Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site bbncca.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!houxm!ihnp4!bbncca!rrizzo From: rrizzo@bbncca.ARPA (Ron Rizzo) Newsgroups: net.motss Subject: Re: Biological basis for homosexuality? Message-ID: <1198@bbncca.ARPA> Date: Mon, 10-Dec-84 12:53:03 EST Article-I.D.: bbncca.1198 Posted: Mon Dec 10 12:53:03 1984 Date-Received: Tue, 11-Dec-84 03:49:31 EST References: <390@ptsfa.UUCP> Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Ma. Lines: 37 Well said, Rob! I think sexual orientation is a complex matter, which goes far beyond matters of biological gender or cultural gender role. This is not to deny that sexual orientation is a profound facet of personality, perhaps as permanent as any other facet (any personal trait can be changed; after all, torture works), & as valid. This is also not to ignore a lot of data which suggest that most people are predominantly gay or straight in North America, with a smaller middle group of bisexuals, or to rule out in advance biological factors which may at least partly underlie this fact. However, much of the discussion of candidate biological factors that I've seen is mired in gender stereotypes often peculiar to North America. Sexual orientation is problematic, in all its variety. Eg, why are there heterosexuals at all? The darwinian sketches of an explanation I've heard seem meager, ad hoc, & not very confid- ently advanced. I think it's time (is net.motss the place?) to open a possible pandora's box by making the case for homosexuality (& hetero- sexuality, too? I see "procreation" lingering like a ghost around most people's attitudes toward it) as a matter of totally voluntary choice. I should seek out not only sexual but emotional relationships with people of the same sex (or the opposite sex) simply because I WANT TO, FEEL LIKE DOING SO, & to HELL with any other justification! & society, law, etc. should SUPPORT these choices as they have those of hetero-not-too-sexual monogamy cum marriage. (I assume most readers of net.motss understand "orientation vs. preference" and don't entertain the silly notions of homosexuality implicit in American homophobia -- that it's temporary, a result of peculiar formative influences, pseudo-feminity/masculinity etc. I also assume readers don't regard heterosexuality as god-given, natural, more valuable, etc.) Ron Rizzo