Homosexuality is a mental illness

Hi, I accept :)You have Burden of Proof, it seems to me. If you disagree you can explain why in your next argument, but I will operate off of this assumption, since you need evidence to claim that something is in fact a mental illness.According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, mental illness is defined as 'health conditions that are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior (or some combination thereof) associated with distress and/or impaired functioning'[1]. Furthermore, I will clarify that the phrase 'normal person' is defined as 'a neurotypical heterosexual male or female', as heterosexuals represent the majority of humans. To start, I will be ensuring that homosexuality meets the criteria listed by the above definition.Reasonable.Thinking: Homosexuals and other sexual deviants think in such a way that deviates from the 'normal' person's thinking. They are sexually attracted to those of the same sex, which is a form of thinking not experienced by the heterosexual. In addition, they may identify with the opposite sex, which goes against the neurotypical thinking of their sex.Where is your justification for the statement that homosexuals are "sexual deviants"? You would only have reason to frame them as deviants if you thought that heterosexuality is more "normal" than homosexuality in a fundamental sense, enough to label homosexuals as sexual deviants.Your argument is fallacious by begging the question, because you already presuppose that homosexuals deviate from a rightful norm, and use that to reach the conclusion that homosexuals "go against the neurotypical thinking of their sex". You assumed the conclusion as a premise.Behaving: By their very nature, homosexuals engage in sexual deviance, which goes against the neurotypical behavior for their sex.Fallacious for the same reason. You need to justify your claim that homosexuals "engage in sexual deviance".Distress: According to the APA, homosexuals have higher rates of additional mental disorders, and homosexual teenagers are slightly more likely to commit suicide. Specifically, there is a higher rate of depression among homosexual teenagers, higher rates of recurrent depression among gay men, higher rates of anxiety disorders and suicidal thoughts among homosexuals aged 15 to 54, and a higher frequency of mental health service use by homosexuals [2]. This, I would argue, classifies homosexuality as causing distress.Correlation does not equal causation. Your evidence in no way leads to the conlusion that homosexuality causes distress. To reach this conclusion from the data, you would need to prove that these higher rates are not caused by society's dismissal and general ill-treatment of homosexuals, for instance. There are plenty of psychological studies that show that minorities are very likely to begin to exhibit the behaviors that false sterotypes would say they have. Races that are thought to be more crime-oriented are likely to be neglected by other races. This causes them to have significantly decreased opportunity and a sense of unworthiness, which causes them to fall into the behaviors that were incorrectly ascribed to them by society.With all due respect to you, your writing homosexuality off as a "mental illness" is most likely part of the problem, and a reason for the correlation (not causation) of homosexuality and distress.Impaired functioning: Homosexuals (and some other kinds of sexual deviants, not all) are not sexually attracted to the opposite sex, therefore impairing their biological functionality by deterring homosexuals from seeking out mates and reproducing.Assuming that heterosexuality is inherently superior to homosexuality biologically. Justify this claim. Hundreds of species of animals participate in homosexual behavior. You ignore any possible benefits of homosexuality, showing a mediocre understanding of mutation and genetics. For one, homosexuality increases the range and variance of the gene pool. Furthermore, it is the best solution to overpopulation, which is a massive issue humanity will face in the coming century.Again, if you have an issue with my deferral of BoP to you, please explain why and I will accept a shared BoP.Thanks ^_^