[转]what is sex orientation and what is homosexual?
在myspace上看到的一篇blog
写得不错 先讲了讲molecular basis of homosexual 虽然我不大同意作者的"sex orientation is determined when a fetus is formed"观点 不过介绍了很多关于genetic的小常识
我觉得genes responsible for sex orientation can be switched on and off, hence sex oreintation must have something to do with the environment.
然后又说了说大家讨厌homosexual的宗教起源
自从看了torchwood之后 就对gayness比较感兴趣...
想鄙视我的就上吧...
It’s unfortunate that there is such a vast ignorance about homosexuality. There is muchconfusion out there because people don’t know what homosexuality is. They confuse it with other things. For instance, they think thathomosexuality is about physical sex. It isn’t. The physical sexfollows from the emotional need. You can be heterosexual and havephysical sex with the same gender. You can be homosexual and havephysical sex with the opposite gender. You can have sex with yourself.Physical sexual desire is controlled by something else entirely.
First, let me state that there is no "gay gene." Although homosexuality iscaused by genetics, there is no gene associated with it. There is agene that directs sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is an INSTINCT that is hardwired in the brain while the fetus is being formed. This happens though a process knownas "gene expression." It helps to think of the DNA as being a giantstrand of computer code. During gene expression, the division andspecialization of cells take place duringthe forming of the fetus or zygote, the DNA and the RNA work togetherto express the code chemically. The DNA is the set of instructions;the RNA is the factory that produces the necessary proteins for thenext step of the code. The IF-THEN statements of the computer code arecontrolled by the protein sequence. We tend to think of genes as"static." They are anything but that. All genes are "dynamic." Thatis they are turned ON and OFF thousands or millions of times duringzygote formation. It is the combination of the gene ON/OFF sequencestaken together that form the next leg of the construction process. Theproteins needed for each step amount to only one or two molecules.These molecules form the next step in the computer code expression. You see, the DNA is not the total computer code itself. It instructsthe RNA to produce the protein molecules that form the next step of thecode. So the construction of actual code is being manufactured (or written) each step along the way. This is what is known as "gene expression."
Now,to make it easily understandable, I am going to give you a massivelysimplified explanation of how this happens. I am going to write asthough the DNA process is a cognitive thought process. It isn’t. There is no consciousness involved. But there is intelligence that isbuilt into the DNA and into the cell. That intelligence is expressedchemically. Your body is one ultra complex chemical factory. That’swhat life is - a complex series of electro-chemical processes. So,now, let me give you a simplified explanation you can easilyunderstand. While I am doing this, I am going to make this hypothetical mother have identical twins. There is a reason for that. It will help you to understand the process.
Amother’s egg is fertilized by a single sperm cell and the genetic codeof the two (they each have 1/2 the code) is combined into a completelynew strand of DNA. This DNA has all the instructions from the motherand all the instructions from the father, and based on a complexprocess of recessive and dominate genes, particular attributes aregoing to be selected over others so that the individual that will beborn will have features of both the mother and the father. Thatindividual will be unique from the parents. This fertilization forms anew cell from those of the mother. This cell begins to divide. Eachtime it divides, it forms new DNA for the nucleus of each cell. Whilesplitting, these two cells accidentally split completely apart wherethey are no longer touching. So now, we have two completely separatecells that have identical DNA right down to the very last molecule. There is zero difference between them. Now, because of that, you wouldthink there would be zero difference between the end process - the twobabies. But that is not the case. These two babies will not beentirely identical. They will have many differences. Why is that? Gene expression will change their code that constructs their physicalbody.
