Gay...Not a Choice...

Everyday people cut down homosexuals because they believe that being gay is a choice made by an individual. The Decatur Daily News Online posted a poll with the question, "Do you think homosexuality is biological or a matter of individual choice?" and ran it for two days. Out of the 646 respondents to the poll, 458 (70.9 %) said it’s a matter of choice and 188 said it’s biological. This is a completely false assumption; recent studies show that being gay involves genetic and also involuntary changes within a person and has nothing to do with a mental voluntary choice made by the individual. Mirroring this argument, heterosexuals don’t wake up one day and say “I want to be straight!” it just happens as the person matures and develops. Heterosexuals should ask themselves a question, when did they “decide” to be straight? They soon realize that they never made a physical choice; they just developed into a person that was attracted to the opposite sex.

Dr. Dean Hamer, a "gay gene" researcher, and himself a gay man states that "Genes are hardware...the data of life's experiences are processed through the sexual software into the circuits of identity. I suspect the sexual software is a mixture of both genes and environment, in much the same way the software of a computer is a mixture of what's installed at the factory and what's added by the user." Psychiatrist Jeffrey Satinover, M.D. also studies sexual-orientation causes and states that "Like all complex behavioral and mental states, homosexuality is...neither exclusively biological nor exclusively psychological, but results from an as-yet-difficult-to-quantitate mixture of genetic factors, intrauterine influences...postnatal environment (such as parent, sibling and cultural behavior), and a complex series of repeatedly reinforced choices occurring at critical phases of development." Having a close or distant relationship with one of the parental figures can also influence a child’s sexuality.

I personally, have never in my life been attracted to women. During my early childhood development, I looked at older males with amazement, almost as role models. I wished I could be as strong, smart, muscular, and charming as them. When puberty hit, those feelings turned more towards attraction for those men who had the qualities that I once looked upon in awe. I was always very confused when I would here the other middle school boys talking about boobs and such, I never saw what was so good about them.

I had a very strong relationship with my mother, less with my father. My father was at work all day so my mom and I formed a stronger bond. When I would hang out with my elementary friends, who were mostly girls, my dad would ask "Don't you have any guy friends?". At the time, I didn't really have any guy friends because, I felt so distant and different from the rest of the boys at school. I didn't fully realize who I was inside until 8th grade.

I must ask one question, why would I "choose" to be gay if everyday of my life is filled with people insulting me, putting me down, walked all over me, being alienated, and above all discriminated against? I know I didn't choose to be gay and I'm actually kind of glad that this is who I am because, I can educate people on how hard it really is to live a lifestyle that many people disagree with. I hope to teach people that all human beings are the same and we should all be treated with respect.

More Information/Sources:
National Association for Research & Therapy of Homosexuality. (NARTH) Home Page. 18 April 2007

Fight For Adoption, Give Me a Good Reason Why We Can't!

Many gay and lesbian people are choosing to become parents. Some bring children from past relationships or some impregnate themselves using artificial insemination. Others prefer adoption to be their method of having a child. State laws vary on adoption rights, not every gay and lesbian person has the same ability to adopt.

Only Vermont, New Jersey, Massachusetts and California permit same sex couple adoption. Some states permit single people to adopt, others discourage it. Because gays are not allowed to marry, it can be hard for gay people to adopt a child in those states. Thankfully, because New Jersey and Vermont have civil unions, both parents have equal rights in adoption cases.

Florida prohibits gays from adopting. In 1977 Anita Bryant led a statewide campaign to overthrow Dade county’s gay rights law. She proposed that gays and lesbians were child-molesters, she convinced the senators to vote for a ban on gay adoptions. The law has been challenged many times, but only unsuccessful results ensue. There is a current lawsuit challenging the law. The focus, a Florida couple who wants to adopt several foster children they have been raising for years.

FOR

• The United States has a surplus of children waiting to be adopted. It is unfair to keep these children out of a home when there are gay and lesbian couples all over the nation willing to take the children.
  
• Surprisingly most children in America don't live with two married parents. In fact, according to the 2000 census, only 24% homes were composed of a married mother and father with children living at home. The Florida court argues that children are better off raised in a two-parent heterosexual household. On the contrary, scientific studies have shown that children who grow up in one or two-parent gay or lesbian households fare just as well emotionally and socially as children whose parents are heterosexual.
• Studies have shown that children are more influenced by their interactions with their parents, rather than by their sexual orientation.
  
