It is all about right thinking!

COMMENT Heterosexism is just like sexism and racism, it is a structural injustice that sustains a rights-denying culture of irrational and unreasonable political prejudice.

My writings heretofore are not only for homosexuality, but it is also for right thinking, which is severely lacking in the Malaysian culture.

If the MyConstitution campaign, launched by the Bar Council and seeking to increase public awareness and understanding of the Constitution, could be accused by some as seditious, the lack of right thinking is appalling.

Many people claim to be straight, but unfortunately they cannot think straight. Their arguments against homosexuality are at best, laughable.

Thoughtful citizens should be appalled by the spectacle of so many racists and religious fundamentalists in our country expending their energies on discriminating against and mocking people who are different by presuming themselves to be better.

Many Christian fundamentalist writers who criticise Islamic fanatics for imposing their religious beliefs on others have unfortunately committed exactly the same blunder as their counterparts.

Racists fail to see that they are racists, and heterosexists fail to see that it is wrong to assume that heterosexuality is normative by merely basing one's arguments on their religious texts or prejudice.

Neither is it acceptable to stigmatise or demonise non-heterosexuals, be they homosexuals or bisexuals, through an appeal to a religious text. Just as racists judge others based on one's skin color or race and ethnic identity, heterosexists discriminate against homosexuals simply because of the gender of the subjects of one's attraction.

Failure to recognise such problems bespeaks a fundamental injustice and the lack of right thinking in our society.

Many Christians have forgotten that the church burned many scientists at the stake or persecuted them simply because they refused to follow the official teachings of the Church in light of new scientific discoveries.

Many Christians appealed to the Bible to justify slavery, persecution of non-believers, opposition to the civil rights movement in the United States, and the condemnation of feminism. While all of these wrongs have been acknowledged, at least partially, many religious people, especially in Malaysia, continue to use the same methodology to pursue homosexuals and transsexuals.

 Need to think straight

Heterosexists, be they Christians or non-Christians, still fail to think straight.

In this modern age, one needs to recognise that religious tolerance, racial equality, and gender equality, are constitutionally guaranteed principles, as are gay rights, which are numbered among the basic human rights that free people enjoy.

Since no one can rationally articulate what is morally wrong with homosexuals and how homosexuality per se has harmed society at large, it is an injustice to discriminate against gay people.

If one can only appeal to one's religious text to argue against homosexuality, one should keep one's beliefs to oneself, as it is clearly a religious taboo, as opposed to a moral issue.

It is as simple as ABC, however, religious fundamentalists continue to call all homosexuals immoral without offering a shred of evidence.

Such attacks on homosexuals bespeak a contempt for reason. The heart of their unreasonableness is their failure to be consistent in their arguments, such as when they explain AIDS as a punishment for homosexuality, without viewing other STDs as condemnations for heterosexuality.

Their intrinsic irrationality lies in their unwillingness to listen to the life stories of millions of gay people, and to engage in a reasonable dialogue and debate with people who are homosexuals or pro-gay.

Many Christians have asked me, "What if the Bible is against homosexuality?" I always answer this question by asking questions like, "What if the Bible is pro-slavery? What if the Bible asserts that the earth is unmoved and the sun revolves around the earth? What if the Bible believes that black people are inferior to other racial groups?

What if the Bible maintains that men are the heads of women, and thus women are not fit to be leaders and their sole proper place is at home?" All these "ifs" were adamantly believed to be absolute truths in the past by many Christians and churches.

My answer to these questions is unambiguously simple and clear, namely, that if that were to be the case, the Bible would be wrong!

If one believes that the Bible cannot be wrong, then one's interpretation of the Bible that begets such unreasonable conclusions, must be wrong.

As a Christian minister, I believe that Jesus came to take away our sins, not our brains.

REV O YOUNG is an ordained Christian minister at MCC New York. He holds two masters degrees in both sociology and theology. Currently he lives in New York city and teaches sociology at St Peter’s College. He has published 20 books on sociology, theology and sexuality. He is also a columnist for Sin Chew Daily. He is currently finishing his doctoral degrees in sociology and theology.