At first, they are globs of undifferentiated cells. Veryquickly, due to gene expression, they will begin to differentiate intoall the cell types (bone, blood, tissue) that make up the human body,and they will do this in a specific sequence. Now these two fetusesare going to be boys for the sake of this demonstration. The fetusbegins to form and different organs begin to appear. Also externalphysical features begin to differentiate (hands, fingers, head, legs,feet, etc.). Early on, each fetus will be female. All fetuses willhave nipples, but those nipples will only be useful if the fetusremains a female. The DNA codedecides (if-then sequence) that this fetus will become a male. It thenbegins a series of sequences that begin to form a male pelvis, male genitalia,male brain (there are slight difference between the male and femalebrain), male breasts, and other features specific to males. It sendsinstructions to the RNA that produces the minute amounts of proteinsthat form the next step of the code that determines how this fetus will be constructed. So now we have two very healthy male fetuses. Now another series of sequences is constructing the brain and formingits internal structure. The gene expression process looks at theinformation that says this is to be a male. The if-then processdecides that it must have a male "gender identification instinct." This instinct lies dormant until 5 to 6 years of age and then turnson. At 5 to 6 years of age, the child will identify itself as eithermale or female. Depending on how it identifies itself, its behaviorwill begin to differentiate based on its self-identification. In verysmall numbers, certain DNA sequences are changed in the gene expressionprocess because a protein failed to be produced by the RNA, or a singleatom at the end of the molecule is missing. It will no longer match upin the gene expression sequence and as a result, the gene will beeither turned on or off incorrectly. So instead of a "male genderidentification instinct" the infant will have a female genderidentification instinct. At six years of age, it will begin behavingas a female. This is a transgendered child. There is nothing you cando. This person will forever identify himself as a female trapped in amale body. Once the child reaches puberty, he will have psychologicalproblems as a result of conflict between culture andself-identification. This only happens infrequently, but in a nation of300 million people, it becomes numerous enough to become noticeable. But in our case, both these male fetusesare coded correctly and will end up with male identification instincts.(Note that instincts are behavioral instructions that are hardwiredinto your brain. It is almost impossible to overcome an instinct. Trying to change a behavior can psychologically damage an individual.)
But both these male fetuses have male identification instincts. The next step in the process determines again that the fetusis a male, and gives the instruction to produce a "male sexualorientation instinct." This means that the male will desire femalesonce he reaches puberty. Actually, this instinct also is dormant until5 to 6 years of age and turns on. Children can become aware of theirsexual preference as early as six years of age. Instincts controlEMOTIONS, and it is the emotional structure of the individual that isaffected, not the physical sexual desire. Physical sexual desire isactually non-differentiated. It follows emotional desire. That is whyyou can easily have physical sex with a member of the opposite gender,or with the same gender, or with no gender (with yourself.) You caneven have sex with a plastic doll. The physical sexual instinct (whichis activated by sex hormones) does not care HOW one has sex. It onlywants physical sexual release. Masturbation suits it just fine. Yourphysical sexual desire does not determine you sexual orientation.
In the case of these two male fetuses,one receives the correct protein sequence and receives a sexualorientation instinct which will cause his sexual orientation to relateemotionally to females. The other receives protein instructions thatcause him to have a sexual orientation that will be directed at othermales. This is emotional. Let me state this again - this isemotional. It is a fundamental part of the emotional structure of theindividual - one that he CANNOT CHANGE. Physically, he can try not tohave sex with other males, but sex with females will NEVER satisfy himemotionally. It will be similar to masturbation. It will give himphysical sexual release, but it will never give the emotionalsatisfaction that his brain needs to relate properly to the world. Hewill become unhappy and miserable if he never has a sexual emotional relationship with another male.
Nowthese two identical twins are born and later the brothers becomefeatured naked in Playgirl Magazine. Standing side by side, youdiscover that these two identical twins (although they look remarkablyalike) are not exactly "identical." They began life with IDENTICALDNA, but the gene expression produced uniquely different individuals.Now you look closely at the two standing side-by-side naked and younotice that one has a slightly broader face than the other even thoughthey weigh the same. One of the twin brothers is one inch toone-and-one-half inches taller than the other. And then you gasp!! One has a penis that is almost twice the size of the other brother’s. How can this be? Gene expression. Their internal organs can also bedifferent. But - one of the twin brothers isheterosexual and the other is homosexual. They began with absolutelyidentical genetic code right down to the last molecule. They sharedthe very same womb. The mother gave both the same hormones, the samenourishment, the same formation conditions. They have the sameparents, live in the same house, experience the same parentalbehaviors, have the same friends, and are always together. They go tothe same schools, wear the same clothes, eat the same foods, get thesame amount of exercise, are exposed to the same chemicals in theirfood and the air they breathe. Their is nothing about theirenvironment that is/was different, and yet there are physicaldifferences and one is straight and the other is gay. Emotionally,they relate to the opposite gender and to the same gender DIFFERENTLY.
