I just finished watching a kitschy little movie about drama camp. Many many gay themes there, and among them was the perennial, “My life is horrible… because I’m gay.” I know how this feels, because I’ve lived the cliche. Most of my young adult life was spent wallowing in self-pity. And no amount of lecturing from my parents could pull me out of my funk.
In my “Rams in the Thicket” post I predicted that the “it’s in my genes, I can’t help it” argument could eventually backfire due to advances in understanding of the biological underpinnings of homosexuality. What happens, I wondered, when we learn enough about biology to change sexual orientation, or at least to ensure heterosexuality and prevent homosexuality from emerging? (For those who think it’s a non sequitur to claim that homosexuality is not biologically caused (for the most part) but heterosexuality can be, see my previous discussion of this apparent paradox called “Born Straight?”.)
That day may be closer than I thought. John Tierney, a New York Times science writer with a strong libertarian streak quotes a researcher who has successfully altered sexual orientation in fruit flies as saying it is not a question of if but when that we will be able to turn human heterosexuality on and off. (Note that Tierney seems to understand the important but subtle difference between biologically based heterosexuality and the more contingent emergence of homosexuality himself, as his post is titled “Turning Heterosexuality On and Off”)
The witty and handsome Darrin Stevens is married to the witty and beautiful Samantha Stevens. Darrin, who is straight, blogs at http://mortalrealm.blogspot.com; Samantha, the gay half of this mixed-orientation marriage, blogs at http://bewitchedtoo.blogspot.com. They’ve been married now for almost twenty-two years and have three children. Darrin refers to the past twenty-two years of marriage thus: “As the frog says, ‘Time’s fun when you’re having flies!’”
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I think this is my new favorite word. It just feels… good… Let’s all confabulate.
From Merriam-Webster:
confabulate \kun-FAB-yuh-layt\ verb
1 : to talk informally : chat
*2 : to hold a discussion : confer
3 : to fill in gaps in memory by fabrication
You probably heard about Romney’s speech about faith in the public square today. It was good, and it reaffirmed my support for him as the best man to lead our country. I was pleased to hear something so authentic in a political race, despite that pundits are crawling all over themselves to say just the opposite.
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