Nerve Endings Firing Away

One of the questions asked in the third Presidential debate that distinctly separated the two candidates, was if they thought homosexuality was a choice. Bush remarked that he didn’t know and mumbled something for only 30 seconds and then handed the question to Kerry, in spite of the fact that he had two whole minutes to talk about it. Kerry smartly made a reference to Dick Cheney’s openly-lesbian daughter and in his usual rambling tone made the case that it wasn’t exactly a choice. His reference to Cheney’s daughter might be considered a low blow but in a presidential race, there are no secrets.

But the question was pertinent, especially among Indians who still think that people chose to be gay. Partly influenced by the movie Fire, they consider homosexuality as the last refuge for the desperate. Although the genetics link is not yet established, I believe that people simply are born gay and most of them struggle with this reality before they accept it. I have talked with few gay friends and when I ask them why they are gay, they simply smile and ask me back why am I straight. Don’t mistake that as an invitation to join their fold but rather it conveys the futility of the question. Gays say that it is the only natural thing to them and they usually do not force themselves to be gay. I can’t imagine how you can convince yourself to be gay. Sodomy rapes in single-sex prison are nothing about either sex or sexual orientation; they like “normal” rapes; more about power than about sex. I don’t think there is a documented case of someone willingly to walk on the wild side and then staying on because they liked it there. Even if it was true, maybe they just were gay all the while and didn’t take the plunge until then; pun unintended.

Reasons why some people are gay and some are not, are still not discovered by science but eventually we will be able to hone on to some causal genes.

It seems Dick and Lynne Cheney got royally pissed over Kerry mentioning their daughter’s sexual orientation during the same debate. A simple question and a simple answer by Kerry was spun by Republican bigots as an affront to the Cheneys but I fail to see the insult. Some people just get desperate. Will they turn gay now?