Posted on 12/13/2001 12:15:28 PM PST by wyopa
I know that I read here on Free Republic (awhile ago -- perhaps 3-4 months?) an article about research done on the gay lifestyle. The gist of the article was that an independent, non-Christian researcher had determined there is no proof that there is such a thing as a gene that "makes" someone a homosexual. The researcher seemed to be, in fact, surprised at the results of his research.
I have searched here on Free Republic but couldn't find the article. Can anyone point me in the right direction? My son, a freshman in high school, is preparing to argue this out with his entire biology class (all students plus the teacher vs. him). He needs some ammunition.
And one thing Freepers are good at is ammunition!
Any other resources, succinctly written, would also be greatly appreciated.
Don't think I would want my child doing research on the gay-anything on the computer. I'm afraid that he would get exposed to more than he bargained for. Why don't you back off and let the mom help. The way I look at it, in this instance, the mom is doing a good job. I taught for 15 years and would encourage parent input. You have a public school mentality.
NottheDevil IS gay - but pretty rational towards addressing the social context of his lifestyle & its (pardon the pun) RAMifications.
Amazingly, this is a very conservative, rural school in a conservative, rural area. The unanimous (except for my son) opinion of the class that there is a "gay gene" surprised me. Maybe it shouldn't have, but it did.
Thanks for the encouraging words, Pure Country. We are a very hands-on family when it comes to our kids' education. Guess it comes from homeschooling them in their elementary years -- we never intended to take our hands off and haven't. The administration and teachers know us very, very well.
-Elvis
Now, why did I think Willie Nelson wrote that song? Guess I'm too young.
Regardless, sounds like you're doing a very good job of raising your child.
From The Innate-Immutable Argument Finds No Basis in Science:
"...LeVay made a interesting observation about the emphasis on the biology of homosexuality. He noted, "...people who think that gays and lesbians are born that way are also more likely to support gay rights...
From The Fading "Gay Gene":
"The idea of a 'gay gene' offered an ironclad defense of homosexuality; if it was genetically predetermined, then being gay could not be cast as 'deviant' behavior, something 'correctable.'"
From Is There a "Gay Gene"?:
"Many laymen now believe that homosexuality is part of who a person really is from the moment of conception.
The "genetic and unchangeable" theory has been actively promoted by gay activists and the popular media. Is homosexuality really an inborn and normal variant of human nature?
No. There is no evidence that shows that homosexuality is simply "genetic." And none of the research claims there is. Only the press and certain researchers do, when speaking in sound bites to the public...
How The Public Was Misled
In July of 1993, the prestigious research journal Science published a study by Dean Hamer which claims that there might be a gene for homosexuality. Research seemed to be on the verge of proving that homosexuality is innate, genetic and therefore unchangeablea normal variant of human nature.
Soon afterward, National Public Radio trumpeted those findings. Newsweek ran the cover story, "Gay Gene?" The Wall Street Journal announced, "Research Points Toward a Gay Gene...Normal Variation."
Of course, certain necessary qualifiers were added within those news stories. But only an expert knew what those qualifiers meant. The vast majority of readers were urged to believe that homosexuals had been proven to be "born that way."...
From "THE GAY GENE: GOING, GOING … GONE" by Yvette C. Schneider, Family Research Council:
"The idea that homosexuality is a predetermined condition that originates in the womb also has been increasingly embraced by society as a whole. A February 2000 Harris Poll of 1,010 randomly selected adults found that the number of people who believe "sexual orientation" "is more dependent on the genes you are born with" has increased 6 percent since 1995. Thirty-five percent of the people polled believe that homosexuality is "genetic," versus 29 percent who held that opinion in 1995. Fifty-two percent believe that "what you learn and experience" causes homosexuality, as opposed to 65 percent who believed that in 1995.
CONCLUSION
Scientists have not even come close to proving a genetic or biological cause for homosexuality, yet homosexual activists continue to say that sexual activity between members of the same sex is "just the same" as race or gender. Using "biology" as a stamp of legitimacy, activists have pushed for special rights, from sex-partner subsidies to "gay marriage" to adoption. Without scientific evidence to support such claims, it is wrong and dangerously misleading to say that people are born homosexual and cannot change.
Yvette C. Schneider, a former lesbian who is now married, is a policy analyst in the cultural studies department at Family Research Council."
From "A Change In Thinking" by Linda Bowles, TownHall.com, May 22, 2001:
"Many Americans believe homosexuals are born that way and can't do anything about it. For most of his professional life as a practicing psychiatrist, Dr. Robert Spitzer helped promote that belief. He has changed his mind...
For years, homosexual activists and the popular media have aggressively promoted the idea that the homosexual is unchangeably what he is from the moment of conception. This message implants in the minds of fair-minded Americans this thought: If you are born a certain way, how can you be judged for being that way?
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