Here's an overlooked story of 2006: Museum-goers were finally exposed to the widespread evidence that homosexuality is a naturally-occurring phenomenon throughout the animal world. Scientists have long known that many animals exhibit homosexual behavior, but a popular museum exhibit finally gave the general public the chance to learn all about it for themselves.
Oh, wait. That museum exhibit was in Norway. You aren't too likely to see something like that in this country any time soon. The censorship that the fundamentalist lobby exercises over American museums is so powerful they're afraid to discuss evolution, much less something as inflammatory (for them) as homosexuality.
But the information is out there, and in 2006 it became part of the popular scientific world. This is a devastating blow to the standard fundamentalist argument against homosexuality, which is that it isn't natural. Actually, it is - among people, animals, even preachers. There is a healthy debate among scientists as to what evolutionary purpose it may serve.
If you're a fundamentalist Christian, Muslim, or Jew, you now have to face the fact that homosexuality, since it occurs throughout nature, is also therefore God-given. Unless, that is, you decide to convert to a more Manichean theology, one that says that the created universe is the product of the devil and perpetually at war with God. But if you do that, you're going the way of the Cathars and others who were slaughtered by the Church for their heresy.
Don't go there, girlfriend ...
(Although you may want to read "Was the Universe Intelligently Designed ... by Satan?")
Stay with current schools of thought, Christians. Those schools say that Creation is a reflection of God's goodness and beauty. And Muslims, remember what the Q'uran has taught you:
Verily in the heavens and the earth, are Signs for those who believe ... and in the creation of yourselves and the fact that animals are scattered (through the earth), are Signs for those of assured Faith ... And He has subjected to you, as from Him, all that is in the heavens and on earth: Behold, in that are Signs indeed for those who reflect.
As I say, the fundamentalists are much too powerful to let this information get much publicity in the US. So don't search your TV Guide for "Mutual of Omaha's 'Wild Queendom'" quite yet. But, as they say, the Truth Is Out There.
RJ: Excellent, as always! However, I suspect you may get a few visitors (trolls, actually) who will find fault with your reasoning. Just remember that the faults lies not within you--but in their education. They can't build a strong house from their bad lumber...
On homosexuality: it is what it is. It can't be preached out, shouted out, shamed out, beaten out or treated out. Coming out of the closet is scary and quite often painful but, like walking through a wall of fire, 'tis best done quickly--getting to the other side of fear has many rewards.
Keep writing like that, RJ, and you help gays everywhere.
Naomi
Posted by: Naomi | December 30, 2006 at 01:21 PM