I know this point has been covered before, but can we really call two men who have a propensity towards promiscuity "married"? I know a lot of homosexual couples in my hometown of Montreal, and many of them have been together for a long time (in gay terms, anything over a year is a lifetime, but some of these guys have been together for decades). But I also know at least three couples of various ages who believe that "if it isn't with the same person habitually, it's not cheating." Which means that raves, bath houses and saunas are free-for-all, and if they happen to get laid there, it's not cheating on their partner. After all, it's anonymous, and they will probably never see the person(s) again. One of my best friends got the clap from "not cheating" on his boyfriend. Gay Pride is a major event in both Montreal and Toronto in the summer, and partnered or not, it's a giant orgy. Especially for the men (I have very few gay female friends, because lesbians tend to be boring, bitter man-haters, so I can't comment on their Pride Weekend habits).

What prompted me to bring this up was an article in the Globe & Mail regarding a new sexually transmitted epidemic that's plaguing the gay community. I read this article the other day, but didn't get a chance to post it till now.

There have been 22 cases of lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) reported in Canada in recent months, all in homosexual and bisexual men with high-risk sexual practices, according to a report published yesterday in the on-line edition of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

In fact, the way LGV is spreading -- among men who have anonymous sex in bath houses (and the latest variation, encounters arranged via Internet chat groups) -- is eerily similar to the beginnings of the HIV-AIDS epidemic.

Unlike HIV-AIDS, however, LGV, a bacterial infection, is easily treatable with antibiotics. But the symptoms -- small painless lesions on the genitals and swollen glands -- are probably not familiar to most doctors. What's more, an infection with LGV increases the risk of contracting and spreading HIV-AIDS and hepatitis, partly because it creates sores, making it easier for viruses to enter the bloodstream.

Now here's a description of the culture that is spreading this disease. Remember, this is the G&M, where they love homosexuality with all their gay little hearts. It's not like the eeeeevil right wing National Post.

He said the arrival of a new sexually transmitted disease reflects an upsurge in risky sexual behaviour that stems from "safer-sex fatigue," the popularity of party drugs that strip away inhibitions (and often common sense), and the increasingly common practice of anonymous sex.

What distinguishes those who have been infected with LGV is that few of them could identify their recent sexual partners, and their propensity for high-risk sexual activity.

Virtually all the men engaged in "Internet partnering," frequented bath houses, or had sex at rave parties, according to the study.

Half of the infected practised "barebacking" -- anal sex without a condom. They also engaged in "booty bumping" -- ingesting the drug crystal meth anally -- and in fisting.

Dr. Wong said the Public Health Agency of Canada is stepping up surveillance for LGV and will try to educate physicians to spot symptoms early. "This infection could spread to more people," he said. "We're concerned that it could have an impact on the HIV and hepatitis epidemics in the future."

Now, back to my original question: Can people who think anonymous sex isn't cheating on their partner really be considered married? Booty-bumping? Come on, people, how many of you married people booty-bump with strangers with your spouse's permission? Once again for the liberals (and Liberals): Marriage isn't a right, it's a privilege, and (like "alternate lifestyles") a lifestyle decision. To be married is to keep yourself faithful in mind & body. Shouldn't the homosexual community earn the privilege of marriage first, instead of us just handing it over? Let them prove to the rest of us that they can behave as married people should, before they are granted the opportunity to call themselves married?

Marriage means being faithful. Here's another good question: Can those without faith be faithful? It is a secular society that is pushing for same sex marriage in this country, but can you actually be faithful if you have never had faith?

Angry raised some excellent points yesterday regarding the alienation of the Church from secular society:

One of those irrelevent consequences will be that many Canadians and Canadian organizations (like the Roman Catholic Church and associated groups) will begin to detach themselves from society as a whole. Like urban flight, they will abandon the larger society for the social equivalent of a gated community in the suburbs. And just like urban flight, the effect will be a wholesale degradation of the quality of the larger society, and angry feelings between that larger society and these social polders.

Religious tolerance is a two-way street. If society cannot find it in itself to seriously listen to the concerns of, and find a way to accomodate the positions of, religious institutions, society will find that religious institutions will become intolerant of it. Generations of children born to members of these faiths will be raised to believe, not unreasonably, that they are not welcome "out there", and that "those people" are the enemy, not to be befriended or trusted.

A white-flight from secularity & sexuality. So much for our inclusive society.