This data is, unfortunately, second hand, but it IS handed down directly to me by an expert on the field, a man who has taught Human Behavior courses for over 30 years, and who has kept, I daresay, better tabs on the current state of the science than anybody else who posts here.
Current scientific belief is that Homosexuality is CAUSED. It is caused by changes which the developing fetus undergoes before a certain period in the pregnancy, changes which affect the structure of the brain. These changes are common to EVERY homosexual brain ever studied, and differ in concretely from a heterosexual brain, both in males and females.
The agent which causes the change is currently accepted to be chemicals released by the mother when she undergoes greater than a certain (unspecified) amount of stress during the critical time in the pregnancy.
In this way, it is similar to when other outside agents, such as alcohol, or thalidomide, or any of a myriad other chemical combinations ingested by or produced by the mother, change the manner in which a fetus develops.
What follows is opinion:
1.) It is ludicrous to claim that homosexuality is a 'lifestyle choice,' given the above findings, as ludicrous as claiming that having flippers for hands or having fetal alcohol syndrome is a 'lifestyle choice.'
2.) If you're REALLY looking for a 'Lifestyle Choice' that deserves no protection from discrimination, it's Religious Affiliation. Nobody's 'born' religious, in ANY denomination. It's a learned behavior. It has to be carefully taught.
SO... 'let's not hire any more Fundies, anybody! We don't want their kind teaching and perverting OUR kids with their evil ideas! Let's track 'em down, beat 'em senseless and tie 'em to fences! Ya' wanna get closer to God? We'll send ya there FED-EX!'
Do you see where this kind of thinking LEADS??
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"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master
So, when my Mom was pregnant with me, and my sister was killed, this could have caused me to be a homosexual? Interesting, I had never thought about it that way. Instead I am just warped and chemically imbalanced.
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Well, it's done, yes, the deed is done.
[This message has been edited by Ritten (edited December 12, 2000).]
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"You know, you--you let a wolf save your life, they make you pay and pay and pay..."
- Fraser, "due South"
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"Karate is a form of martial arts in which people who have had years and years of training can, using only their hands and feet, make some of the worst movies in the history of the world." - Dave Barry
Quatre.
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"Omae o korusu..." - Heero Yuy
[This message has been edited by Quatre Winner (edited December 12, 2000).]
"Everyone is born right-handed, but there are those who overcome it."
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"I'm not like George Bush. If he wins or loses, life goes on. I will do anything to win." - Al Gore, Newsweek, 1999
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ayr.virtualave.net
"C'est la nuit blanche/let's go out all night"
-11:30, La Nuit Blanche
"If any of you are still white, we can cure you."
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"I finally see that what we thought was a fun way to celebrate our love was really an expression of hostility and disrespect toward Jesus."
--
Bill Metz, in The Onion
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Read chapter TWO of "Dirk Tungsten in...The Disappearing Planet"! Now with 30% more plot.
"SO... 'let's not hire any more Fundies, anybody! We don't want their kind teaching and perverting OUR kids with their evil ideas!"
Well, I can't disagree w/ that... :-)
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"I suppose it's possible my mother is a product of my imagination, but that raises more questions than it solves, really."
-Simon Sizer, 4-Dec-2000
Until it crosses the line where your belief system of choice starts interfering with how you do your job. And then you'll be sacked.
Quatre.
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"Omae o korusu..." - Heero Yuy
(Of course, some of the more wacky faiths also teach that birth defects are punishments from God - another ridiculous concept, IMHO - so perhaps you could look at it that way...)
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"Ed Gruberman, you fail to grasp Ty Kwan Leap. Approach me, that you might see." -- The Master
Sexuality is complex. It would not surprise me a bit that 1st of 2's source is correct.
~~Baloo
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It is more important to understand than it is to agree.
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