US of A Refuses UN Condemnation of Anti-Gay Laws in Favor of Bigotry

Matthew Shepherd: Murdered in Cold Blood By Christians

On the dark night of 6-7 October 1988, Matthew Shepherd, a student of the University of Wyoming, then 21, was lured to a remote area and brutally assaulted. He was left to die on a split rail fence for 18 hours, before being found by a cyclist, who initially thought he saw a scarecrow.

Such unimaginable acts of hatred. What kind of a personal vendetta would induce the murderer, or murderers, to commit such an insane, inhuman assault on another fellow man? The answer laid in the sexual orientation of the deceased victim: Matthew Shepherd is gay, and yes, he was American, and he died on American soil. You'd think that America is the home of the brave, and land of the free, that every man is entitled to live as a free man within the boundaries of law. Well, think again, folks. When religion rules the roost, bigotry, intolerance and the occasional murder are standard weapons brandished in the name of God.

Religious Tyranny:Respect as a One-Way Street

More often than not, religious people often demand that people respect their belief systems: They want prayers in schools, halal food in government canteens, their right to practice their cultures irregardless of the laws of the land.

While these religious folks do not admit it explicitly, the ends do justify the means: Draw a few offensive cartoons about the Muhammad, and you see hordes of Muslims up in arms, brandishing their AK-47s and Molotov cocktails, unleashing verbal threats of deaths against the accused perpetrators of these perceived acts of abuse and wanton disrespect for their religions.

As the civilized, rational folks would have you know, respect is a two way street: You respect my right to free speech, and I respect your right to belief. Unfortunately, these religious, barbaric hordes with mentalities of a bygone, feudal era do not see things our way. While we are denied the right to criticize their beloved religions, these morons expect every right to condemn people who are different from them in terms of creeds, beliefs and philosophies. And this, I am afraid, includes the right to outright bigotry and hate.

Persecution and Discrimination Against the Gay & Lesbian Community

1. Legal Violence under Religious Laws

In ultra-orthodox Muslim countries which adhere to Syariah, or Islam law, homosexuality is classified as a serious crime: A good lashing and some jail time might be in stall for gays unlucky enough to be caught in an "anti-vice" raid supervised and executed by religious officers hell-bent on upholding bigotry. In one particularly infamous raid, dozens of men were caught in what was deemed as a "gay wedding" by a Saudi newspaper; dozens of men were sentenced to a good whipping up to a grand total of 14,200 lashes (ranging from 200 to 2000: Ouch, that must hurt!), plus jail time from 6 months to 2 yrs (Link here).

2. Homophobia in Secular Nations

Religious nations aside, gays in supposedly secular countries are also vulnerable to physical and verbal threats from religious folks who feel vindicated by their respective archaic religious texts to spill their vitriol and sow their seeds of hatred. In certain cases, these may lead to verbal, social and even physical abuse against the homosexual community.

Abuses aside, the wanton discrimination against gays and lesbians means that they are automatically disadvantaged both at work and at school, which contradicts the "equality for all" mantra that is supposed to be the basis of all democracies.

The statistics tell a grim and depressing story:

1. Students who describe themselves as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered are five times more likely to miss school because of feeling unsafe. 28% are forced to drop out.
-National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, "Anti-Gay/Lesbian Victimization", New York, 1984

2. Due to sexual orientation discrimination, lesbians earn up to 14% less than their heterosexual female peers with similar jobs, education, age and residence, according to a study by the University of Maryland.
-Badgett, M.V. Lee, "The Wage Effects of Sexual Orientation Discrimination," -Industrial and Labor Relations Review, 1995

3. The vast majority of victims of anti-lesbian/gay violence - possibly more than 80% - never report the incident, often due to fear of being "outed."
-New York Gay and Lesbian Anti-Violence Project Annual Report, 1996

4. More than 70 nations in the world outlaw have anti-homosexual laws in their law books (This includes Singapore), with several of them (namely, the Islamic nations) advocating the death penalty for what is deemed to be a criminal act.

