Should it be illegal for parents to attempt change their heterosexual children's orientation?

[Fumesucker]

I note that 15% of the DUers who took the poll on whether it should be illegal for parents to attempt to change their GBLT children's orientation voted no..

That makes me wonder if the same people would feel equally comfortable with parents trying to change the orientation of their straight kids.

Or is that different somehow?

[Withywindle]

1. Newsflash for all parents and all parents-to-be out there.

Your children will not be faithful copies of you. They will be OTHER PEOPLE. That's the whole point of reproduction - to create OTHER PEOPLE. If you don't like OTHER PEOPLE, then don't have children.

edit: I do get the point of your poll. I think trying to change a child's sexual orientation is no better than trying to make a left-handed child right-handed by beatings. It's just superstitious, cruel, and stupid, and is NOT OK. It's like deciding you don't like your kid's blue eyes, so you're going to torture him/her until they turn brown.

[Cleobulus]

2. Those people who voted no in the previous poll advocate torture for children.

To be honest, they should be TSed from DU for having such an opinion.

[Kurska]

3. I'm gay, I support gay rights.

But lets not lead any witch hunts here or anything, I disagree with people saying parents should be able to try and change their children, but I don't think that should be bannable.

[Fumesucker]

5. In your view then parents have the right to change whatever about their child they don't like?

Sexual orientation is a pretty basic thing, something that I think could cause an immense amount of harm to a child if you try to change it.

Children are not the property of the parents to do with as they wish and it is by no means "leading a witch hunt" to think that children should have the right not to have their head severely fucked with by parents.

[Cleobulus]

7. Considering what I've read is involved in the methods employed by...

"ex-gay" camps, everything from electro-shock "therapy" to psychological torture such as "shame therapy" and a shitload of other questionable methods. Hell, it probably wouldn't be a stretch to say that most of these "treatments" would be things that would violate the Geneva Convention. I find anyone who is an apologist for this to be an abhorrent human being.

[Flaneur]

9. Our censorious overlords have spoken.

Personally, I think people who say people should be TSed from DU for having the wrong opinion should be TSed from DU. But that's just me.

[Fumesucker]

10. There are opinions which if you state them on DU are cause for TSing..

Are those opinions "wrong"?

For instance, if it is your opinion that one race is superior to others and should have political power over others.

[Pithlet]

11. Right wingers are banned from DU.

What makes a person a right winger? The opinions they hold. It has always been this way at DU. If you thought you were participating on a board where anything goes, then you were mistaken.

[Flaneur]

4. No, but they should be severely criticized by those close to them.

I'm not for creating any more new crimes, thank you.

[Fumesucker]

6. In your view then parents have the right to change whatever about their child they don't like?

It's OK to use coercive psychological techniques to try and turn a straight child gay or a gay child straight?

[Flaneur]

8. I didn't say it was okay, did I? I said it shouldn't be a crime.

Criminalizing everything we don't like betrays a real lack of civic imagination. And it's already way overdone.

[Fumesucker]

12. Try to imagine yourself as a child being coerced into hating one of your immutable characteristics..

I equate attempting to change a child's sexual orientation with the most vicious brainwashing.

There are more than a few things which are now illegal which should not be but that does not imply that there is nothing now legal which should not be made illegal.

[Chemisse]

13. This is a dumb question

I voted 'no' because it would be absurd to make a law specifically stating this. Trying to change a child's sexual preference should just be under 'abuse'. That covers a lot.

[Bluebear]

14. Sexuality is not a "preference"

[Chemisse]

20. Did I miss the memo?

I can see why you might argue that one's sexual orientation is not a 'preference', but the term 'sexual preference' is very commonly used, so I did not think I was making a controversial statement.

Has it been labeled non-PC? Or are you just nit-picking because you can't think of any other way to criticize me?

[gleaner]

15. I voted for "other" ...

I feel that this poll is trying to manipulate a certain response. I don't like to help with that, but I would like to say that sexual orientation is not a choice. It is like eye color or hair color or height. It is something you are born with. I think that trying to force either a child or an adult to live a sexual orientation that they do not have is cruel. It is mind bending and it only serves to teach a child that who they are is unacceptable. That they are inferior and to make them feel like outcasts. It is a form of abuse and it should not happen. People are who they are and how they look or express themselves is nobody else's business. Next time you do a poll please try to respect the people who are taking it. I don't appreciate being mistaken for Pavlov's dog and being expected to salivate each time someone rings a certain bell. I think we all know what that bell is and you shouldn't be ringing it. People who are gay are fine. People who are trans gendered are fine. People who are straight are fine, and we are all equal to each other in worth and humanity.

[WVRICK13]

16. No More Than It Should Be Illegal

for parents to try and change their children's homosexual orientation. They are both absurd and should not be accepted.

[The Straight Story]

17. Only people with children should have any input on issues about kids (nt)

[Tailormyst]

18. It is abuse and the child should be removed from the home.

[pipi_k]

19. Parents shouldn't even try to change the hand their kids prefer to write/draw with...

let alone any aspect of their sexual orientation.