After reading this article I simply had to vent a little – not the nicest way to start the year off but a sharp contrast with the warm fuzzies of the holiday posts.
Wake up people! Evil abounds in the world, even in such non-Evil states as Oregon. Yes, Oregon. There, nestled in the humble towns of Portland and Corvallis, tucked away at the Oregon State University and the Oregon Health and Science University, “scientists” are attempting to find a cure for homosexuality. Not content with the wishy-washy realm of psychology and its “Reparative Therapy“, these researchers are concentrating on finding a chemical cure.
The scientists have been able to pinpoint the mechanisms influencing the desires of “male-oriented†rams by studying their brains. The animals’ skulls are cut open and electronic sensors are attached to their brains.
By varying the hormone levels, mainly by injecting hormones into the brain, they have had “considerable success†in altering the rams’ sexuality, with some previously gay animals becoming attracted to ewes.
Success! Let’s all discuss visions of providing said cure via means of a patch, like the nicotine patch. They’ll be curing those homosexuals while they work and play! Think of the Utopia! Oh, oh, and then they mention the idea of providing pre-natal testing … followed (dare we hope) by in utero hormone treatment. We can cure them before they’re even born! Hallelujah!
This just makes me mad, mad, mad. Say it with me – “Sometimes I just shake my head”.
The good doctor mentions that little research is done on sexuality because it is such a touchy topic – true enough. My question to the good doctor would be “why?” What do you hope to accomplish through this research? Increase ram mating ratios? Bollocks. What happened to social responsibility — think about how your research could be used by our (often times short-sighted) culture. Good lord, even Martina Navratilova has spoken out against this research …. Why is our society so quick to dismiss the contributions homosexuals can make to our world? Why do we see homosexuality as something that needs to be cured, fixed, taboo?
Predictably the researcher doesn’t want to take any personal responsibility for his work, shrugging his shoulders because
it is up to policy makers to legislate on questions of ethics
As a final note, I think this Wikipedia entry on animal sexuality is, to say the least, very interesting. Homosexuality in penguins, fetishistic behaviour, faking orgasms, sex for pleasure – it’s all there. But it makes me wonder what happened to the argument against homosexuality that humans are the only ones with that “sickness” – that it simply isn’t natural? What? Oh? That argument changed to say that homosexuality displays a lack of evolution, of higher brain function? You get to argue both ways? How convenient, er, hypocritical.
Well, welcome to 2007 people!
I didn’t read the article too closely, but according to a NY Times article it seems the research has been badly misrepresented.
http://tinyurl.com/yw6gcd
“The news media storm reached its zenith last month, when The Sunday Times in London published an article under the headline ‘Science Told: Hands Off Gay Sheep.’ It asserted, incorrectly, that Dr. Roselli had worked successfully to ‘cure’ homosexual rams with hormone treatments, and added that ‘critics fear’ that the research ‘could pave the way for breeding out homosexuality in humans.’ … Dr. Roselli… insists that he is as repulsed as his critics by the thought of sexual eugenics in humans.”
So, no need to shake your head, Kirk. Or at least, don’t shake it about this.
You’re right Dale – the original researcher is aghast at the prospect of his legit research be used incorrectly, or misinterpreted. Good thing nobody ever does that too. I’m sure that now that he has stated his intent for the research, that nobody else will use it for their own purposes. And I’m also sure that his purposes are particularly noble and not at all homophobic. I mean, if he were homophobic he wouldn’t be aghast, right?
Sorry man, still shaking my head.