here is the link to the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJhyzqdzpnM
And here is a helpful website for those who are interested to learn more about the LDS church perspective on this topic https://mormonandgay.lds.org/
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