Re: [UUPoly-L] Report from PNWD AGM

["Desmond Ravenstone" <gentlemonster@lycos.com>]

   > I was shocked

   > at the argument that came back, something to the extent of, "there were
   a

   > lot of people in the 60s who tried sexual experiments, ruined their
   lives,

   > etc. therefore I don't want our people to be hearing about this through

   us."

   We're going to have to deal with this UU history. It will be unpleasant,

   ugly, and difficult. But we're going to have to deal with it before we can
   make

   significant progress.

   One way of responding to it is to remind people that generalizations about
   human behavior cannot necessarily be seen as "scientific laws" like those
   in chemistry and physics. This is a form of "fallacy of composition" --
   arguing that what is true of some/most people is true of all. It is the
   same line of thinking by which members of the Religious Right argue that,
   since the "best" upbringing for children is with their "natural parents,"
   GLBTQ people should not adopt and/or get married.

   Strangely enough, we don't apply that line of reasoning to our eating
   habits. If someone doesn't like raw onions or is allergic to dairy
   products (yours truly on both counts) we don't label them ""pathologically
   deviant" or "immature" -- we accept that there are differences of taste
   and circumstance and allow people to eat what they like and avoid what is
   not appropriate for their individual circumstance.

   Just as heterosexuality is not appropriate for everyone, and many families
   do well with two parents of the same gender (or even just one parent), so
   we can show that monogamy is not appropriate to everyone's well-being and
   happiness. Heck, being sexual or romantically attached _period_ isn't
   right for everyone, as the number of happily celibate and asexual people
   demonstrate.

   Desmond Ravenstone

   ********************

   http://www.lulu.com/gentlemonster
   http://www.myspace.com/desmond_ravenstone

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