Spaw, what two guys or more, of either/any sex, choose to do in private in no way compromises your own rights, so I don't think you can go very far with that line. Mousethief belongs to a church which is judgmental about same-sex sex, and in my book he either speaks out against that position or he goes along with it. One or the other - there's nowhere to hide.

Some people evidently have little choice about what religion they belong to - witness the staggering proportion of people,t he world over, who meakly subscribe to the same religion as their forbears. (And blessed are the meak, as those who rate Jesus's teaching will know.) Thus some homosexuals find themselves in churches like Mousethief's, and endure all kinds of self-doubt, diminished confidence, guilt etc, because of the judgmental attitude Mousethief espouses. OK, they bring it on themselves by believing such nonsense, but why the hell does any church need to bother itself with issues like this anyway? What purpose do the churches serve when they inflict this misery on their blessedly meak sinners?

Joe, I am afraid that within catholicism, the homophobia comes from the church itself. Your church. Liberal minded people in that church surely have a duty to challenge the church - to challenge papal authority - on this issue, as notable elements of the American hierarchy have indeed been prepared to do. (Just as they have also challenged papal authority on birth control etc.) Of course, once a church (especially one with built in infallibility clauses) starts to compromise in the face of such lobbying, the whole edifice is in danger of crumbling. To which I say God speed the day - and say without irony, because I have no problem with God/the Gods - just religion.