[Brian Finnegan, editor of GCN , top and Vincent Browne, above]

Further to last night’s People’s Debate on TV3.

And the host’s use of the term ‘gay lifestyle’.

Brian Finnegan writes:

“….When it comes to the day that I am on my deathbed, I want to know that I have loved and have been loved, that I have experienced all the joys and sadness, gains and losses, highs and lows, and fundamental intimacies of a loving human relationship, That is not a lifestyle. That is life.
I am a parent, and when it comes to those final moments I also want to know that I brought my son up to be a fully functioning, self-assured, contributing member of society, who is generous of spirit and respecting of all people, no matter what their sexuality, race, religion or gender is. I want to know that he will pass those values on to his own children, and that they will pass those values on in the evolution of a better society. That is not a lifestyle. That is life.
When you refer to my sexual orientation as a ‘lifestyle’, it is demeaning. The word ‘lifestyle’, with all its connotations of superficiality, implies choice – a chosen lifestyle. I assume you were born straight. I would never have the disrespect to refer to your sexuality, your marriage, your parenting, your existence as a lifestyle. I don’t know if it’s true, but I speculate that you do not internally refer to your life as a lifestyle, and you don’t think it’s superficial, or chosen.

READ ON: An Open Letter To Vincent Browne (Brian Finnegan, The Outmost)