On politX , I found a debate about the odiousTory use of the words 'tolerate' and 'wrong' in relation to homosexuality.
I think the phraseology is akin to say "I tolerate left-handedness, even though I know it to be wrong." I'm straight and right-handed.
It wasn't so long ago that southpaws used to have it beaten out of them; it often made them stammer (King George VI is the most famous example).
However, I don't know how I could ever convince a bigot that homosexuality isn't wrong. I then think, why should I have to. Surely the burden of proof is on the other side. I can argue, logically, on the basis of behaviour of other species, of what I know about my own, predominantly-straight, sexual orientation, on the basis of all the gay people I know and know of. I could also argue from a libertarian point of view - that it is not the role of the state to attempt to regulate the private lives of adults, be it their sex lives, or the (im)balance of their diet, or how they pass their leisure time. Being not a libertarian, I see there are boundaries.
The arguments that are used to demonstrate that homosexuality is 'wrong' are always flawed in that, they are applicable to some or many heterosexuals, and not applicable to all homosexuals. Or in that very special case of Leviticus, don't ever forget the rule against eating shellfish. My god gave me a brain with which to think and a soul with which to feel.
The word 'tolerance' is more difficult. A Government Department of my acquaintance has a slogan: "Building a Safe, Just and Tolerant Society". I have always seen that as a positive thing. But perhaps it's positive when nebulous - let's all be tolerant of each other - but when converted to a specific becomes negative - tolerating a child's rowdiness because the child is cute, or tolerating someone's loud unmusic because it's Saturday night.
What clinches it, though, is the knowledge that if you think something is wrong, you shouldn't tolerate it. I think murder is wrong, I don't tolerate it; I think bad food is wrong, I don't tolerate. And so on through a very long list.
So what Edward Leigh was actually saying was "We still think homosexuality is wrong because it challenges the nice little world in which I'm doing just fine, thank you, but because we want some votes from people beyond the lunatic hardcore, we'll pretend that we don't really despise fags-and-dykes, coons, and uppity-bitches....Was that right, Theresa?"
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