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MALE HOMOSEXUALITY and HOMOPHOBIA: A Species Survival Consideration PART 1 INTRODUCTION From a scientific perspective, it is frustrating to see that what was once considered a clinical problem has now become an important item in political agendas. Switching the focus from what discussions regarding the causes and cures of a significant human problem to what is politically correct and allowable has done many people a great disservice. At the risk of censure and/or prosecution I am writing this as a physician in the hopes of providing a theoretical perspective that can help every person reasonably discuss homosexuality. From the scientific data available and from my clinical encounters with patients having many sexual orientations, I believe that the most fruitful method of addressing the problems surrounding sex is from a species survival perspective. DEFINITIONS For the purposes of this paper, the main terms are defined as follows: Homosexuals: Since like all phenomena, sexual activity is on a continuum, by the definition used here a person is only homosexual during that period of their life when they are having sex with a member of their own sex. Those who live with or are attracted to or feel bonded to or express affection towards someone of the same sex are not necessarily homosexual. These other definitions blur the essential distinction. Homophobia: Although technically a phobia is an irrational fear, most of those who are labeled homophobic are not irrational but are expressing an innate aversion to anal sex and to 1 those whose preference, male or female, is engaging in anal sex. These ‘homophobic’ people appear to have a natural aversion to homosexuals in general and homosexual behavior in particular. Since it is difficult to separate a feeling from the expression thereof and the person from their behavior, what is basically an aversion to the practice of anal intercourse becomes applied to individuals who practice sex in that manner. “Homophobia” is seldom used in a diagnostic way. It is usually used in a pejorative sense to label those who don’t rapidly and readily avow a strong affinity to or tolerance of homosexuals. Homophilia: A particular like and support of homosexuals. Anosexual: Any human, male or female who engages in anal intercourse, whether this is continuous or intermittent, penetrator or recipient. Basic Problems On January 18, 2006, the European Parliament in Strasburg voted in favour of a resolution “on Homophobia in Europe.” According to the resolution, “homophobia can be defined as an irrational fear of and aversion to homosexuality and to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people based on prejudice and similar to racism, xenophobia, anti-Semitism and sexism.” “It is worthwhile to show the incorrect use of the term ‘homophobia’. The word ‘phobia’ in psychological language means: exaggerated and illogical fear of an object, a situation, or a person (e.g. claustrophobia, agoraphobia, etc.) To dissent, either on the basis of scientific / ethical arguments or not, cannot be considered a ‘phobia’.” “Scientists who have refuted scientific theories that attributed sexual orientation or homosexual behaviour to chromosomal or biochemical 2 factors (“the gay gene”) have been classified as “homophobes.” Yet their motives are based on science, not on an exaggerated or illogical fear of an object.” A European parliamentarian from Portugal writes, “We are opposed to all forms of discrimination and violence. There can be no exceptions, not any doubt. However, free and democratic debate of member states over civil legislation cannot be confused with ‘homophobia’… this would create a plane of intellectual coercion and conditioning that is totally incompatible with an open and democratic society. …One cannot confuse divergence with ‘phobias’. To classify divergence as ‘phobia’ is, in itself, extremism.” Moreover, “a great part of the resolution, in reality, does not fall within the definition of ‘homophobia’ it presents, thus losing its pertinence.” The parliamentarian from France wrote, “I voted against this resolution because it does not deal with homophobia.” She also points out that, “all violence against another person ought to be denounced. There are no different categories of citizens. The right to life, the right to liberty and security, and the right to dignity apply to all human beings. The law guarantees these rights.” “Unfortunately, the resolution did not clarify what is to be considered homophobia. Rather, it gave the impression that anyone or anything that does not approve of or support same-sex couples is irrational and illicit. It affirms, moreover, that all are obliged not only to respect such couples, but also to promote and support their lifestyle.” 1 1 New Woman, 2006-01-26 http://www.newoman.org/analisis/articulo.phtml?id=5531 3 From a scientific point of view, currently there is little logic and insufficient good research in the study and discussion of homosexuality. There is considerable vituperative rhetoric and manipulation of guilt that cloud the basic issues surrounding male homosexuality. These issues are: 1) Health hazards from diseases spread by anal intercourse; 2) The threat to human survival from: nonprocreative sex, disease spreading of anal sex. 3) A threat to the integrity of the family and that effect on children. 4) The instinctual aversive reaction to behaviours and people who threaten individual, family and social survival; 5) Helpful and unhelpful ways of dealing with those aversive responses; 6) The suppression of any discussion about the health hazards of anal intercourse. There is confusion partly because so many people are ignoring the obvious health implications of anal intercourse and partly because genuine inquiry and debate have been stifled. Some argue that homosexuality is a natural variant of sexual identity and that there is nothing unnatural about anal intercourse. Others contend, “How could homosexuality be a healthy lifestyle when it spreads disease and is so destructive to the species, the family, society and the individual?” In either case it is never helpful to suppress discussion. It can lead to a serious backlash. 4 Sexual Orientation General Observations Everybody is ambivalent about everything almost all the time, including his or her sexual propensities or proclivity. So that the two sexes will mate and procreate, all societies have used subtle and not so subtle means to help individuals define themselves as either male or female. Ambivalence about sexual orientation is partly a result of some male-female similarities in physiology and sexual hormones. Yet recent evidence has demonstrated men and women are fundamentally different not only physically, and psychologically, but also in the structure and organization of their brains.2 It isn’t surprising that knowledgeable people are now advocating that boys and girls should be educated differently. Girls are anatomically and physiologically better equipped for sitting. They are better able to concentrate on what is in their central vision. Anthropologically, women have sat or squatted in front of weaving, cooking, gardening and cleaning. To be distracted by peripheral stimulus meant they might burn or cut themselves. The caretaker mothers/sisters/aunts exercised multi-tasking because their men were away hunting, fishing or warring. Boys on the other hand learned while walking