OK2BGAY

1) Humans are not the only organism to exhibit homosexual behavior. Let's just start with the observable facts: In an article from the Aug. 13 Oregonian, "Male-oriented Rams May Offer Clues", a study by OHSU and the USDA finds that roughly 8% of sheep are gay. Now, of course sheep are social animals, but do we really think this was a "choice"?! Dubya's administration isn't telling the USDA to study this so that our nation will "be more Christian". They're doing it because rams that don't reproduce lose money.

In fact, giraffes do it, goats do it, birds and bonobos and dolphins do it. Only humans are oppressed when they try. Cognitive scientist Bruce Bagemihl notes that the animal kingdom is a more sexually complex place than most people know--one where couplings routinely take place not just between male-female pairs but also between male-male and female-female ones. What's more, same-sex partners don't meet merely for brief encounters, but may form long-term bonds, sometimes mating for years or even for life. Scouring zoological journals and conducting extensive interviews with scientists, Bagemihl found same-sex pairings documented in more than 450 different species. In a world teeming with more than 1 million species, that may not seem like much. Animals, however, can be surprisingly coy about when and under whose prying eye they engage in sex. As few as 2,000 species have thus been observed closely enough to reveal their full range of coupling behavior. Within such a small sampling, 450 represents more than 20%. (Actually not surprising when one considers the amount of genetic material humans share with their animal counterparts; especially mammals). Among bonobos, a chimplike ape, homosexual pairings account for as much as 50% of all sexual activity. (Many couplings in that species are incestuous, but we definitely won't go there). Females especially engage in repeated acts of same-sex sex, spending far more than the 12 or so seconds the whole transaction can take when a randy male is involved. Male giraffes practice necking-- literally--in a very big way, entwining their long bodies until both partners become sexually aroused. Heterosexual and homosexual dolphin pairs engage in face-to-face sexual encounters that look altogether human. Animals as diverse as elephants and rodents practice same-sex mounting, and macaques raise that affection ante further, often kissing while assuming a coital position. Same-gender sexual activity, says Bagemihl, "encompasses a wide range of forms." Humboldt penguins may have homosexual unions that last six years; male greylag geese may stay paired for 15 years--a lifetime commitment when you've got the lifespan of a goose. Male humboldt penguins can form lifelong homosexual relationships and will remain exclusively with their partner until one of them dies - in zoo populations at least one in 20 of all pairs of the bird are homosexual. Bears and some other mammals may bring their young into homosexual unions, raising them with their same-sex partner just as they would with a member of the opposite sex. Most male bottlenose dolphins pair off with other males during their youth, yet will never bond with a female, even after mating. Among king penguins, some birds show a preference for same-sex mates even when unpaired birds of the opposite sex are available. Female grizzly bears will sometimes bond with each other and raise their young as a family group, though no sexual behaviour has been recorded. In captivity, some elephants of both sexes engage in homosexual activity, using their trunks to touch each other. Among the many British species with homosexual tendencies are red and grey squirrels, badgers, grey seals, red deer, mute swans and mallard ducks. Courting displays by garden birds such as sparrows, starlings, crows, magpies and blackbirds are also often targeted at same-sex partners.

In an AP newspaper article, researchers tweaked a gene, and generated gay fruitflies. My questions: Gay fruitflies cannot have children. I wonder if we'll see extremist republicans in the US Congress push to suspend the research on moral grounds. And if fruitfly orientation can be altered, perhaps there are also
genetically gay army ants. I wonder if they have a "don't ask, don't tell" policy? Now that these fruitflies have been given a "gay gene," so that they only do their mating dances for their own gender, is there any way to "re-habilitate" these flies through counseling, behavior modification, and prayer? One final thought: Are there now "straight" fruitflies in the lab who are sickened by the thought of gay fruitflies and their alternative lifestyle, or given the other 450 species where homosexuality exists (as cited in the article), is that strictly a human condition?

2) Christ never preached against homosexual orientation. On the other hand, he did preach against both lust and adultery. The one passage in the bible that discusses homosexuality, Leviticus 18, was not written by Christ, nor his disciples. Rather it was written in an effort to protect and preserve the Jews while in exile in the desert. Engaging in a sexual practice which would not result in a pregnancy was not the way to further the jewish people and their faith. Neither was eating pork, (which we now know can result in trichinosis if not cooked properly); nor having sexual relations with your wife during menstruation, nor eating shellfish which might be contaminated with what we now know is a dinoflagellate that causes red tide (all passages from Leviticus). Earlier biblical translations of1st Corinthians 6 left out mention of homosexuality. (Corinthians was not written by Christ, but by the apostle Paul).

3) The bible says humans-- are born in the image of God. This includes homosexual, as well as heterosexual individuals.

4)One's sexuality is not a "choice". Reasearch in genetics shows acute differences in brain structure of the gay individual, and research with the fruitfly shows that exposure to radiation induces genetic mutation that causes male fruitflies to do their "mating dance" around other male fruitflies!

Guilt over homosexuality is the cause of one in three suicides among teens today! In 20% of all hate crimes against gays and lesbians, the perpetrators are teens. If you are an individual with questions concerning your sexual identity, there are usually two reasons for homosexuality: sexual abuse during childhood, with homosexual behavior as a way one manifests the abuse; or (more often) a genetic predisposition to homosexuality. If it is the former, please seek counseling so that you can resume a healthy relationship (either straight or gay). If it is the latter, know that an all-powerful, all-loving God created you, and that you are no more, nor less sinful than anyone else on the planet, no matter what others might say. Know that religious leaders, like everyone else, can be ignorant (bigoted), and they can also be power-hungry to have control over other people. There is a much-touted (by Christian ministers) program called Exodus, which has been a dismal failure in "converting" genetic gays and lesbians. Looking for a church? Presbyterians, Methodists, and Lutherans have annual conferences in which they deliberate whether they should have same-sex marriage, ordain gay pastors, etc. While it hasn't happened yet, the numbers are getting better each time. May God bless you as you continue on life's incredible journey... (;-p