The United Nations Respond; No Support from the Supposed Bastion of Democracy, the United States of America

In light of this continuation of human rights abuse, the United Nations have come together to condemn such acts of cruelty against people who do not share the same sexual orientation as the majority.

In a show of solidarity amongst the more liberal, enlightened nations, 66 nations, including all EU countries (There you go, Europe is a liberal haven), Australia (Another favorite country of mine), Japan, Mexico, and so on.

The countries which object? Well, the usual suspects crop up, as usual: Arab/Muslim countries, the Vatican (Fuck, one would be hard-pressed to even classify them as a "country", but yes, the Vatican is recognized as a sovereign state), and most depressingly, the United States of America.

Considering that America has its fair share of shame in its treatment of the ethnic minorities, such as the clobbering and near total annihilation of the Red Indians and the enslaving of African-Americans and the subsequent apartheid laws, you'd think that the Americans might want to set the record straight on the rare occasion an opportunity opens up. But hell no. Oh well, the Bush Administration is still up there, and one would really need an overdose of optimism to expect morons of the conservative kind to grant gays and lesbians any leeway.

America: A Bastion of Human Rights, or A Sickening Den for Homophobia?

As far as human rights is concerned, America is an empty vessel of sorts: It calls itself a bastion of human rights, and Uncle Sam has no qualms when it comes to criticizing China's communist regime as an abuser of human rights.

Yet, America has not projected itself as a guardian angel either: The shame of Guantanamo still hangs ominously overhead, and the reluctance to even join the rest of the secular free world to denounce anti-gay movements is a good indicator with regards to where America stands with regards to human rights issues. By not voting to condemn anti-gay bigotry, America is tacitly agreeing and abetting bigotry against a minority who are being trampled upon by the largely religious majority.

As America slowly loses touch with reality and with it, its status of being the sole superpower (if one can still consider America a superpower) on this lonely planet, the last thing it needs is to alienate itself from the rest of the free, secular world.

"For two people in a marriage to live together day after day is unquestionably the one miracle the Vatican has overlooked."

-Bill Cosby, American comedian, actor, author, television producer and activist.

The Gay Who Won The Great War of Britain

Every so often, religious conservatives tend to exhibit their homophobic tendencies in a few not-so-subtle ways: Writing to newspapers to vilify the gay pride movement, deriding them as "filthy beasts" or other derogatory words and basically treating them with contempt.

Of course, we from the infidelic community (Gay or otherwise) have no problems with socializing with the gay community, provided, of course, they do not sexually harass us heterosexuals (and the tit-lovers such as the likes of me), but generally, we applaud their courage to stand out and take a stand against the conservative majority who tend not to use their brains to discern matters, instead relying on ancient hocus pocus nonsense to justify their homophobic hatred.

In line with what I have discussed today, I wish to introduce a historical figure, a (gasp!) gay man who, with his absolute genius in the field of crytography and mathematics, literally won the battle of the minds against Germany's Nazi War Machine.

Alan Turing

Alan Turing (1911-1952)

Born in 1911 to Julius Mathison Turing and his wife, Sara, Alan Turing and his family returned to England, where he received his education. He had an elder brother, John, and his father's active service commission with the Indian Civil Service meant that he was to shuttle between Indian and England.

Alan Turing's natural inclination to Mathematicians was awe-inspiring, to say the least: At 15, he managed to single-handledly solve advanced calculus problems without any basic background in elementary calculus (Believe me.....calculus is inspired by the Devil. Tsk Tsk).

His mathematical talents were, however, unappreciated by the rigid British education system, which, like the Qing dynasty's education system in Imperial China, emphasized more on the Classics than mathematics.

Contributions

Thanks to the brilliant genius of Turing, the Allies were able to decipher encoded messages from Germany's enigma machines in England's famous German-decoding center at Bletchley Park, hence turning the tide of war against the Axis Powers.

After the war, Turing hurled himself towards computer research, and would have been a leading researcher in the then new field of computing science had it not been the cruel intervention of the moral police.

