Gay sheep do their part for progress

The latest research conducted into homosexuality in animals adds to the mounting evidence that it is a naturally-occurring and hormonally-influenced orientation of prenatal origin.

From the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, and the research of Charles E. Roselli, Radhika C. Reddy, and Katherine R. Kaufman, the new sheep study (concluded in Jan 2011) showed a percentage of rams which had an exclusive preference for partners of the same sex.

There was clear identification of an ovine (sheep) sexually dimorphic nucleus (oSDN) in the medial preoptic area.  This area in sheep directly corresponds to the medial preoptic area in the human hypothalamus, further bolstering the neurohormonal theory of homosexuality in humans.  Evidence showed that the size of the oSDN is organized prenatally by testosterone, the same findings in other animals that have been researched, including humans.

The Human Body: Multi-functional by Design

@ chuckcat:
(Response to chuckcat's comment)

For starters I would ask you to read question #5 on the FAQ page, as well as take a look at the anal sex question addressed in this blog.  Beyond that, as an evolutionary biologist I can assure you of three things:   (1) Homosexual pairings and homogenital sex acts are readily found throughout the animal kingdom and as such are in fact natural.   (2) The human body is entirely capable of (and in fact even designed to) accommodate sex acts between persons of the same sex.  And (3) our common evolutionary ancestors from approximately 170 MYA were monotremes – mammals with a few reptilian characteristics – including a cloaca, which is a “multi-purpose hole” that acted as a urinary tract, anus, and genital/reproductive pore all in one.

Point three is important because it highlights our evolutionary ancestry as well as the amazing capacity, multi-functionality, and adaptability of animals, including humans.  As a species we retain the calling card of our ancestral past in our embryonic stage, wherein a cloaca still forms and eventually splits.  In a minority of women, however, it never does split, which causes a condition known as persistent cloaca (where the urethra, vagina, and anus remain fused and form one single opening and channel).

Coming to a Town Near You: Android Nuptials!

Mmmmm...sweet robot lovin'

 
This hilarious piece of info was sent to me from a friend in the U.S.

Apparently some fear-mongering "afraid of the gays" right-wing loony guy named Robert Broadus, a Republican candidate for U.S. Congress, has "warned" the Maryland state Assembly that if it passes a marriage equality law it will lead to android weddings.  (Maryland looks to very soon have marriage equality; the state Senate has already passed the bill and the state House will vote on it soon.)

Okay, seriously, this is just desperately insane.  I literally laughed out loud when I read about this.  It's beyond logic.  What on earth are these people smoking that makes them so loopy?!  Whatever it is it must be expensive stuff, because it obviously works really well.

Here's a peek inside Broadus' scary mind with this quote:

"If you pass this bill you will set the groundwork that one day, when artificial intelligence is that advanced, you will be considering whether people will marry their androids. Anyone who’s watched Star Trek, you’ve seen the character Data …He was able to generate a tear because he could feel emotion...If you say that any two people who love each other can get married, then you set that precedent."

What??  It doesn't even make any sense.  Sounds to me like he watched Bicentennial Man and he's been having nightmares about it ever since.  Or maybe he recently watched A.I. and he's become obsessed with Jude Law as the gigolo android character, Gigolo Joe.  Apparently he has a thing for Star Trek's Data, too.  Hmmmm, perhaps Mr. Broadus is just into male androids; maybe he's conflicted over his own homorobosexual feelings for robot dudes.

I think this guy might be genuinely nuts.  In January he went on a different rant against marriage equality, fixating on male-male sex and blaming same-sex marriage for the breakup of his own failed marriage.  He and his wife (poor woman) recently divorced.  I think I see why.  The guy's a wacko!  Either that or his wife finally got sick of hearing him obsess over hot male robots.

We've heard this slippery-slope sky-is-falling garbage before, and now it's getting more and more desperate because they know they're losing the battle.  It's actually pretty comical.

Equality is coming and it's here to stay.  Deal with it robo-Robert Broadus.

