I can’t believe that Linda Chavez is chastising gay rights groups for intolerance of what amounts to a hate campaign against gays (Commentary, July 22). By declaring (against most credible evidence) that homosexuality is some sort of a curable illness, they invite more gay bashing, discrimination and speeches like the one Reggie White gave to the Wisconsin Legislature in June.
They invite employers to fire anyone who is suspected of being gay. They invite countless parents and “friends” to pressure gays to get psychotherapy, powerful drugs, or even shock therapy to “cure” their illness.
Reggie White said that homosexuality is not a race, it is a decision. He is wrong. Current scientific thought says that homosexuality may be genetic in origin–just like race, and not a choice at all. You can take a gay man and through brainwashing techniques, punishment and reward, and other forms of abuse, make him believe he is straight, but at his core he is still gay.
