Homosexuality and Christianity

This semester I am in a class called Understanding Human Sexuality. Interesting, right? Well, part of the curriculum is to write a 12 page research paper on anything within the realm of sexuality.
I started thinking about what would be a controversial topic, something that you ought to have a well informed view on with facts to back it up, and is relevant to life without getting too close to writing a 12 page paper on the act of sex. Yeah, didn't want to go there.
My first thought was the concept of homosexuals in the Christian faith.
Often times Christians are labeled as homophobic simply because we believe that homosexuality is a sin. We get labeled, judged, and attacked because of this stereotype, when many people do not necessarily have a solid, informed view.
If something is that important to people, it is going to come up at some point or another and you need to have your opinion solidly created if you are to participate in a debate on it.
Simply stated, I do not want to appear uninformed or ignorant when it comes to my opinions.
So, I started researching.
I set clear questions for myself to answer.
What is my view on homosexuality in relation to Christianity?
Why do I believe this?
What is the opposing argument?
So far, I have begun to solidify my own opinion. I believe that people who classify themselves as homosexual are still children of God. He created them and loves them no differently from you or I. As such, I believe that we should not turn them away from the church, but rather welcome them with open arms as we would someone who is dealing with alcoholism or pride. No one sin is greater than any other and therefore we should not judge people. At the same time though, I do not think someone can be walking in sin and still be following after God's heart. If someone is dealing with alcoholism and they become a Christian, it is expected that they begin to weed out the sin from their life in order to become more like Christ. In the mean time, we support and love these people. It's no different for homosexuals.
Now, I'm not saying that I expect them to live a heterosexual lifestyle after they become Christian, but rather I think it most beneficial for their walk in the Lord if they are celibate, just as you would expect an unmarried woman to not lay with a man, even though she may have those desires. The desires themselves are not evil, rather it is acting on them.
As I'm researching this more, it is interesting to see how different people react, and I hope, if nothing else, my opinion has sparked some new ideas in you.
What are your thoughts?