• If a couple has a child through artificial insemination, only the birth parent is counted as the "legal guardian". Through second-parent adoption, both parents can obtain legal custody of the child. In the states that do not allow second-parent adoption, if the "legal" parent dies, the "secondary" parent, even if they have been raising the child for years, can be seen as a total stranger in the eyes of the law. The child may also not be eligible for the "secondary" parent’s health insurance, social security or other insurance if that parent dies. This is only going to hurt the child.

AGAINST

• Florida argues that it has the right ban gay adoptions because, it is the state’s way of saying it disapproves of gay and lesbians becoming parents.
  
• The Florida court argues that children are better off in homes with a mother and a father who are married.
  
• Some opponents argue that children of gay and lesbian parents will be subject to harassment and ridicule.

Hopefully this case is won and homosexuals gain another win towards their "battle" for equality across America.

More Information/Sources:
Belge, Kathy. “Lesbian and Gay Adoption Rights” Lesbian Life. 26 April 2007

The Road to Gay-Marriage...the Obstacle... the White House...

America faces a challenge that many people have trouble dealing with, it's the issue of gay marriage. Countries around the world have handle the issue in different ways; some have approved it in one way or another, while some have chosen to ignore it altogether.

Same-sex marriage has been approved in Great Britain and most recently in South Africa. The United States has chosen to leave the decision of gay marriage up to the individual states. Regretfully, this way of handling the issue was almost overthrown; when in 2000 at the State of the Union address, President Bush proposed an amendment be made to ban same-sex marriage forever.

The president wanted to ban same-sex marriage and publicly announced it, because he knew that it was what the majority of his voters wanted to hear. His actions also struck fear in homosexuals, because their president was willing to ban their right to love forever. The amendment would ban same-sex marriage and also demand that no states would recognize same-sex couples. This extreme, discriminative, and conservative action was backed by many states who were opposed to the legalization of gay marriage.

As of now Massachusetts is the only state in the United States that allows same-sex marriage, and New Jersey, Connecticut, and Vermont have all approved civil unions, the marriage "alternative". However, in 39 states legislatures have decided to prohibit and not recognize same-sex marriages in their states.

No one knows if the nation as a whole will ever fully accept gay-marriage, but gays of today and in the future are fighting for their right to love.

More Information/Sources:
"Public's shifting view can open way to fair solution." USA Today . Academic Search Premier. 4 March 2007.

"Down State." New Republic 15 Mar. 2004: 7+. Academic Search Premier. 4 March 2007.

"New Jersey lawmakers OK gay civil unions." Christian Century 124.1 (2007): 14-14. Academic Search Premier. 13 March 2007.

The [Breif] History of Homosexuals Journey Towards Equality

The homophile movement began years ago in order to bring equality to all people no matter what their sexual-orientation.

After World War Two gays migrated to certain areas around the country, because gay communities were being allowed to form in a few urban areas. From 1950 to 1960, gay bars became more common and gays identified with their identities more closely. However, gays began to believe themselves to be part of a minority group.

Reported by some historians, a 1965 gay march held in front of Independence Hall in Philadelphia truly kicked off the beginning of the modern gay rights movement. ONE Inc. in San Fransisco was the first "Out" homosexual organization in the United States and ONE Magazine was the first largely distributed gay and lesbian magazine. Later several other organizations were formed to fight for gay rights.

Now, in 2007, sexual orientation is not covered by the national civil rights. The United States Military Branches also actively discriminate against gays and lesbians. The nation leaves hate crime laws up to the state. Some states are making progress by adding sexual-orientation to their hate crime laws, while others are not going to budge any time soon. Today only 24 of the 50 states include sexual-orientation in their hate crime laws. Although, more are joining in the trend to protects gays as the years go by. Hopefully, at the current pace that the nation is moving in now, equality for gays will come sooner rather than later.


More information/sources:
Johnson, Ramone. “Gay, Lesbian, Transgender Hate Crimes” Gay Life. 17 April 2007

Wikipedia. Home Page. 18 April 2007 <www.wikipedia.com>

Movie Review: "An Inconvenient Truth"

In Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" he shows the viewers how they are affecting their world and the consequences if they don't make a change. Gore points out many causes of Global Warming which is the main focus of this documentary. He does a great job at displaying the evidence using things such as graphs, charts, and maps. He also uses personal stories and experiences to help the audience sympathise with him.

