[PLUG-TALK] Alan Turing is an isolated tragedy...

[Michael Robinson]

On Wed, 2009-01-07 at 02:49 -0800, Ronald Chmara wrote:
> I am curious as to Mr. Robinson's opinion on XXY people (those born  
> with both typically "male", and "female", chromosomes), as well as XX  
> people born with penises, and XY people born with vaginas, and the  
> whole range of other human variants of varying gender (joined twins,  
> women with testicles, etc.)
> 
> The reason: The terms "male" and "female" seem to have been tossed  
> around a lot, without any clear definition, as have the terms  
> "homosexual" and "heterosexual".
> 
> It's very "dark-ages", pre-science, pre-genetics..... let alone DNA.  
> While it makes for interesting fodder for the under-12 set, I should  
> hope that most adults in the US have had a basic elementary school  
> science education.
> 
> Example issue: are two intersex people, or slugs, or whatever, with  
> both functioning penises and vaginas, considered homosexual if they  
> sleep together?
> 
> 
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There are certain assumptions that need to be recognized
or communication is impossible.

1)  I am talking about humans, not slugs or any other animal or plant
    for that matter.

2)  I realize there is DNA, it just isn't relevant to the discussion
    of homosexuality because there is no gay gene.  At most, there
    are genetic factors that make homosexuality more likely given
    a favorable environment.

3)  Hermaphrodites are infertile.  There is a definite gender that
    they identify with.  Nobody feels that they are both a woman 
    and a man.  Hermaphrodites are also rare and the unimportant
    exception.

4)  Male defines a man who is XY without any genetic malformations
    of his testicles.  He has the correct amount of testosterone
    and other male sex hormones in his system.

5)  Female defines a woman who is XX without any genetic malformations
    of her genitalia and breasts.  She has the correct amount of
    progesterone and other female sex hormones in her system.

Homosexuality is not genetic.  Knowledge gained in  a lifetime isn't a
genetic phenomenon either.  Many preferences that people develop are
not genetic.