by Audrey deCoursey
If you want to see a really roiling debate about homosexuality, pop over to the Spectrum blog of the Seventh-day Adventists. I’ve been posting a bit, trying to diffuse the homophobia (the fear of homosexuals as violent menaces) by pointing out that many heterosexual men are menaces enough to get our moral outrage going, if that’s what we’re looking for. One guy challenged a statistic I cited that one in four women is raped. We had to write back to that. Folks seem to love to invent statistics that homosexuals are violent and sexually deviant, but when you point out that most of the violent, sexual deviants are heterosexual men harming women, you’re charged with getting off-topic. Because the victimization of women is never the topic. And that’s the real abomination, in my mind.
Why are we still having this discussion? Why can we not get together to work on the violence and oppression we KNOW is harming people – those female people we’ve gotten so used to seeing as victims of violence?
Here’s part of what I wrote there:
More to the point than all of this, however, is what almost prevented me from citing stats at all in the earlier post: Need we quibble about just how MUCH of a problem rape is? What is the threshold for your compassion? Will you act to prevent rape only if a tenth of the women around you are living through it? A quarter? Half? How many women will have to suffer this injustice for you to include them in your circle of people whose lives matter? Or is it completely irrelevant that women are raped, because only men’s bodies cannot be penetrated against their will?
This is my whole outrage at the vehemence of the debate about the sinfulness of homosexuality. Most homosexual acts are consensual, nonviolent, adult interactions. NO RAPES ARE CONSENSUAL OR NONVIOLENT. There is a clear sexual menace in the world (rapists, in case that wasn’t clear). Every ounce of energy you or I spend arguing about homosexuality is an ounce of energy we could have spent preventing the clear violation of God’s Creation, in the form of violence against women. This is not ‘off-topic.’ This is refocusing the topic exactly where our moral outrage SHOULD be.
For Domestic Violence Awareness Month, I just hope we keep the necessary perspective to actually help the people most in need.
6 responses so far ↓
Deano // November 19, 2007 at 8:27 pm |
Not that I’m really disagreeing with your main point, but men can be raped as well. It’s not nearly as common, but it does happen.
brethrenpriestess // November 22, 2007 at 12:19 am |
It’s true.
Troy // June 5, 2008 at 6:03 pm |
Has someone been arguing in favor of rape? The premise that because one opposes homosexuality that he/she can be less effective at opposing rape is nonsense.
brethrenpriestess // June 5, 2008 at 7:16 pm |
I wouldn’t say that one CANNOT be as effective at opposing rape because one opposes homosexuality, but I would say that I have seen very few people parcel out their energy in the appropriate proportions, that is, by exerting most of their outrage to ending rape and only addressing homosexuality with the energy they have left. I’d be interested to hear about some anti-rape campaigns that also support homophobia – as compared to some homophobic campaigns that tack rape onto their list of vices. I have seen groups support hatred of homosexuality while simultaneously suggesting that women who dress in anything but their narrow ideals for female clothing are basically provoking men to be aroused by them, which is the first step (out of about two) in the logic that argues women are asking to be raped if they dress, act, or talk in a certain way: the argument is that men do not have control over their sexual arousal, and only women (or possibly gay men) do.
Again, what I pray for is that people put as much energy into stopping people of any gender being raped by anyone of any gender as they do from men having sex with men or women having sex with women. I pray that we look at the total proportions of rape survivors, and invest our energy according to who is most often targeted – not just keep picking on gay folks.
thenonconformer // July 14, 2008 at 5:48 pm |
All rape is immoral, unacceptable, and all abuse is unacceptable, whether it is verbal, physical.. God never approves of it neither should any of us.. public exposure and prosecution of the bad persons serves everyone’s best interest next too.. being kind, nice to bad guys is a waste of time, for they will not change unless they themselves experience real, negative, personal appropriate consequences .. we need to hate evil and to be angry at it too.. we can use the whip to deal with it like Jesus did to chase out the money lenders, commercial business in the temple..
http://thefocusonthefamily.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/verbal-abuse-is-always-unacceptable-too/
thenonconformer // July 14, 2008 at 5:54 pm |
many homosexuals are violent and sexually deviant,
but when you point out that most of the violent, sexual deviants are heterosexual men harming women, you’re charged with getting off-topic,
but one still can add the reality that anyone who files for divorce, male or female is also a sexual deviant.. according the Bible.
all topics need to be presetend equally.. not just one side bashings..
in reality men and women are still equal sinners.