through forests. Their quick response to peripheral stimulus (impulsivity and distractibility) was a great asset while hunting or fighting. What is an asset to learning in the woods is a great detriment when a young, smart, vigorous male is expected to sit and pay attention only to the paper immediately in front of him. From ancient times, society has recognized that it is destructive to allow its members to engage in sex with relatives, animals, the dead, the young, the helpless, and their own 2 Bocklandt S, Vilain E. “Sex differences in brain and behavior” Adv Genet 2007 5 sex. Because sexual intercourse with anyone or anything other than an unrelated person of the opposite sex could result in too few or too weak progeny, it isn’t surprising there are universal restraints on homosexual behaviors. Some people believe that society has now become so advanced that these moral, religious and legal impediments are unnecessary and archaic. It seems some ‘gay liberationists’ want the world to believe that anyone who agrees to any restraint of homosexual behavior must be either ignorant or morally hidebound. Others are determined to “deconstruct the gender binary”3 as if society could function just as well without 2 clearly defined sexes but they not bothering to find out. This uncontrolled social engineering experiment is well under way. I suggest the scientific data and the reasoning related to this subject needs to be more carefully considered. Moreover, the explanation that best fits the evidence is that although male and female is predominantly biologically determined, whenever there is need of help to clarify sexual ambiguity, there is social constructing and for a very good reason; survival of the human species. Inadvertently those who promote the deconstructing of gender imperil our species. If their arguments are taken to the logical conclusions, then there is any number of sexual genders and no particular norm for sexual behavior. It doesn’t take much imagination to see where this would lead; to the decay and eventual destruction of humanity. It may be that morality serves a practical purpose after all. Without some form of morality in sexual states and behavior, it is quite possible humans will destroy themselves. Already the persistent decline in fertility has governments worried. Not that they care about morality, but they now realize that they cannot run a free market economy with a declining population 3 Mallon, GP (1999a) A call for organizational trans-formation. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Social Services, 10(3/4), 131-142 6 Ethnic guidelines have helped people in almost every culture decide whether they are men or women. With the wisdom of their ancient culture the Inuit are vigorously protesting the imposition of the “gay agenda” by the federal government onto their way of life. They fear the destructive impact of gay marriage on the survival of their people. No one factor determines sexual orientation or behavior. All the following factors may occur in combination. Some are more important than others in particular individuals. The fact that many of these factors can be modified or rectified should induce hope in homosexuals who need to change. For parents who fear their son might become homosexual, there are important problems they can prevent. INDIVIDUAL FACTORS 1) Genetic It should seem obvious that homosexuality could not be genetically transmitted. Any subspecies that doesn’t propagate cannot transmit any of it’s genetic characteristic. It will die out. That homosexuality could be mutation is most unlikely. All known mutations in humans have been detrimental. There is a continuum of genetic maleness or femaleness in some individuals of all species. With intelligence, there is a biologically determined regression to the mean, resulting in a uninodal curve. It appears that a similar innate tendency in humans produces a bimodal distribution of sexes that results in a point of rarity between male and female characteristics. If it is impossible to pass on a homosexual gene, why then does it seem there are more, not less homosexuals? Some 7 honest gays admit, “We don’t propagate, we recruit.” 4 In the Washington “March for Gay Pride”, 1993 the Gays chanted,” We’re here. We’re queer. And we are coming after your children”5 (---) Paper by Charles W. Socarides) The dominant male has a higher sex drive. In most species he demonstrates the superiority of his genes to more attractive females with his greater strength, speed, wit, etc. and by dominating other males. On the other hand there are individuals who are genuinely male but are less vigorous endocrinologically. Yet being less dominant doesn’t necessarily lead to homosexual behavior. 2) Intrauterine Environment Animal studies have demonstrated that if a pregnant guinea pig or rat is stressed sufficiently, her offspring tend to become hermaphrodites. If the stress is less, the male offspring may be less masculine, less dominant, having lower sex drive and lower sperm count. It appears that stress increases the estrogen output in the pregnant female, which feminizes the male offspring. If this is true then the pregnant woman should be carefully protected and nurtured throughout her pregnancy if she wants her sons to be clearly male. Yet women in many cultures work hard throughout their pregnancy and still have masculine boys. Work is not synonymous with stress. Many jobs are sufficiently routine or familiar that there is almost no stress. On the other hand, a woman could lie about all day and be stressed by many anxious thoughts. 4 Persky, Stan. Recruit, Recruit, Recruit; Essay for editorial by Rafe Mair CKNW, Oct. 17, 2000 5 Socarides, CW. How America Went Gay, CatholicCitizens.org July 2006 8 There is considerable evidence of the effect of stress on pregnant females resulting in hormonal changes that affect the later behaviour of the fetus. “Overall, these results provide some evidence that in males, mild chronic prenatal hypoxia result in incomplete masculinization of adult reproductive behaviour in the absence of overt changes in perinatal testosterone surges.“6 Other authors state: “These data suggest that exposure of pregnant rats to transient environmental stressors may result in permanent alterations in androgen-sensitive CNS structures in their male offspring.”7 “Thus, a persistent effect of stress was observed only on testosterone and only in males.” 8 “There is evidence that antenatal stress anxiety has a programming effect on the fetus, which lasts until middle childhood.”9 “…a decrease in the male birth fraction has been reported after prenatal exposure to environmental chemical factors…We formulated a hypothesis that the Chernobyl disaster might also have had a greater negative impact on male than female foetus, leading to their selective loss and to a decrease in the male birth fraction…the male birth fraction was higher in the Czech Republic each month between 1950 and 1999 except November 1986, when it was significantly (P<0.05) reduced. This finding suggests a selective negative effect of the Chernobyl accident on male fetuses during the 3rd month of prenatal development.” 