Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic
League, has claimed that culture is “mass producing” people who
identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender.
The New York-based group advocates on
behalf of Catholics but is not part of the Roman Catholic Church.
In a recent blog post, Donohue cited a
Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) survey on LGBT people.
PRRI's poll showed increasing support
for LGBT rights. In doing so, researchers also provided demographics
on LGBT Americans.
“Americans who identify as LGBT
mirror the American population on many demographics. However, those
who identify as LGBT are more likely to be women, younger, Democrats
or independents, religiously unaffiliated, and lower income than the
general population,” PRRI wrote.
Donohue, a vocal opponent of LGBT
rights, claimed that this demographic profile shows that culture was
“mass producing” LGBT people.
(Related: Bill
Donohue opposes gay marriage because marriage is not about love.)
“What these findings suggest is that
to a large extent the LGBT community is a cultural phenomenon, not a
biological one. How else to explain the disparities?” Donohue
wrote.
LGBT people have historically faced
discrimination in the United States, with organized religion and
Republicans not only opposed to LGBT rights but actively working
against the community. This fact alone can explain most of the
disparities.
Donohue insisted that culture had made
being gay and transgender “cool.”
(Related: In
responding to Equality Act, Catholic League says LGBT discrimination
justified.)
“Being an LGBT person is difficult
enough (e.g., they suffer from high rates of depression and suicide),
and this is especially true of the sexually confused (a male who
thinks he is female and vice versa). That is why attempts to
culturally mass produce them are pernicious,” Donohue concluded.