In and Out

The bride walks up the aisle, wearing a white wedding gown. When the minister asks her if she takes this man to be her husband, she responds, "I do." But when the minister asks the groom if he takes this woman to be his wife, instead of saying "I do," he replies, "I’m gay." This scene takes place in a hit film called In and Out, about a man who belatedly discovers that he’s gay. For the price of admission, we’re given not just a film, but a philosophy lesson masquerading as science: that gays are born, not made. In and Out stars Kevin Kline as Howard Brackett, a high school teacher who has always believed himself to be heterosexual. His life takes a dramatic turn when a former student wins an Academy Award for a film about the gay lifestyle. In front of a nationwide audience, the filmmaker says he owes his success to his former teacher, Howard Brackett—who is gay. Brackett’s life is instantly turned upside down. He denies the former student’s assertion vehemently. But Brackett ultimately realizes he’s fooling himself—and decides to come out of the closet during his wedding. The movie asserts that homosexuality is genetically determined, like gender or skin color. We’re told that Howard Brackett doesn’t want to be gay—he wants to marry his fiancee, whom he obviously loves. Too bad, the film seems to be saying; what you want is irrelevant. You were born gay—so get used to it. And by the end of the film, Brackett does get used to it. It’s one of the boldest attempts yet by Hollywood to mainstream homosexuality. But the message that homosexuality is genetically determined flies in the face of all the empirical evidence. Gays periodically announce so-called "evidence" in their search to find a gay gene—but the evidence quickly evaporates when other researchers examine it. For example, two years ago a National Institutes of Health study, authored by Dean Hamer, reported the alleged existence of a genetic marker, predisposing individuals to homosexual behaviors. In a review of Hamer’s research, however, geneticist Dr. Evan Balaban said that Hamer’s research was seriously flawed both in its methodology and in its basic assumptions—not surprising, perhaps, given that Hamer himself is a homosexual activist whose agenda may have biased the results of his research. Most telling of all is the fact that many of the gay men in Hamer’s study did not have the genetic marker that he says is linked to homosexual behavior. If homosexuality is not genetically determined, then to some degree the element of choice must be involved. In other words, we’re not talking about genetic determinism but a genetic predisposition—a predisposition that can be resisted through our moral choices. Dr. David Persing, a molecular genetics researcher and a Christian, says the biblical teaching that all of nature is fallen includes our genetic heritage. As a result, we all have inborn tendencies toward various forms of sinful behaviors. But this fact is no excuse for sin, Persing says. We still have room for making real moral choices. As Christians we need to stand against the philosophy of genetic determinism, which reduces people to pawns. If you have friends who’ve seen the box-office hit In and Out, give them evidence proving that its message is pure propaganda. The truth is, we can be governed by God, not by our genes—and that’s a message that Hollywood is desperately trying to keep in the closet.

11/11/97