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Smoking/sodomy comparison "flawed"

Mon 2 May 2005 In: New Zealand Daily News

The New Zealand AIDS Foundation has dismissed an argument from a religious right think-tank comparing smoking and "sodomy" as "seriously flawed." In a self-published article entitled Smoking and Sodomy – Testing The Limits Of Political Correctness, Glenn Peoples of the Locke Foundation argued that smoking and anal sex between men are both "unhealthy", and queried why the former is discouraged by health authorities while the latter is not. The AIDS Foundation says the two activities cannot be compared as they are in the article. "So long as condoms are used correctly for anal sex there is very little residual health risk. Certainly far less, for example, than in almost all contact sports," says the Foundation's executive director Rachael LeMesurier. "But calling the article Smoking versus rugby: Testing the limits of political correctness doesn't sound nearly so compelling does it?" LeMesurier says it seems as though the Locke Foundation has singled out gay men and anal sex for criticism, even though heterosexuals also practice it. "NZAF queries why it is important for Mr Peoples to make a case against homosexuals/anal sex other than to promote a belief that homosexuals are not worthy of equal rights." On the Locke Foundation website, Peoples claims his argument has been misrepresented, and labels the NZAF's response "an almost unbelievable string of falsehoods, ad hominem attacks and general misrepresentations" and an "emotive tirade of PC language."    

Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff

First published: Monday, 2nd May 2005 - 12:00pm

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