10 6 Hermans RH, McGivern RF, Chen W, Longo LD. (1993) Altered adult sexual behavior in the male rat following chronic prenatal hypoxia. Neurotoxicol Teratol Nov-Dec; 15(6):353-63 7 Grisham W, Kerchner M, Ward IL. (1991) Prenatal stress alters sexually dimorphic nuclei in the spinal cord of male rats. Brain Res Jun 14;551(1-2):126-31 8 Ward IL, Weisz J. (1984) Differential effects of maternal stress on circulating levels of corticosterone, progesterone, and testosterone in male and female rat fetuses and their mothers. Endocrinology May; 114(5):1635-44 9 O’Connor TG, Heron J et al. (2003) Maternal antenatal anxiety and behavioural/emotional problems in children: a test of a programming hypothesis. J Child Psychol Psychiatry Oct; 44(7):1025-36 10 Peterka M, Peterkova R, Likovsky Z. (2004) Chernobyl: prenatal loss of four hundred male fetuses in the Czech Republic. Reproductive Toxicology Jan-Feb;18(1):75-9 9 However it cannot be concluded that those intrauterine hormonal influences must result in a particular type of sexual behaviour. “Transsexualism and homosexuality have been theorized to originate in the male from insufficient androgenizing of the brain…Our observations demonstrate that in 46,XY subjects, a male gender identity and sexual orientation towards women can develop with a strikingly lower than normal level of biological action of androgens.”11 Evidence shows that during the pregnancy following a woman’s abortion, there are higher levels of stress.12 Those stresses may result from anxieties about: a) Whether the baby will be malformed as a punishing consequence to guilt inducing behaviour; b) That the stress could be as a result of realizing the continuing ambivalence regarding whether the woman wanted to abort or not abort the present fetus. c) From a recognition that the woman must now struggle with a child who is a replacement child; d) Understanding she may become depressed following the pregnancy and therefore had difficulty bonding to the child; e) Whether her partner who previously coerced her to abort a child, now really wants to keep the baby; f) Recognizing that having contributed to the abortion of a child, she now must struggle with a weakened control of her aggressive behaviour. 11 Gooren L, Cohen-Kettenis PT. (1991) Development of male gender identity/role and a sexual orientation towards women in a 46,XY subject with an incomplete form of the androgen sensititvity syndrome. Arch Sex Behav Oct;20(5):459-70 12 Bradley, CF (1984) Abortion and subsequent pregnancy. Can J Psych 29(10):494-498 10 With all of these possibilities, a woman will have higher levels of stress, which may contribute to the relative feminization of her male offspring. Too often, boys with less masculine features are seen by some in society and more often by themselves as effeminate or homosexual. They will tend to find life as they expect it to be. They are not at all surprised when they are “hit on” by adult homosexuals and though they find the experience aversive, they don’t protest because it appears to them that nature has decreed this to be their fate. 3) Constitution Since there is a continuum of all constitutional characteristics, some boys will have narrow shoulders, small muscles and shorter penises. They are adequately male but if having looked in the mirror or compared themselves with other boys, they may erroneously conclude that they are homosexual because of their ‘girlish’ figure. This self-misperception may also make boys vulnerable to the suggestion they are “gay”. The study by Laumann et al based on a survey of a statistically representative sample of North America adults between 18 and 60 concluded that homosexuality was not a ‘stable trait’. To their surprise, the authors found that its instability over the course of life was one directional, declining and very significantly so. Homosexuality, both in men and women, tended spontaneously to ‘convert into heterosexuality’ as the cohort of individuals aged. 13 The labels homosexual, bisexual and heterosexual provide nothing more than a temporary convenient shorthand, because the dynamism of sexual identity 13 Laumann E, Gagnon J, Michael R, Michaels S. The Social Organization Of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States. Chicago: University of Chicago (1994) 11 “over time frustrates any such static classification.”14 Sexual identity is not fixed at adolescence, but keeps changing over the course of a life. There is no good scientific evidence of homosexuality being innately constitutional. Since the best evidence indicates that homosexuality is not a stable trait, any classification or legislation that assumes this is a disservice to homosexuals in general, and those who are changing and wish help in their changing, in particular. If homosexuality is not a fixed and stable condition, it is certainly not suitable for distinction as a class status. Laumann found the rate of men having any kind of same gender sexual experience is 9.1%. Men who report same gender sex only before they turned 18 and not afterwards constitute 42% of the total number of men who ever report having same gender sex experience while 3.8% of all men have same gender sexual experience before age 18 and never again. “Overall, we find our results remarkably similar to those from other surveys of sexual behaviour that have been conducted on national populations using probability sampling methods,” 15 in particular two very large scale surveys in France, of 20,055 adults, and in Britain of 18,076 adults 4) Persuasion Some members of the militant ‘gay’ community have attempted to inculcate young people with the idea that if anyone has certain characteristics they must be gay and 14 Satinover,JB. The Trojan Couch: How the Mental Health guilds allow medical diagnostics, scientific research and jurisprudence to be subverted in lockstep with the political aims of their gay subcomponents. Conference Reports 2005, National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) 15 Laumann, et al. op. cit., p.297 12 should not restrain themselves from homosexual experiences. The idea that if you like dancing by yourself, you must be gay is fallacious. If you found some pleasure in a homosexual encounter or enjoy embracing other men or engage in mutual masturbation that you must be gay, is also assumptive. Men embracing each other or holding hands may be a cultural phenomenon. None of these lead to anal intercourse and are not usually considered homosexual. 5) Thralldom For complex reasons a boy or young man may “fall in love with” or become infatuated with a male. This person is often an idol, hero, father replacement or benign authority. Being totally absorbed with this person may create thralldom, an unforgettable and unique sense of well-being. The person who appears to cause this feeling of arousal or contentment is not quickly forgotten. That male-male bond is natural and is no indication of a homosexual desire. 6) Imprinting As the gosling becomes imprinted on the first moving object it sees upon hatching, so an individual becomes imprinted to any other with whom they have any kind of sex that results in an orgasm, especially if it is the first sexual encounter. Some homosexual men, in their attempt to recruit, may seduce boys and make sure it is an enjoyable experience. This may imprint boys to the gay male. That sense of bond can be used to convince the young male that he is gay. Even when the first sexual experience isn’t particularly pleasant, a boy can be imprinted onto an older male, or girl to an older A Greek term S. Freud used for falling in love. 13 female because of the mechanisms of imprinting. Imprinting is one trial learning that occurs when there is a sudden release of sexual tension which occurs with an orgasm; a tension that has been building since early adolescence. 