Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Conservative Christians pushing Bush to fight HIV/AIDS epidemic says Benkof

Interesting article in today's Star Tribune by gay activist David Benkof.

Benkof highlights the irony of conservative Christians leading the charge to fight the epidemic of HIV/AIDS. His column is a good example of how conservative Christians can work to protect society against unhealthy homosexual behavior without being "hateful." It's a good example of being able to love someone while disagreeing with their sexual behavior.

He adds that abstinence is a more effective way of preventing sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy than condoms. I believe he speaks from experience. Heed what he says because we will not fix the problem of pregnancy and disease amongst our children with condoms, creams, vaccines, pills and abortions. We have to change behavior.

David Benkof: The best president on AIDS? It's W.
On an issue gays and lesbians used to care about most (and still should), Republicans are doing a much better job than Democrats.

By DAVID BENKOF

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentary/22788179.html?page=2&c=y


Excerpts:
"It is unquestionable that George W. Bush has done more to fight HIV/AIDS than any president in American history, including Clinton. The people pushing Bush to fight the epidemic at home and abroad are overwhelmingly conservative Christians -- the same people we keep hearing gay leaders tar as narrow-minded and bigoted. Well, those narrow-minded bigots (who never had the president's ear during the Clinton administration) deserve far more credit for relieving suffering from HIV in this decade than gay men and lesbians did in the previous two decades combined."

"It is undeniable that abstinence is a more effective way of preventing sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy than condoms. I know a gay man who was sexually active for more than a decade. He used a condom every time, yet contracted several STDs. Subsequently, in seven years of abstaining from sex, he did not suffer from a single crab louse, herpes sore or genital wart."

"I imagine an argument can be made for teaching proper condom use to high school juniors and seniors. But opponents of abstinence education advocate starting condom instruction to junior-high students or younger. Why? By definition, the overwhelming majority of sixth- through 10th-graders are beneath the age of consent. All sex without consent is rape. So Bush's opponents are promoting, essentially, "safe rape" education in public schools. Instead of focusing on making sure that girls aren't impregnated and that boys don't get HIV from their rapists, shouldn't we do our best to stop nonconsensual sex altogether?"

"In my eyes, "marriage equality" is a far less important gay and lesbian issue than the fight against HIV/AIDS. Virtually the entire gay community felt that way when I first became a gay activist. After all, what lesbian ever died a horrible, painful death because the government called her relationship a domestic partnership instead of a marriage?"

13 comments:

Chuck Darrell said...

I believe Matt Foreman, outgoing Executive Director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force diagrees with your ideology. See post.

Anonymous said...

I am a gay woman what of me?

I have had no issues, I am old, I am a grandparent.

I am healthy and will out live you probably. I don't smoke or drink.

what of me?

God made me this way, you need to come to terms with that.

Anonymous said...

God made you with the ability to exercise self-control. Just because someone "feels like" they want to do something doesn't mean they have to follow through with it. You don't have to act on your homosexual tendency just as with any other sinful behavior. You choose to do so.

Anonymous said...

It has nothing to do with "feels" like, it is what I am, just as a left hander has to become a right hander because someone says its wrong?

No, its part of who God made of me. Its genetic. Not something to choose or not to choose.

God loves me the way he made me.

Just as he loves the people that are left handed over those who are right handed, there are less people yes, and you can force a left hander to "choose" their right hand, but it will always be un-natural to them.

For you to think that what God made is sinful is the real sin.

Anonymous said...

The book of leviticus says its a sin.

The old testiment that also says slavery is a sin.

We are back to that.

Justify that one!!!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I believe the behavior is sinful not what God made. You can justify what you want in any way that you want. As with all of us you are going to have to answer for it. Not to me or anyone other person, but God.

Anonymous said...

And you treating others differently, and not allowing them equal rights because you choose to act as God, in your judgement, will have to be atoned to God as well.

You are not to judge what I do as sin. Only God.

Anonymous said...

You can Justify your hatred with the veil of saying you hate the sin not the sinner, but God can see through your bigotry.

God did not make me, what I am, a Sin, For I am Gay. That is what I am. Not what I do. Just as I am left handed.

For you to hide behind a book, written by a man, and in the laws, that justifies the worst sins such as rape, muder and Slavery. What is the difference with your jusitfing your thoughts of being Gay a sin?

how do you seperate those things? when they are all in the same passages? within the same verses?

NO one can answer this. No has an answer because there is no answer, and when the time comes when you have to face the maker you will have to justify how you have hated, and how you did not do as Christ told you to do.

For following these laws, you are going against Jesus. You have not accepted him in your heart. And it is what you do the Sin, not Me.

Anonymous said...

Guess what you dwell on Gay men.

Us gay women, have no issues sexually or medically.

I have been with only one partner for the last ten years.

Never even had a yeast infection in my life.

So how about them facts?

Anonymous said...

Any right that is at the detriment of another is not a right at all. You take awy the right for hetero couples to be in a marriage that is what marriage is meant for when you allow whoever wishes to to marry. Should daughters marry fathers next? You take away the right of biological mothers when you pretend two gay men birthed that child. You take away the right of the sperm donor to know his offspring. Any right that is at the detriment of another is not a right at all but a tantrum.

Anonymous said...

Your ignorance is even more scary. You don't know what you support at all. You want the world to revolve around your point of view and not how other people feel. You will stop at nothing to push the gay agenda.

Anonymous said...

I am not gay. I push only civil rights and social equality.

The MFC is directly linked as a lobby group.

That is only based on a special interest group agenda.

Fact.

signed, not gay, mom straight, christain.

Anonymous said...

Yeah MOM!

preach from the pulpit not the white house!

speration of church and state!