Wayne Besen - Author, Activist, Columnist, Public Speaker

Sunday, July 03, 2005

A new book out this week conclusively shows that sexual orientation is natural, normal and certainly not a choice. The only people still saying that nurture causes homosexuality are right wing groups like Focus on the Family. To prove their point, they scrape druggies, loons and sundry losers off the street, and slip them a lot of hard cash to say that God turned them straight. Unfortunately for Focus, they keep running into the walls of reality and science. I guess walls never stopped them. Look how they work to destroy the one separating church and state.

11 Comments:

I'm looking forward to reading this book. I feel it will shed some light on facts that gay human beings are already aware of: sexual orientation is determined long before social factors can have any influence whatsoever. It is fixed, innate, instinctive, "hard wired" into the brain and CNS, and not changeable, in fact, it would be no different if one were to take reparative therapy to become homosexual. After reparative therapy, one must become a hypocritical, born again self-righteous, non-thinking idiot to really believe this stuff. Those who say they have become heterosexual are either: 1. Lying, 2. Were never really gay in the first place but do this because of the financial rewards. I suspect both are the case. The nature vs nurture debate is over as far as I'm concerned. Sadly, Focus on the Family and it's leader James Dobson, are unlikely to change any of their points of view in light of any new information. Melissa Fryear, "gender issues analyst" (what really the F*** is that anyway)will most likely denounce it as well, because she is a former lesbian (yeah right). And a well paid one at that. Tim W.
posted by Anonymous, at 7/03/2005 10:21 PM

What is wonderful, is that these new studies are starting to explain not only the questions the studies themselves seek to answer, but they shed light on other studies that were unconclusive or raised more questions.

We've always wondered why there are more gay men than lesbians. We've also become convinced all foeti begin as female and some develop male characteristics. The variegated effects of testosterone during gestation may explain the differences in homosexual populations among males and females.

What I find especially comforting, is that the Christian right is depending less and less on the infallibility of the bible (a smart move given the increased public awareness of why the bible is what it is thanks to the popularity of The DaVinci Code), and more on "junk science."

We get enough studies like this, which all dovetail, and reparitive therapy proponents can look forward to a career of fighting to be heard at professional seminars only to be laughed off the stage.
posted by PBCliberal, at 7/04/2005 12:25 AM

These studies support (prove?) what we Gays have known our whole lives. But this book and others like it will be ignored and/or rubbished by Dobson's Hocus Pocus on the Family and other hate groups like them.
I think the leaders of these "christian" groups in their heart of hearts KNOW their claims about homosexuality are bullshit, they simply have too much power and money riding on the fictions 'it's a choice' etc. and will never change their position. It's their justification for bigotry and discrimination. These are the same putzes who wont accept the mountains of evidence supporting evolution; one book called Born Gay wont't change them either. But, hopefully the more open minded and educated of the general public will continue to be swayed to our side by these new revelations of SCIENCE and not the voodoobullshit of the religious right!
Gary (NJ)
posted by Anonymous, at 7/04/2005 7:29 AM

The problem with this report is that it's not conclusive. The twin studies show 30% - 50% concordance, but the rest about the activity in the womb is speculation. There is still no scientific evidence, only conjecture which includes this book, that hormonal factors in the womb affect sexuality.
posted by Peter O, at 7/04/2005 8:07 AM

There have been recent studies relating to smell and sexual arousing between women and gay men, as well as a repeat of the infamous "fruit fly" experiment, in which a female fly injected with male DNA tried to mate with a female fly. These are all in a series of studies that will be ongoing for at least the next decade or two. The scientific community is ddefinately approaching this in a very professional fashion, and it's good to see reality and reason on our side.
The Advocate has a special on this subject by the way in its most recent edition.
posted by Kevin, at 7/04/2005 8:51 AM

As I've said in so many posts:
When gay people say it's not a choice, how can any heterosexual be qualified to deny it?
When you ask a heterosexual when did THEY choose, or what would it take for THEM turn gay...they don't have any clue either.
But they won't concede the same is simply as true for gay people as well.
It's only heterosexuals, however contradictory or hypocritical their THEORIES are about gay people, get the benefit of the doubt.
Even ASKING a heterosexual their opinion on what makes someone gay is like asking a man what childbearing is like, and not asking the women in the room or if they do speak up...deny they know what they are talking about.
There is so much ignorance and lying and arrogance coming from the heterosexuals in power against gay people they are very smug and don't even pretend to feel an obligation for otherwise.
It's easy to deny the real contributions and success of gay people and take gay life for granted.
I will state at every opportunity what an offense it is for our President who never lent his skill as a fighter pilot to combat in Vietnam not acknowlege the skill, sacrifice and courage of gay soldiers and LIFT THE BAN and repeal DADT.
All these salutes he's hosting for the soldiers.
I DEMAND to know, in all this saluting...why it's the gay soldiers that get his middle finger?
posted by Regan, at 7/04/2005 12:47 PM

There is another book out
called "When I Knew" by Dan Neil I can hardly wait to read.
It's a complilation of discovery and coming out by many contributors.
I am a highly opinionated woman-hetero and not given easily to common thought.
I analyze and research before I form an opinion.
However, NONE was needed for what I know about gay folks.
I believe what gay folks tell me, look around and see talented and compassionate folks who aren't gay at the expense of anyone else.
End of issue for lil ol me and I would leave it at that, except for injustice.
Deeper research has taught me that our lives together, hetero and gay is a symbiosis.
A fusion of humanity and a miraculous one at that.
I don't want what is a vital component to all human life cut off.
It's appalling that anyone can think there's justification for doing that, particularly if they have no other defense for this outrage except 'God said so...or it's tradition'
HUNH?
Well, here on planet Earth, we're governed by the laws of men and the self determination in what's obviously in our creation given DNA.
The only people who are willing to forget the recent history and the legacy of anything that resembles Jim Crow against any law abiding people are the ones who creepily and gleefully have the smallest hearts known to man.
The expansion of equality, would mean the expansion of the heart.
Unfortunately, you can't count on that, like you can the laws of equality.
posted by Regan, at 7/04/2005 1:01 PM

You'd think that the news that sexual orientation isn't learned behaviour would comfort them.

After all, they spend all this time fretting about the evil homosexuals recruiting their children, you'd think they'd be happy to hear that's actually impossible.

Doesn't work that way, does it?

Funny that...
posted by Willie Hewes, at 7/05/2005 3:10 AM

Exactly Willie!
We're talking serious irrationality.
Heteros want to lie and be lied to about gay folks and what truth is revealed...oh hell, another lie is made up.
You'd think also, that since every dang thing known to man that's been tried can't eradicate gay people.
Why don't we just relax and go the ACCEPTANCE route?
Young gay people and the splendid potential is equal to their hetero peers, so acceptance that everyone is't hetero and was never meant to be is a logical conclusion.
Oh yeah....logic is just as elusive.
posted by Regan, at 7/05/2005 8:50 AM

So, homosexuality has now been proven inborn? I thought that had been done years ago. Didn't Chandler Burr do that, circa 1996? Why bother to write another book at all?
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