Cosmo said:
I'm surprised this topic has generated the kind of debate it has.
Indeed- and kudos to Canadian Content moderators for not going to either extreme of the debate.
I've been to other forums that will either delete posts that the forum leaders don't agree with or the moderators and regulars froth at the mouth when members post something that they disagree with. So anyway, nice to see a forum where moderators express their opinion but don't personally attack members they disagree with and don't tolerate personal attacks among members.
Okay, back to the subject matter. Four things of concern among posters:
Societal Norms
Human consiousness is evolving. There are many things we know now that we didn't know a hundred years ago and even twenty years ago. Take child labour and smoking for example. They were once "normal" and even accepted in society. We are constantly striving to improve our community standards.
State Responsibility vs Individual Responsibilty
We expect our governments and officials to have accountability and responsibility in their functionings. We curse them when they spend unnecessarily or cause harm to groups.
Are we not being hypocrites if we don't expect to carry the same kind of standards for ourselves? Such as knowing risks and being responsible for the actions that we take? i.e. the risk of recurring infections and sucking up on the resources knowing that we could have prevented it?
Spread of Disease
You don't have to go very far to learn that HIV/AIDS is on the rise in North America. In fact, all you have to do is tune into Oprah if the research is not worth your while:
AIDS is on the rise in the United States and around the world. More women, more college students and more people over the age of 50 are at greater risk than ever before. It's really something you need to know about.
Click
A huge contributor to the spread of HIV/AIDS? Sexual Promescuity which began with the Stone Wall Riots:
Sex clubs, bathhouses, and meat racks were all open and thriving. A typical visit to such establishments resulted in an average of 2.7 sexual encounters. Many, if not most, were anonymous. Sex with multiple partners (as in many hundreds and even thousands) was the norm; abstinence was unheard of. Oral-genital, oral-anal, genital-anal, etc., nothing was barred. Fisting, rimming, water sports, you name it. What had been closed groups of sexual partners broke down, as they shared experiences with partners from beyond the small circles of their friends. Anonymous sex was everywhere. Sado-masochism and leathers were all the rage.
As the rate of casual sex skyrocketed, so too did the rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).
Click
Sexual Orientation
Although there is a lot of information available now on sexual orientation, there is still a fear of homosexuals being stigmatized if they "come out" which has caused unhealthy behaviour in thousands of men:
Many chat rooms of married men exist who neither want a divorce nor want their wives to find out but want to engage in a gay relationship:
My husband is gay. Needless to say, this has destroyed the heterosexual wife's life and hurt the children to learn this secret.
One has to wonder how many of these people in the sex clubs are actually gay but are afraid of carrying that stigmatization that is often tagged with homosexuality. A legal ruling allows them to explore their true sexuality without having to worry about being called gay.
This needs to change and I believe we can do it through education and for many parents to lift up their fears of homosexuality and teach their children about SEX.
First and formost, we should let our children know that having homosexual thoughts is NORMAL. Everybody has homosexual thoughts- that does not make them gay.
Second, educate them of the risks of certain types of sexual behaviour that can cause certain types of diseases: some incurable.
Thirdly, educate them on the precautions.
I'm a mother of a pre-teen. I would much rather my child was honest now and live a happy, healthy, and unsecrative life than have to hurt a future spouse and children. My grandchildren.
Of course I want to see my blood line continue (that's how I've evolved) and wow, what a wonderful thing to see my grandchildren. But if my child were to be ashamed of something that he or she may not be responsible for- such as sexual orientation, and have to live a painful secret life, then I have failed as a parent.
