It is a sociological attribute that the more persecution there is from outside a group that is united by any cause, the greater will be the solidarity, the compassion (mundane) and understanding.
Homosexuality is gradually becoming of age and so logically solidarity has given way to a fracture of the group in general. Basic understanding is there, but from the point of view of individuals, some gays and some lesbians are more worthy than others.
Furthermore, artificial exaggeration of homosexual characteristics, especially among male passive homosexuals, causes greater internal friction and a great increase in possessiveness, jealousy and competition.
Now we know that Avaivartika means "no return", but that is not always clear even to Dharma followers. When we say no return it means that Natural Motivation is so well-developed that a return to an inferior state is impossible.
This means that Natural Motivation is in conflict with any Motivation that is object-oriented. In the lesbian population, the major mundane motivation is to be happy with their partner, in which both members are seeking a stability and a lasting relationship.
In the male Gay population, while there are some pairs which have developed a dignified attitude, generally the active partner is not interested in a long-lasting relationship, for the mundane motivating factor is CONQUEST, while the passive partner in too many cases has the mundane Motivation of POSSESSION.
You may imagine correctly that the male Gay pair normally conists of an ACTIVE person with an AVERSIVE temperament and his PASSIVE partner is generally of ACQUISITIVE TEMPERAMENT. In those rare cases where the PASSIVE partner is of CONFUSED temperament the possibility of less friction is increased.
In the Lesbian pairing, there is clearly a dominance of the active partner, but it is more suave and contains feminine characteristics. The majority of the passive lesbian partners are qentle and with a feminism that could be the envy of any heterosexual woman. The temperament of the active is seldom Aversive and most generally Acquisitive. The passive partners are generally acquisitive with an overwhelming majority being of confused temperament.
For those who are not Dharma students it must be made clear that an Aversive temperament is seldom aggressive or violent and that the Confused temperament is with great latent sensitivity.
So how do these factors affect understanding and potential AVAIVARTIKA motivation that leads to Compassion? Now we are only speaking here of the MOTIVATIONAL factors.
The first motivational factor is the development of a careful COGNITIVE GENEROSITY which involves one's apparent self in the process more than real objects.
Now that COGNITIVE GENEROSITY is stained, but by continued guarding of INTROSPECTION that GENEROSITY takes on a new aspect. It becomes less and less mental and objective- oriented. NATURAL GENEROSITY then arises and eventually reinforces itself.
In the heterosexual population Generosity is not a frequent characteristic of the Acquisitive temperament who has not been socially or religiously brainwashed and it is even less frequent among the male gay population. Remember that GENEROSITY means giving of oneself even if the giving is material.
Within the Lesbian population, perhaps due to the greater harmony between pairs, GENEROSITY is less restrained between pairs than in the Heterosexual groups.
While religion in one form or another generates a great influence upon behaviour, the Christian and Islamic religions in particular have distanced themselves from homosexuals and this is really a great benefit, for whatever GENEROSITY which does arise is from personal conviction and not social or religious custom.
The problem is that Generosity, which is the launching pad for Avaivartika, is lacking in the gay and lesbian communities. The heterosexual world has forced homosexual pairs into almost a personal isolation.
That is where the first change must occur. it is insufficient to step out of the cupboard, there must be a relaxation in gay attitude which sees themselves really as no different than others.
There is a wonderful a passage from Shakespeare's Merchant of Venice, which I take out of context and change for the idea:
"You hath disgraced me, and hindered me half a million: laughed at my losses, mocked at my gains, scorned my preference, thwarted my bargains, cooled my friends, heated mine enemies: and what is the reason?
I am a Homosexual
Hath not a homosexual eyes? Hath not a homosexual hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? Fed with the same food, hurt by the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a heterosexual is?
If you prick us do we not bleed ? If you tickle us do we not laugh? if you poison us do we not die?"
Now that is the truth of the situation, but Shylock in the play wanted revenge for injustice as a Christian would, but while the pairs with a different preference do not seek revenge they still recoil from a natural contact which is normal and correct.
It is not easy, but it requires natural generosity to open the barriers which were set in place originally by heterosexuals and are now maintained by homosexuals.
It must start with the cognitive generosity of deliberation and quite quickly it will become established as a natural trait. Then, without conscious intellect there arises a NATURAL IMPULSE which is an INTENTION TO CULTIVATE VIRTUE. It is not to be forced in any way. The INTENTION just seems to manifest itself.
Now that virtue has nothing to do with social virtue and it liberates the virtue which is natural and not chained. Now the remarkable thing which then occurs is that it stamps out completely any conditioned sense of difference between the homosexual and the heterosexual.
it eliminates any residual culpability or guilt generated by society for hundreds of years.
This is the first step.