Previous letter to the editor cited condemned study considered tainted by lobbying.
I’m writing to refute several points that Terry Burgess made in his letter “LGBT groups don’t practice inclusiveness.” Mr. Burgess is relying on nonempirical data and, at best, an elementary understanding of psychology and sociology to promote a prejudiced view of society. Mr. Burgess takes offense at the use of the word homophobia to describe people who he says do not hate or fear homosexuals. However, homophobia has expanded over the years to include a range of negative attitudes towards the homosexual community. Although someone might not feel hate or fear towards the LGBTQ community, their support of inequality indicates that they are exhibiting a homophobic mentality.
Secondly, Mr. Burgess states that some people are inclined to oppose homosexuality because of a study he cites that argues that children raised by homosexuals are more likely to “deviate from social norms.” However, this study by Mark Regnerus has been widely condemned by the sociological community.
Furthermore, it has been shown that Mr. Regnerus was funded in his research by several political organizations that lobbied him to present findings that could be used to sway the Supreme Court in their same-sex marriage decisions over the summer. When the findings were submitted in United States V. Windsor, the American Sociological Association, an organization of over 14,000 sociologists, filed an amicus curiae brief with the court that sharply disagreed with Mr. Regnerus and said, “Across a wide range of indicators, children fare just as well when they are raised by same-sex parents when compared to children raised by opposite-sex parents.”
Mr. Burgess also states that if homosexuals are born with a predisposition towards homosexuality then they must be suffering from a disorder. However, a disorder is more than just a disposition someone has since birth. The American Psychiatric Association maintains a comprehensive list of disorders in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Unfortunately for Mr. Burgess’s argument, the APA famously removed homosexuality from the DSM III in 1973.
Lastly, Mr. Burgess states that the homosexual community is not inclusive. However, it is difficult to practice a policy of inclusivity with groups, such as the ones Mr. Burgess mentioned, the Russian and Nigerian government, considering they are creating laws that make it a crime for homosexuals to display their love or even protest in public. Acceptance is a two-way street, when the anti-LGBTQ community decides to accept homosexuals as equal citizens, we will be more than happy to return the love.