Persecution and Subsequent Suicide

Unfortunately for Turing, he was born in a time when homosexuality was outlawed in England: When a known male acquaintance broke into his home in 1952, he reported the case to the police, who had adjudged that his homosexuality was a much graver crime than the burglary itself. Turing admitted to having a licentious relationship with the male acquaintance, and both were tried under Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 1885.

Due to the conviction, Turing was left with two equally unappealing choices: Go to jail for his "crime", or undergo hormonal treatment to "cure" his gay tendencies. He chose the latter, and as a result of the conviction he had to undergo the humiliation of enforced estrogen injections and the loss of his consultancy post in GCHQ (Government Communications Headquarters).

As a result of the traumatic blows to his high-flying career, the strain to his personal and physical life took a toll on his mental health (This time, it is for real: In those days, homosexuality was considered a mental disease! Boy have we moved on since the good ole days!). He had developed breasts, no thanks to the terrible hormonal therapy he was coerced into so that he didn't have to spend time in jail for what we know now as an innocuous charge.

And so it was, on 8th June 1954, the brilliant genius could take it no longer: His cleaner found him dead, apparently from eating a cyanide-laced apple which he had left half-eaten on his bed. An ignominious death indeed for such a brilliant talent.

Yesterday's Ignorance Must Not Be Repeated

It is a tad foolish for me, or anyone else for the matter, to blame the police for their actions: They were merely acting in accordance to the rule of law, and besides, psychiatry and medical science were not as knowledgeable as we know today.

That excuse, however, cannot exonerate us from the abject ignorance of today: Homosexuality, as we know today, is neither a mental disorder nor a crime; it is a rather minor alteration of preference and, to a certain extent, determined by our genes. The fact that religious morons still insist on banning homosexuality in some countries (which I am ashamed to say, includes my country, Singapore) and gay marriages in most countries speaks volumes of the incredible injustice and stigma against the homosexual community.

It does not take a gay to sympathize with the gay community: They are being slighted and discarded by self-righteous, unctuous religious bigots who have nothing better to do other than berate at others who do not serve their homophobic, racist and misogynistic beliefs.

Everyone deserves to be respected, straight, gay or otherwise. Otherwise, we may end up with the tragedy of losing bright, young talents based on nothing else but stupid religions and their irrelevant dogmas.


"Prejudice is the child of ignorance." ~William Hazlitt

Murder With The Stamp of God: Alleged Homosexual Killed In Cold Blood - Who's Next?

Very often, our Christian brethren, buoyed somewhat by the slew of barbaric, atrocious spat of beheading foreign workers and soldiers by their more "stoic" Taliban and Al-Qaeda counterparts, have found cause to heap Islam as a "religion of evil", without realizing or acknowledging the fact that Christianity is just as blood-thirsty and deluded as the religion of the Arabs.

The spate of anti-homosexual campaigns, based largely on some ominous, blood-curdling verses in the obnoxious bible, makes it crystal clear as with regards to the state and final solution to the ignominious fate of homosexuals:

"If a man lies with a male as with a women, both of them shall be put to death for their abominable deed; they have forfeited their lives." -Leviticus 20:13

"For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:

And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompense of their error which was meet." - Romans 1:26-27

Naturally, one assumes that, as pious, godly Christians, it is their supreme duty to "do away" with such reprobates, evil doers of the most obnoxious kind. And that was exactly what this godly, divinely-inspired man-of-god did, in the good old-fashioned way: Murder.

Excerpts (In Blue):
July 15, 2007, 12:34AM
Murder suspect says he was doing God's work
By PAIGE HEWITT
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

Cypress man is being held in the June death of flight attendant

A Cypress man charged in the death of a Southwest Airlines flight attendant said Saturday that he was doing God's work when he went to a Montrose-area bar last month, hunting for a gay man to kill.

"I believe I'm Elijah, called by God to be a prophet," said 26-year-old Terry Mark Mangum, charged with murder June 11. " ... I believe with all my heart that I was doing the right thing."

