h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The Bible is at the very least Cobblers.

Careful. I may be gay but I'm also a Christian, I just have major problems with "those" passages which refer to my passages if you get my drift.

Yeah, that sounds like a good way to go about things... I've got a question. How can a straight man react to being called "gay" or "a fag" without sounding insulted? I mean, it's not an insult, but who likes to be called something he's not? I'm not sexist, but I wouldn't want to be mistaken for a female, either.

~Irving

Being Gay is no different from not liking cabbage.

A Homophobe/acquaintance of mine was wondering if it was genetic. ? How would that work? It'd never get passed on as a characteristic.

In that case as long as your secure I don't see a problem. Does this happen a lot?

But In answer to your question, he need only say, no, I'm not, ithout embarking on a trail of homophobia.

Who are you asking?

I was asking Irv looks like you got in there first. Eomando's just expained why this happens over at the Donut stall.

Actually there is evidence that it's genetic, at least partially -- with some psychological issues thrown in as well. In fact, I'm sure that liking cabbage is somewhat genetic. I've heard all sorts of theories about how homosexuality actually serves an evolutionary purpose (men without children of there own are more likely to stay home with their mothers and help raise their sisters). And it would get passed down, as it could be a recessive trait, showing only when someone gets a pair of the genes neccisary for the trait (if someone's father had one gene for homosexuality and his mother had one gene for homosexuality, they would both be heterosexual and the child could be gay).

As to how often it happens, not often, not anymore. Of ourse, in gradeschool and highschool it's a fairly common "insult". More often I hear people saying things like "That's so gay" or "You look like a fag" meaning "You look stupid". This kind of thing I usually just refuse to give any reaction to, or ask them "How, exactly, does one *look* like a fag?". I also like the approach of taking the terms litterally -- "Gay" meaning happy and "Fag" meaning a cigarett.

~Irving

Good point, especially as some gay men pass as straight acting or looking whereas others fit the stereotypical view of homosexuality. So how can anyone appear to be gay if even those that are gay don't all appear to be gay? One of the reasons I'm so able to stay in the closet back home is because I act straight and appear straight. Peolpe don't see my necklace most of the time at straight guys are wearing similar now anyway.

(Just as an aside I read somewhere that homosexuality was nature's answer to overcrowding, for example in a place which cannot support much more population, for example a city, if "mother nature" sees it as too crowded, some of the inhabitants can fulfil whatever sexual urges they may have by being homosexual, therefore not increasing the population as much in the next generation.)

Interesting theory there Joanna. However it doesn't account for the occasion in Sodom where the angels were about to be raped by the men of the town. Overcrowding was hardly a problem then.

I think the point is, that there are evolutionary arguments for homosexuality that should not be ignored. Especially because if it *is* genetic, and scientists can *prove* it's genetic, then it's obviously not a sort of perversion, as some people tend to think. Of course, many of those people think that science is a crock, too...

~Irving

OK I see that angle now. In fact I read a news article the other week about the shape of peoples hands being related to whether they had a propensity to be gay or not.

If homosexuality were not genetic, then why is it still going? Obviously with all the media and social pressure that 'homosexuality is the work of the devil and God hates gays and gays aren't as good as homosexuals', no one (or barely anyone) would CHOOSE to be gay.

The theory I quote is just a theory, it has its good & bad points, explaining stuff and not explaining other things.
The shape of people's hands seems a little far fetched, although I suppose one would need to see the original paper before one drew any conclusions about the validity of the research.

Yeah, I saw a guy on the mall shortly after the above mentioned even took place. He said that, concidering the awful stuff that gays often go through, why would they choose to be gay? "The sex isn't that good" he said.

~Irving

I guess some people could think people "choose" to be gay because they are attention seekers...

(Just a thought; I do not subscribe to this view in any way)

Changing your sexual orientation for attention? I don't think so. Well, some people REALLY crave attention. But, other than them, no.

Quite. But then my hypothetical people who subscribe to this view would probably not consider homosexuals to be normal people, who don't require bunch loads of extra attention. I'm just trying to put across another hypothetical point of view.