Sapper,

Hard hat's probably worthwhile for a post like that! :-)

I agree with you, homosexuality is probably biological - there's plenty of evidence of homosexuality amongst animals who are unlikely to be affected by group pressure and environment like humans. Technically, this is also "deviance" since homosexuals form a minority, although the term has acquired a negative slant (which I believe is how you intended it).

As far as teenage pregnancies go, "experimentation" is the word you should indeed use. An experiment involves trying something out when you don't know what the result is going to be, as is the case with sex for inexperienced individuals. Surely then the answer is more education so that the result is well-known? The Netherlands is constantly held up as example of liberal policy, and I'm going to do it too - their teenage pregnancy rate is far below ours in the UK, or yours in the US, and they have pretty detailed and explicit sex education. If you live in the Bible Belt and all you get is "sex is sinful and we don't talk about it", how are you going to find out what's going on? Indeed, if you do have sex, how are you going to know that what you did was sex, or what the results of it are (beyond being damned to hellfire and brimstone, of course... ;-)

You're right, there's no reason why schools shouldn't crack down on bullying. But I personally don't see the point in Section 28. The ultimate aim of spiritual education should be teaching someone to seek out a partner whom they love absolutely. I believe the divorce rate is disgusting, not because divorce itself is bad but because people are getting married to partners whom they don't love and have no intention of staying with for any length of time. If you were taught (or indoctrinated, even) to only marry (or form a lasting relationship) with someone you sincerely loved, then I'd be a damn sight happier with society. And I don't give a crap if they're black, white, man, woman or a 3-legged space alien! I don't think homosexuality should be promoted, but I don't think heterosexuality should be promoted either. We're talking personalities here, not some bloody advertising campaign!

I grant you, public homosexual activity in toilets and the like is unpleasant. Equally unpleasant though is the activity around many night-clubs, where there's heterosexuals doing much the same thing. Casual sex is casual sex, regardless of orientation.

Your last sentence I won't bother with - it's flamebait and I refuse to take the bait.

I do respect your views, but I'd like to see you justify them a little more, beyond the basic "it'll corrupt young minds" argument which has never worked. The same argument was used for Elvis and the Beatles, IIRC...

Grab.