RE: [asa] Homosexuality & brain scan study

I think it is nonsense because there are many factors at play, such as
culture, which are totally ignored.

Also consider this: what is gay? How is "gayness" determined? How
"gay" are they... 10%, 50%, 90%? I hear some guys on TV talk shows
saying they are not gay- they just enjoy sex with the same sex. Are
they gay? I've heard those in prison say the same thing- not gay, just
having sex. Are "bi-sexuals" gay? If you can't even determine who is
gay or not, or how to define it, how could it possibly be measured?
Garbage in, garbage out.

Personally, I'm not gay. But I think if I wanted my mind to go there, I
could be. I think for me it is a choice. If I went there, you would
call me gay. If I didn't, you'd say I'm not gay. Did my brain change
because of my decision to not go there? Or would I be called
"bi-sexual." Is "bi-sexual" gay?

Maybe I am dismissing it too early without knowing the technical
details- I just don't understand how the groups could be identified to
start with. "Gayness" is not something you can measure, I think.

What am I missing, because I don't know how this could even be
considered seriously? The first part of the experiment would be
identifying who is gay or not, and I don't know how that could be done.
Maybe some are gay but in denial, etc. Some are 100% gay, some 50%,
etc.?

...Bernie

-----Original Message-----
From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of Stephen Matheson
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 11:11 AM
To: asa@calvin.edu
Subject: RE: [asa] Homosexuality & brain scan study

Bernie--

Perhaps you could clarify how your contribution is relevant to the data
reported by the investigators. Are you suggesting that amygalar synapse
formation and/or hemispheric volume in humans is significantly
influenced by "thought control"? As a neuroscientist, I am keenly
interested in why you have dismissed the research as "nonsense."

Steve Matheson

>>> "Dehler, Bernie" <bernie.dehler@intel.com> 06/17/08 11:02 AM >>>
I think the story is nonsense.

Take a similar question. Do guys prefer girls who are fat or thin? In
the USA, we'd say of course the thin are the ones in demand (look at the
women is a Miss America pageant). But in some places, like Saudia
Arabia, the very fat ones are the ones in demand. The influence of
culture is tremendous. I doubt the guys of Saudia Arabia have different
brains than those of men in the USA. I think a guy can sexualize
another guy or gal if he lets his mind go there- it is a matter of
thought control.

Fat women story:
http://www.foxnews.com/wires/2007Apr16/0,4670,MauritaniaLovingFat,00.htm
l

Excerpt:
In Mauritania, to make a girl big and plump, 'gavage' _ a borrowed
French word from the practice of fattening of geese for foie gras _
starts early. Obesity has long been the ideal of beauty, signaling a
family's wealth in a land repeatedly wracked by drought.

Mint was 4 when her family began to force her to drink 14 gallons of
camel's milk a day. When she vomited, she was beaten. If she refused to
drink, her fingers were bent back until they touched her hand. Her
stomach hurt so much she prayed all the animals in the world would die
so that there would be no more milk.

By the time Mint was 10, she could no longer run. Unconcerned, her proud
mother delighted in measuring the loops of fat hanging under her
daughter's arms.

"My mother thinks she made me beautiful. But she made me sick," says
Mint, who suffers from weight-related illnesses including diabetes and
heart disease. She asked that her full last name not be disclosed
because she feels embarrassed.

...Bernie

________________________________

From: asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu [mailto:asa-owner@lists.calvin.edu] On
Behalf Of drsyme@cablespeed.com
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 7:06 AM
To: asa@calvin.edu; Christine Smith
Subject: Re: [asa] Homosexuality & brain scan study

Interesting, but nothing new really. I have long ago come to the
conclusion that sexual preference is stucturally determined. I do not
think it is a learned behavior in the vast majority of cases. I dont
know whether or not it is genetic, or due to maternal influences during
gestation.

The question of whether or not a gay lifestyle is sinful or not is a
religious question however and not a scientific one.

On Tue Jun 17 9:25 , Christine Smith sent:

        Hi all,
        
        Any thoughts on this story?
        http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7456588.stm
        
        In Christ,
        Christine (ASA member)
        
        "For we walk by faith, not by sight" ~II Corinthians 5:7
        
        Help save the life of a homeless animal--visit www.azrescue.org
to find out how.
        
        Recycling a single aluminum can conserves enough energy to power
your TV for 3 hours--Reduce, Reuse, Recycle! Learn more at
www.cleanup.org
        
        
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Received on Tue Jun 17 14:34:54 2008