You Can't Make Me Straight!

So here goes another rant. From this Slate article. The point of the article is that, as many of us knew, being gay is not a "lifestyle choice." Science has discovered that well it may not be genetic, it is natural, has natural, uncontrollable causes, and thus, makes it an immutable characteristic, worthy of the government's protection against discrimination.

But the author, brilliantly, gets at something else. The science is increasingly pointing at hormonal factors in the mothers womb. Hence the title "The gay culture war is about to turn chemical." Some of the religious right is strongly advancing the idea that if you can chemically alter a fetus so that it won't grow up to be gay, then it should become standard medical procedure. Without delving too much into the hypocrisy of a member of the religious right now turning to science, I hope you see how wrong this is. But you might not.

"If the idea of chemically suppressing homosexuality in the womb horrifies you, I have bad news: You won't be in the room when it happens. Parents control medical decisions, and surveys indicate that the vast majority of them would be upset to learn that their child was gay. Already, millions are screening embryos and fetuses to eliminate those of the "wrong" sex. Do you think they won't screen for the "wrong" sexual orientation, too?"

I can understand this feeling of parents; I'm sure my parents feel it all the time. Not because they don't love me for who I am, but because they know how hard life has been and will continue to be for me. (There's also the whole "I might go to hell thing," but that's a topic for another post.)

Which is why ALL OF US need to work to make our society more acceptable of gayness. The sooner we start changing minds that being gay means a worse life, the less the possibility that chemically-made straightness will become widespread. We have time; research is still trying to find out what actually happens in sheep, so it will be some years before this is even remotely viable in humans.

But it is coming, and we need to be aware of that. And when we see prejudice against anyone, we need to stand up. Change is natural, so societal "values" can and do change. When being gay is no longer "considered disordered," then little gay and lesbian fetuses can grow up to be who and what God destined them to be. That's my prayer.