Please Hold My Hand, In Response to AUB's Outlook Homophobic Article

Hurray, another homophobic article to amuse us. Well this is my humble reply. 

So you saw a gay couple holding hands? Suddenly, you world is shattered, Lebanon’s long lasting problems becoming so insignificant, and the Earth will stop spinning until we solve that matter. Is it so important that two guys held hands? Did it  stop you from crossing the road, or going to work, or driving your car, or eating your lunch, or cutting your hair, or buying a new pair of jeans, or partying hard at night with your friends? I don’t think so.

Live and let live ya sanade.

What these guys did doesn’t concern anyone besides them. You know, the same argument, but from a more rigorous perspective, was used against straight couples holding hands and kissing on the streets. Perhaps, the ones that think like that are more conservative than you, but for them, the sight of a guy and a girl holding hands or kissing signals all that is wrong in our society. So I ask you, how do you react when you see a girl and a guy kissing or holding hands or hugging? Does your neck skin crawl at the sight of this abomination? I would like to know.

You brought up the issue of a secular Lebanon. Well, my dear, give a secular Lebanon any day and I would take it, even if it is on the expense of homosexual rights. You see, unlike what Wajdi and Majdi made you think, gays are capable of thinking beyond sex, and have been at the heart and the forefront of humanity’s battles against discrimination and injustice and not because they are gays, but because they are humans first and foremost. You cannot strip us from our humanity no matter how hard you try.

Ah, the Lebanese and their pseudo love affair with religion! It is one of the most annoying aspects of Lebanon. People hide behind religion and use it whenever it suits them. You know, at a certain point in history, in the not so distant past, traditional and conservative religious view had some pretty negative ideas on women and their role in society. Naturally, women fought back (and still are), claimed the rights they are entitled to as humans (again, emphasis on the human part), and society as a whole became more open to the idea of women’s rights. So why don’t you use these traditional religious views against your mother, sisters, aunts, and female friends?

“People are not born homosexual, usually one changes as he is growing from the infant stage up until puberty, some even later than that.”

Hum, Interesting! So you think it’s a choice we make. Well, I cannot speak for all gays and lesbians, but I didn’t choose to be gay. I chose to be happy and respect myself and stop considering that I am less of a human because of my sexual orientation. I am not a sick person and do not seek to cure my so-called disease.

The causes for homosexuality are most certainly diverse and debating them is becoming a sort of intellectual luxury. You go on to insinuate that we should seek treatment or help. But I need to ask you, what is the treatment for hate and bigotry? Don’t you think you should seek counseling or something to cure your condition?

Have you heard of sexual fetishes? If you did, you would have known better why there’s a leash around the guy’s neck as he was being dragged around. Do I like this? No, it’s not my thing. But others do. In fact, sexual fetishes of dominance are not a gay thing only. Do a simple search on the internet and will be amazed how many porn sites cater for different sexual fetishes, mostly straight ones.

Gays are a sexual minority, and their percentage did not skyrocket in countries that legalized their status. Moreover, STDs are not restricted to the gay community. If you think so, you’re in deep trouble.  

You come across gays every single day. You notice some of them, but you are oblivious to most of them. You have lived and still live your life the way you want while gays go about their life the way they want. We have co-existed for longer than you might think, and we will continue to do so.

You refer to God a lot in your article. Ok, so if we are wrong, and deserve some sort of punishment, let God decide our fate and our afterlife. It is not your right to do so.