7) Operant Conditioning Any behavior, which is followed by the powerfully reinforcing stimulus of an orgasm, will become operantly conditioned, whether it is heteroerotic, autoerotic, homoerotic or zooerotic. Any kind of sexual behavior will more likely and more frequently reoccur because of that conditioning. Whatever they are doing before the orgasm, people will desire to do more of the same. It has nothing to do with sexual orientation. An orgasm releases endorphins, naturally produced morphine-like substances that are powerfully rewarding. Rats prefer to stimulate themselves repeatedly to orgasm by pressing a bar that gives themselves an electrical impulse in the septal area of their brain rather than pressing a different bar to feed themselves. To the rats at least, sexual stimulation is more important than eating. 8) Classical Conditioning Pavlov demonstrated that if a rewarding and a neutral stimulus are paired, the neutral stimulus eventually becomes conditioned to result in the same response. In this way when a boy experiences orgasm with another male, that orgasm may eventually condition him to bond to the person with whom he has had sex. Regardless of sexual proclivity, this conditioning results in a strong affinity. It is a conditioned reaction but the bonding is wrongly claimed to indicate homosexual interest. 14 9) Behavior producing hormones Aggressive behavior in boys, eg. playing hockey or wrestling tends to promote the production and secretion of hormones that builds muscle and more assertive male behaviors. A single bout of short and intensive aerobic or anaerobic exercise usually increases serum testosterone but moderate to intense exercise leads to a decline below baseline levels16 A great preponderance of passive experiences, eg. watching television may result in boys who are less muscular. They may see themselves as less masculine and less attractive to females. Assuming that not being attractive to someone of the opposite sex is an indication of they are attractive to someone of the same sex. Believing this, they tend to find it is true and therefore falsely assume it is an indication of their homosexual orientation. 10) Post Abortion Survivor Syndrome In most countries approximately 50% of children grow up in homes where a sibling has been aborted. Our investigation indicates that children know or strongly suspect when this happens. For reasons over which they have no control, abortion survivors were wanted and chosen to live while a little brother or sister terminated. Consequently they feel guilty for being alive. Their existential guilt makes it virtually impossible to live life to the fullest and to become whoever they are designed to be. They distrust their mothers and fathers and look to peers to help define who they are. They also have a sense of impending doom, are fascinated by the occult and take high risks. They are afraid to have children and may prefer anal intercourse because there is no chance of producing a child. The identity confusion of these Post Abortion Survivors is increased when 16 Eliakim A, Nemet D. Exercise and the male reproductive system, Harefuah, 145(9):677-81, 702,701 Sep 2006 15 society refuses to prescribe for boys and girls what is masculine and what is feminine dress, behavior etc. 11) Transactional perceptions People tend to become similar to whomever they think frequently about. People may become like those they hate, those they are fixated upon and those they love. If the culture idolizes males that are homosexual, by being fascinated with those people, an individual may become more homophilic in their thinking. 12) Social prescription Society has always helped people define themselves as boy or girl, man or woman. This is done through toys, books, jobs, myths, fables, hairstyles, dress etc. It has become more popular to confuse that difference with unisex hairstyles, dress and behavior. Given any opportunity, it seems that boys are not naturally interested in playing with dolls, etc. or many girls interested in playing with machinery. Yet the myth that you could be anything you choose to be, still circulates. In order to promote family life, some societies deny equal pay to women in the work force, hoping thereby to encourage them to stay at home and nurture their children. Unfortunately most women equate pay with approval and therefore self esteem. They complain they are undervalued if they are underpaid even though privately they often admit they find raising a family far more fulfilling then an office job. 16 13) Imitation Imitation is far more powerful in shaping behavior than instruction. The rules of imitation state that whoever is being rewarded, or gives rewards to others or is in control, will be imitated. This is particularly true for those behaviors that are rewarded with social approval, fame, fortune and a “wonderful” life style. Whenever “gays” are shown by the media as good models of socially acceptable behavior, vulnerable males may imitate “gay” behaviors. They may assume that because they can imitate these behaviors with ease, they are also homosexuals. 14) Education Though boys learn better when on their feet and moving, they are forced to sit long hours to get an education. When they graduate, they are expected to sit for longer hours to hold down a “good job”. To accomplish this men must suppress their natural desire for activity. This may affect their male hormone production. Boys, who cannot adequately suppress their hyperactivity and whose driving energy often irritates the teacher, are too often diagnosed as having Attention Deficit Disorder. They are too frequently restrained with medication, which further affects their male hormone secretion. 15) Abuse and Neglect Children who are abandoned and/or neglected yearn for affection from almost anyone. If at critical periods of their development, someone of the same sex gives this affection, they will desire more of the same contact. Children who were physically abused by a member of the same sex are less inclined to be like them. Children who watch an aggressive father beat their mother may feel disgust about men and maleness. 17 Although same sex affection may feel good to some, it isn’t as satisfying as it could be heterosexually. Aversion reactions to affection from dominant women may drive a young male to seek, with more determination, same sex affection. 16) Models Children need models to help define who they are and help prescribe what they should be doing. If the person of the same sex is a socially approved model, because of vicariously enjoyed social approval, a young person is more likely to behave like that person and adopt that person’s apparent sexual orientation. Some societies celebrate new adulthood during ‘rites of passage’. At these times of preparation for adult life, role models and mentors are very important. 17) Traumatic sex Young men may be turned off women by painful heterosexual experiences. They may have been raped by an older woman, mocked by a girlfriend or accused of sexual assault by a woman who subtly seduced them. It appears that some traumatic experiences cannot be forgotten 17 and may influence behaviour over a lifetime. 