2009-12-09T11:01:00.000-08:00

This was my first attempt at writing a nursery rhyme sounding poem. Had lots of fun writing it. :D -Emma

The tangerine flew through the air,
looking much like an orange pear,
It gave me such a scare.

The tangerine fell to the ground,
it made such a sound,
the when I found it on the ground,
I took it straight to the pound.

The tangerine stayed the whole night through,
it seemed to give us all the cue,
that this, was no time for stew.

The tangerine began to soften,
the birds all sniffed at it so often,
that they took to quite a coughin'.

The tangerine molded to the earth,
like my grandma who gave me such mirth,
when she would say, "come sit on my girth,
and i'll tell you a story for all its worth."

But now she is one with the ground,
and I made such a sound,
when I found her on the ground,
for I think she is worth a pound.

The tangerine flew through the air,
it gave me quite a scare,
that silly orange pear.

Homosexuality

2009-12-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

Hey! So a friend of mine had an assignment that they had to try to get their paper seen, so she is sticking it on my blog. Enjoy!
-Emma

Position Paper
by Teelin Lucero

One of the most controversial issues facing us today is homosexuality. Everyone has a different opinion on how it should be handled by society and government. There are a great many people who have no problem with homosexuals and consider none of their concern how other people live their lives. Unfortunately there are also many people who regard it as some sort of wrongful act, for many different reasons, and who believe that government and society, and in many cases church, should be involved in some sort of action against them.

Although much of society views homosexuality as an unnatural choice that people make, this opinion is not supported by biology1. One of the strongest arguments that science makes against this worldview is the widespread nature of homosexual interactions among animals. Although it should not be suggested that just because animals do something it is necessarily the right thing to do, the fact that animals engage in homosexuality argues against it being ‘unnatural’ as well as being a choice people make.

Many people may believe that homosexuality is a choice that people are pressured into making by their surrounding environment. This seems highly doubtful; gay people don’t come only from homes where homosexuality already existed. In fact homosexual people often come from heterosexual households, indeed sometimes from households that don’t even tolerate homosexuality. When it meant being ex communicated from their friends and family, would any one choose to become homosexual? The example of a homosexual emerging from a perfectly straight family that does not tolerate homosexuality seems to invalidate both the environmental factor as well as the lifestyle choice factor. What reason would a person have for choosing to be homosexual? Surely being ostracized from one’s family and a great portion of society would not be a strong incentive.

　

What would the factors in an environment be that would cause homosexuality? Would it be the presence of homosexual people in a child’s life? If that would be enough to cause homosexuality in the child, does that also mean that the presence of a tall person will automatically make the child grow up tall?

The mere presence of homosexual people in a child’s life doesn’t logically seem to make the child gay. Children growing up around tall people do not necessarily end up growing up tall, and although the environment children grow up in does impact them, it can’t alter something so basic as their sexual orientation.

Ruling out the presence of people in their lives, what other factors in an environment could cause homosexuality? The attitudes children grow up with doesn’t seem to make much difference, as homosexuals come out of both families that are accepting of homosexuality, as well as families that are homophobic. The presence of religion in the home, also seems to have no effect on the sexuality of people growing up in it.

Amongst scientists, there is much debate about why animals engage in homosexual sex. Some suggest that it is merely for fun, that animals enjoy sex as much as humans do and the homosexual interactions are just a sort of spilling over of their sexual appetites. Other scientists claim that many animal species use gay sex as a way of reinforcing social connections. In this view, gay sex is an extension of mutual grooming and preening, its just a way to help defuse tension between individuals and express affection. They also point out that there is precedent in human societies for using homosexuality as a way to reinforce a society, for example, the Spartans encouraged homosexual relationships because they thought that people in a lover relationship would be more like to defend each other and would not fight amongst themselves2.

There are also many claims that homosexuality is an attack on the family, but as seen in animals and in the Spartan society, homosexuality actually reinforces society and families. Animals use sex as a way to defuse tension and maintain peace, reinforce their social networks, and keep societies together. How can this possibly be seen as an attack on the family unit?

True, a pair of bonded homosexual men, or a pair of bonded homosexual women can not reproduce, however it is still possible for them to raise children. There have been cases of a pair of homosexual animals raising a foster child3 and humans certainly do the same thing. If our race was teetering on the edge of extinction and every adult was needed to reproduce in order to propagate our species, perhaps then homosexual couples could be seen as a threat to the family. However, our species is not on the brink of extinction, and likely never will be. To the contrary, our orphanages are filled with children needing a home and homosexual couples who cannot produce a child of their own may in fact be the best hope to give these children a new life.

Another concept associated with homosexuality is curing homosexuality. Some people believe that many homosexuals can be treated and turned to heterosexuality4. This belief has to be based on the idea that homosexuality is a disease; a belief that is not supported by the American Psychiatric Association, or the World Health Organization, both of which stopped classifying homosexuality as a mental disorder many years ago5. Homosexuality is no different then heterosexuality in this regard, and no more requires a cure then heterosexuality does. Because a person is different from the majority does not necessarily mean that that person is sick. Disease can be defined as “a harmful development”6and, although in some cases life is more difficult and harmful as a homosexual, the difficulties arise from social prejudices, rather than coming directly from being homosexual. If homosexuality isn’t a disease, it can’t be cured. Indeed, the Royal College of Psychiatrists recently released a statement saying that there is no scientific evidence that the supposed cures for homosexuality have any effect in changing sexual orientation7.

Homosexuality is not a perversion of nature or a sinful choice that people choose to make and live by. It is a natural difference that occurs in some and doesn’t in others; it is no better or worse then heterosexuality, it does not cause people to suffer any more then heterosexuality. Homosexuality occurs in animals, is present in humans from the time of their birth and has no detrimental effect on our society or species as a whole. It is not a disease and should not be cured, it is not a choice that should try to be eliminated, and it is not a crime that should be legislated against.

　
　

　

(1)Conservapedia: Homosexuality and Choice

http://conservapedia.com/Homosexuality_and_Choice

(2) National Geographic: Homosexual Activity Among Animals Stirs Debate, Page 2, Paragraph 11

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0722_040722_gayanimal_2.html

(3) National Geographic: Homosexual Activity Among Animals Stirs Debate, Page 1, Paragraph 5

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/07/0722_040722_gayanimal.html

(4) Conservapedia: Overcoming Homosexuality

http://conservapedia.com/Overcoming_Homosexuality

(5) Conger, J.J. (1975). Proceedings of the American Psychological Association, Incorporated, for the year 1974: Minutes of the annual meeting of the Council of Representatives. American Psychologist, 30, 620-651

http://www.apa.org/pi/lgbc/policy/discrimination.html

(6) Merriam Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary Eleventh Edition, Definition of ‘Disease’

(7)Royal College of Psychiatrists

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/pressparliament/pressreleases2009/statement.aspx

　

2009-11-04T10:32:00.001-08:00

ts a funny day, looking for laughter and finding it here.
When all this time, you've searched for love that was just around the bend.
A silly thing, looking for love and finding you here.
Silly, for I passed right over you, looking ne'er but here.
A misty day, drab and grey, and sleep has passed me by.
I'm sitting here, wide awake, waiting for you near.
When all this time, you have been, standing at my side.
Terrible, for it seems, you have passed me by.
Terrible, for it seems, you have gone the by.
You wrote I love I Love You on my heart, in your finest hand.
But all this time, I haven't read, wheat was there inside.
And so it seems, it be to late, to scratch I Love You on your wings.

The Starving Writer

Homosexuality