where” or “we are 10 percent of the population”rnor “we are little different thanrnthe rest of society” or even “we are 30rnpercent of all youth suicides” are all examplesrnof the emotional and politicalrninsulation they build into their movementrnto buffer them from injury to theirrncollective psyche. Every public utterancernis designed to keep all discussionsrnof their lifestyle away from its centralrnelement—a sex act. Any opposing voicernwhich suggests that any of their platitudesrnare not true is silenced. To suggestrnthat homosexuality is not as widespreadrnor endemic to society as they believe willrnget you the label “homophobic.” Inrnother words, any opposition is groundedrnin mental illness. This accusatory posturernis merely the psychological projectionrnof a group that has been traditionallyrnlabeled mentally ill itself.rnThe Weld Commission’s EducationrnReport is chock-full of false premises,rnmisrepresentations, twisted reasonings,rnand self-justifications. One glaring examplernis the report’s presumption of thernfundamental existence of gay and lesbianrnyouth. Indeed, just the use of thernterm “gay and lesbian youth” is an effortrnto imply their physiological existence.rnThe Weld Commission knows that therernis large disagreement in several communitiesrn(i.e., scientific, medical, religious,rnetc.) over the existence of homosexualrnorientation and that this argument revolvesrnaround whether homosexuals arernborn gay. There is no scientific proof—rnreplicable scientific proof—that homosexualsrnare born this way. Of course,rnjust because someone is born with a certainrncondition is not a license to do whateverrnhe or she feels compelled to do. Forrninstance, a person born with a chemicalrnimbalance, and hence unmanageable, isrnviewed as ill or abnormal and is routinelyrntreated to correct the problem. Societyrndoes not justify antisocial or self-destructivernbehavior simply because of thernimbalance, even though people mayrnhave sympathy for the sufferer.rnCommon sense sheds further light onrnthis subject. Consider an infant. Homosexualrnmythology would have us believernthat this infant has a compulsive desirernfor anal or oral sex, in other words,rnhomosexuality. Such a notion is, ofrncourse, ludicrous. That infant has nornmore desire or inclination for homosexualrnsex than it does for heterosexual sexrnor any kind of sexual experience. Thernchild’s developmental behavior is determinedrnby its nurturing and environment.rnBy the time puberty kicks in, a child hasrnestablished patterns of behavior basedrnon how he or she has been raised. Anrnabusive early childhood can and doesrnmanifest itself in varying degrees ofrnantisocial or self-destructive behavior.rnAlcoholism, substance abuse, violence,rnreclusion, and sexual promiscuity are allrnevidence of earlier problems. They canrnalso be evidence of current problemsrncreated by liberal destruction of socialrnnorms or even familial abuses. All ofrnthis is common sense. No one has everrnneeded a special degree to figure thisrnout.rnThere truly is no such thing as homosexualrnyouth per se. There are confusedrnyouth, abused youth, molested youth,rnselfish youth, indulged youth, and rejectedrnyouth. But to say that kids are homosexualrnby birth is nonsense and hasrnnever been proved by either science orrnmedicine. The Weld Commission isrngrasping for a legitimacy that simply doesrnnot exist.rnThe queerest of all ironies pronouncedrnby the Weld Commission isrnperhaps the self-flagellation in their report,rnwhich stands contrary to the movement’srnimage of “Gay Pride.” Traditionally,rnself-worth and pride have beenrnindependent of external pressures andrnopinions. Millions of Americans eachrnday trudge through life managing tornkeep their chin up despite many personalrnstruggles and obstacles. While outsidernsupport and love are helpful, certainlyrnvery few healthy people ultimately restrntheir entire happiness and emotionalrnwell-being on the opinions of others.rnWhen they do and fall into depressionrnthey are viewed as “not well.” Culpabilityrnhas traditionally been with the individualrnnot someone else.rnAmericans are increasingly shiftingrnblame and accountability for their ownrnactions to that catch-all “society,” andrnthe homosexual pathology of findingrnoneself in others, or nonaccountability, isrnjust a small ripple in this rising tide.rnWhat sets the homosexual pathologyrnapart from the rest of society is that itrnrests its entire emotional well-being onrnwhat others think. This is what causesrnhomosexuals to be discontent with keepingrntheir sexuality private. They havernproven themselves obsessively compelledrnto seek public approbation for their behavior.rnGreat American men and women,rnpeople of creative genius and invention,rnhave always been fiercely independentrnsouls. Successful entrepreneurship isrnpractically defined by going against conventionalrnwisdom and peer pressure.rnWhy, then, is such a seemingly independentrnmovement so rigidly tied tornwhat other people think of them? Successfulrnminorities have always perseveredrndespite popular opinions. Why not homosexuality?rnThe answer is obvious.rnThe pathological roots of homosexualityrnare abuse, dysfunction, and indulgence.rnThese are not things to be proud of. Nornhonest person can muster an ounce ofrninner strength in their defense. This isrnwhy “society” is the salvation of the homosexualrnmovement. The only emotionalrnsupport available to determinedrnhomosexuals is external. The more peoplernin society affirm what defines thernhomosexual existence, namely a sex act,rnthe greater the chance that the internalrnsuffering can be drowned out.rnAlong these lines, the Weld Commissionrninsists that homosexual youth needrna special kind of support. The claimrnbegs the question, what kind of supportrnare we talking about? One request is forrna large contingent of homosexual adultrnrole models. In any other corner of therneducation community such provincialismrnis considered socially unhealthy. Parentsrnare continually told that their kidsrnshould be exposed to diverse elements inrnthe population. In fact, this is just whatrnthe homosexual movement claims. Andrnyet here are the same homosexuals suggestingrnthat the only adults who understandrnthese special youth are homosexualsrnthemselves. The Weld Commissionrnmakes crystal clear in its report that supportivernadult heterosexuals can help protectrna school environment from violencernor bigotry but that it is the homosexualrnteacher who can best meet the needs ofrnstudents pursuing a homosexual lifestyle.rnNo doubt.rnThis raises a question about whatrnthese role models are to do. Unfortunately,rndespite the fact that as a communityrnhomosexuals excel quite nicely inrnthe economy, not many popular homosexualrnrole models exist who are not dyingrnor have died from AIDS. A diseaseriddenrnculture is a testimony againstrnsuch role models. Providing adult homosexualsrnto bridge the gap for youths tornenter comfortably this disease-riddenrnlifestyle is unconscionable. It amounts tornnothing more than recruiting.rnThe kind of support for youth thernWeld Commission is seeking is an infrastructurernof acceptance for homosex-rnFEBRUARY 1994/45rnrnrn