Interviewed in the Brazoria County Jail Saturday morning, Mangum said he feels no remorse for killing 46-year-old Kenneth Cummings Jr., whom relatives described as a "loving" son who never forgot a holiday and a devoted uncle who had set up college funds for his niece and nephew. He worked at Southwest for 24 years.

Mangum, who described himself as "definitely not a homosexual," said God called on him to "carry out a code of retribution" by killing a gay man because "sexual perversion" is the "worst sin."

Mangum believed Cummings to be gay.

"I planned on sending him to hell," he said.

It is all god-damned sickening, my dear readers. Here is a man who is a veritable contributor to society, holds a pretty decent job as a flight attendant, an extremely charitable man who even manages to set up education funds for a niece and a nephew, and for all the world of good he did, he was, in the eyes of this fucking stupid son-of-a-bitch Christian killer (For ye Christian folks who are going to use your "oh he is not a true Christian" pretense, I am not about to let you fuckers get away with this: fuck you!), a man who deserved to be knifed to death with a 6-inch blade and dumped in a shallow grave. Not even a marking on his grave! Nothing deserving for a great, loving guy who has committed a crime of.........er.....let's see.........nothing!

Oh yes, it was a great job this Mangum did. He certainly didn't feel remorseful, that's for sure. Ironically, but surely, he felt love: deep, passionate love, but pity it wasn't really for the flight attendant he had so cold-heartedly murdered and dumped carelessly in a shallow grave (he felt so cool about it, he didn't even bother to dig a deeper grave, for fucking Jesus' sake!!!).

"It's not that I'm a bad dude," he said, expressing concern that people might view him as "strange." Pausing briefly, he said, "I love God."

What an extremely loving and passionate God! Obviously, Mangum's been reading too much of the psychotically-inspired "Word of Gawd". Otherwise, how could he have impersonated Elijah, with his fire-brand hatred and all against gays? And the best thing yet: The bible justifies his actions by explaining very explicitly that those vile creatures who gave in to their lust had to be justified with only one outcome: Death.

How inspiring. I wonder what those bible-thumping fools of the Lord who preach their anti-gay antics teach their folks these days. Sure, they can even "moderate" their preachings to suit secular opinion, but hey, the bible is very succinct with its stand on gays: Their lives are automatically "forfeited".

Who's Next on The List???

One of the genuinely sublime features of the good old Word of Gawd is that, when blood and murder are on the cards, very few stones are usually left unturned.

If you belong to these categories of folks, you might just want to watch your back: You might be next on the religious hit list:

Top Ten List of Must-Kills, as Mandated by the Good Book:

1. Witches
You should not let a sorceress live. (Exodus 22:17)

2. Homosexuals
"If a man lies with a male as with a women, both of them shall be put to death for their abominable deed; they have forfeited their lives." (Leviticus 20:13 )

3. Fortunetellers
A man or a woman who acts as a medium or fortuneteller shall be put to death by stoning; they have no one but themselves to blame for their death. (Leviticus 20:27)

4. Adulterers
If a man commits adultery with another man's wife, both the man and the woman must be put to death. (Leviticus 20:10)

5. Fornicators
A priest's daughter who loses her honor by committing fornication and thereby dishonors her father also, shall be burned to death. (Leviticus 21:9 )

6. Nonbelievers (Inclusive of those who do not believe in Christianity)
They entered into a covenant to seek the Lord, the God of their fathers, with all their heart and soul; and everyone who would not seek the Lord, the God of Israel, was to be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman. (2 Chronicles 15:12-13 )

7. False Prophets
If a man still prophesies, his parents, father and mother, shall say to him, "You shall not live, because you have spoken a lie in the name of the Lord." When he prophesies, his parents, father and mother, shall thrust him through. (Zechariah 13:3 )

8. Female non-Virgins on Wedding Nights (I think that includes virgin asses too.)
But if this charge is true (that she wasn't a virgin on her wedding night), and evidence of the girls virginity is not found, they shall bring the girl to the entrance of her fathers house and there her townsman shall stone her to death, because she committed a crime against Israel by her unchasteness in her father's house. Thus shall you purge the evil from your midst. (Deuteronomy 22:20-21 )

