Q. Why is the phrase "sexual preference" inaccurate and misleading?
A. Because heterosexuals have not consciously chosen to love, or stated a "preference" for loving, members of the opposite sex; they just feel it, and always have. No conscious, free-will "decision" is made to be heterosexual. "Orientation" is a more accurate word than "preference."
Further, heterosexuals are not oriented toward just "having sex" with members of the opposite gender; they have feelings of caring, affection, and love for them--and sexual activity is a reflection of those feelings to the same degree as it is a reflection of sexual attraction. "Affectional" is a more illuminating word than "sexual."
A more accurate, descriptive phrase for human sexuality is "affectional orientation."
The same is true for homosexuals and bisexuals.
Q. Is heterosexuality unnatural?
A. No. About nine out of ten children are either born heterosexual or become heterosexual within the first few years of life for reasons of nature that are not yet clearly understood.
The same is true for homosexuals and bisexuals. [About one child out of ten is born or becomes homosexual or bisexual.]
Q. Should heterosexuals be given "special rights" in employment, housing, marriage, et cetera?
A. No. Heterosexuals should be guaranteed the basic rights afforded everyone else; nothing less than civil equality, and nothing more. Heterosexuals should not face discrimination because of their nature.
The same is true for homosexuals and bisexuals.
Q. Is heterosexuality a "mental disorder"?
A. No. The American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association say that affectional orientation is not an indicator of mental illness.
The same is true for homosexuality and bisexuality.
Q. Is heterosexuality a "lifestyle"?
A. No. Affectional orientation predetermines no particular way of living or acting, and no particular belief system. Who one loves has nothing to do with a person's "lifestyle," those chosen activities supported by a certain level of income and guided by a person's belief system.
Some heterosexuals are married, some are single. Some are bankers, some are mechanics, some are grocery clerks, some are elected officials, some are hair dressers...Some are square dancers, some are joggers, some are gardeners, some are couch potatoes. ... Some are grandmothers, some are fathers, some are sisters, some are cousins, some are sons. ...
The same is true for homosexuals and bisexuals.
Q. But don't gay men and lesbians live an "alternative lifestyle"?
A. Not necessarily. Although, just like some heterosexuals, they might choose an "alternative lifestyle" for any number of philosophical reasons. An example: imagine two guys who've never met each other. Both are mechanics who like baseball, enjoy a long-term love relationship, expect to rear children within the next couple of years, read Timesweek, go camping on weekends, prefer staying home rather than going out on the town, visit their parents on holidays, and are active in local politics. Which one is gay? We can't tell because their "lifestyles" are the same. Only their naturally determined focus of loving emotions and sexual attraction is different. Neither man leads a lifestyle we might label as an "alternative" to the "average" American lifestyle.