Liberal Opposition Totally Illogical

On July 12, 2007, the Senate will hold confirmation hearings for Dr. James Holsinger, nominated to be the Surgeon General of the United States. His nomination has sparked opposition from both liberals and conservatives. Liberals detest his position on homosexuality, and conservatives question his ambiguous positions on stem cell research. While he may quell the conservative opposition by giving straightforward answers about his current positions, Dr. Holsinger will likely be unable to change the minds of liberals.

While liberals point to many incidents in attempt to paint Dr. Holsinger as "anti-homosexual," much of this rhetoric stems from a paper he published in 1991 as the Chief Medical Director at the US Department of Veteran Affairs. The paper was titled "Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality." (WARNING: This paper is graphic, and should only be read by adult readers.) In the paper, he reasoned that acts of male homosexuals pose a higher risk of disease and bodily damage than heterosexual relationships.

The paper closes with this statement.

The logical complementarity of the human sexes has been so recognized in our culture that it has entered our vocabulary in the form of naming various pipe fittings either the male pipe fitting or the female pipe fitting depending upon which one interlocks within the other. When the complementarity of the sexes is breached, injuries and disease may occur as noted above. Therefore, based on the simplest known anatomy and physiology, when dealing with the complementarity of the human sexes, one can simply say, Res ipsa loquitur - the thing speaks for itself!

Upon President Bush's announcement to nominate Dr. Holsinger, Human Rights Campaign president Joe Solmonese said, “his writings suggest a scientific view rooted in anti-gay beliefs that are incompatible with the job of serving the medical health of all Americans."

Nowhere in his paper did Dr. Holsinger exhibit any sentiment that suggests he is against homosexuals. He simply pointed out an obvious fact. Yet he was immediately labeled "anti-gay." No amount of explanation will quell the liberal opposition because this opposition is not based on a logical progression.