9. Death for Blasphemy
One day a man who had an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father got into a fight with one of the Israelite men. During the fight, this son of an Israelite woman blasphemed the LORD's name. So the man was brought to Moses for judgment. His mother's name was Shelomith. She was the daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan. They put the man in custody until the LORD's will in the matter should become clear. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and tell all those who heard him to lay their hands on his head. Then let the entire community stone him to death. Say to the people of Israel: Those who blaspheme God will suffer the consequences of their guilt and be punished. Anyone who blasphemes the LORD's name must be stoned to death by the whole community of Israel. Any Israelite or foreigner among you who blasphemes the LORD's name will surely die. (Leviticus 24:10-16)

10. Sons of Sinners
Make ready to slaughter his sons for the guilt of their fathers; Lest they rise and posses the earth, and fill the breadth of the world with tyrants. (Isaiah 14:21)

Makes one feel warm and fuzzy all over, doesn't it?

Gays In the Animal Kingdom: Homosexually Not So "Unnatural" After All

In a bid to somehow mask homophobia with a more "naturalistic" and "secular" reasoning, religious conservatives conclude, rather prematurely of course, that homosexuality is "unnatural", and that it somehow defiles the very laws of Nature which requires us to "go forth and multiply".

Because sodomy and lesbianism do not contribute to the procreation theme, homosexuality is somewhat perceived as an anomaly in Nature.

The concept of "unnatural" in this case may yet take another somewhat different twist.

Gay Penguins???

Roy & Silo

At New York’s Central City Zoo, in the penguin’s enclosure, are two cuddly penguins, Roy & Silo. They behave and resemble most penguins, except for one unique trait that binds both birds together: They are both gay!

Not only do the penguins nest together, they built their own nests, engage in sexual activities, and have acted as surrogate parents when an egg was placed in the nests by their handlers.

Homosexuality, once thought to be a product of man’s depraved sexual tendencies, has, it seems, unwittingly drawn gay animals into the spotlight.

Homosexuality in The Animal Kingdom

The idea that homosexuality is an abominable crime rests upon one religious dogma: The primary function of sex is not to partake in pleasure, but merely as a essential tool for procreation.

While humans are apt to observe this kind of archaic, convoluted protocol, animals, it seems, have no qualms with regards to humping each other whichever way they choose: Modern biologists have observed that at least 1,500 animals exhibit some form of gay behavior, with 500 species well documented to have performed "outrageous sodomy" in full view of the biologists.

Talk about hot monkey sex and animal gay porn....

Other species known to exhibit homosexual tendencies include:

Bisons: Giving a whole new meaning to "brokeback mountain".....

1. The American Bison: This stocky, well-built animal has long been known by native Red Indians to engage in mounting, and full anal penetration. Apparently, mounting of one female bison on another female counterpart is also common.

Baah......... (Translation: I am gay, I am gay, I am gay!!!)

2. At least 6-10% of male sheep engage in homosexual activities (makes one wonder where all the meat we get in supermarkets really do come from).

Birds of the "same feather" flock together.........

3.Pairs of male flamingos have also been witnessed raising eggs of female counterparts.

Homosexuality: A Genetic Anomaly, or a Case of Sacrificing for the Common Good?

Homosexuality seems to go against the very grain of evolution: If the genetically encoded goal of every animal is to ensure the survivability of its genes, why then, do some animals choose an act that, at first glance, seems to be the equivalent of an evolutionary dead end?

In scientific parlance, homosexuality does serve several purposes. In the case of the gay penguins, it may be that gay penguins like Roy and Silo may have somehow evolved to play the role as "male nannies" to help look after abandoned or lost eggs and chicks, which would surely help boost the survivability of chicks in the harsh environmental conditions in Antarctica.

Territorial aggression may also have a part to play. In the case of the flamingos, it may be that male flamingos hold larger territories than females: A pale of gay flamingos, followed by their heterosexual counterparts, may be boosted by a pair of alpha males, instead of just one alpha male. The presence of gay flamingos may also lessen the competition for mating partners amongst heterosexual males.

