From wt128@freenet.victoria.bc.ca Sat Oct 18 02:44:08 1997
Date: Fri, 25 Apr 1997 22:34:46 -0700 (PDT)
From: "J.W. Denegar" <wt128@freenet.victoria.bc.ca>;
To: wt128@freenet.victoria.bc.ca
Subject: Re: PFLAG Why is My Child Gay



In a previous article, yc508@freenet.Victoria.BC.CA (Victoria Edwards) says:

>
>                Why is My Child Gay?
>
>PFLAG surveyed 11 scientists in 1988. Most of the scientists
>surveyed agree that:
>
>* The exact cause of heterosexuality & homosexuality are unknown
>
>* Homosexuality & heterosexuality are likely to be the result of an
>interaction of several different factors, including genetics,
>hormonal & environmental factors.
>
>* Psychological & social influences alone cannot cause
>homosexuality
>
>* A biological (genetic, hormonal, neurological, other)
>predisposition to ward a homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual
>orientation is present in birth in all boys & girls.
>
>* None of the contributing factors alone can cause homosexuality
>
>* Sexual orientation cannot be changed permanently through therapy
>
>                     Why ponder the questions?
>
>Why is my child gay? What causes one child to be homosexual &
>another child from the same parents to be heterosexual?
>
>Some parents may say: "What is, will be. Why analyze facts we
>cannot change?" Others, because of natural curiosity, or as a means
>of coping with the fact that their child is gay in a heterosexual
>society - seek to explore the origins, prevalence & history of male
>homosexuality or lesbianism before they can accept their child`s
>homosexuality or bisexuality as a reality.
>
>                      Kinsey Scale 
>
>Current estimates, first advanced by Dr. Alfred Kinsey, indicate
>that about 10 % of the population is gay. This statistic is
>believed to be roughly the same all over the world, in all times,
>cultures & climates. Feelings of same-gender attraction usually
>appear to be affectional as well as physical.
>
>In the late 1940`s Dr. Kinsey developed the now widely accepted
>Kinsey scale, which illustrated that people are not either gay or
>straight by that many are in-between. In other words, many men &
>women`s sexual orientation shows different degrees of bisexuality.
>
>Kinsey`s research showed that homosexuality & heterosexuality are
>not absolute independent phenomena but the two are bridged by a
>large bisexual segment of the population that harbours different
>degrees of bisexuality.
>  *
>  **
>  ******
>  *****************
>  ************************
>  *****************************
>  ******************************
>_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
>  0     2     3     4     5     6
>
>Category zero includes all people who are exclusively heterosexual
>& report no homosexual experience or attraction. Category 1
>includes those who are predominantly heterosexual, with only
>incidental homosexual experience or attraction. Group 2 includes
>those who are predominantly heterosexual but have more than
>incidental homosexual experience or attraction. group 3 represents
>people with equal amounts of homosexual & heterosexual experience
>or attraction. Group 4 are individuals who are predominantly
>homosexual, but with incidental heterosexual experience or
>attraction. group 6 represents whose who are exclusively homosexual
>in experience or attraction.
>
>Until the early 1970's the study of homosexuality remained mostly
>in the domains of psychiatry. Different theories about the origins
>of homosexuality were advanced. Most of the theories associated
>homosexuality with psychopathology, caused by faulty upbringing,
>which included a domineering mother, a detached father or both.
>Inaccurate as this assumption was, it was not surprising because
>psychiatrists obtained their data only from people in therapy who
>had mental or emotional problems. In 1972 & 73 the American
>Psychiatric Assoc. deleted homosexuality as a disease from their
>diagnostic handbooks.
>
>The term "sexual preference" was introduced in the 1970's to
>correct the earlier concept that homosexuality was a disease or
>deviation. After 1982, as more scientists found evidence that
>homosexuality & heterosexuality may not be a matter of free choice,
>the term "sexual orientation" emerged & is commonly used today.
>
>Most readers will observe a discouraging lack of data on lesbianism
>& its origins. Few studies were conducted about the origins of
>female homosexuality prior to the s because - through the centuries
>- male homosexuality has been more visible, & less well tolerated
>than lesbianism.
>
>                          Discussion
>
>Sexual orientation is not a matter of choice - how one acts
>sexually is a matter of choice.
>
>If we accept the theory of biological predisposition, what happens
>when scientists prove that homosexuality is genetically transferred
>or caused by something that happened to the mother during
>pregnancy? Would that place a new burden of guilt on parents of
>lesbians & gays?
>
>No. Guilt implies responsibility for a negative result.
>Homosexuality is not a negative phenomenon. like heterosexuality,
>homosexuality is a natural aspect of one`s personality, essential
>towards a full, productive life. Men & women, gay & non-gay - who
>ignore or deny their inherent sexual feelings may deprive
>themselves of much happiness in life.
>
>Homosexuality has existed for thousands of years. When comparing
>different societies, it appears that homosexuality is not a problem
>unless their citizens make it one through prejudice & restrictive
>laws. A society that treats its homosexuals as less than equal does
>a great injustice to many of its finest citizens as well as to
>itself. Such a society will continue to face many self-imposed
>conflicts, especially as science gradually clarifies the origins of
>homosexuality.
>
>Being lesbian or gay is part of one`s total personality - like
>being athletic, artistic, or left-handed - a personality moulded
>since conception by genetic, prenatal, psychological & cultural
>factors. Through their unique characteristics, gays & lesbians add
>a special diversity to the rich fabric of human life, as (in the
>words of Dr. John Money) "did Michelangelo, Leonardo d Vinci,
>Tchaikovsky, Oscar Wilde, & thousands of other artists, scientists,
>politicians, lawyers, physicians, mathematicians & others of
>genius, whose being gay was inherent to their achievements"
>
>
>          About Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays
>
>The first PFLAG group was established in 1973 in New York. There
>are over 200 chapters in the U.S. Groups also exist in Canada & six
>other countries. The primary objective is to help families & their
>lesbian & gay members to understand & love one another, and to
>offer support when needed.
>
>
>
>-- 
>The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation-Pierre Elliot Trudeau 
>WebPage:http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/freeport/sigs/life/gay/menu 
>HomePage:  http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/~ae606
>
>-- 
>The state has no business in the bedrooms of the Nation Pierre Elliot Trudeau 
>Homepage http:/www.ncf.carleton.ca/~ae606
>Webpage  http://www.ncf.carleton.ca/freeport/sigs/life/gay/menu
>