A possible cure for gay sheep...

[Tonington]

I know this issue's been hashed out a couple times here, but I found some things today which I thought were rather interesting.

Science told: hands off gay sheep
American scientists are conducting experiments to alter the sexual preference of sheep. It involves altering the hormones of the gay rams to make them more attracted to the ewes. The end of this road could lead to altering hormones in pregnant women to prevent homosexual children.

Homosexuality in rams can occur as often as 1 in 10, the only animals besides humans which can be exclusively gay naturally.

Any thoughts?

 

[I think not]

Well I suppose if it were an ewe I had to look forward to in sleeping with I might go gay also.

 

[AmberEyes]

I don't think we should be looking at this as a "cure" for homosexuality. While I understand there may be/is a physical difference between straight and gay, doesn't mean we should try and "cure" it. The idea of parents choosing for their child a sexual preference takes away their right to choose, and I truly believe that is wrong.

 

[tamarin]

Well, I'm a country boy and know for a fact all sheep are gay. And it wasn't unexpected that we folk discovered most scientists that came to study them were too. That's why they got along so well. That's also why "sheepish" has become part of our common lore. No wonder they had trouble separating their kids!

 

[Sassylassie]

Tamarin you never fail to crack me up. Choking on my hot chocolate, if you leave this forum to write serious articles I shall cry like a baby. PM me the details nes pas.

 

[L Gilbert]

Cure for homosexuality? I wasn't aware there was something wrong with it.
Is there a cure for being full? Cuz I could eat nonstop if I didn't get full.

 

[RomSpaceKnight]

I am sure I read an article which stated that homosexuality occurs in many species of animal including ducks. The percentage is about the same as in a human population. Not sure of my numbers so am not going to quote rates of homosexuality amongst humans.

Hope the fundie zealot christians and the neocons don't get hold of this info. Next thing you know they will be putting it in our drinking water.

 

[wallyj]

Well, I'm a country boy and know for a fact all sheep are gay. And it wasn't unexpected that we folk discovered most scientists that came to study them were too. That's why they got along so well. That's also why "sheepish" has become part of our common lore. No wonder they had trouble separating their kids!

At first I did the LOL thing and then I got to thinking a bit,not much,but a bit. Why would Bobby jo and Billy Jo and even maybe wally jo go after the rams? It don't make sense. The ewes are just as attractive and all this does is marginalize them. This reminds me of the old stones song"Hey mcleod,get off my ewe".

 

[RomSpaceKnight]

Or why do rubber boots have wide tops?

 

[wallyj]

I don't think we should be looking at this as a "cure" for homosexuality. While I understand there may be/is a physical difference between straight and gay, doesn't mean we should try and "cure" it. The idea of parents choosing for their child a sexual preference takes away their right to choose, and I truly believe that is wrong.

And while we are it ,let's not forget a child's right to be born encyphylatic.

 

[wallyj]

Or why do rubber boots have wide tops?

Or why you bring them to the edge of a cliff.

 

[talloola]

I don't think we should be looking at this as a "cure" for homosexuality. While I understand there may be/is a physical difference between straight and gay, doesn't mean we should try and "cure" it. The idea of parents choosing for their child a sexual preference takes away their right to choose, and I truly believe that is wrong

someone who is "truly" gay, has not made a choice, the choice is made for him/her before birth, so a

cure for that problem would be helpful for the unborn baby.

 

[RomSpaceKnight]

Are you saying being "gay" is a "problem"?

 

[wallyj]

I don't think we should be looking at this as a "cure" for homosexuality. While I understand there may be/is a physical difference between straight and gay, doesn't mean we should try and "cure" it. The idea of parents choosing for their child a sexual preference takes away their right to choose, and I truly believe that is wrong

someone who is "truly" gay, has not made a choice, the choice is made for him/her before birth, so a

cure for that problem would be helpful for the unborn baby.

What do you mean by TRULY gay? Are you suggesting that some homosexuals are just fooling around with the lifestyle? Hey,you are gay or you are not. There is not a middle ground.If you think so,you are only fooling yourself. I love my buddy but have no desire to bend him over and pretend he is a lonely ewe with come hither eyes.

 

[RomSpaceKnight]

I think it's possible that there are those who can take or leave the gay life. It maybe a degree of "gay". If homosexuality is a born with trait, what about bisexuals? What about some drunk chicks experimenting? (and that does happen outside of Penthouse letters) (maybe not as often as in Penthouse letters)

 

[Curiosity]

This topic and the other one about Down Syndrome testing.....

..... lead me to believe there are many scientists developing in utero testing for disease/malformation markers in order to give families options prior to carrying to term babies who have less than healthy
or what we term "normal" lives ahead.

Science will have its way with us and in many cases such as some of the obviously terrible things passed on through families - if they can be mitigated in utero I say "right on"....

...but when does "knowing" and "terminating" walk into the picture?

Nobody seems to be discussing this.....

People abort for "inconvenience and personal things"..... what if there are legitimate arguments from science for termination? Is our desire for "perfection" more important than accepting life's challenges?

More questions than answers.

 

[Ariadne]

This topic and the other one about Down Syndrome testing.....

..... lead me to believe there are many scientists developing in utero testing for disease/malformation markers in order to give families options prior to carrying to term babies who have less than healthy
or what we term "normal" lives ahead.

Science will have its way with us and in many cases such as some of the obviously terrible things passed on through families - if they can be mitigated in utero I say "right on"....

...but when does "knowing" and "terminating" walk into the picture?

Nobody seems to be discussing this.....

People abort for "inconvenience and personal things"..... what if there are legitimate arguments from science for termination? Is our desire for "perfection" more important than accepting life's challenges?

More questions than answers.

So we should connect gay sheep and downs syndome?

How about if Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Bladerunner) and men stop thinking that sheep are "homosexual". I mean seiously, how can a human determine whether an animal is homosexual ... is it because they see the female sheep humping the rams and get overly concerned that the Rams are gay for putting up with it? Then along come men and do what the female sheep did and therefore the Rams are gay?

Stopping men from banging sheep will not solve the question of the origin of homosexuality, even if there are sheep in the study group.

 

[Ariadne]

People abort for "inconvenience and personal things"..... what if there are legitimate arguments from science for termination? Is our desire for "perfection" more important than accepting life's challenges?.

That's along the lines of selective birth ... something that has being done all over the world for gender selection. I suppose the distinciton now is that parents with defective genes can now selectively discard their genetics and off spring much like gender is discarded ... I suppose if we're being selective about gender and health, we may as well specify eye colour and disposition as well.

Why don't we just make the perfect person in the image of God.

 

[Curiosity]

Ariadne - no it is not Down Syndrome and Gay Sheep

There is a great deal of homosexual acting out in the animal world all the time - even our domesticated animals such as dogs but that was not my point. It was testing.

Sorry if I confused you - my theme was that in utero testing is going to be more common place and if defects or homosexuality or genetic markers for future disease are found.....

...as I asked in my first post on Down Syndrome?

What then?

Selection of perfection or let nature lead?

I have no answers but am merely asking the membership what their thoughts are.

 

[jimmoyer]

It's a superior question you ask, Curiosity.

Do we have a collective idea of the perfect human being ?

We will modify or terminate in vitro, en utro, AND we will have designer genes,
genes made in our own image of perfection.

We willingly wear a cell phone on our ears, we're putting micro chips in our dogs,
and we will do things to ourselves and our future evolution that sci fi writers used
to predict would come from Big Brother, from a nefarious Big Government.

But instead, these things are being willingly embraced by the people.

For the convenience of health, convenience of knowing where others are at all times,
for the convenience of information...