More importantly, homosexuality in herd animals may actually tone down and ease animistic aggressions amongst male animals, who may otherwise fight each other to the death in order to vie for the sexual services of their female cohorts.

Homosexuality: Not A Travesty Unto Nature

Contrary to popular opinion, gays are definitely not outcasts in Mother Nature's scheme of plans. Just as homosexuals play a positive role in the Animal Kingdom, gays can and will contribute to our society as well.

Rather than view homosexuals as travesties of Nature or some other bigoted religious mumbo-jumbos, the better, or should I say best, option is to regard gays as normal, healthy adults with a somewhat different take on sexual preferences.

After all, as the saying goes, one Man's meat is another Man's poison. So long as homosexuals practice consensual, adult relationships, there is no reason for anyone (Religious fundies included) to pry and poke his or her nose behind the doors of every locked bedroom.

Decriminalizng Gay Sex: A Sign Of Eroding Social Values?

Gay Pride: A Symbol of Emancipation for the Gay Community

In many countries (including many US states), sodomy involving consensual homosexual adults are outlawed, and it is quite astonishing to note that even in supposed secular countries such as Singapore, gay sex is being stigmatized as a criminal act. It seems that the law itself has placed upon the state the patriarchal right to dictate what goes on behind closed doors, and that sex outside the pro-life format is deemed as a perceived threat to members of the public.

Recently, in one of Singapore's major newspapers, The Straits Times, a rather homophobic professor (the straight laced types, no doubt), wrote about the dangers of legalizing gay sex (Gasp! How unholy!).

The whole issue, it seems, centres around a little-known legislation, otherwise known as Section 377A of the Penal Code ("Penal" here does not refer to the penis, even if this whole issue is exactly about that - the penis). According to the Code, it "prohibits the commission of gross indecency by one male person with another male person."

Below is the summary of points made by Yvonne, along with my rebuttal:

Excerpts from the Straits Time article, dated May 4 2007:

Decriminalizing homosexual acts would be an error

1. Firstly, the legal meaning of equality must be understood within its social context. Equality is not an absolute value. Extreme applications of equality impair community interests and violate the rights of others. Furthermore, the Constitution does not prohibit all forms of discrimination.

Rebuttal:
What Yvonne is implying here is that the Constitution of Singapore does allow for some forms of discrimination against......who? Besides gays (supposedly), are other minority groups supposed to be the target of discrimination by the Constitution? Are atheists, agnostics, gays, vegetarians and other minorities at risk of being targeted by the Constitution? If equality is not extended to everyone regardless of race, religion or creed, then what kind of equality are we talking about?

To even suggest that the Constitution promotes certain forms of bigotry and yet remain equal, well, pardon me for saying this, is really tantamount to defecating and eating gourmet food in the restaurant both at the same time. Yes, it is disgusting and totally abhorrent, but that is exactly the point.

2. Like cases must be treated alike, but Parliament may enact measures which differentiate between different groups. The courts hold that such measures must satisfy two tests to be constitutionally valid. Firstly, the classification must have a rational basis. Secondly, the law must serve a legitimate purpose which is reasonably related to the basis for the classification.

Rebuttal:
Ah, rationale. I love rationality, so let us use this as a yardstick for her homophobic support for this "Penal" (Again, no deference to penis) code. Let's see: Two homosexuals contend that they would spending a wild night buggering each other, and basically have hot monkey sex. Are their actions bothering anyone? Hmm...... hell no.

Are they subjecting anyone to any grievous bodily harm? No again. Well ok, maybe some busybody with nothing better to do will arm himself with a pair of binoculars and spy on these "obnoxious" buggers having a whale of a time, and just maybe that stupid moron would be offended. Sure he would, but wouldn't the simple solution be to simply look away?

Since rationality can only be served to debunk such bigotry, wouldn't Yvonne require another form of yardstick to justify her convoluted opinions against the gay community? Something archaic.........something religious.......now you get the drift.

