# If conservatives think being gay is a choice, what do they think are the benefits of being gay? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 21, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-conservatives-think-being-gay-is-a-choice-what-do-they-think-are-the-benefits-of-being-gay/1006014 "2024-08-21T20:39:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 1\ **Showing post:** 1
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2024, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-conservatives-think-being-gay-is-a-choice-what-do-they-think-are-the-benefits-of-being-gay/1006014/1 "2024-08-21T20:39:38Z")
I’m sure that 99%, if not 100%, of Dopers would agree that being gay is not a choice. So there’s not much debate there. But given that many conservatives think that sexual orientation is a choice, they must think there is some benefit in being gay - nobody chooses to be something without thinking there’s some benefit or advantage therein. What do they think those benefits are, though? Being gay entails more disadvantages than advantages in almost every nation in the world. Even in Western, progressive societies, you might have a tough time getting married, your dating pool is far smaller than that of heterosexuals’, you can’t have kids biologically (without resorting to surrogacy or whatnot,) you might still face ostracization, your family may disapprove, etc. The AIDS rate is higher. You face a greater risk of violence. Even in a liberal place like Canada, Holland or Sweden, the advantages of being straight still far surpass those of being gay. Then when one talks about societies like the Middle East, it gets _really_ dangerous to be gay. Being gay or lesbian in Taliban Afghanistan, ISIS territory or Saudi Arabia may be a death sentence. _But yet those nations still have homosexuals nonetheless._ So why do conservatives think someone would willingly _choose_ to be gay in a society where it could lead to very, very painful death? Do they think homosexuals are suicidal? --- _[View the full topic](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-conservatives-think-being-gay-is-a-choice-what-do-they-think-are-the-benefits-of-being-gay/1006014)._