1980-JUL-16 statement on homosexuality written on behalf the House of Justice:

"... you must yourself determine to resist wayward impulses each time they arise and the House of Justice feels that there is no better way than to turn to the Writings to divert our thoughts into spiritual channels, perhaps to concentrate on what we may do to help others along the way to discovering the Baha'i Faith. The more we occupy ourselves with teaching the Cause and serving our fellowman in this way, the stronger we become in resisting that which is abhorrent to our spiritual selves. ₇

1995-SEP-11 statement by the House of Justice:

They wrote a lengthy letter to the National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the United States.". ₁ It stated (in part) that:

"It is important to understand that there is a difference between the Baha'i attitude toward, on the one hand, the condition of homosexuality and those who are affected by it and, on the other, the practice of homosexual relations by members of the Baha'i community..."

"The view that homosexuality is a condition that is not amenable to change is to be questioned by Baha'is...The statistics which indicate that homosexuality is incurable are undoubtedly distorted by the fact that many of those who overcome the problem never speak about it in public, and others solve their problems without even consulting professional counselors..."

"...the kind of sexuality purposed by God is the love between a man and a woman..."

"If, therefore, a homosexual cannot overcome his or her condition to the extent of being able to have as [sic] heterosexual marriage, he or she must remain single, and abstain from sexual relations..."

"The condition of being sexually attracted to some object other than a mature member of the opposite sex, a condition of which homosexuality is but one manifestation, is regarded by the Faith as a distortion of true human nature, as a problem to be overcome... Any Baha'i who suffers from such a disability should be treated with understanding, and should be helped to control and overcome it..."

"If the individual fails to rectify his conduct in spite of repeated warnings, sanctions should be imposed. Assemblies, of course, must exercise care not to pry into the private lives of the believers to ensure that they are behaving properly, but should not hesitate to take action in cases of blatant misbehavior...A flagrant violation of this standard disgraces the Baha'i community in its own eyes even if the surrounding society finds the transgression tolerable." ₁

The authors of this letter appear to have recognized only two sexual orientations: homosexual and heterosexual. They seem to treat all persons with same-sex attractions as homosexual, while ignoring persons with a bisexual orientation. Their reference to "overcoming" and "solving" their "problem" of same-sex attraction may in fact refer to bisexuals who simply decide to confine their pursuit of romantic relationships to members of the opposite sex. This option is not available to lesbians and gays.

Their description of opposite-sex married couples as being in a "heterosexual marriage" also shows their decision to not consider bisexuals. Many same-sex marriages and opposite-sex marriages include one or two bisexuals.