Philippine Anti-Discrimination Bill: Necessary and Long Overdue

This post is partially in response to the following comment posted by ''Gary45.''  Since I was already planning to write about the anti-discrimination bill, I'll use this comment as my starting point:

"You said: "Gay rights are non-existent in the Philippines".  Really?  Are gays not Filipino citizens?  Our Constitution already guarantees respect for human rights (section 11), the rights of workers (section 18), equal access to public services (section 26), equal employment opportunities for all (section 3 article XII), and even against threats on libel, slander and sexual harassment in the Penal Code.  Merit is the basis for employment.  Education, work record, experience, performance.  If a gay is fired for wearing too much lipstick he/she (?) can make a complaint to DOLE or DOJ.  New laws and more laws aren't necessary when we already have laws for this and that, regardless of the implications to religious liberty. ..."

Excellent comment and excellent point.  Your insensitivity on the matter, however, is disappointing.  It's unfortunate that you refer to gay men as "he/she."  It is also highly unlikely that a gay man would be fired for wearing lipstick since gay men don't wear lipstick.  Some male-to-female transgenders do, however, so perhaps they are the ones to whom you are referring.

The proposed Anti-Discrimination Bill pending in Philippine Congress (House Bill 1483), is an extremely important piece of legislation.  At first glance, the points raised in the above comment may make it seem that such a bill is unnecessary.  In a perfect world that may be true, but the last time I checked Earth isn't perfect and neither is humanity, which is why the majority of democratic countries today have some form of anti-discrimination law protecting their LGBT citizens.

Anti-Discrimination = the Death of Free Speech / Freedom of Religion?

The very important comment left in the previous post, "We accept you...as long as you never find fulfillment", reads as such:

"I think it is a big question mark for you to say gay marriage would not impact on religious freedom.  I have read alot of articles about that exact thing happening in other countries with lawsuits etcetera.  I did even read about your country where a pastor has been arrested for saying homosexuality is a sin and he is in prison.  That doesn't sound like democracy and a free country to me. ...You cannot deny that this issue has negative implications for Christian speech.  That is why I am skeptical about it all.  Not because I am anti-gay but becuase [sic] I fear for the end of free speech and religious freedom."

Given the nature of the comment, and my inability to answer it effectively in the limited space provided for comment replies, I decided to address it here in it's own post.  It's quite important and worth taking a close look at.

First off, I absolutely understand your point and I agree that freedom of speech and of religion must be protected.  This is not negotiable.  These freedoms are firmly enshrined in democratic constitutions, including the constitutions of both Norway and the Philippines.  I must correct you, though, on the pastor to whom you refer.

"We accept you...as long as you never find fulfillment"

I'm not a Catholic.  Like the majority of Scandinavians I'm a Protestant, a Lutheran to be exact.  The Evangelical Lutheran Church tends to be quite liberal compared to the Catholic Church.

(A warning:  if you're über-conservative you may not want to read the next two paragraphs unless you have your heart medication nearby.)

In the Lutheran Church we have female priests and bishops.  Yes, women are just as good as men.  We also have openly gay and lesbian priests and bishops.  What's more, we allow our priests to get married (both the straight ones and the gay ones); we don't get worked up over divorce; we think condoms are cool; and we don't have a sanctimonious tantrum if two people of the same sex want to get married.  This is evident by the picture above from a recent wedding in Oslo, Norway, where two men were married (gasp!) by a female priest (double gasp!) inside a church (asthmatic gasp!).

One of our bishops recently attended the opening of a Gay Pride Festival in one of Norway's biggest cities and delivered the closing speech as well, saying "The LGBT community has fought a hard fight the last 60 years.  At the core is the fact that the love between two people of the same sex is nothing to be ashamed of."  As you can see, homosexuality is not a "crisis issue" in Norwegian society or in Northern European societies as a whole, or in the Lutheran Church.  The popular governor of Norway's Vestfold county, for example, is openly gay and married to a Lutheran priest.  I'm no fan of intimacy between church and state (pun intended), but in the case of the priest and the governor I'll make an exception. ;)

Shame on Star World

If you happen to live in Asia, and if you happened to watch the 68th Golden Globe Awards on Star World, you may have noticed something.

During Jane Lynch's acceptance speech for winning best supporting actress in a comedy series, Star World muted out a word she said.  What was this awful word that Star World found offensive and necessary to protect us from?  Something dirty like "f**k" or "s**t"?  No, the word Jane Lynch said which terrified the Star World censors was the word "wife."  That's right:  wife.

