Past Issues

When the issue of homosexuality comes up, no other word than superstition comes to mind.  I do not mean to be unkind but incorrect statements are presented as facts.  As a professional anthropologist, I would like to clarify a few issues.  First:  relatively few societies historically have placed a complete ban on all types of homosexual activities.  Many tribal communities have special spiritual positions for homosexuals, as seers and prophets.   Most of these societies lasted (and still continue) a very long time. Second:  AIDS is not a homosexual disease.  When it was first recorded in Africa, it was primarily a heterosexual problem.  Over the last decade AIDS has grown faster among heterosexuals than homosexuals.  Besides, since lesbians have relatively low rates of incidents of AIDS, does this  mean it is better to be a female homosexual than a female heterosexual?  Thus, the AIDS argument against homosexuality doesn’t really hold water.  Third:  tolerance is a deeply moral commitment, and not a trendy politically correct fad.  When a person is bothered by the sexual orientation of a person who is very giving, gentle, and peaceful, and when that peaceful person’s personal life in no way seriously affects the rest of the community, the issue is not homosexuality, but homophobia.  Homophobia, like any kind of Xenophobia (fear of differences), robs all of us of the richness of a community that celebrates its diversity.  Gays and lesbians are targeted for prejudice now, does this mean in the future that those of us who worship radically different god or gods, have different political views, practice a different ethnic persuasion, or have different type of skin pigmentation will be targeted?  Finally as a parent I hope we make it very clear to our children that our love is not conditional upon something as irrelevant to love as sexual orientation.  Let’s all fight superstition (and misinformation) that harms the very soul of our community.

Michael Joseph Francisconi

Dillon, MT