Sexually Transmitted Diseases You knew about HIV/AIDS, of course, but homosexuals and lesbians are also more at risk than hererosexuals for all sorts of STDs, not only the usual (Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis, etc.), but also for some for which there is no cure: Hepatitus A, B, or C, and for men, anal Human Papilloma Virus. In the case of Hepatitus C, there not only is no cure, but also no vaccine. For lesbians, “Bacterial vaginosis, cerebral vascular disease, polycystic ovaries, and androgehypernism were higher in lesbians than heterosexual women.” (From several web sites, including here.)
Substance Abuse Substance abuse is much higher among homosexuals and lesbians than in the general population. In one study, fifty percent of gays admit to illicit drug use.
One report tells us, “Recent studies seem to support the notion that gay men use tobacco at much higher rates than straight men, reaching nearly 50 percent in several studies. Tobacco-related health problems include lung disease and lung cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and a whole host of other serious problems.” The CDC says, “Current evidence suggests that gay and bisexual men are more likely to smoke (33.2%) than men in the general population (21.3%), and lesbians are more likely to smoke (25%) than heterosexual women (15%).
Both homosexual men and lesbians also tend to drink more than straight men and women. Drinking too much is also a risk factor, in all women, for osteoporosis.
Cancers Homosexual men appear to have higher rates of prostate, testicular, and colon cancer.
Lesbians have “the richest concentration of risk factors for breast cancer than any subset of women in the world.” Two of these factors are thought to be not having babies and not nursing babies.
Lesbians also have higher rates of gynecologic cancers than straight women.
Mental Health Issues
Among homosexual men, there is a much higher rate of anorexia and bulimia than among straight men; and among both men and women there is an even higher rate of obesity than in the general population. Obesity is implicated in a host of other ailments like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and breast cancer
Gays of both sexes show a much higher than usual rate of depression and anxiety. This is often blamed upon non-acceptance by “homophobes”, but the correlation between sexual orientation and mental health remains strong even in societies where homosexuality is well-accepted, such as the Netherlands.
The rate of suicides (successful) among gay men in partnerships is eight times that of heterosexual men. Lesbian women in partnerships are 65% more likely to kill themselves than straight women.
Molestation and violence have been "found to be disproportionately higher in the homosexual subgroup.”
The "Born that Way" Theory Same sex attraction sometimes feels, subjectively, as though it had been present in the person from birth, but in fact, although our genes are involved in some way in every single thing about us, there is no credible evidence that they play anything but a minor role in homosexuality. Here is a list of more than dozen studies refuting the “born that way” theory.
***
Where, one may ask, did I find all this material? On some hateful, bigoted website? No. Some details are from a site considered controversial because it also offers psychotherapy for unwanted homosexuality. But much of this material comes from the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. You can also find all of these topics dealt with by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, here. The Food and Drug Administration also discusses some of these in its explanation of why it doesn't want men who have sex with other men to donate blood; read it here.
These are simply facts.
In a forthcoming post, I will discuss some conclusions and what a Christian stance toward homosexuality ought to be.
Substance Abuse Substance abuse is much higher among homosexuals and lesbians than in the general population. In one study, fifty percent of gays admit to illicit drug use.
One report tells us, “Recent studies seem to support the notion that gay men use tobacco at much higher rates than straight men, reaching nearly 50 percent in several studies. Tobacco-related health problems include lung disease and lung cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and a whole host of other serious problems.” The CDC says, “Current evidence suggests that gay and bisexual men are more likely to smoke (33.2%) than men in the general population (21.3%), and lesbians are more likely to smoke (25%) than heterosexual women (15%).
Both homosexual men and lesbians also tend to drink more than straight men and women. Drinking too much is also a risk factor, in all women, for osteoporosis.
Cancers Homosexual men appear to have higher rates of prostate, testicular, and colon cancer.
Lesbians have “the richest concentration of risk factors for breast cancer than any subset of women in the world.” Two of these factors are thought to be not having babies and not nursing babies.