Gore gives many different pieces of evidence to help the audience understand the effects that they have on there planet. He talks about the recent output of carbon dioxide gasses into our atmosphere which is causing the delicate protective layer to thin. The rays of sun are coming in but because of green house gasses all of them can't exit as usual. The rays are kept in the atmosphere which warms the earth, soon changing climates and temperature fluctuations all over the earth.

Gore also talks about the effect this warming effect has on the animals on our planet. More than ever, animals are going extinct because of environmental changes that we as humans have caused. The Polar Bears are drowning because the ice caps are thinning and disappearing all together, giving them nowhere to rest. Humans are animals too and if they wait to long the melting glaciers would cause all of our sea levels to rise 20 feet threatening millions of people.

Still, some people fail to see what they're doing to the Earth. Some just ignore it because, "they'll be dead when it gets really bad", which is the wrong attitude. Gore points out that scientists have studied the rapidly changing temperatures and discovered that our Earth could go into another ice age in the next 10-50 years if people don't act to protect our world.

Gore accurately gives the information to the audience in order to educate them on the issue of Global Warming. He does a great job in this film and you can tell that he did his research for this one. This is a very creditable film with almost no bias. The fact are laid out on the table and Gore shows viewers how to interpret the data. This is a truly powerful film that really gets to the viewers, because it effects them and their future on this Earth.

Gay Marriage is bad!!!...LOL

These are some hilarious reasons why Gay Marriage would be a BAD idea...
1)Homosexuality is not natural, much like eyeglasses, polyester, and birth control are not natural.
2)Heterosexual marriages are valid because they produce children. Infertile couples and old people cannot get legally married because the world needs more children.
3)Obviously gay parents will raise gay children because straight parents only raise straight children.
4)Straight marriage will be less meaningful, since Britney Spears's 55-hour just-for-fun marriage was meaningful.
5)Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and it hasn't changed at all: women are property, Blacks can't marry Whites, and divorce is illegal.
6)Gay marriage should be decided by the people, not the courts, because the majority-elected legislatures, not courts, have historically protected the rights of minorities.
7)Gay marriage is not supported by religion. In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are always imposed on the entire country. That's why we only have one religion in America.
8)Gay marriage will encourage people to be gay, in the same way that hanging around tall people makes you tall.
9)Legalizing gay marriage will open the door to all kinds of crazy behavior. People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has legal standing and can sign a marriage license.
10)Children can never succeed without both male and female role models at home. That's why single parents are forbidden to raise children.
11)Gay marriage will change the foundation of society. Heterosexual marriage has been around for a long time, and we could never adapt to new social norms because we haven't adapted to cars or longer lifespans.
12)Civil unions, providing most of the same benefits as marriage with a different name are better, because a "separate but equal" institution is always constitutional. Separate schools for African-Americans worked just as well as separate marriages will for gays & lesbians.

The University of Florida's Gator Gay-Straight Alliance is fighting homophobia through activism go to there site to learn more!

>>>Don't Hate, Tolerate<<<

My blog is now making a final turn towards what will be the subject matter in the rest of my entries. Gay rights are as real now as civil rights were back in the 60's. Gays are being harassed, discriminated against, and killed all across the world because of their sexual orientation. I thought America was a "Free Country"...but I guess it's not if it can't give equal rights to everyone. The big factor that feeds this aggression is the fact that people have been taught wrong on the subject of homosexuality. They think being gay is by choice and that someone can just wake up one day and say "OK, I guess I can go back to being straight" and change back. No, they can't and most of the people who say that they've gone straight do it for other reasons such as religious beliefs or in fear of their families. Because, deep down inside they are only hurting themselves, hiding from the world, living a fake life. Don't hate, Tolerate.

The Essay the Teacher Didn't Get

Middle School teachers are so very sinister, they rip your legs out from under you, and then claim that they are preparing you for the future. They love to watch their young students squirm in pain as their grades fall lower than ever before. Teachers just love to tell us that we're wrong and point out our faults every chance they get.