18) Mother seduction Single parents can be alternately rejecting and seducing. This may result in deep sexual conflicts that are repressed but turn men away from women. A divorced mother may allow or invite her 5-7 year old son to join her in bed partly because he is frightened and partly because she is lonely. When he snuggles against her soft perfumed body, he 17 Charney DS et al. Psychobiologic Mechanisms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Arch Gen Psychiat 1993:50 294-305 18 may have an erection. On detecting this, his mother may become enraged, call him a “sex maniac like your father” and send him back to his cold, fear ridden bed. The boy may be unconsciously repelled by his incestuous feelings, represses those forbidden desires, and transfer this inhibition onto later relations with females. After a succession of humiliating, painful, fearful relations with women, this young man may conclude that sex with women is not his lot but sex with men is his destiny. 19) Parent alienating A separated mother, in order to gain custody of her son may alienate him from his father by portraying the father as lazy, aggressive, drunk or abusive. Being afraid to show affection to or identity with his apparently disreputable father and being angry with his mother for the alienation, he turns to his peers for love and comfort. Finding another boy in the same predicament who understands him, he may “fall in love” or become infatuated. 20) Father or mother rejection If the parent of the same sex is cold and rejecting, children feel little affinity to them or desire to model their behavior after them. A cold hostile rejecting father inclines a boy to seek affection and approval from his mother. A boy also becomes frightened of his often deliberately inculcated sexual arousal toward his mother. Because he knows it is “wrong to have sex with mother”, he flees to a member of his own sex for gratification. 21) Blueprint Children have a unique blueprint that helps guide them in determining who they 19 are to become. Their ability to read their blueprint helps them find the necessary ingredients for their development in their adjacent environment. The child’s persistent determination to build according to his blueprint is hard to frustrate but because of pervasive neglect, it can turn to bitterness and a rejection of the parent of the same sex as a model. 22) Cleavage Cleavage is both invitation and pointer to where the male sexual organ could be put. More women and men are wearing tight, ‘low-ride’ pants, showing smooth buttocks and buttock cleavage that may arouse a greater interest in anal intercourse. At the same time there is an understandable revulsion to soiling the erect penis with feces. For some that revulsion can be overcome under conditions of heightened sexual arousal, disinhibiting drugs and the false reassurance that it is safe “if a condom is used” when it is not. 18,19,20 A young patient told me he found the experience of anal sex uncomfortable, but since he was a ‘homosexual’ he was trying to get used to it. 23) Designer’s Direction Jews, Moslems, Christians and others believe the Creator “made them male and female.” They believe this distinction between man and woman is for the benefit of children and the survival of the next generation. There is a variation in the amount of sex drive so that some men are naturally like “eunuchs” with little natural desire for sex 18 Silverman BG, Gross TP. Use and effectiveness of condoms during anal intercourse: A review. Sex Transm Dis, 24(1): 11-17, 1997 19 Pinkerton SD, Abramson PR. Effectiveness of condoms in preventing HIV transmission. Soc Sci Med, 44(9): 1303-12, 1997 20 Carey RF, Herman WA, Retta SM, Rinaldi JE, Herman BA, Athley TW. Effectiveness of latex condoms as a barrier to human immunodefiency virus-sized particles under conditions of simulated use. Sex Trans Dis, 19(4):230-4, 1992 20 of any kind. More ‘effeminate’ boys can be more easily persuaded to accept anal intercourse for money or acceptance into a gay group. 24) Poverty Being brought up poor then rewarded with money for anal sex during part or full time child prostitution may induce those children to believe they are homosexual. Sadly prostitutes find they are paid more if they don’t use condoms.21 Similarly, when neglected by parents then given liberal amounts of affection by homosexuals, a child may be conditioned into thinking they are homosexual when there is no indication this is so than the conditioning. 25) Availability Homosexuality is more common wherever there are insufficient women, e.g. boarding schools, ships, prisons and seminaries. Almost all these men return to more gratifying heterosexual behavior when women are available. 26) Lost Sibling Those who lose a preborn sibling particularly a twin by miscarriage or abortion may seek to be reunited to that person. This may result in a desire for body contact with a person of the same sex as the lost sibling. There is no conscious intention to have sex but once there is close contact, sexual arousal may occur. Crosby RA, Pitts NL. Caught between Different Worlds: How Transgendered Women May be “forced” into Risky Sex: The Journal of Sex Research Vol. 44 Issue 1:44, 2007 21 21 A very anxious, episodically depressed university student’s first sexual experience began at age 11. It consisted of lying naked on another boy of the same age. He was convinced this indicated he was homosexual. His mother had miscarried his twin, probably male. “I would much prefer to lie naked as close as possible to my partner in the dark, than to have sex with him. I panicked when he left me in the night.” Twins long to regain the intimacy they once experienced and strive to find the ideal mate who is just like them. 27) Transsexual for Lost Twin If a twin dies in utero, the survivor may feel an obligation to live half their life vicariously for the twin who was deprived of life. This may result in a man in midlife having a “sex change” and then living with another man as a woman. 28) Pornography Quite accidentally a boy may begin watching homosexual behaviour on his computer or in a magazine he stumbles upon. Initially there is curiosity mixed with disgust but soon he becomes sexually excited. Erroneously assuming because he is aroused by watching homosexual activity he is homosexual, he may try it. If by watching or having homosexual activity he has an orgasm, he may be operantly conditioned to do more of the same. 29) Sex with no progeny The strongest determinant of sexual behavior is the powerful drive to procreate. This innate determination is powerful because it is necessary for species survival. Yet some 22 elements of society consider it abnormal and try to suppress it. If it is well subverted, the species could be headed for extinction. When the media cried “overpopulation” some men felt they had an obligation to make sure they didn’t impregnate anyone. Not trusting condoms, being unsure of their casual partners assertion they are regularly taking the pill, some men may prefer to have anal sex with a woman. It isn’t difficult for them to make the transition to anal sex with men, which they may prefer for reasons of male companionship rather than male homosexuality per sae. 30) Choice Although in some instances there may be many predisposing factors over which a person appears to have little or no influence, there is still some capacity to choose. Even under the most extreme conditions, humans have made difficult choices against the environment, social coercion and their biological drives. Threatened with death, tortured, addicted, or insane people have made choices against the predicted odds. So it can