Controversy over “not born gay” billboard
A HIGHWAY billboard that aims to inform drivers that gay men were not born that way has sparked controversy in the US.
The advertisement was recently erected on a major interstate highway in Richmond, Virginia and shows two men, with the caption: “Identical twins: One gay. One not. We believe twins research studies show nobody is born gay.”
The not-for-profit organisation behind the billboard, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), is now receiving backlash through social network sites; particularly Twitter.
There is a billboard on 95 that literally says “no one is born gay” …I am sorry but who let this happen?????
— Ashleigh Ingram (@babyyash_) December 10, 2014
Lovely, my town has a “nobody is born gay, you can cure it” billboard… if only you could cure the stoopid, we’d be good.
— Mark (@NE14NaCl_aq) December 10, 2014
Really? In this day and age? So incredibly backwards, mentally and logically underdeveloped, and plain pathetic. http://t.co/sRNddJCCJD — Tina Guo (@Tinaguo) December 10, 2014
PFOX’s website states: “We believe that every person seeking positive life change needs and deserves the love and support of family, friends, the community, and the church.
“That’s why we offer a place for help, a place for truth, and a place for the ex-gay to participate in the conversation about same-sex attraction.”
In response to the billboard, Patrick Hope, the politician who represents the district in the Virginia House of Delegates, released information about a bill he planned to bring before the 2015 General Assembly to combat ex-gay therapy on minors.
“There’s is no on/off switch for sexual orientation, and putting this bill in is necessary to send that message,” Hope said.
He added that the so-called conversion therapy is based on the false assumption being gay is a mental disorder.
Such BS! Who would choose, to be hated, bullied, bashed and maybe killed, to be gay. Certainly not me! Look how many men marry so it will ‘fix’ them, just to walk away from a family, or commit suicide! Born gay is real!
How rediculous! Would there be such an issue if one had depression and the other didn’t? Despite being “identical twins” they are still individuals!
So everything twins are interested in eg. Career hobbies dress sense should be the same because they’re identical twins !!!!
Idiots
But unfortunately some are definitely born stupid.
Not born gay? I’ll be happy to discuss that any day.
So if i can produce a set of identical twins who are both gay do we win? Cos that’s easy as fuck..
Just set fire to it
One word says it all and that is USA
The fact that someone ‘believes’ in something does not make it true…
Sorry but i have to say I do believe it is important to note being gay is not a choice. A choice gives the illusion that it is a mental disorder and can be cured. I didn’t choose to be gay so I can be made feel inferior to the rest of society, so I can’t get married, so I can’t show affection with the person I love for fear of being bashed, so that i can be discriminated against in the workplace and school grounds and in general. I have never chosen to like boys. It came as naturally as other boys attraction to girls! It is the only argument that will shut religious zealots up for good! They cannot deny the work of the lord but can deny the choice of man! That is why we fight to prove it’s natural and not choice…i take offense at being told what I believe is not important and doesn’t matter in the argument!
All I know is that I never chose to be Gay. However, I do choose to be proud of the man I am, and refuse to give into the shame imposed on me by religious hypocritical bigots.
Omfg
What a lot of bullshit from PFOX. Sexuality is a trait we are born with; exactly the same as left handness, eye or hair colour or similar traits. Bigotry however, is a learned behaviour.
Was I not born straight then??
I agree, you either get the gay function during or after puberty or much later everyone is different just ask around.
Many deny it or don’t understand their feelings until certain ages. Being born gay is real.
Douglas Mannion
I’d rather be born gay than an idiot
I majored in genetics and microbiology and I’ve always been taught that a person’s phenotype is based on their genotype plus environmental factors. There have been several studies that have proven this. Therefore, I don’t believe that people are necessarily born gay even though they may have the genetic predisposition. Environmental factors from early childhood may also contribute to someone being gay. This is probably the reason why one of the identical twins is gay and one is not. I still strongly believe though, that there are probably multiple genes that can increase the likelihood of being gay if one has them in their genetic make up.
Hot guys for either gender ; – ) ..
How are people left handed? We are all born with genetic features..
Never mind that rats and mice and all manner of animals are born gay. Geeeeeeeee. Find a real issue to worry your little self about and let others be happy
The ppl who made this sign neglected to do their research. While twins are in fact Genetically Identical, they have been PROVEN to be EPIGENETICALLY NON-identical.
This means you can have one twin be one way and the other totally different. So, Ummm… nice try! But yes you can have one gay twin and one non-gay twin BORN that way!
Struggling to understand the logic here! *Please try harder!!*
Which company leased out the space?
How very modern.
Alcoholism and violent behaviour also have very clear genetic factors. That doesn’t make them acceptable or desirable. It’s the wrong argument to make. What makes homosexuality okay is that it is not intrinsically harmful and that trying to change it demonstrably causes far more harm than good. It doesn’t matter whether this is genetic, prenatally environmental, or a conscious choice. The effects are demonstrated regardless, and that’s the argument we should focus on.
Thank you… in a perverse way the ‘I was born this way’ argument buys into the bigotry. It’s perfectly ok to choose.
The choice is to.have sexual/romantic relationships with the same gender, not to be homosexual or not.
I like you :-) I agree! Plus if anybody has studied sociology, sexuality isn’t a yes or no question. There are a number of studies and in every textbook I have ever read on the subject, sexuality is a scale. People very very rarely rate themselves 100% gay or straight. It is generally around (from memory) 80-95% range. Which would indicate that perhaps it’s something that people are genetically pre-disposed, but environmental and personal factors still enter the equation?
So that means no one is born stupid !!
It’s honestly a very grey area and a completely unimportant point. What the research shows is that genetics plays a significant and yet not fully deterministic role in determining sexuality and that most of the environmental factor that there are occur prenatally. I think “born this way” is a red herring. Whether something is chosen or predetermined has nothing to do with whether or not it has merit or is harmful.
What the bejesus? Idiot.
Newsflash: nobody has ever been born homophobic! The nut jobs & their wonderful Christian values…. hmmm….
Wow, they really are using the word ‘research’ very, very loosely.