I have heard many people claim that people with homosexual tendencies are born with them. I don't know for myself whether this is true. If it is not true, then homosexuality is simply a choice. However, let's examine the alternative a little more closely because I think it's very possible that it is true and it is the basis on which much of the defense for the homosexual lifestyle rests. The argument seems to run as follows. Since homosexual people are born that way, there is nothing they can do about it and rather than ostracize and persecute them, we should embrace and celebrate their right to live the lifestyle they were born to live.
I hope I have portrayed the argument correctly. If I have, I believe the argument uses bad logic to reach both good and bad conclusions. We certainly should not ostracize, persecute, or make people feel guilty because they pursue a different course than we would choose. This is the good conclusion. We should love and embrace those who make such choices. Making fun of the minority is always easy, but never justified. However, the idea that we should embrace and even celebrate their lifestyle does not logically follow from the idea that it is part of their nature. This presupposes that everything nature does is right and just.
Nature does seem to fit us with certain abilities, inclinations, etc. for a purpose. And I believe we can make teleological arguments that help explain why certain characteristics are to be found in the human species. I'll skip the argument and make the claim that sex is a gift that I think has two purposes: 1) procreation (a continuation of the species) and 2) unity (a special bond between two people who engage in the sexual act). Homosexuality may be said to fulfill the second purpose, but certainly doesn't fulfill the first.
So, we have two alternatives as I see it. Either 1) homosexuality is a positive inclination given us by nature to fulfill the purpose of creating a bond between two people who love each other or 2) homosexuality is an exception to the natural inclination for sexual union given to the majority of the species for the two purposes I cited above (or other purposes if I've missed any), since it only partially fulfills the natural objectives of sexuality. Aristotle, in his work "Metaphysics", speaks of universal truths of which specific things are individual instantiations. However, he adds a qualifier to the requirement that individual instances derive exactly from the universal principles - in the Greek, "hos epi to polu" or roughly "for the most part."
If nature has equipped us with sexual inclinations in general for the purposes stated above, perhaps this only applies "for the most part" and there are exceptions to this universal manifest by some humans being born with a "natural" inclination toward homosexuality. Since it doesn't fulfill the objectives I've outlined above completely, it seems to me that the homosexual inclination, though perhaps natural, is a less useful inclination and perhaps even a negative one. Does nature always have to endow us with what is good for us? Or is it possible that nature has given us certain predispositions that can be destructive, like the predisposition to alcoholism that ultimately killed my uncle? I don't know whether homosexuality is destructive, having never had such inclinations myself, but it seems to me that it is less useful than the more common heterosexuality and possibly even harmful to those who engage in such acts. Perhaps in celebrating homosexuality, we're celebrating something wrong.
Perhaps not everything nature does is "good". Perhaps nature equips us with both productive faculties and weaknesses. Perhaps those weaknesses are a blessing in that they require us to struggle and overcome and thereby grow and become more like God. Perhaps homosexual inclinations are one such weakness that in our society has come to be celebrated or denigrated, neither of which is an appropriate reaction. Those who have weaknesses should be loved and encouraged. We all have weaknesses; why do we persist in judging one another when we are all in need of forgiveness and mercy? Maybe some of us think we're better than others because our "sins" are smaller in our own eyes than the sins of others?
It seems to me that any sin, no matter how big or small, keeps us from God, stunts our growth, and prevents us from achieving our full potential. Rather than denigrating those who commit sins we consider heinous (i.e. homosexuality), let's love them. And on the flip side, rather than celebrating choices that are sinful, destructive, or otherwise negative, let's examine our lives and consider whether we shouldn't first combat the evils or weaknesses within ourselves (homosexual tendencies) before attempting to correct the evils we perceive in the world around us (the prejudice of others).
Update (6/25/12): I have not modified my original post above, but I want to amend it based on something I read today. In a blog a couple of weeks ago, a man with homosexual inclinations "came out" and described his experiences coming to love a woman and create a family with her. His post is extremely well written and identifies a nuance I didn't capture above. There is a difference between 'homosexuality' and the act of same-gender sex. My post above identifies a difference between inclination and action, but I used the terms differently and I think my language becomes confusing. His is very well thought out - after all, homosexuality is something he has dealt with for most of his life. If you're interested in this topic, I highly recommend you read his post here. His comments about love and intimacy are worth reading all by themselves.
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