Matt
I have also worked with a homosexual diesel mechanic, who was a complete expert in his trade, and highly regarded in his profession and in the community.

However he didn’t carry on with all the nonsense that so many homosexuals carry on with, and thought that things such as the Mardi Gras and programs such as “Queer as Folk” were total rubbish and an affront to his sexuality.

mattByrne,

You said: "HOW DARE YOU compare homosexuality with these horrible crimes?"

It appears that you are so consumed with hatred of those who object to homosexuality that you appear to have lost all perspective. Where in my last post did I compare homosexuality with those horrible crimes? In fact, my post never even mentioned homosexuality. My point was specifically about the illogical and self-defeating nature of tolerance. If we are truly tolerant then we must accept everything including what we (narrow-minded intolerant people) perceive to be crime, and not condemn anything.

In fact, your scathing attack on me demonstrates beautifully the very thing that I was arguing. You are totally and utterly intolerant of those people who disagree with you.

AK

Look, I don't hate you, i'm just severely frustrated by your lack of acceptance. Anyway as the law stands, it is legal to be homosexual, and consenting age is 16, I also think the law should include civil unions(ie not religious, because religion is separate from the state and therefore entitled to put rules on who can participate in it - a bit like a club can choose it members), but at the moment that isn' the case and thats for another debate I think anyway. In a liberal society everyone is supposed to be able to live happily amongst each other, whether you like the way a person lives thier life or not, as long as it remains in the boundaries of the law. So please with a cherry on top, stop being so unaccepting of your fellow homosexual citizens.

Aslan I'm not a guy activist I am a heterosexual married man who thinks what consenting adults do to each other is their own affair and nothing to do with me. Your such a rabid zealot you can't see your views for what they are right wing extremist. The figures I mentioned come from one of you fellow ring wing posters BOAZ_David. As for Vico's and Unwin's studies if you bothered to use the brain in your head your could go have a look at the secularist information about these two people. To give you a hint all culture rise and fall the two that have shaped the beginnings of the western world the most were the Romans and the Greeks both of which allowed homosexual marriage.

Matt,
While a homosexual may be able to live within the law, they may not be able to expect much “acceptance” by heterosexuals.

Take away the hype and glamour, and so much of homosexual literature, art, fashion, Tv programs, web-sites, music etc is simply “sleaze” in disguise. However it is not necessary to be a sleaze artist to be a homosexual, and I personally know of one gay male and a lesbian couple who are quite dignified people. However they would be the exceptions rather than the norm I believe.

Too many homosexuals "over-act the part", and so the backlash eventually, and an example would be the WA Liberal party's policies.

Timkins
I have shared accommodation with a good number of gay and lesbian people, about 7, all of them were dignified and definately not sleazy, they aged around 18-22 yrs of age, have been to (but not participated in) the mardi gras. I think like all sections of society gays have their sleazy "out there" people as does hetro society (and it spans all sections of hetro society) so please take a look around the world around and let your gay friend be the example to show that things aren't all that bad