Prop 8 over turned in CA

[SparrowHawk]

There is no moral inconsistency. You made no mention of prostitution when you made that comment so that would not have been what you were referring to. I already acknowledged that my disagreement with legalizing prostitution as an unregulated industry. You still have not clarified if you are advocating that there be health regulations that would govern this business. Given your hatred of anything government I suspect that you see no problem with people selling their bodies on the street. Beyond that, if you do not see the difference between being gay and being a prostitute then this conversation will go no where fast. And you say you don't hate.

The taxation and regulation of so called vices can and should be left to the states. Not a federal issue. I do think I addressed the question when I stated that the way to attack the a fore mentioned vices is to treat them as a public health issues which fall under the purview of the states. Requiring a Prostitute to undergo regular health screenings is an appropriate roll for state governments to undertake. Same for license or registration fees.

I think the way Prostitution is regulated in AMS is a good model to follow. You have to have a license, be tested regularly AND be in a brothel or window. Street Walking will land you in jail unless you are in this tiny little area by Centraal Station. Escort or In-Call is permitted as well just so long as your licensed and tested according to the public health rules. Is it perfect? Probably not, but typical of the nice neat tidy way the Dutch do things. I like their approach to things like this in general. They don't make a big deal about most vices, however if you break the rules/laws they will land on you like a swarm of locusts. They don't have a whole lot of rules and the ones they do have you'd best follow. I saw this one guy on a motorcycle who was being an A-Hole. Took the Amsterdam Police a few minutes to corral him. He got mouthy and promptly ended up through the plate glass window with 5 officers adjusting his attitude prior to hauling him off.

This is what I want for the US!!! Less laws and rigid strict enforcement of those that remain.

 

[Ms Tree]

I must have missed that in your posts. So long as they are regulated and the danger is removed from the equation I agree that it should be left to the individual. I believe that there have to be minimum standards and I believe that will only come at the federal level. Also, given the prude and backwards nature of some of the states in this country, not all would even legalize it and we would end up with an illegal trade like we have now. Some things in my opinion have to come from the federal level. I am pretty sure places like Utah are not going to legalize anything that involves personal pleasure. Hell, you cannot even buy beer on Sunday in that shithole. And even on the other days you have to buy it from a state sanctioned establishment and even then the crap is watered down.

 

[SparrowHawk]

I must have missed that in your posts. So long as they are regulated and the danger is removed from the equation I agree that it should be left to the individual. I believe that there have to be minimum standards and I believe that will only come at the federal level. Also, given the prude and backwards nature of some of the states in this country, not all would even legalize it and we would end up with an illegal trade like we have now. Some things in my opinion have to come from the federal level. I am pretty sure places like Utah are not going to legalize anything that involves personal pleasure. Hell, you cannot even buy beer on Sunday in that shithole. And even on the other days you have to buy it from a state sanctioned establishment and even then the crap is watered down.

Some of the Utah stuff was relaxed for the Olympics and things are not a onerous as they once were. Although quite arcane compared to the majority of states.

I think leaving it up to the states to decide is not only in keeping with the COTUS but actually allows for some common sense to prevail. The citizens of Utah should not be dictated to from Washington. If they wish to prohibit certain behaviors that is their prerogative as long as no Federal Statutes are violated in the process. When a few of their leaders contract HIV from visiting an infected Prostitute, then we'll see an enlightenment in Utah. See reality bites and usually right square in the ass of some hypocritical, holier than thou type. Free market always prevails so allow the market forces of the various currently illegal vices test themselves in the free market.

On of the interesting things to note is that the country in Europe with the most liberal laws regarding Marijuana also has the lowest incidence of regular usage. Proving that Freedom and Liberty is far more addictive than any drug

 

[SparrowHawk]

This Just in!

"If you don't like gay marriage, blame straight people! They're the ones who keep having gay babies."

 

[Ms Tree]

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[delldude]

Homosexuality is a documented psychological condition.

In 1973, the weight of empirical data, coupled with changing social norms and the development of a politically active gay community in the United States, led the Board of Directors of the American Psychiatric Association to remove homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). Some psychiatrists who fiercely opposed their action subsequently circulated a petition calling for a vote on the issue by the Association's membership. That vote was held in 1974, and the Board's decision was ratified.

Subsequently, a new diagnosis, ego-dystonic homosexuality, was created for the DSM's third edition in 1980. Ego dystonic homosexuality was indicated by: (1) a persistent lack of heterosexual arousal, which the patient experienced as interfering with initiation or maintenance of wanted heterosexual relationships, and (2) persistent distress from a sustained pattern of unwanted homosexual arousal.

This new diagnostic category, however, was criticized by mental health professionals on numerous grounds. It was viewed by many as a political compromise to appease those psychiatrists – mainly psychoanalysts – who still considered homosexuality a pathology. Others questioned the appropriateness of having a separate diagnosis that described the content of an individual's dysphoria. They argued that the psychological problems related to ego-dystonic homosexuality could be treated as well by other general diagnostic categories, and that the existence of the diagnosis perpetuated antigay stigma.

Moreover, widespread prejudice against homosexuality in the United States meant that many people who are homosexual go through an initial phase in which their homosexuality could be considered ego dystonic. According to the American Psychiatric Association, "Fears and misunderstandings about homosexuality are widespread.... [and] present daunting challenges to the development and maintenance of a positive self-image in gay, lesbian and bisexual persons and often to their families as well."

In 1986, the diagnosis was removed entirely from the DSM. The only vestige of ego dystonic homosexuality in the revised DSM-III occurred under Sexual Disorders Not Otherwise Specified, which included persistent and marked distress about one's sexual orientation (American Psychiatric Association, 1987; see Bayer, 1987, for an account of the events leading up to the 1973 and 1986 decisions).

Link.....