be with homosexuality. People who have a hormonal condition or psychological predisposition can still choose not to engage in anal intercourse for the benefit of themselves and their neighbour. Avoiding anal sex doesn’t prevent them from being friendly with people of their own sex. But it does mean that they will eschew a behaviour that is threatening to the species and to the health of individuals. The recent emphasis on individual choice is taken to the extreme of being able to choose your sex and/or sexual orientation regardless of your hormones and anatomy. Some men, who neither enjoy sex with women nor with men but enjoy male company, erroneously think they are homosexual. Some men who think they might or do enjoy 23 anal intercourse with men but choose not to for moral or sanitary reasons are not homosexual. Some out of curiosity, anger or rebellion choose to try anal intercourse with some men and before long may become conditioned to more frequently engaging in anal sex. Though they now engage in anal intercourse, they did not start with an innate or constitutional predilection. The homosexual condition is not necessarily lifelong and for those who choose, it is treatable. Dr. Robert Spitzer, who at one time promoted the idea of taking homosexuality out of the diagnostic nomenclature of the American Psychiatric Association, now admits that it is treatable. “I came to the study sceptical. I now claim that these changes can be sustained.”22 “The myth that homosexuality is untreatable still has wide currency among the public at large and among homosexuals themselves. This view is often linked to the assumption that homosexuality is constitutionally or genetically determined. This conviction of untreatibility also serves an ego-defensive purpose for many homosexuals. As the understanding of the adaptive nature of most homosexual behaviour has become more widespread, however, there has evolved a greater therapeutic optimism about the possibilities for change and progressively more hopeful results are being reported… There is little doubt that a genuine shift in preferential sex object choice can and does take place in somewhere between 20 and 50 percent of patients with homosexual behaviour who seek psychotherapy with this end in mind.”23,24 22 NARTH (2000) "Dr. Laura" Interviews Psychiatric Association's Robert Spitzer. NARTH Bulletin. 8, 1: 26 - 27. 23 Marmor J. (1975) Homosexuality and sexual orientation disturbances. In Freedman A, Kaplan H, Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry: II, Second Edition, Baltimore MD: Williams & Wilkins. 24 Socarides CW. Homosexuality: A freedom Too Far; Adam Margrave Books, Phoenix, Arizona 24 Nicolosi surveyed 850 individuals and 200 therapists and counselors -- specifically seeking out individuals who claim to have made a degree of change in sexual orientation. Before counseling or therapy, 68% of respondents perceived themselves as exclusively or almost entirely homosexual, with another 22% stating they were more homosexual than heterosexual. After treatment only 13% perceived themselves as exclusively or almost entirely homosexual, while 33% described themselves as either exclusively or almost entirely heterosexual. Ninety nine percent of their respondents said they now believe treatment to change homosexuality can be effective and valuable.25 In Canada, the political decision to take homosexuality from the category of ‘Sexual Disorders’ in the ICD9 has meant that physicians can no longer charge for treating people who wish to become heterosexual. Therefore doctors are less likely to engage in that treatment. In addition, it is evident that physicians feel embarrassed about treating something that at least some of their peers and some of their government have felt is no longer a disease. Few people have asked why there is such anger in and among homosexual people. Is it solely from feeling they are discriminated against? Their energy from anger has promoted much homophilic legislation, but it doesn’t help correct the source of their anger. It’s quite possible the anger arises from being deprived of children, which throughout all human history, is recognized as a basic biological right. Their anger is 25 Nicolosi J, Byrd A, Potts R. (1998) Towards the ethical and effective treatment of homosexuality. NARTH 25 also felt toward those who encourage their homosexual tendencies and those who obstructed treatment, including fellow homosexuals. Humans appear to instinctually realize: - that there is reciprocity to anything they do that is dehumanizing to another; - what is threatening to their species, ultimately threatens them; - what is threatening to their individual health, is a health threat to others. These three factors are at the root of almost all behaviours that some people consider offensive. It’s as if people would say, “I want to like you, but when you flaunt behaviours that to me are offensive, like picking your nose while making my hamburger, or smoking, or swearing, it makes it difficult for me to like you.” Not surprisingly, there is usually an aversion in men about sticking their precious penis into the “dark and dirty hole” of a woman’s vagina. Equally, women feel repelled about having a penis stuck into their vagina, especially if they suspect that penis has been contaminated in somebody else’s “dark and dirty hole”. The intense pleasure of the orgasm plus the exchange of hormones, plus the communication during intercourse, plus the bond that is formed between people by intercourse, plus the prospect of having children, all have survival value, and overcomes the aversion to having vaginal intercourse. Only one of these factors applies to anal intercourse. Therefore under normal conditions male preference for vaginal intercourse almost always wins. Back to front vaginal intercourse obstructs communication and dehumanizes both partners. Anal intercourse obstructs communication and greatly increases the possibility 26 of being infected with a lethal disease. It is only front-to-front heterosexual vaginal intercourse that has all the advantages for life and health. It’s not surprising that people instinctually have a sense of “I wouldn’t do that (stick my penis in your bum). There must be something queer about you if you like it. There are good features about you, but anal intercourse is difficult for me to tolerate. When you engage in anal intercourse, I have a natural tendency to avoid you.” The argument “But I can’t help it. It is just who I am,” would not be accepted for any other public health endangering behaviour, e.g. smoking. For kindly people to insist everyone must be tolerant and compassionate because homosexuals were born that way ignores the best evidence to the contrary. It often consigns people who have some hope they don’t have to be homosexual, to an unhappy and dangerous lifestyle. Fergusson et al found that in a birth cohort sample, comparing rates to heterosexuals, the gay, lesbian, bisexual subjects have significantly higher rates of: suicidal Ideation (67.9% cf. 29.0%), suicide attempts (32.1% cf. 7.1%), and psychiatric disorders in ages 14-21yrs -- Major depression (71.4% cf. 38.2%), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (28.5% cf. 12.5%), Conduct Disorder (32.1% cf. 11.0%), Nicotine Dependence (64.3% cf. 26.7%), Other Substance Abuse/Dependence (60.7% cf. 44.3%), Multiple Disorders (78.6% cf. 38.2%)26. 