Whatis sexual orientation? You can say it is attraction to a specificgender, but that is misleading. It is much more than that. It is anINSTINCT that affects how your brain relates to the world. You have nocontrol over this. You can change your PHYSICAL BEHAVIOR, but thatwill not alter your psychological relationship to the world. The factis that you can quite easily have physical sexual relations withmembers of the opposite gender, the same gender, and with no gender(with yourself.) These sexual relations will feel good. You will haveorgasms. You will enjoy the human relationship. You can even becomeaddicted to sex with members of the opposite gender or the same genderand want to do it frequently. However, if you disobey your sexualorientation instinct, all you will ever receive is physical pleasureand physical release. The physical sexual instinct will be satisfiedand will give you physical sexual satisfaction. But there is somethingmore important that you will NEVER receive. You will never receiveEMOTIONAL SEXUAL SATISFACTION. If you obey your sexual orientationinstinct, you will receive a DOUBLE ORGASM simultaneously. The firstis the physical orgasm which is how your physical sexual instinctrewards you. The second is a BRAIN ORGASM which is how your sexualorientation instinct rewards you. It will not reward you unless youobey its instructions. If you have sex according to its instructions,at the moment of physical orgasm, you brain will be flooded withendorphins, dopamine, oxytocin, and other brain chemicals. Theoxytocin will cause you to "bond" emotionally with your sex partner.The endorphins will remove all sensations of pain and give you a"floating" experience. You will feel "one with the universe." Thedopamine will go to the pleasure centers of your brain and will vastlyintensify the sensations of your physical orgasm and will give you andoverall pleasurable feeling and feeling of well-being. This issomething very important psychologically that you cannot receive unlessyou have sex with the gender that your sexual orientation instinctsinstructs you too.
Now a word about homophobia. Some people do not realize that homophobiais not normal. It is abnormal behavior that has a specific cause goingback in history. Most people assume they know what homophobia is, butthey are usually wrong. Youshould be aware that homophobia did not always exist. In humanhistory, it is a relatively new phenomenon. It has two specificcauses, and both are due to religions evolving from Judaism. What I amabout to tell you is not an attack against any religion, it is anexplanation about a phenomenon that came about due to specifichistorical events. First, what is homophobia?
Askanyone on the street, and they are likely to tell you it is the fear ofhomosexuals, or the fear of homosexuality. This isn’t true. Homophobia is the fear of being associated with homosexuality one’sself. For many generations, a stigma was attached to homosexuality forreligious reasons. Humans are herd animals. We don’t like to think ofourselves that way but, in fact, we are. We have herd instincts justas all herd animals. One of the greatest fears of any herd animal isrejection by the herd. In most herd animals, rejection by the herdmeans death. In humans, rejection by the herd also meant death upuntil modern society with big cities and human anonymity.
Humansdepend on each other for survival. That’s why we form societies andwhy we have cities. In the Middle Ages, if you were excommunicated, itmeant slow death. People could not associate with you in any way, norfeed you, nor help you. Eventually, without social help, you woulddie. You could not trade or engage in commerce, and as a result, youcould not provide for your needs. Eventually, you would perish. That’s why excommunication was so greatly feared by everyone.
Thestigma against homosexuality until very recent times was quite strong. Anyone accused of homosexuality was ostracized. They were looked uponwith shame. Others would not want to associate with them for fear thatpeople would think the same of them. Those that did associate wereridiculed. The social penalty for homosexuality was severe. So thefear of being associated with homosexuality one’s self grew. You hadthe development of "macho behaviors" as a way of demonstrating that onewas heterosexual. In some societies, men developed machismo, which isan aggressively manly behavior as a way to say "look at me, I’m a machoheterosexual male who hates homosexuals." There is one problem withthat. Humans are by nature omni-sexual beings. This behavior is foundamong many higher species and most importantly in all primates. Ahuman can be sexually attracted not only to the opposite gender, but tovery attractive members of their own gender. This is very naturalbehavior, but in those who have deep-seated fears of ostracism it canbecome psychologically destructive. Homophobes are unaware that beingattracted occasionally to attractive members of their own gender issomething completely normal. It happens to everyone. They will noticetheir own attraction and fear that they, themselves, have homosexualtendencies. Because they have a strong instinct regarding the fear ofrejection or ostracism, this causes psychological trauma and a need toprove to themselves and to others that they are NOT homosexual. Thisleads them to aggressive behavior against anyone they believe may behomosexual. It mostly leads to vocal attacks as a herd demonstrationof their own rejection of homosexuals, but it can also lead to physicalviolence. But where did this "identification" of homosexuals comefrom? When did people start fearing being identified withhomosexuality one’s self? Did it always exist? History and literaturetells us clearly NO. It began at a specific point in history and wasspread all over the planet. Prior to that, homophobia did not existanywhere on the planet. It did not exist in China, Japan, or otherareas of Asia. It did not exist in India, in the Middle East, in Africa, inAsia Minor, nor in Europe. It did not exist among natives in theAmericas and it did not exist in Polynesia. If you read the ancientliterature of these geographic areas youwill find that homosexual sex was praised along with heterosexual sex. As a matter of fact, the concept "homosexuality" did not exist until the time of Sigmund Freud. All sex was considered natural. Some preferred one kind more than others.