Jane Lynch and her wife, Lara

For those who may not know, Jane Lynch, who plays the highly entertaining character Sue Sylvester on the smash American hit Glee, is in real life a lesbian and is happily and legally married to her wife.  During her short speech at the Golden Globes, she wished to thank her spouse for the support she's given throughout her career, just as every other married person who receives an award does.  But Jane's situation is different and "scary" because she's a woman married to a woman.  Oh Star World, your ignorance and bigotry betrays you.

Clearly this is offensive and crudely discriminatory.  Jane Lynch has just as much a right to express her gratitude to the person she loves as does anyone else.  To rudely and unabashedly mute out her use of the word "wife" was amazingly immature, prejudiced, and ignorant of Star World.

It is made even more offensive by the fact that, in 2010, Star World aired a very decent commercial in the Philippines around the time of the presidential election.  It was an advertisement for civility, was created by Star World, and it called upon peoples' better angels to hope for a better tomorrow, strive for a future without corruption, and see an end to discrimination against gays and lesbians.

Really, Star World?  Are you that hypocritical?  To say in 2010 that you hope discrimination against LGBTs will end, and then turn around and engage in blatant discrimination in 2011, is the very definition of being a hypocrite.

SHAME ON YOU, Star World.  Please grow up.  It's not 1952 anymore.

I encourage each of you reading this to send an email to Star World Asia to express your disappointment, which I have done as well.  They need to know that this type of behavior is not okay.

Main email address:  world@foxinternationalchannels.com
Email address of their PR department:  finawong@ngcasia.com

Addition:  Star World's hypocrisy goes on and on.  They recently (early March) aired a 30-minute program called The Making of Katy Perry's Firework, and in it they completely clipped out the section where Katy talks about the scene in which a young gay man works up the courage to kiss the guy he likes.  Katy also talked about how strong of a supporter she is of gay rights, and, of course, Star World put that on the censorship chopping block as well.  To add insult to injury, when the full video was shown at the end of the documentary, the network completely cut out the moment when the two young men kiss in the nightclub.

Star World, your ignorance and prejudice make me sick.  I feel so sorry for LGBT Asians, that any reference of them or acknowledgment of their existence is immediately censored, blurred, clipped, and deleted away.  You, and every other network in Asia, promote the idea that their very existence is shameful and threatening; something to be hidden and denied.

You're unprofessional, discriminatory, and, in the opinion of this heterosexual European, you're disgusting.  YOU are what's shameful; not the millions of LGBT Asians whose oppression you actively support.


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According to the Brain: Love is Love

Gay or straight, female or male -- the brain activity connected to romantic love is the same.

A new study out of UCLA shows that love doesn't discriminate... at least not when it comes to brain activity.  In the study, 24 volunteers were connected to an fMRI machine and asked to look at pictures of their sweethearts.  They were then shown pictures of people of the same gender as their partner, but no romantic connection was shown.

The participants ranged in age from 19 to 47, and the study was conducted half and half between men and women, some gay some straight.  The common denominator was that all reported to be very much in love with their partner.

Measurement results showed that all groups had an identical pattern of activity in the brain.  Especially active areas were the hypothalamus, the ventral tegmental area, caudate nucleus and putamen -- areas of intense neurotransmitter activity stimulated by dopamine.

Dopamine has varying degrees of significance in the regulation of emotions, and how we relate to others. Love not only enhances the activity in key areas of the brain, but it also disables most of the cerebral cortex.  Among the areas which calm down when you look at your significant other, are sections of the temporal lobe, parietal lobe and frontal lobe.

According to Professor Semir Zeki, one of the researchers behind the study, "Passionate romantic love is usually triggered by something visually, and is an immersive and disorienting state.  Previous studies have shown that no matter how complex this feeling is, it appeals only to a few areas in the brain." 

This enabled Zeki and his colleagues to conclude that it would be easy to spot any differences between gender or sexual orientation -- differences they did not find.

Yet another example, thanks to modern science, that the brain sets sexual orientation, and that the romance experienced in same-sex love is identical in strength and innateness to opposite-sex love.  According to the brain:  Love is love.

Ref. report on www.forskning.no