26 Fergusson D, Horwood L, Beautrais A. (1999) Is sexual orientation related to mental health problems and suicidality in young people? Archives of General Psychiatry. 56, 10: 876 -888. 27 Exposure to prejudice and stereotypes result in fear that is difficult to reverse. Olsen et al hypothesize that fear responses to out-groups may have evolved as a way of protecting against possible threats.27 Homosexual orientation is associated with general elevation of risk for anxiety, mood disorder, substance use disorders, and suicidal thoughts. Bisexuals have the highest score for anxiety, depression and a range of mental health risk factors. It has been argued that homosexuals have higher rates of psychopathology because they experience derogatory discrimination. When Gilman et al investigated this; they found that controlling for differences in perceived discrimination, discrimination alone does not account for the association between psychopathology and homosexuality. 28 The same group of investigators in the Department of Epidemiology, UCLA School Of Public Health, Los Angeles, found “Homosexually experienced women are more likely than exclusively heterosexually experienced women to currently smoke and to evidence higher levels of alcohol consumption both in frequency and quantity.” “We also find that recently bisexually active women report higher and riskier alcohol use than women who are exclusively heterosexually active.”29 “Homosexually experienced men were more likely to report use of marijuana, cocaine & heroine, and homosexually experienced women more likely to report use of marijuana and analgesics than individuals reporting only opposite sex partners. Both homosexually active men and women were more likely than exclusively heterosexually active respondents to report at least one symptom 27 Olsson A et al. the role of social groups in the persistence of learned fear. Science 2005 Jul 29; 309:785-7 28 Gilman SE, Cochran SD, Mays VM et al. Risk of psychiatric disorders among individuals reporting same-sex partners in the National Comorbidity Survey. Am J Public Health 2001 Jun; 91(6):933-9 29 Burgard SA, Cochran SD, Mays VM. Alcohol and tobacco use patterns among heterosexually and homosexually experienced California women. Drug Alcohol Depend 2005 Jan 7; 77(1):61-70. 28 indicating dysfunctional drug use across all drug classes, and to meet criteria for marijuana dependence syndrome.” 30 “Homosexual orientation, defined as having same-sex sexual partners is associated with a general elevation of risk for anxiety, mood, and substance use disorders, and for suicidal thoughts and plans.” 31 “Lesbian and bisexual women differ from heterosexual women in patterns of health risk. These women will be expected to be at especially greater risk for chronic diseases linked to smoking and obesity.”32 “Homosexual /bisexual men reported higher rates than heterosexual men of childhood emotional and any physical maltreatment (including major physical maltreatment) by their mother/maternal guardian and major physical maltreatment by their father/paternal guardian. In contrast, homosexual/bisexual women as compared to heterosexual women reported higher rates of major physical maltreatment by both their mother/maternal guardian and their father/paternal guardian. Differences among individuals with differing sexual orientations were most pronounced for the more extreme forms of physical maltreatment.” 33 Anosexuals appear to either prefer anal intercourse or engage in anal intercourse as one variation of their many types of sexual encounters. In either case the health hazards seem not to overly concern them. They are more interested in the thrill of the 30 Cochran SD, Ackerman D, Mays VM, Ross MW. Prevalence of non-medical drug use and dependence among homosexually active men and women in the US population. Addiction. 2004 Aug;99(8):989-98. 31 Gilman SE, Cochran SD, Mays VM et al. Risk of Psychiatric disorders among individuals reporting same-sex sexual partners in the National Comorbidity Survey. Am J Public Health. 2001 Jun;91(6):933-9. 32 Cochran SD, Mays VM, Bowen D et al. Cancer-related risk indicators and preventive screening behaviours among lesbians and bisexual women. Am J Public Health. 2001 Apr;91(4):591-7 33 Corliss HL, Cochran SD, Mays VM. Reports of parental maltreatment during childhood in a United States population-based survey of homosexual, bisexual, and heterosexual; adults. Child Abuse Negl. 2002 Nov;26(11):1165 – 78 29 unique sensation and less intent on an interpersonal encounter. Their opportunity for meaningful conversation is limited by the fact that one speaks mostly into a pillow and the other into the back of a head. They cannot read each other’s faces nor see the nuances of expression in each other’s eyes. There are few pleasure nerve endings in the anus or rectum which means while one of the partners is having intense sexual enjoyment the other is often experiencing considerable discomfort as their rectal sphincter is forcibly stretched and the fragile mucous lining of the rectum is excoriated by the stiff penis. The recipient may acquiesce because they want to be loving by allowing a sexual encounter that they feel is “gross” but is a gift of pleasure to their partner. Women in particular seldom really enjoy anal sex but allow it because of coercion from their man or they feel they would lose him to a more permissive woman or male lover if they didn’t appear to enjoy it. These women are prone to vaginal or urinary tract infections from bacteria in their own anus. *Case vignette #1 A 13-year-old boy, brought up in a home where there has been considerable fighting, was deprived of affection from both parents. With his surging adolescent hormones, he looked for both parental avoidance and peer companionship and someone with whom to have an orgasm. Having stumbled upon homosexual activity on the Internet, he became curious. Although he felt very disgusted, his curiosity drove him to watch more. Eventually he was sexually aroused and sometimes had an orgasm. He assumed that because watching homosexual behaviour sexually aroused him, he was homosexual. When he looked in the mirror he sees a somewhat “effeminate” male, and assumed he must be gay. Having 30 heard various discussions at school or among his friends about “gay being OK”, he thought he should at least try it. He wandered away from home one evening because of his disgust with the high tension there and was befriended by an older boy whom he often admired. Over a period of encounters this 13 year old became increasingly interested in the older boy who reciprocates by showing more affection and approval. One evening while watching a sexually stimulating movie in the older boy’s home, the older boy put his arm around the younger. Although feeling some sense of caution, the younger boy allows himself to be drawn into mutual masturbation. Having enjoyed this “homosexual” activity he is now convinced he is homosexual. Having no opportunity to discuss the matter with his parents who haven’t been available to discuss any sexual topic, he talked it over with the older boy who assured him that it’s not only alright but it’s probably better. “At least you don’t get a girl pregnant.” Soon this 13 year old is accepting financial favors and in turn is expected to provide a willing anus for the older boy’s penis. Although it feels very strange, perhaps repugnant to the younger, the older boy reassured him. With alcohol or drugs provided the youngster experienced a very pleasurable evening, which overshadowed any residual aversive feelings. Soon the 13-year-old was introduced to other homosexuals who treated him with affection for as long as he was receptive. Eventually he became angry and distrustful but now he is an accepted member of the homosexual community and feels there is no going back. As he became older, that anger was expressed by his desire to seduce another young person, probably a boy that he did with techniques modeled on his own experience. [*This is a story compounded from those of a number of young patients.] 