Lesbians also have higher rates of gynecologic cancers than straight women.
Mental Health Issues
Among homosexual men, there is a much higher rate of anorexia and bulimia than among straight men; and among both men and women there is an even higher rate of obesity than in the general population. Obesity is implicated in a host of other ailments like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and breast cancer
Gays of both sexes show a much higher than usual rate of depression and anxiety. This is often blamed upon non-acceptance by “homophobes”, but the correlation between sexual orientation and mental health remains strong even in societies where homosexuality is well-accepted, such as the Netherlands.
The rate of suicides (successful) among gay men in partnerships is eight times that of heterosexual men. Lesbian women in partnerships are 65% more likely to kill themselves than straight women.
Molestation and violence have been "found to be disproportionately higher in the homosexual subgroup.”
The "Born that Way" Theory Same sex attraction sometimes feels, subjectively, as though it had been present in the person from birth, but in fact, although our genes are involved in some way in every single thing about us, there is no credible evidence that they play anything but a minor role in homosexuality. Here is a list of more than dozen studies refuting the “born that way” theory.
***
Where, one may ask, did I find all this material? On some hateful, bigoted website? No. Some details are from a site considered controversial because it also offers psychotherapy for unwanted homosexuality. But much of this material comes from the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association. You can also find all of these topics dealt with by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, here. The Food and Drug Administration also discusses some of these in its explanation of why it doesn't want men who have sex with other men to donate blood; read it here.
These are simply facts.
In a forthcoming post, I will discuss some conclusions and what a Christian stance toward homosexuality ought to be.
7 comments:
Wow, I've been thinking a lot about how mental health affects physical health. It's not just my friend with the girl scout cookies and the weight-related problems, but other people too. It seems like everywhere I look, someone is struggling with a mental health problem that drags them down physically as well.
Lord, have mercy.
For sure. Lots and lots and lots of people have depression and other mental health-related issues.
(And we don't fire them from their jobs just upon learning their diagnoses; if they can do they job, we keep them on.)
Make that "their" job...
NARTH is a bigoted, biased website dipshit
What a disgusting, bigoted column you have here. Incredibly unchristian when Jesus asks us not to judge anyone. Have you ever considered the fact that homosexual individuals might be more susceptible to mental health issues and alcoholism due to the way society treats them?
Okay, let's look at this.
Yes, anal sex is more conducive to the transmission of HIV. So what? That doesn't make it wrong or morally evil, just more dangerous. That's something gay men have to live with and keep in mind their whole lives. But it doesn't stop them from loving other men, nor should it.
The substance abuse and depression go together, in that they sahre one thing in common: they go against society's rules. Even in accepting societies, it still isn't normal to be gay. Once you've broken the mold, it's broken, and the effects of that, tragic as they may be, aren't a reflection on the activity, but merely on the fact the society's expectations have been violated.
But the last point I think is the most important. Now II the scientific consensus is against you, but for the sake of argument we'll say it's not. So what? What if it is a choice? You chose to be a Christian. That doesn't make it bad or immoral. Gay people are human beings, and their love is just as strong as yours. The want to come home to someone who loves them. They want to get married and build a life with someone else. They lay awake at night wishing their crush would like them. They go to the hospital and stay overnight even though they know they won't be able to see their spouse because ilthey want to be there when they wake up. They love, but it's clear that you don't love them.
Did I say anything about sin, let alone major sin? No, I didn't.
Did I say anything about immorality? Nope.
Did I judge anyone? No, I did not and do not.
What I *have* done is delete one comment with obscene language and a nasty attitude toward lesbians.
Are gays human beings too, deserving sympathy and respect? Of course they are. Are they, along with everyone else, bearers of the Divine Image? Yes. Should I, as a Christian, see Christ in everybody and treat everyone accordingly? Yes. Don't assume I think otherwise just because I have presented some facts. I don't happen to be THAT sort of a "Christian".
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