Same Sex Attraction
I’d like to address a topic that is one of the most controversial subjects in today’s society. Same sex attraction. My intent in talking about this subject is to share what I have learned. I am not trying to force my opinion on anyone, or attack those who struggle with those tendencies.
Social psychologist, Daryl J. Bem, suggest that those who have same sex attraction were not born with a genetic difference, but merely develop those tendencies through their own human experience. He outlined the prosses like this, “(A) Biological Variables à (B) Childhood Temperamentsà (C) Sex-Typical/A-Typical à (D) Feeling Different from Opposite/Same-Sex Peers à (E) Nonspecific Autonomic Arousal to Opposite/Same-Sex Peers à (F) Erotic/Romantic Attraction to Opposite/Same-Sex Persons.” All of these factors can play into how a child may feel and react based on their situation. If a little boy is drawn to things that we consider to be A or Female-Typical then we tend to almost label that boy as having “gay tendencies” even from a young age, when in reality he may just like playing with barbies, this doesn’t mean that we can categorize his sexual orientation based off of something he like to do when he was 5. If the little boy is feeling rejected by other boys his age because he would rather be creative or play with dolls, this will leave him feeling a lack of acceptance from his peers. Already he will notice that there is a difference between him and the other boys, but this isn’t a sexual difference. Other things may also play into his confusion, like if his father isn’t there or, if his dad hasn’t been a good father figure. Because of this lack of connection to his own gender this may cause more of an excitement to the same sex once the little boy hits puberty and has more of an interaction with other boys. This can be confused as an arousal sexually than just an excitement or his bodily changes.
I whole heartedly believe that people genuinely struggle with same sex attraction, but I think instead of what people believe to be a genetic problem is actually contributed to what my Family Relations teacher said to be a, “miss attribution of arousal, or human experience”
The brain is a powerful thing. What we perceive to be our reality, though it may not be true becomes our reality because we believe it to really that way. Once someone has it in their head that they may be attracted to the same sex it would be incredible difficult to push that thought prosses aside especially when their body is reacting to that thought. I won’t pretend to know how hard this would be because I’ve never dealt with it, but I genuinely believe that there is hope for those who want help. Not everyone who has these tendencies want to get rid of them, and that’s okay because they have their agency. But for those who do want help there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
I don’t understand everything in this life and why we have to go through things, but there is someone who knows all and loves us so deeply. Jesus Christ is our ultimate hope. He will make up the difference in our lives. If we believe and have faith in Him, he will make things right, even the things we don’t truly understand.
This is Our Happy Place 