sexual sex might be overturned. Same sex marriage, job protection, antidiscrimination in housing laws - all these could hinge on the redefinition of homosexuality as biologically caused rather than socially and culturally chosen" (Garber, p. 225). This statement brings up several ways of exerting control over deviant behavior (linked to a particular group of people): by making the behavior a punishable, criminal act; by discrimination through laws; by not granting protection of rights; and by prohibiting the recognition of same sex marriage (as if by not recognizing it, it isn't really there). An example of this social control is demonstrated in the case of Ballot Measure 9. In 1992, an initiative was put on the ballot to amend Oregon's state constitution to prohibit and revoke laws which protect homosexuals from discrimination. The Oregon referendum sponsored by the Oregon Citizen' Alliance (OCA) further mandated that all government agencies and schools recognize homosexuality as "abnormal, wrong, unnatural, and perverse"; and no government monies could be used to "facilitate" homosexuality. The issue became a campaign to vilify, demonize, and dehumanize homosexuals. Note, the focus here was not on the behavior, but on the people. Religious right organizations such as the OCA take the demonic approach with their sole objective to seek out, point out, control, and eliminate deviance. An example of this conflict is going on right now, here in San Diego County. People are upset that the Grossmont Union High School District voted to add the words "actual or perceived sexual orientation" to the district's nondiscrimination and multicultural policies, which already include protection from discrimination based on race, religion, gender, and disability. According to an article in the San Diego Union Tribune on June 4, 1999, those opposing the new policy that would give special protection to gay and lesbian students belie...
