Brain Scans Vs Homosexuality! Fight!

[dv8nation]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7456588.stm

The brains of gay men and women look like those found in heterosexual people of the opposite sex, research suggests.

A group of 90 healthy gay and heterosexual adults, men and women, were scanned by the Karolinska Institute

Comments

[dwer]

if it is all due to the brain I can't help but wonder if this might lead to homosexuality being put back in the books as a medical condition.

A medical condition is something that adversely affects one's health, no?

[dv8nation]

I don't know enough about medical terminology to say that for sure.

But I don't think that a "condition" should automatically be considered something bad. Hetrochromia is a medical condition, but I'm not aware of it having any adverse effect on people born with it. Ditto an extra rib.

[dwer]

If that's the case, then so is being born left-handed or with red hair, no?

[dv8nation]

I'm not aware of either of these ever officially being a medical condition. Unlike homosexuality which was listed as such as recently as the 60s.

[ddstory]

The specific brain structure of individuals may reflect the social organization in monogamous and polygamous mammals

Human behavior is related to the size of different parts of the brain

Certain genes might be a decisive factor for defining personalities

Researchers identify the gene that is responsible for alcoholism, high anxiety and addiction proneness

Infidelity (and/or proneness to monogamy) might be genetically inherited

Gluttony gene may be responsible for the big appetite in some individuals

I hereby propose that polygamy, anxiety, gluttony, infidelity and other specific behavior be declared a "medical condition".

[dwer]

fwiw, my mother takes medication for anxiety, and you can get gastric bypass surgery for certain implementations of "gluttony", although I don't think that's the word on the diagnostic form. So I dunno if they match completely.

[sophia_sadek]

All of those can probably be found in the DSM under one heading or another.

[ddstory]

With what degree of probability, more specifically?

[papasha_mueller]

[kylinrouge]

What the hell?

[mahnmut]

Please elaborate. Are you saying that homosexuality equals insanity?

[kylinrouge]

I'm sort of curious what rights he thinks are afforded transgender people that aren't given to people who think they're another person.

But given the intellectual quality of that reply, I don't really care to ask.

[telemann]

I wonder what their brain sizes would reveal about bisexual folks. And I feel so conflicted about this research too: some of the wording in the study makes me uncomfortable. But on the other hand, I firmly believe I didn't decide to be gay, so I have a great admiration and appreciation for research that demonstrates this.

[mutive]

Yeah, I'm rather curious, too. Are bisexuals inbetween? Do bisexual brains look like heterosexual brains, homosexual brains, or something else entirely?

Oh well. I suppose if I'm lucky, someone will answer this with a later study...

[telemann]

Yeah I'd be curious to see that study as well. On a side note: several gay friends of mine don't believe there are really authentic bisexual men-- it's their belief they're closeted homosexuals that just can't come out and admit to themselves they're really gay. Me? I take people at their word for how they choose to describe themselves.

[mutive]

I'm always a bit puzzled by the bizarre belief that there are no bisexual men/people. (Some people claim women as well, but there seems to be a far larger group of disbelievers towards bisexual men.)

I tend to take people at their word, too. It seems kind of silly to say, "You've never been attracted to a woman? Really? Really? You claim to be a straight man, but I have a hard time believing that." I find it equally strange to tell a self-identifying bisexual that - since I'd assume he/she would know who they were and weren't attracted to and the genders of the people in question. Plus, what do you get out of saying "I'm bisexual"? Nothing near as I can tell. Would seem like an incredibly silly thing to lie about.

[gunslnger]

So, 5% of boys are sexually abused, but 35% of homosexual or bisexual men reported being sexually abused, and you can say for sure that it's completely genetic?

[aviv_b]

What exactly are you trying to say here?

[wuvvumsoc]

They're saying there could be a link between sexual abuse and being gay, which I find a load of bull.

[aviv_b]

That's what I thought, but I wanted to confirm their assumption. And yes, its a lot of bull.