[lbo-talk] Clash of Sexual Civilizations (was Re: ahmadinejad)

[ravi]

On 25 Sep, 2007, at 12:02 PM, Doug Henwood wrote:
> On Sep 25, 2007, at 11:48 AM, ravi wrote:
>
>> I cannot claim to peer in Ahmedinejad's brain, but I think Michael
>> Smith's point about acts being considered illegal (not existential
>> states or attributes) is relevant -- one could read him as stating
>> that Iran[ians] does not subscribe to that particular form of
>> classification [of sexual identity], and what they have laws against
>> are acts such as X (e.g: X = sodomy, whether practised by someone who
>> identifies himself as gay or merely as a Republican). Of course, such
>> laws are unjust.
>
> What western country has laws against "being gay," whatever that
> means? Or has ever had?
>

Whatever that means? It means you have the "gay gene" as per Melissa  
Etheridge and US liberals. Because it is inborn, you see! W.r.t your  
second question: nothing in my post should be read to imply that  
Western countries have laws (*) against "being gay".

	--ravi

(*) though one could argue that various "intent" laws enforced using  
entrapment are, logically speaking, laws against states rather than  
acts.