Free Republic

A Washington pollster says the majority of U.S. residents are connecting intense weather events like Hurricane Katrina and heat waves to global warming. The Zogby America telephone poll, sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation, says majorities of likely voters in both political parties favor requirements on industries to limit "greenhouse" emissions. Nearly three of every four of those surveyed said they are more convinced today that global warming is a reality than they were two years ago, the polls said. Eighty-seven percent of Democrats said they believe in global warming, with 56 percent of Republicans agreeing. Eighty-two percent of independents...

Few will know this genetic truth, because the 5-year-old's parents and school administrators have agreed that it's in his best interest to blend in as a female. Mental health professionals have diagnosed Pat - not his real name - with gender dysphoria, a condition in which a person believes that he or she is the opposite gender. After two years of examination, they have determined that he is not simply effeminate or going through a phase. "Gender dysphoria can take place during a fetus' development in the womb," said noted gender specialist and sexologist Marilyn Volker, Ph.D., of Miami. While...

Mayor Bloomberg has privately said he has more than enough money to run for President - and now he may have a potential entry strategy. Bloomberg's main political adviser, Kevin Sheekey, indicated that the mayor would be unlikely to challenge Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) - a friend who has been successful with the same category of independent voters to whom Bloomberg would appeal. But Sheekey told The New Republic - in an interview with this columnist - that Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) would not be an obstacle, and could even be an ideal adversary. "If John McCain gets beaten to...

A man's sexual orientation appears to be determined in the womb, a new study suggests. Past research by Dr. Anthony F. Bogaert of Brock University in St. Catherines, Ontario and colleagues has shown that the more older brothers a man has, the more likely he is to be gay. But it has not been clear if this is a prenatal effect or a psychosocial effect, related to growing up with older male siblings. To investigate, Bogaert studied 944 gay and straight men, including several who were raised with adopted, half- or step-siblings or were themselves adopted. He reasoned that if...

A new Canadian study suggests a male's sexual orientation is influenced by so-called nature as opposed to nurture. Researchers at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., found evidence that the more biological older brothers a man has, the more likely he is to be homosexual, findings which suggest a man's sexual orientation is genetically determined. The study says "prenatal mechanism (s) ... affect men's sexual orientation development," which means sexual orientation may be the result of biological processes that occur in the womb. The study's author, Prof. Anthony F. Bogaert, explored the causes behind what is called the fraternal birth...

FOR years, advertisers seeking to reach gay and lesbian consumers concentrated their spending in the print media. There were few effective or efficient alternatives among the media that offered the appealing attributes of sight, sound and motion. To be sure, those advertisers could have bought commercial time on television. But spots during TV series that would seem appropriate — "Will & Grace," for example — cost too much; the shows ran on mainstream networks and the audiences included so many heterosexuals. That limited media menu is starting to be broadened. TV, the Internet, radio and even movies are joining magazines...

Disgraced former Garden State Gov. Jim McGreevey's new home is just down the road from his estranged wife's place - but in terms of amenities, it's a world away. The famously gay pol is slated to close this week on his three-story, 1914 Georgian estate in Plainfield - 10 miles down Route 22 from Dina Matos McGreevey's single-story, 1954 ranch in Springfield. McGreevey and his wealthy investment-adviser boyfriend, Mark O'Donnell, paid about $1.3 million for the ivy-covered home in Plainfield's historic district, sources told The Post. Meanwhile, Dina McGreevey paid $430,000 for her red-brick tract house in 2005, shortly after...

The following statement was issued June 21 by the Communist Party USA and Young Communist League in honor of Pride Month. The month of June has been designated as Pride Month in celebration of the struggles and achievements of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the United States. This coming weekend marks the anniversary of the uprising that occurred at the Stonewall Inn on June 27, 1969, in New York City. The uprising, in response to bar raids and attacks by the police, was led by working-class gay and transgender people, many of whom were Black or Latino, and...