7th February 2004, 3:08 PM
Quote:Again, we're not covering any new ground. You're going to ignore the basic rules of biology and genetics that I reference, and respond by saying that I hate gays and that I'm an all-around bigot, and that I'm wrong just because you can't understand how it all works. I'd prefer we skip all that.
Irregardless of what you think of them personally, your positions mean that you do and you are.
Quote:I don't get how you divine proof of a genetic cause from this article. It actually specifically questions that more than once in your article. Much of it can be explained by environment, and so little can be explained genetically. As I and others explained several times before, homosexuality is such a practice that genetics tend NOT to be passed down, therefore there's little chance something as widespread as homosexuality could possibly be genetic. If it were genetic, there would be a significantly smaller number of gay people, by the very virtue of how few father offspring. Then there's the fact that sexuality is a behavior, and no particular behavior is ever genetic. Not one. We are born sexually androgynous. Some animals have traits that are used for sexuality, such as pheromones, but humans do not have these.
So sad... but is there any point in repeating what I have said ten times before?
Quote:There's also such little scientific evidence to support it. Has there ever even been a generational study on a genetic possibility, preferably more than two generations? You mention, often, how ancient Greco-Romans were overtly homosexual. Why, then, are their descendents NOT? If it were a genetic trait, this would be an obvious result, as as modern-day Greco-Romans still exhibit many physical traits that their ancient forebears did.
For one thing you miss the point of my example. Greco-Roman tradition had a thing with older men and young boys. Then later the boys would marry... so clearly they were not homosexual (in the vast majority I mean). This is an example of just cultural homosexuality... you would get used to it and (given how the brain can do all kinds of funny things) get used to it, but was it genetically what they were predisposed to? No. That is a different kind of homosexuality -- homosexual acts, but not actual homosexuality. That requires genetics.
When their decendants stopped teaching people the practice it naturally died out, like all ideas do when people stop doing them.
It just proves that homosexuality is hardly some new or unnatural thing. It is very natural and throughout history people have had it. As for passing it on, that is a good question. Clearly in the past most people who were homosexuals had to live as heterosexuals so the question is mostly answered like that. And also, it clearly is not a trait that requires a homosexual parent -- many, many people who are homosexual do not have homosexual parents. So I don't know what it is, but it's not something that requires your parents to have it for you to have it as well... so your "point" about it dying out is wrong. You don't have to be homosexual to have homosexual children and the entire animal kingdom proves that absolutely.
Quote:And even if it were a genetic thing, and I'm hardly conceding that it could be, that does not mean one is unchangably tied to it. Take obesity for example. Obesity is a proven genetic trait, yet all it means is that a person is more likely to become fat. There are people who can sit around and eat potato chips all day and be razor-thin, there are others who gain that weight more easily. Yet, even someone with the short end of the genetic stick can avoid obesity by maintaining an active lifestyle with exercise and nutrition. Genetic defects can be overcome. Therefore, I can never accept the notion that even if one day it is determined beyond doubt that homosexuality is a genetic defect, that it forces anyone to adopt the entire homosexual lifestyle.
Yes, you could live unhappily in a heterosexual relationship, but make no mistake -- you would not be happy. You just don't understand this concept... they do not choose anything. They just know who they are attracted to, and it isn't the same gender. Same deal for transsexuals... strange group that is true, but they aren't happy as the gender they were born in... some biological thing is not the same as most people, in each of these cases. What? I don't know. But there is something. We'll have to wait for more genetic evidence before we can begin to really nail it down though...