31 Case Vignette #2 A 60-year-old man lies in a coma in the general hospital. He has been badly beaten. This isn’t the first time it has happened to him. When he was a child he was removed from his home and sent to a federally operated residential boarding school for native people. He suffered emotional, intellectual, physical, spiritual and sexual abuse from the teachers while forced to attend this ‘Indian’ school. He was also forced to watch while the teacher/priest sexually molested and raped other young students who had no way of escape. This happened on a frequent basis due to the ‘no talk, no feelings and silent suffering’ code the victims had with each other. The officials wouldn’t listen or do anything about the abuse. As this young boy grew older he became accustomed to the abuse and victim role he had assumed over the years in boarding school. As a teenager he found it difficult to not continue his victim role. Attempts to have a regular life and a girlfriend failed miserably. He was criticized for his inability to defend himself, called a “sissy” and “little homo” until he gave in to the assigned role. He began to ‘fall in love’ with other older men who used him as their partner. He suffered physical abuse due to jealous tangents of his various partners and spiraled into deep shame for years. It wasn’t until the extended family began researching family histories when questions of his childhood revealed this dark secret. Then the man began to painfully talk about how he had become a “homosexual”. He felt like a prisoner with a warped view of the world, dominant society, justice and the church systems. It took him approximately 45 years to stop the “learned” homosexual behavioral patterns and recover from compulsively drinking alcohol, taking prescription drugs for pain and grief, gambling and a love/sex relationship lifestyle. It took many bouts in the hospitals, beatings from jealous, controlling partners and a family that 32 unconditionally loved him through all the critical situations to discover that it wasn’t too late to live a healthier lifestyle, recover his self esteem and create a new life while he still had life to live. He still suffers from the broken bones in his face, shoulders, spine and ulcers but is continuing to heal with the help of family, friends and counseling from a cultural perspective. Each family member/friend knows that the principle of one day at a time is crucial to this man’s sobriety. He believes he is alive today due to his choices to change his sexual lifestyle. It has been a difficult path for this man but he has learned to survive and grow through the difficulties. He is sad that he has no children to live on after his death. [All identifying information has been changed] Case Vignette #3 A middle-aged woman expressed concern about her estranged husband’s behaviour. There had been problems with intimacy in their marriage for several years. He had become evasive, daydreaming or dissociated during foreplay for several years. Sometimes he’d seem like a different person or more detached than usual. It seemed that these times were followed by his acting out behaviour, especially with drinking or bouts of borderline depression or manic- depressive or bipolar type activities. He gambled or spent more money than he made and not return home for several nights in a row. When he did come home he was moody and not interested in sex. At other times he would come home after midnight hoping his wife would be sleeping. She would pretend to be half asleep while he undressed and got into bed. She noticed a strange odor on him and wondered what he’d been doing before coming home. She also noticed his underwear had more feces stains than usual at certain times of his activities. Never had she thought he was having sex with another man. She thought it was 33 another woman. One night he forced her to have anal sex. He lost control of himself and injured her while reaching his orgasm. He didn’t hear her saying, “stop”. She suffered injuries silently for the first time in years. Ashamed of the activity, she didn’t know whom to talk with. There was a repeat pattern where her husband demanded anal sex again or no sex. She complied once again and felt further shame and pain. His sexual requests began to change more noticeably, so she went for medical help and counseling. She was helped with professional guidance to uncover the truth of her husband’s bisexual activities for the past few years of their marriage. He said he’d “crossed the line” and wasn’t able to stay straight, that he’d become “two-spirited, and didn’t see anything wrong with this new lifestyle.” Other people understood him, so she would have to get over it or leave. She became quite depressed and had suicidal ideation for a season while she worked through her recovery plans. She sought counseling and assistance from medical and para-professionals who had been through similar experiences. They divorced and never had an intimate relationship again. The children live in a state of confusion and one child is promiscuous in intimate relationships. The woman is recovering from anti-depressants, low self-esteem, an eating disorder and sporadic headaches. The man is now suffering an immune system disorder and is isolated from his family. Case Vignette #4 A 53 year old individual referred for depression, suicidal thinking and struggles in a lesbian relationship, started life as a boy in an abusive home. He dropped out of school to become an angry motorcyclist and mechanic. Five years after this person’s second 34 son was born to his second wife, he concluded he was really a woman. Upon request, he obtained sex change hormones and surgery. There were constant power struggles in her relationship. In psychotherapy, “she” stated, “My mother said I was a twin but it miscarried. I think it was a girl. She never got a chance to live. I am doing it for her”. CONCLUSION It is very unlikely that anyone has a genetically determined desire for anal intercourse. These 31 factors may help explain how eventually a person habitually engages in anal intercourse and defends this activity as natural, partly out of anger and guilt and partly trying to maintain his status in a homosexual group. As a boy ages, he become less inclined to be monogamous because with every new sexual contact he has more sexual stimulation. Most of the natural components of heterosexual pair bonding are missing so a homosexual marriage isn’t appealing; the homosexual experiences are less satisfying. Many homosexuals soon discover that multiple partners mean multiple rejections. It leaves them desiring stability, which they hope they can find in a “marriage”. Although homosexual marriages may be defended as a human right, it is difficult to convince many homosexuals that it provides them with what they deeply long for: a stable family of children, grandchildren, joy and contentment. 35