It has been reported that new Detroit Tigers right fielder Torii Hunter is in trouble with the politically correct police. He has said that he would be uncomfortable with a gay teammate, because active homosexuality is against Christian and Biblical instruction and he's Christian. The media hasn't really gone after him, although it has pointed out that he has made controversial remarks before. He once called Latin baseball players 'imposters' for appearing to be African American when, supposedly, they are not. They want to impugn his character by implying he's racist as well as homophobic.
So where do we go from here? The obvious first response, to the media and not to Mr. Hunter, is, well, racism and being against active homosexuality are not the same thing. One is a hatred based on something which the person cannot control (his skin color) while the other is based on something which someone most certainly can control (his sexual activity). The second is to wonder whether the people of different races ought to be insulted by having sins against them seen as equal to sins which involve mere personal conduct. They should be if they aren't. But thirdly, hmm, let's backtrack a bit, into the deeper recesses of the question at hand. What is one of the key reasons we are supposed to support gay rights?
Isn't it that homosexuals can't help being who they are?
Granted that point, we have the follow up question which is rarely if ever asked.
Shouldn't we tolerate Torii Hunter, being as he can't help who he is either?
Explain that conundrum away, and we would be willing to discuss gay rights. But until then, we have no use for the argument that we ought to accept people based on being born that way. It is a downright stupid argument, and utterly useless for public debate.
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