I think the idea that homosexuality is a sin is wrong.

I think it is perfectly reasonable for those who are being judged because they are attracted to the same sex–and act on those attractions–to hold those doing the judging in contempt. Religion is a choice. Moral code is a choice. And I think believing homosexuality is a sin–whether we’re talking about orientation, identity or actions–is wrong. I also think it is naïve to believe that the idea that homosexuality is a sin can remain suspended in some theoretical playground of the religious mind.

I grew up among some older, very conservative Christians. Some believed that dancing, playing cards, playing pool and drinking were sins. And when I say they thought drinking was a sin, I mean they thought taking three sips of wine with dinner was a horrible and grotesque sin. Sure they knew people who drank. And no, they would not be rude to them. But whenever a drinker’s name came up in conversation, it was always pointed out that they drank. The implication being that there was something just not right about that person. It’s okay to like that person, but you weren’t supposed to hold that person in high esteem. You weren’t supposed to look up to a person who drank. If something happened in that person’s life, if a spouse left them or a child got run over by a car, you weren’t supposed to have as much sympathy because that person drank.

When you say something is a sin, there are going to be real life consequences to that. The boots on the ground practical result is going to be that many people who don’t engage in whatever “sin” you’re talking about are going to see themselves as superior to those who do, and they’re going to treat those who do as if they are less than.

If you think you shouldn’t have sex with someone of the same sex, then don’t. If you think you should only have sex with one person and lead a monogamous life, then live that way. But if according to your religious beliefs everyone should live that way, then I don’t think much of your religion. People are sexual beings–aside from a small minority who are asexual–and most of them are going to have sex. A great many of them are going to have sex outside of a monogamous relationship. People want physical intimacy. They long to have someone in their arms. They long to experience orgasms with other human beings. And sometimes they act on these urges with people who are not long-term partners. Sometimes they act on these urges with people who have the same type of genitalia as they do. They’re not being rebellious. They’re not trying to do anyone any harm. They’re only doing what they feel they need to do. That’s life, and I accept it for what it is. I’m not going to worry about what a bunch of old guys who lived thousands of years ago had to say about it.