Michigan Journal

Issue date: 10/16/07 Section: Student Life

Media Credit: Brenda Hendricks

Moralist, philosopher and gay-rights activist Dr. John Corvino visited the University of Michigan- Dearborn campus last Tuesday to present his lecture "What's morally wrong with Homosexuality?"

The point of which was not to champion the merits of homosexuality, but to openly discuss and dissect the reasons often cited against it.

With great care and humor, Dr. Corvino expertly challenged the strongest arguments commonly made against homosexuality. With logic and evidence at hand, he explored religious and societal opposition, often using their own teachings to strengthen his many arguments.

Corvino primarily questioned the "moral abomination" of homosexuality amid the myriad of questionable albiet acceptable types of heterosexual relationships (e.g. May - December relationships.)

He also explored the opinion that expectations can cause more harm than good in the realm of acceptable relationships. He stressed that societal pressures to choose a traditional relationship may influence an individual to choose a lifestyle contrary to the one they find most fulfilling to avoid the shame associated with that way of life. In the end, a family may suffer greatly because society is not willing to accept non-traditional relationships.

At the end of his lecture, Dr. Corvino opened to questions from a quiet but curious audience. Questions ranged from the acceptability of polygamy versus homosexuality in society to gay 'myths' that people had heard.

On a related note, October is National Coming Out month, and while neither the university nor any student groups have events planned to mark the occasion, there are a few options for students who wish to participate. The Women's Resource center is offering its ongoing S.A.F.E. training this Thursday the Oct. 18 from 1 -3 p.m. in 1225 UC. S.A.F.E. (Students, Staff, Administrators, and Faculty for Equality) is a program dedicated to providing support to students dealing with issues related to sexual orientation or gender identity. In addition, the Office of Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender Affairs at the University of Michigan - Ann Arbor is hosting a month of various events. For more information on events in Ann Arbor, visit www.umich.edu/~lgbta.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools