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.
Not even worth the paper it written on.
It must be bottle feeding that made me gay , I never had a woman’s Tit in my mouth and don’t think I ever will !
im a gay man and i know you’re not born gay, as i liked girls at a much younger age and carried on liking them until i had an increase in other feelings towards the same sex. Everyone told me from young I was gay but i didn’t have those feelings than!!! explain?
LMAO.
yes
So sad. Everyone in this world is important, true Phil only God knows.
So what! Do we really care what this billboard has to say. This group is trying to get people to bite, the more bites the more publicity they get.
I am an identical twin…. and thats just shyte….
I don’t really understand why any of it matters.
It seems as if everyone has an OPINION. However the TRUTH is what really matters. God only knows what the truth is; Not just on this issue but on all things.
Who cares whether you are born gay or decide to be gay. Who cares!!! There is nothing wrong with it either way!!! Since when is love wrong?!
Mmm tough one. Ive known woman who have dated both sexes. Male first then female then male again. If you asked this person when they were 10 which sex they prefered they would have said male for sure. So how does that explain dating a woman? I don’t think its as simple as being born a certain way, having a certain preference.
I’d argue ‘propensity’ rather than definite trait. So much money wasted on hatred right there. Divert the money to some of the ‘working poor’ of the USA at Wal-mart so they can afford to eat tonight.
People aren’t born stupid. They become that way when they discover religion.
How on earth is something like that allowed to be put up ? Apart from being ridiculous… Does that mean we will start to see evolution doesn’t exist… The world is flat…. And god the Easter bunny & tooth fairy having the fictional last supper ?
Why did these twins pose in the first place? Or is it the same guy???? It’s dumb from every aspect…
One of them is clearly lying ;)
We here at PFEB (Parents and Friends of Ex-Bigots and Homophobes) believe that no one is born a bigot. We offer a safe environment for homophobes to discuss their irrational hatred and a place where their ignorant views can be redressed.
they are mad cuz they werent born gay… they should know it’s okay to be straight… but their jealousy is showing. lol
one wears a suit, the other a t-shirt…. proof once and for all that nobody is born wearing a suit…
*facepalm*
What a load of bollocks
The logic of not being born gay is circular anyway. If you can’t be born gay it means the default is straight which means it must be genetic which also means sexuality must be genetic which means…
I don’t even have to read the article to know this shit is from the bible bashing crazies in the US
Well fuck me there are actual idiots in this world!!!!!
The ongoing focus on being ‘born this way’ is a worrying distraction for LGTBI human rights. Despite decades of genetic research no gay gene has been identified and it is extremely unlikely that any simple biological explanation explains homesexuality. We were encouraged in the hype of the Human Genome Project to buy into the idea that genes=behaviour by some enthusiastic geneticists, media writers and even community advocates. Hooking an equal human rights and tolerance agenda on genetics is deeply flawed. Our western society is obsessed with explaining our behaviour as being ‘in our DNA’ and this subsumes a real discussion about why and how we must treat all people as equal. What if my own homosexuality was NOT ‘hardwired’ when my dad’s sperm and mum’s egg formed that embryo? Should I be less accepted or face a moral judgement because my environment or my parents impacted my sexuality? There was a great piece in this week’s Finn Review about why a focus on genes FOR homosexuality is flawed (this may be behind a paywall for some – I can fwd if you are interested). In short “gay genes are nonsense”. http://www.afr.com/p/lifestyle/mens_health/the_gene_delusion_why_for_biology_Uzzf4G7XM1CCStqH15DoUN
Yes!! I said something similar above. We are on the same page.
You might want to research recent studies since they believe they have found a gay gene. It is used that we are born this way because if it were a choice then the rights movement would colapse under all the religions that fight homosexuality. Saying that it is something we have been born with has got us the rights we do have. Otherwise it would have been deemed as a mental disorder like depression and would be more wide spread and accepted in trying to treat it
Choosing to be straight is a sickness, but with enough prayer and donations to my personal bank account i think i can find a way..
I thought everyone was born gay and some choose to be straight, isn’t that right?
Well I certainly wasn’t born straight.