3. In constitutional terms, equality claims operate within a broader social context. Homosexuality is offensive to the majority of citizens. Allowing an aggressive homosexual rights agenda to dictate law reform ignores the nature of Singapore's multi-religious, multiracial community. Such an agenda would be divisive.

Rebuttal:
Oh, yes, this one's a better yardstick. So the majority of us are religious (albeit worshipping different deities, but hell, then we'd be all offensive to each other, right?), multi racial (What has race got to do with it???), and........yes, different. By virtue of this argument, Yvonne seems to argue that the majority of Singaporeans of every race and religion find homosexuality "offensive", but surely wouldn't that hatred unite Singaporeans, instead of being divisive? Clearly, our professor isn't as clear headed as one would expect from someone who "professes" to be a professor, but let's not get into ad hominems first.

4. Any argument to decriminalise homosexual sex must consider the harmful social consequences. For example, would affirming homosexual sexual practices serve the common good? It is a known medical fact that homosexual intercourse or sodomy is an inherently unhealthy act that carries higher risks of a number of sexually transmitted infections.

Ok, we all know that butt sex constitutes a risk factor when AIDS is concerned, but really, has Yvonne ever heard of this rather ingenious device known as a condom? Oh sure, condoms aren't 100% effective, but used correctly, condom use has been recognized and tested to be an extremely potent form of STD prevention.

Maybe she knows about condoms, it is just that her religious creed are aligned with those of the Vatican: Contraceptives are evil! No condoms, no birth controls, period. Damn, to think that we live in the 21st century! So, gay sex is a threat to public health, so we must ban them, right? Ok, let's see. Cigarettes cost billions of dollars worth of medical bills and is responsible for the highest numbers of deaths, so why aren't cigarettes banned? Hmm, maybe its just me, but countries, including Singapore, may find the tax money incurred from cigarettes too enticing a buck to pass up.

Shellfish and seafood have the nasty habit of passing to us incurable forms of hepatitis, so why are we not banning them?

More importantly, there are more heterosexuals with AIDS than homosexuals. Are we suggesting a ban on heterosexual sex as well?

The list goes on, but the point is this: Human liberty cannot be dispensed away with some frivolous health claims and some disillusioned forms of morality based solely on cultural and religious convictions.

5. Moreover, any reform to the Penal Code must preserve fundamental values which serve the public good, instead of abstract notions of equality or fashion.

Rebuttal:
Fundamentalist values indeed! Yvonne may have given us a glimpse of the kind of religious upbringing that she has been subjected to. For all the merry-go-rounds she has subjected to readers, this may be the most valid reason for he abject disapproval of gays: Religion.

Homophobia: A Case of Prejudice and Religious Bigotry

Like most hatreds directed against certain communities, such as Jews, gays, atheists and other minorities, homophobia has a lot to do with religious indoctrinated and perceived evils.

As minorities who practice behaviors that run smack against the grain of the common heterosexual varieties, their practices have long been branded as deviant and ungodly. The bible, in all its wisdom, has even decreed that gays are to be put to death.

In recent years, many theists and fundamentalists have also insisted that there is a high percentage of gays amongst those found guilty of paedophilia, even though there is no conclusive evidence to justify such an erroneous claim.

Personally, I am a heterosexual, but I really don't give a damn with regards to what people are doing in the privacy of their own homes, as long as they do not harm anyone with your actions.

As an atheist and a minority myself, I emphatize with what gays have to go through, because intolerance of this sort can act as a sort of catalyst to invite all kinds of hate groups in the name of religion that is similar to the culture backlash by Christian fundamentalists against atheists and other so-called "infidelic" creeds.

Fortunately, the Singapore government takes a neutral stance with regards to the gay community. As far as I am concerned, I haven't seen any lynchings, nor have I really read any news with regards to the mass convictions of gays for the mere act of committing gay sex.

Nonetheless, such discrimination are based on archaic and dogmatic reasons that do not adhere to any form of reason and logic. Homosexuals are not criminals, and to criminalize them with some stupid, irrelevant code of law is something that should be a thing of the past.