Students despise these kinds of teachers. The hatred towards them has grown from a young age. Students need positive reinforcement along with some kind criticism. Teachers now scold a student when they are wrong, even though the assignment is far to difficult for the students level of education. Take my middle school English teacher, we'll call her Mrs. Z, she assigned a 4 page essay to be written in one class period. On top of that the topic was given to us at the beginning of the period. She told us that "this will prepare you all for college"...in my head I responded "We're not even in high school yet!!!". She also said that we had plenty of time to get the task done, which was 55 minutes. Well, the end of class came and she took up the papers even to the dismay of the students, who at the time were not done. Then she shewed us out the door.

The following week when we were all in our desks, she moved her rather bulbous ass to the front of the room and said "I am very disappointed in all of you". The room became silent as she passed out the graded essays. Then sighs and angry moans filled the room, as we all saw our rather low grades, most of them F's. She hushed us and stated that "If you keep this kind of work up, you'll never survive in college". All of us were infuriated with her, because most of our final grades were a letter grade lower than they were before the essay.

This method of teaching will only bring the teacher headaches, from bickering mothers and whining students. It also brings students a fear of higher education, because of the scaring done by teachers. A teacher that can treat us like people rather than lower life forms can be a great teacher. Any teacher mirroring Mrs. Z's teaching techniques deserves to be taken out, never to return to the teaching pool again.

Politics...Through Bloging?!?!

It's hard to imagine a suit and tie politician sitting in front of his computer everyday writing on his blog. Well today that is exactly what some politicians are doing in order to reach a new and more expanded audience. Politicians like to hear feedback and get comments on the decisions or actions they've made or are planing to make. Blogging helps them do just that.

Blogging allows the politician to write somewhat of a daily agenda for everyone to read, so, when he gets back to his computer he has criticisms or praises waiting for him. He can hear the voice of the people which helps him in an up coming debate or in making his next big decision.

Blogging also helps the politician vastly increase his audience, because as we all know the web is a information highway and much as a congested freeway the web is full of surfers. The Internet also is big among the youth of America and blogging would open doors to the newly registered voters.

The only step that politicians could make in order to increase the impact of their blog would be to announce it at a televised conference, television commercials, and even on commonly traveled web sites to give the blog some attention.

For more information, including the sourced information above see http://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2007/01/14/metlegblog0114a.htmlhttp://www.ajc.com/search/content/metro/stories/2007/01/14/metlegblog0114a.html

Exclusion Of Gays From Boy Scouts

In the past years the most moving and influential event in my life was when the Boy Scouts Of America decided to discriminate against homosexuals. They stated that gays were not living by the Boy Scout Law of being "clean" and the Scout Oath of being "morally straight". The association banned any gay troop leaders and any gay scouts. One Scout spokesman stated that "A homosexual is not a role model for traditional family values" and "An avowed homosexual wouldn't be a role model for those values," [in the Scout Oath]. BSA decided to ban gays even when all of the other youth organizations were not "The Girls Scouts of America, the YMCA, 4-H clubs, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Jewish community groups, don't exclude gays." BSA also lost over $530,000 in public governmental funding in September 2000 alone after the vote was passed to exclude gays from its organization.

At the time of this decision I was a Boy Scout and I was also gay. I felt targeted even though at the time I was not publicly out with my sexuality. Why should it be such a big deal? Why does it even matter? It shouldn't and it doesn't because it is nothing I can change. Just because I'm a homosexual doesn't mean I can't climb a mountain, swim the mile, go backpacking, and do everything else a straight male could do. In most cases I was the best at whatever I did and I was proud of myself. I went backpacking for 88 miles with a 40 pound pack for 10 days in the Rocky Mountains and I swam the fastest mile in the entire summer camp.

BSA tried to stop gays, because we weren't going to get married, have kids, have a little dog, and a nice house in the suburbs; we were going to find our love elsewhere, somewhere they didn't approve, but in the end they didn't stop us.

Even through all the obstacles I proved that I could be a good boy scout, no, a great one.

For more quotes that correspond to the sourced ones above and for a list of organizations/states petitioning against BSA's ban of gays see http://www.hatecrime.org/subpages/boyscouts.html

My Intro

My name is Scott and I'm a freshman at Auburn University. I'm majoring in Zoology and hope to pursue a job at Disney World's Animal Kingdom. I'm self revealing, open, organized, outgoing, social, optimistic, positive, and I love to stand out. I am gay and I am open to any question about homosexuality so feel free to ask. I have been life guarding for 5 years now. I love cars, water sports, animals, Chinese food and hanging with friends.