There are many problems that don’t come with simple answers,  and sexual relationships seem to create no end of such problems. Our problems, however, do not result from sexual relationships. Our problems result from our apparent inability to discipline ourselves. Instead of controlling our sex drive, we often allow our sex drive to control us.

Different people respond to their problems in various ways. Some look for technical solutions.  Others pray. Many deny that any problem exists. This post begins a series that will deal with the last “solution,” denying that a problem exists.  Here are the posts I expect to publish on this subject.

• THE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES
• ARE HOMOSEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS A SIN?
• IS HOMOSEXUALITY A RIGHT?
• SHOULD HOMOSEXUALS BE BANNED FROM OUR MILITARY?

THE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES

What is homosexuality?

homosexual

Date: 1892

1 : of, relating to, or characterized by a tendency to direct sexual desire toward another of the same sex

2 : of, relating to, or involving sexual intercourse between persons of the same sex

The dictionary defines homosexuality without moral judgment.  The dictionary addresses neither the behavioral nor the anatomical consequences. The anatomical consequences are obvious. Because our sexual organs cannot function properly with a person of the same sex, same-sex sexual intercourses poses “technical challenges.”  Nonetheless, even though the anatomical challenges are obvious, the dictionary does not define homosexual sex as a sexual perversion.

Fortunately, there are plenty of Internet articles that relate to the health consequences of homosexuality.  The health consequences, both mental and physical, can be severe.  What follows is a small sample.

• In 2004, The Catholic Education Resource Center (CERC) published a six-part article, Homosexuality: The Untold Story. Part 3, which covers the health risks, begins with this quote.
  

  As a nurse, I watched 100 of my friends and acquaintances die of AIDS and AIDS related illnesses. After that, I stopped counting. (from here)

  The article list many physical and mental health issues related homosexuality.  One surprising problem is an increased rate of anal cancer.  I checked that issue out on government websites.  Sure enough it is a real problem. The earliest article I saw turned up in 1983, “Seminal fluid excretion of cytomegalovirus related to immunosuppression in homosexual men”. Later articles focus on how HIV/AIDS increased cancer rates. For example, HIV Infection and Cancer Risk.

• A 2006 World Net Daily article, Homosexuality: A public health disaster, cited a Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study that shows substantial health problems with same-sex sex. A CDC Press March 2010 release updated a portion of the study, CDC Analysis Provides New Look at Disproportionate Impact of HIV and Syphilis Among U.S. Gay and Bisexual Men.
• Because of its name, the National Association of Research & Therpy of Homosexuality (NARTH) has an obvious focus. Because NARTH seeks to fight the perception it is “anti-gay,” the organization has a curious set of position statements. Nonetheless, NARTH has a clear mission, and it is worth reading about the purpose of the organization, Our Purpose: Defending True Diversity.  This article, The American Journal of Public Health Highlights Risks of Homosexual Practices, cites research showing the problems of same-sex sex.

There are, of course, some strange assertions to be found on the web.

• Buzzle.com, a news website, has an article on the Health Hazards of Homosexuality. It leads with this definition of homophobia.
  

  Homophobia, the socialization of heterosexuals against homosexuals and concomitant conditioning of gays and lesbians against themselves, is a legitimate health hazard. You can find the detailed analysis of this topic at http://www.ohanlan.com.

  Undoubtedly, homosexuals do face significant social pressure, but, in recent years that social pressure has relaxed considerably. Have the health and mental issues declined as a result?  Not likely.  For example, consider buzzle.com’s Sexual Health guide.  These people do not advocate commonsense self-restraint.

• The Body, on the other hand, seems more technically serious.  Unfortunately, the website appears almost obsessed with proving it is okay to have HIV/AIDS. After viewing the website, one comes away with a renewed understanding that many of its suffers do not view HIV/AIDS as a mere disease. To them HIV/AIDS is also a political movement. These days, political activism, unfortunately, is not an extraordinary way to deal with guilt.

–Tom Salmon