All human beings are made in the image of God and are therefore always and in every
case deserving of the dignity of that status. But not all actions are in conformity with
human dignity. For example, committing murder or suicide is not an action that respects
the dignity of the human person. The position of the Catholic Church is not that
homosexual persons lack human dignity, but that homosexual actions do not respect that
dignity because they are harmful to the people that practice them. I will give a short
example of two aspects of this.
First, homosexual actions are physically harmful because the rectum is designed by
nature to absorb any remaining nutrients before the waste leaves the body. When external
objects are inserted there is serious danger of absorbing germs and infections. The female
sex organ is designed by nature in a different way; it is not designed to absorb nutrients
but to fight germs and infections. Thus heterosexual sex seems to be suited to Nature's
design.
The second aspect is the spiritual. God gave us the gift of our sexuality because He
wants us to share in His work of creation. The love between a husband and wife is so real
and tangible that that love actually becomes a new human person, a baby. Contrary to the
attitude of our culture, babies are good things, not bad. This is why marriage must be
permanent, because children are permanent. I know people who are divorced or have marital
problems but they all agree that it is certainly better to not have these problems. There
is also the case of premarital sex. When a person engages in a sexual act with another
person there is an emotional attachment that takes place. When this relationship breaks up
there is extreme emotional pain. God did not intend for us to experience that type of
pain. Thus sex, and the emotional bond that comes with it, belong inside of the publicly
professed vow of marriage. When this bond is created outside of marriage it hurts people.
As Mary Beth Bonacci says: "Real love means never having to say I'm sorry I messed up
your life." Homosexual actions cannot produce a new life and so they cannot have the
creation of new life as their central meaning. Thus the focal point of homosexual acts
becomes the acquisition of pleasure even when it means putting another's well being at
risk. Once the quest for pleasure becomes the purpose of sex, people get hurt. If I dive
off the high-dive board into a pool with no water in it, I will end up with a severe
head-ache no matter how much I try to create water by the force of my will. So what
happens is that people end up getting hurt because they try to invent reality rather than
obey it.
Homosexuals, as well as young people who engage in sexual activities, are not monsters
trying to hurt people, they are often looking for love and acceptance. These things are
good, but not all behavior that seems like it will lead to these goals will in fact lead
to them. Many homosexual persons have experienced harmful relationships with one or both
of their parents and are looking for healing and acceptance by members of the same sex. In
that case the most charitable thing to do is not to encourage behaviors that are
physically and emotionally harmful, but to fulfill their needs in authentic ways.
