A bit of personal experience that I hope sheds some light on this subject:
First, I can testify that human sexuality is not this black-and-white, gay-or-straight dichotomy that we seem to think it is in this Islamo-Christian influenced culture of ours. My sexuality, if it needs classification, could be best described as mostly-heterosexual-bisexual. Because human sexuality is shades of bisexual gray, I speculate that when this quack therapy or "praying the gay away" "works" it's either because of repressed sexuality or they got a bisexual of some degree, enough to effectively function in a het relationship.
Also, while Rayaan is correct that the environment, experience or even human will can rewire the brain, my experience is that human sexuality is hardwired beyond such minor changes. First of all, if anything our society goes to great lengths to discourage same-gender affections. I kept my attractions to the same gender so well supressed that even I wasn't consciously aware of them, not for religious reasons (I was raised agnostic) but social reasons alone. For example, I made use of what I now call the lust-into-envy formula to rationalize away any time I spent admiring someone of the same gender.
Secondly, anti-gay quacks have speculated that psychological trauma can trigger homosexual urges but nothing of what they describe is even remotely in my background. I came from a stable family without any divorce or significant problems with my parents' marriage. I had a great relationship with both parents. I suffered no abuse from anyone, either growing up or afterwords. Aside from coming of age in the red-state 80s anti-gay environment, nothing stopped me from developing normally.
I'm really having trouble following what Tack is trying to say here. Tack, can you clarify what you mean by choosing to be gay against one's true nature?
First, I can testify that human sexuality is not this black-and-white, gay-or-straight dichotomy that we seem to think it is in this Islamo-Christian influenced culture of ours. My sexuality, if it needs classification, could be best described as mostly-heterosexual-bisexual. Because human sexuality is shades of bisexual gray, I speculate that when this quack therapy or "praying the gay away" "works" it's either because of repressed sexuality or they got a bisexual of some degree, enough to effectively function in a het relationship.
Also, while Rayaan is correct that the environment, experience or even human will can rewire the brain, my experience is that human sexuality is hardwired beyond such minor changes. First of all, if anything our society goes to great lengths to discourage same-gender affections. I kept my attractions to the same gender so well supressed that even I wasn't consciously aware of them, not for religious reasons (I was raised agnostic) but social reasons alone. For example, I made use of what I now call the lust-into-envy formula to rationalize away any time I spent admiring someone of the same gender.
Secondly, anti-gay quacks have speculated that psychological trauma can trigger homosexual urges but nothing of what they describe is even remotely in my background. I came from a stable family without any divorce or significant problems with my parents' marriage. I had a great relationship with both parents. I suffered no abuse from anyone, either growing up or afterwords. Aside from coming of age in the red-state 80s anti-gay environment, nothing stopped me from developing normally.
I'm really having trouble following what Tack is trying to say here. Tack, can you clarify what you mean by choosing to be gay against one's true nature?
Atheist Forums Hall of Shame:
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
"The trinity can be equated to having your cake and eating it too."
... -Lucent, trying to defend the Trinity concept
"(Yahweh's) actions are good because (Yahweh) is the ultimate standard of goodness. That’s not begging the question"
... -Statler Waldorf, Christian apologist
