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From: rrizzo@bbncca.ARPA (Ron Rizzo)
Newsgroups: net.motss
Subject: Re: Data: Homosexuality may not be learned (or inherited, or...)
Message-ID: <1436@bbncca.ARPA>
Date: Tue, 21-May-85 17:48:35 EDT
Article-I.D.: bbncca.1436
Posted: Tue May 21 17:48:35 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 23-May-85 00:35:16 EDT
References: <655@ptsfa.UUCP>
Organization: Bolt, Beranek and Newman, Cambridge, Ma.
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I agree with Rob Bernardo (Rob, I was on Castro Street on Mother's Day;
were you there?) & others: the postings on this topic are more a study
in sociology than scientific speculations, though engrossing none the
less.  I don't encourage participation in this kind of wool-gathering
unless it's to reveal how drenched in social attitudes it is.

The problem goes fairly deep.  The wrong questions are being posed.
Sophie Quigley's right when she says that on the face of things the
most problematic fact is why do there appear to be so many heterosexuals?
All of the hypotheses put forward to "explain" homosexuality (prenatal
stress, recessive genes, etc.)
are invidious ones containing an implicit idea of homosexuality as an
exception or deviation from a norm of nature, even if no moral or psycho-
logical censure is intended.  Even the seeming accident of the pun in
the phrase "recessive gene" is not entirely unrelated to the bias that
motivates the kind of questions that netters have asked.

The issues you choose to discuss and the terms in which they're discussed
are important, apart from any considerations of how rational, inspired,
or conscientious the discussion is.  It may seem silly to netters for us
to criticize this seemingly harmless, even well-intended discussion, but 
the kind of more subtle & indirect reinforcement of attitudes that occurs
by the choice of topic & its treatment is probably as important as the more
explicit & direct kind.  For example, I've come to believe that debates
about homosexuality hinging on sexual practices or gender roles probably
keep alive stereotypes as much as they promise to dispel them.

I don't mean to say stop talking about the topic, but only to urge people
to make a real effort to be aware, of the topic, their opinions, themselves
& the environment.  The biology invoked so far could stand improvement; it's
suffered probably because a social issue's involved.

						Cheers,
						Ron Rizzo