Homosexuals should have the same rights as heterosexuals.

Each generation in history has been faced with some form of injustice to overcome; some battle to fight. For Lincoln and the abolitionists it was slavery. For Roosevelt it was depression and unemployment. For Martin Luther King Jr. it was intolerance, prejudice, and segregation. For our generation we have quite a few to deal with—poverty, fear and hatred of all things brown, and what I would like to address here—hatred and oppression of homosexuals whose only crime is that they follow their hearts. Many people point to the idea of choice and religion as to the reasons for their hatred and refusal to bring about equality for homosexuals; these arguments show a clear ignorance to the facts of the situation. Many opponents of homosexuality justify their intolerance with the popular idea that homosexuality is a choice. However, every scientific article that can be obtained paints a very different picture. According to an October 2006 publication by the Medical Science News," homosexual behavior has been observed in 1,500 animal species." Still sound so unnatural? In fact, 100% of the dwarf chimpanzees, one of man's closest evolutionary relatives, engage in bisexual activities. Among the 1,500, other species that engage in bisexual or purely homosexual behavior are dolphins and killer whales (homosexual), and also lions (homosexual). Homosexuality has been recorded in numerous species from crabs to worms; however, homosexual relationships are most common in communal animals. Another study, conducted in 1993 showed that in humans it has been found that homosexuality usually occurs on the mother's side of the family whenever mapping out a homosexual's family history, which implies a possible "gay gene" on a region in the X chromosome. Although tests on the exact relation between genetics and homosexuality is inconclusive as of yet, there is strong evidence that there is a link. A professor of psychology at California State University at Fullerton has determined that homosexuals are twice as likely to be left-handed and are twice as likely to have a counter-clockwise whorl on the hair at the back of their head compared to heterosexuals. These characteristics point to a link between homosexuality and genetics; however, putting this compelling data aside let's consider the issue logically. Many say that homosexuality is a choice. If you are heterosexual ask yourself this question, when did you choose to like the opposite sex? When did you choose to be physically and emotionally attracted to only the opposite sex? I bet you can't think of a time when you thought, "You know what, I think I prefer the opposite sex to the same one", it just happened that way naturally, correct? So, why is it so far-fetched to think that the same thing did not occur for homosexuals? Many of the opponents point to the story of Sodom and Gomorrah and others in the bible as justification for their intolerance. I ask those who stand behind this argument, do you also stand behind the biblical story of the cursed Ham that perpetuated slavery and racism for centuries and gave justification to one of the most harmful institutions ever established? Is God one who kills mercilessly in response to simple acts of sexual deviance? Is it possible that the story could be an allegory, not to show the dangers and sinfulness of homosexuality, but the sins of overindulgence and instant gratification? Furthermore, I want all those who take the bible literally and are subsequently intolerant of homosexuals to ask themselves this, do you believe in slavery, genocide, child sacrifices, and polygamy? The bible considers these things acceptable in one part or another. If you think those aforementioned items are just as immoral as I believe, then why use the bible's "divinity" to justify this specific intolerance? The fact is that the bible is not an infallible document and shouldn't be considered as such, it's simply not a reasonable stance. Besides the fact that the Bible is not a credible source on all things moral, there is also the issue of the separation of church and state. God belongs nowhere in the government just as the government belongs nowhere in the operations of the churches. The freedom of religion is not a one way street and both sides need to respect it; by using God and religious beliefs in governmental policy the Churches are not holding up their side of the agreement. Do religions want the government telling them how to run their churches? Of course not, so why should the Churches in turn be able to tell the government how to think? Considering all this data and reason, when it comes right down to it, the issue is one of equality. All scientific and logical evidence points to homosexuality being as natural as heterosexuality. Although many may not be able to accept this simple fact, their prejudices should not stop the 10% of our population from enjoying the same rights that the rest of us enjoy. What I would like all readers to do right now is to imagine that you were born homosexual, that you had these feelings that you simply couldn't ignore. Now, on top of society terrorizing you because of your differences, you are also denied the simple rights and the same benefits that straight people enjoy, such as being able to be open about yourself in the military, get married, or visit your partner when they're in the hospital; how would you feel? It's bad enough that our society isolates and discriminates against these peoples. The government and those who care about social justice need to step up and serve as a beacon of liberty to usher this neglected and abandoned segment of society into true liberty, true freedom, and the true American dream. Sources: http://www.news-medical.net... – Homosexual animals. http://news.bbc.co.uk... - Homosexuality much more prevalent on mother's side of the family. http://www.cnn.com... - Physical characteristics of homosexuals.