Fafblog is pretty funny today, but the original is so absurd that parody doesn’t take much of a stretch. (Though I think Ezra Klein misses why it’s absurd by suggesting that the “signs” aren’t true: in fact, I can vouch that they do capture the childhood and young teen experiences of myself and plenty other gay men I know. Rather, the absurdity lies in the alarmist tone and in a list for parents presumably unconcerned that their son is getting beat up and has a hard time fitting in, except as it indicates future gayness.)
Sadly, though, someone is taking this crap seriously. No one proposing sexual re-orientation has stopped to think for a moment what kind of aversion therapy would be necessary on themselves to get them to stop being attracted to someone they’re attracted to. The idea of convertibility is a dangerous belief, and one that I worry will cause some real harm to many before it’s apparent to everyone how malicious it is.
On the plus side, if even James Dobson’s group is treating gayness as a deep, psychologized disposition, not simply a Biblical sin that potentially anyone could perform. Of course, this tension has subtended homophobia for a while, but to the extent that people understand gayness (or straightness) as sexual orientation and less as sexual practice, half the battle is won.
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