Family Research Council Study: Gays Die Young

A new research paper put out by the Family Research Institute compares mortality rates of smokers to those of gays and lesbians, and claims to demonstrate that homosexuality is more lethal than lighting up.

The study, by Paul Cameron, Ph.D., and Kirk Cameron, Ph.D., purports that an analysis of mortality among legally married Norwegian and Danish homosexuals shows that homosexuality leads to an average life expectancy that is up to 24 years shorter than that of heterosexuals.

The study also takes to task governmental bureaus, questioning the overall size of the homosexual population, claiming that bureaus have "distorted" facts regarding the gay segment of the population, and asking why "special protections" are not extended to adulterers and polygamists.

To date, no states refuse marriage equality to couples based on whether one or both may have committed adultery in the past, or on the basis that one or both partners might in future attempt to marry another individual without first dissolving the existing legal union.

The authors of the study also question the social value of homosexuals, writing that homosexuals "contribute less (e.g., less frequent child-bearing, less economically productive [sic]) and cost more (e.g., AIDS, STDs, substance abuse, smoking) than non-homosexuals," and therefore are not good citizens.

The authors of the study take aim at research funding for AIDS, writing at one point that "Disproportionate expenditures on HIV seem unfair..."

Noting that "no one has to... engage in homosexual sex," the authors argue that "the decrement in lifespan that millions suffer from cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes-to name a few of the diseases in which no obvious choice was made to engage in high risk activites-would seem to merit proportionately more research dollars."

The study's authors do not address, in these comments, countries such as Africa, where a large percentage of the populace are infected with HIV contracted through heterosexual contact, nor are the benefits to those countries offered by improved drug management regimins or the possibility of an eventual vaccine or cure-made possible through well-funded HIV and AIDS research-acknowledged in the study.

Many physicians believe that diet and exercise have a significant impact on an individual's chances of avoiding conditions such as cardiovascualar disease, diabetes, or cancer, irrespective of sexuality.

The authors of the study continue, "Despite enormous expenditures on HIV, those who engage in homosexuality appear to find numerous alternate ways to reduce their longevity (e.g., excessive drinking, use of illegal drugs, careless driving)."

Assuming their claims to be true, the authors take aim at gay families, arguing that "'Gay adoption' is ill-advised since, on average, a homosexual couple aged 35 yr. would be about as close to demise as a man-woman couple aged 55 yr."

The study also contains the passage, "...gay rights reduces the constitutional rights of assembly, free speech, and parental control of non-homosexuals," though it does not offer any justification for this statement.

Even when the study confines itself to the question at hand, its conclusions are flawed, say skeptics, who take issue with the study's claim that there is a "paucity" of older homosexuals due to early death among gays. Say skeptics, older homosexuals-unlike their younger counterparts who have come out of the closet in force in recent decades-are still reluctant to disclose their true sexuality after a lifetime of careful concealment in a hostile social climate.

The paper acknowledges that efforts to gather data, such as a survey conducted in Canada, find increasing refusals to answer questions about sexual orientation, or show increasing instances in which the response is "Don't know," as the age of the respondents increases. However, the paper suggests that these respondents may be "asexuals."

The paper claims that while marriage is linked to longer life spans for heterosexuals, no such correlation exists for gay married couples.

Skeptics view this particular claim with doubt based on the fact that gay marriage equality is such a recent development. Married individuals tend to live longer; skeptics say that the coming decades may well show that same trend among long-term married gay couples.

Skeptics also point to the stress of living in a social and legal climate where the rights and legal status of gay individuals and gay families are often challenged. Continual stress, say these doubters, may well accoutn for any increased early mortality among gays and lesbians.

The study anticipates this objection, rebutting it by offering evidence that blacks, who are often discriminated against their entire lives to some degree, do not suffer worse health overall than whites.

Finally, skeptics point out the notorious tendency for studies to reflect whatever viewpoint those funding them wish to see proven. Because this study has come from the anti-gay Family Research Institute, skeptics say, its objectivity is in question.

Though the question would seem to be far from settled, readers may wish to extend their safer-sex habits to skipping the post-coital cigarette.

The paper maybe viewed, along with spirited debate between skeptics and proponents, at http://gay.netscape.com/story/2007/07/04/expert-research-finds-homosexuality-more-dangerous-than-smoking/.