Homosexuality, Morality, and Human Rights

Essay by Anonymous UserUniversity, Master'sA-, September 1996

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In today's society, there exists a myriad of issues which, when discussed, tend to raise the temperature of the citizens' proverbial blood. There are a handful of topics that always seem to escalate this temperature to the boiling point among individuals who earnestly participate in discussion, debate and argument. Some examples of such delicate subjects are the death penalty, abortion, and euthanasia. An issue that has in recent years, begun to command the intensity of the foregoing, is the acceptability of homosexuality in mainstream society. Until recently, homosexuality was considered strictly taboo. If an individual was homosexual, this revelation was considered a grave secret to be kept from all family, friends, and society at large. However, it seem that society has begun to accept this lifestyle by allowing same sex couples some of the rights afforded heterosexual couples. The idea of coming out of the 'closet' has moved to the forefront of homosexual individuals when it used to be the exception.

The Government of Canada has recently passed law making it illegal to discriminate against an individual's sexual preference. With this in mind, the government would then require all facets of society, including religious communities, to welcome the marriages, adoptions, and families of homosexuals as though they were in no way different from heterosexual ones. It seems unreasonable that such an authority be involved in legislating the acceptance of an identifiable group that behaves in a manner unbecoming of any moral, decent, and even moderately religious human being, when our society itself can offer no consensus on such a moral issue.

In order to conclude that the government is wrong by legislating, it must be shown that homosexuality is wrong as well. Many feel that such a lifestyle is acceptable so long as it is kept in the privacy...