They have similar laws as we do here in America. Under 18 is still jail bait... but where it differs is that most European countries put sexual control in the hands of 15 year olds and above. In other words a 15 year old can go and get free condoms and birth control if they choose without the consent of their parents.

I think you must have meant to say "Hypocrisy" and not "homosexuality".

This bad situation for both party members arose because they actively denied and/or condemned homosexual activity, ALL WHILE ENGAGING in it.

These men have ruined their own lives by not being honest with the people and perhaps not even being honest to themselves.

Had both not ridden the "morality" train then their homosexual activites might not even have made the news. However since they garner their support on a foundation that includes condemnation and discrimination of homosexuals they show themselves to be big fat lying hypocrites. And THAT is big news.

Their political careers are lost because of their hypocrisy.. not their homosexuality.

Don't forget Muslim countries where it's OK to have sex with 9 year old girls.

Well said, hkbajwa. Some other poster, I can't remember who, said that it doesn't make news when Democrat politicians come out, the way it does when Republicans are outed. And you have just stated why, hkbajwa.

It isn't homosexuality that causes their downfall, it's hypocrisy.

I like to point back to the Ted Haggard story when this discussion comes up. Right around the same time his story broke, Neil Patrick Harris, the actor from Doogie Howser, now on the hit comedy "How I Met Your Mother," came out.

The reactions to the two newly out gay men couldn't have been more different. Why?

Well, in Harris' case, he was simply living life as a gay man, relatively quietly, and one day decided to mention it publicly. Most people went "Huh." if it registered at all, and life went on completely unchanged for everyone.

Haggard, on the other hand, spent most of his adult life publicly demonizing gay people in the name of God. When he was outed, the people who he had surrounded himself with, likeminded Godly gay-demonizers, were STUNNED at his lies and hypocrisy, so of course there was a huge media circus, he lost his job, etc., etc.

The same is true between the Republicans and the Democrats. Much of the Republican party has allied itself with the religious right, and has assumed their principles. During the debate among Republican presidential candidates, not a one was interested in repealing DADT. Half want a gay marriage amendment in the Constitution. And none of them could be bothered to show up for the "all gay issues" debate recently. They, for the most part, have made gay-bashing part of their platform.

So, OF COURSE it is big news (and a big scandal) when it turns out that a good and Godly gay-hating Republican turns out to be a big ol' queer himself.... but no news at all when a gay-supporting or even a gay-neutral political figure comes out as gay. Most people have the Harris reaction. "Huh."

The gay Republicans could really do themselves a HUGE favor by coming out, rather than waiting to be outed, and showing it is possible to be both gay and fiscally conservative. Much less damaging to one's career. (I'm assuming, since there are no openly gay Republicans in the House or Senate... but the first one who is, will get a very congratulatory email from me.)

Well you would be wrong in stating that. No sexual relations are allowed with ANY female until she starts mensturating at around the age of 13 - 14.

Even so, in Pakistan the legal age for marriage is 16. As it is in most muslim countries ( most already having raised the age limit to 18.

You infer that it is permitted from Mohammad's marriage to ayesha when she was allegedly 9 years old. However this is a much debated question that has come to the forefront again in today's age.

Ayesha's age has been calculated by the year of emigration from Mecca. Some souces quote that ayesha and mohammad were married 10 years after the emigration. At the time of emigration Ayesha was 7 years old. That would make her 17 when she was married.

Unfortunately there are also those who claim that her age was 7 at the time of marriage. ANd this is the claim that most tend to listen to ( because it is pretty outrageous and elicits strong feelings in everybody who hears it ) .

Anyhow nobody can field any conclusive proof of Ayesha's age, however it should be noted that the age of 9 is derived from the hadith, which have been changed, embellished and exagerrated since they were first recorded. Thankfully muslim administrations on the planet have not only broken from this skewed perception and changed requirements so that a girl must be AT LEAST 16 before she can be married, but are also actively engaged in eliminating the practice.

The fact that some girls still get married off at a very young age is another function of age-old tradition and culture rather than "divine command". This i can assure you as reports show that the greatest number of child marriages take place in INDIA among the hindus ( and even there they are trying to change this tradition).

Well the point here is SELF-CONTROL. Not CONTROL OTHERS. This is essentially why the republicans get fried every time they are caught in homosexual activities.

Because they cater to the religious right, they always include a condemnation of homosexuality in their manifesto and they always support legislation to control the sexual choices of others. This is why i call it "riding the morality train". They get aboard the train and fling condemnations about them, they try to ensure that consenting adults are not allowed to live as they please, yet at the same time they have the same urges and needs as the group that they condemn.

That is not SELF-control. That is controlling others in order to control one self. "I don't wanna be gay so i'm gonna make sure nobody else is allowed to be gay. Hopefully if its all illegal and dangerous i'll keep my hands off other men"

If he had been visiting prostitutes regularly i would find him no different from those who go out and regularly have one-night stands. And i really wouldn't give a hoot. I mean also didn't give a hoot when Clinton got a BJ in the Oval office, but i bet you got ur panties all in a twist over it. I am not concerned with the sexual activities of consenting adults.

However let's say clinton had sexually assaulted Lewinsky.. now THAT would be impeachable and he should have gone to jail for it. But as long as lewinsky was in on it, then who the hell are we to complain. MILLIONS of husbands cheat on their wives and lie about it EVERY DAY in the US. You wanna bring them all to trial?

Anyhow as i said, i wouldn't care if he visited prostitues regularly. I WOULD , however, have a problem if he was involved in bestiality or paedophelia.. why you ask?? Well because both situations do not involve two consenting adults. As such it is different from homosexuality because homosexuality involves two adults. Seriously dude, these adults are qualified to carry guns, they are qualified to vote for your leaders, they are qualified to seek their rights in your courts.. but they are not qualified to make the decision who they are to sleep with?? Can you see how skewed that actually is?

Republicans always get screwed every time one is outed as a homosexual. That has NOTHING to do with the choice of sexual partner.. but RATHER because these people will have spent a great amount of energy in outlining exactly how homosexuals are wrong and how they are going to hell. When one then turns around and admits to the very actions that he has so vociferously condemned, then he loses credibility as a POLITICIAN. SImply because he says one thing and does another.

They get blasted for their hypocrisy.. not for their homosexuality.

That's not quite true. In most of Europe the age of consent is 16. That means that *any* two people over 16 can have sex with each other - a 50 year old man having sex with a 16 year old girl (or boy) would not be illegal. Some countries have additional laws that mean that two children who have sex with each other aren't criminalised - for example, a 16 year old having sex with a 15 year old wouldn't be a criminal offence in some European countries, but a 50 year old having sex with a 15 year old would be.

And marrying off girls young was prevalent in Christian countries as well as Muslim ones in the past - girls could be married off at about 12 in Victorian England, and the age of heterosexual consent in Spain under General Franco was 12 until the 1970s.