Arbitrary Marks

A recent study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences tries to isolate innate characteristics of the brains of homosexual men and women. Earlier studies have focused on parts of the brain which are more or less plastic–that is, they have to do with perception or reproduction, behaviors that may reinforce structural [...]

No time for a more substantial post tonight, but here’s a link to some comments I made over at Lo-Fi Tribe on the topic of marriage. The original question was whether (in the context of the California gay marriage ruling), race and sexual orientation ought to be equated. So we started talking a bit about that, and Shawn made this comment: “And yes, many heterosexual couples read [legalizing gay marriage] as a reduction of their bond to the banal.” Um, ouch.

This is a promised review, a year in coming. Soft Skull Press sent me a copy of this book about this time in 2006 and I thought I’d get around to reading it when the semester was over. Wrong.
Honestly, after my disappointment with the other text they sent me, I was a little hesitant [...]

To anyone who identifies as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgendered, the question posed by the recent Tierney Labs blog post in the NY Times is not a new one.  It’s just becoming pressing, with the possibility that genetic manipulation–as opposed to reparative therapy–can influence one’s sexual orientation.
One of the researchers involved in the recent fruit [...]

Hopefully I’ll have time to parse this article out a bit more, but I’d first point you to Misty Iron’s take here. Irons is a self-described "straight, married with three kids, homeschooling, evangelical Christian of the Reformed variety" who blogs about giving gay people civil marriage rights. Since I was previously a Reformed [...]

This story is why I don’t typically correct people who mistake my gender, unless there’s a compelling reason and it is safe.  There is a certain discomfort in people which can turn into violence.  I don’t know anything about the bar where the woman was, or how gay-friendly Jackson is, so I can’t comment on [...]

The term “alternative lifestyle” in the media and analysis of ABC’s story about a lesbian couple being barried from communion in Wyoming.

I first heard of this story yesterday in the break room at work, on Fox News.  A transgendered woman was fired from her job when she transitioned from biological male to female.  The other people in the break room with me responded with shock–at first, I thought “Here we go”, assuming they’d be grossed out or [...]

If you read the same blogs I do, you’ve come across this already.  The folks at WorldNutDdaily have published an article claiming that tofu is to blame for feminizing American men into flaming homosexuals.  Andrew Sullivan* and Ed Brayton have more on their blogs.  Immediately, I wonder whether this may not be a double-edged sword.  [...]

“The people who are transgendered, the people who are in homosexuality, I would venture to say from personal experience, that they’re not at peace and that true love isn’t able to be found in those types of relationships.” - Alan Chambers. (From Good As You)
A few questions for Mr. Chambers, who claims to be [...]