*puzzled*

[labellementeuse]

So my mother got me a Listener subscription, which is fabulous and kind and has made some people very jealous. But, er, I don't think I got last week's edition, simply because I think I would remember a cover that screamed "GAY PARENTS" at the top of its lungs.

Anyway. It doesn't seem to have been an especially well-researched article, so it doesn't bother me too much. But you guys should read some of the letters in this week's Listener and write snarky responses. Unusually for this area, though, every single writer has made a strong attempt to say nice things about gay people- not nice enough, obviously, but never mind. However one letter in particular... well, y'all just read it, and see if you can guess the one that makes me spit, huh?

I would do it myself, but I want to write them a letter about this week's feature: Tamaki and The Abstainers. *sporks* Okay, now look, abstinence is wonderful. But it is not sensible and it is not realistic. The article quotes statistics showing that, while an abstinence pledge may delay loss of virginity, kids who abstain nevertheless have the same rate of STDs- in other words, the rate of contraction of STDs is much higher among kids who have pledged. Why? because along with abstinence pledges come the inability to be prepared. What are we really worried about for our kids? the contraction of STDs. Your kids are at risk from this policy, and I'm goddamn going to write the Listener and tell them so.

I mean, forget the Gay Agenda- the Destiny Church openly admits to wanting to infiltrate school boards to put gorward their plans for abstinence. >:O

Comments

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

So a more detailed analysis:

Ack. I think it's disgusting that Destiny Church are apparently trying to get into school boards and thus force their opinions through. I have no problem with them promoting abstinence, but I do have a problem with them drowning out all the other options. So do I. Actually, I'm seriously concerned to the extent I'm vaguely thinking about writing a letter and X-posting it all over the shop and sending it in to newspapers and stuff because, hey, this is uncool, and although me writing a letter probably won't make much difference, who knows? it might. But if I wanted to do that i'd have to call Destiny Church and confirm that they want to get involved with school boards and that would suck a lot, so. :P Also it would probably be quite difficult.

And of course, you're right about disease and education. One of my worst concerns in that area, actually, is the probable impending demise of the FPA (http://www.livejournal.com/community/kiwi_ljs/85600.html). The FPA provides so much of our sexual health resources- every girl's school I know has had most of their informative sex ed classes from FPA nurses going around schools; plus, they're just generally available to help with that kind of thing and it's such a shame that they're so at risk. :(

Hmm, somehow I don't think a lot of the people who are pro-abstinence are really all that concerned with gay people having sex. ;) But I know what you mean- the Biblical idea seems to me to be that any sex you have that isn't about procreation is Bad, Bad, Bad- which is a shame, and kind of sad. :(

As for the letter- you got it in one and what's worse is that she actually sounds like she thinks she's being really liberal, the sort of person who'd preface an argument with "Now, I'm not homophobic, but..." Unfortunately I can't find her letter online to quote from but man, that kind of thing ANNOYS me. Although I suppose it's better than flat-out "gay people are going to hell, muahahah, and we're not, muahahah, we wear black t-shirts of doom, muahahah, watch us pervert the minds of little children, muahaha."

And I sort or wanted to write a letter saying exactly what you said: gay people are part of families too. Everyone is part of a family and, yeah, because it is traditional, no-one should be denied it. :(

And finally, EXACTLY. >:O Apart from the total bullshit opinion that's implied in this, she proceeds to almost beging that hideous "gay recruitment drive" theory. Uh, what EVER.

[disturbed-kiwi.livejournal.com]

mean- the Biblical idea seems to me to be that any sex you have that isn't about procreation is Bad, Bad, Bad

Which leads to strange situations, such as Lot(?)'s daughters getting him drunk and shagging him so they could have babies...

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

*chokes* See, the Bible is Bad, Bad, Bad. Or, you know, very, very obscene. >.

[jo-nzl.livejournal.com]

That is not good about the FPA. Why is it that organisations like that are in danger, while people like Destiny flourish? There is no god, I say, except knowledge...

What do you mean there's no gay recruitment? I personally was cornered in a dark alley by a butch feminazi lesbian who cajoled me to cut off men's dangly bits in exchange for a toaster. I could not resist the toaster, I'm afraid. The next gay agenda meeting, by the way, is next Tuesday at 4. Spread the word to all homos.

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

:( It is pretty terrible. I'm nto sure I would agree about knowledge, but hey.

*laughing* Why a toaster? :P And thanks for the tip. :D

[jo-nzl.livejournal.com]

The knowledge thing was somewhat facetious, as is much of what I appear to say seriously. I haven't yet worked out what god there is or isn't.

I have no idea why it's a toaster. Maybe you should ask the weird paranoid people who made up that particular myth...

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

:P Ah, fair enough. I'm fairly sure there isn't, myself, up to and including knowledge, but you know. :)

*snickering* maybe I will.

[jo-nzl.livejournal.com]

Hmm. I just realised that comment made me sound agnostic or religious in some way. I don't believe in any gods, in the sense of omnipotent beings. No way. The world doesn't work like that. What I do think, however, is that there is possibly something beyond what we see, not something that is caused by a god, but some common thread that ties humanity together. It's hard to express. I sometimes identify with pantheism, but either way, I don't think there is a god, so I guess I'm an atheist. I identify to a large extent with humanism, rationalism, science.

But I like to keep an open mind and consider other arguments, even if I don't agree with them. I think atheism sometimes places too much stock in scientific empiricism, when it's possible that such things deceive us, and there is so much we don't understand. Sometimes, it's nice to just give up your science and logic and let yourself be taken in by the world in all its strangeness, and admit that some things are just beyond our ken.

Philosophy courses also do strange things to your thinking.

[labellementeuse.livejournal.com]

I'm humanist and a Bright and atheist. *puts self in boxes* I know what you mean, though- sometimes absolute pure fact-ism can get a bit much. I think humanism, as I understand it, fills that for me- that it's the human responsibility to care about or for other people, ultimately. I guess Secular Philosophical Humanism (http://www.jcn.com/humanism.html) as defined by that page, although I also like the sound of Cultural and Renaissance Humanism. ;)

Great essay, actually. Very informative.

[nzlemming.livejournal.com]

Piker. I have two toasters. Bwahahaha!

[jo-nzl.livejournal.com]

Aw, no fair. What'd you get another one for? *sulks*

[nzlemming.livejournal.com]

When you're bi you operate a double recruitment scheme.

That's one of the advantages of versatility ;-)