To be or not to be. Gay, that is.

It's astounding how many people still believe that being homosexual, as opposed to heterosexual, is a "lifestyle choice".  Who in their right minds would actively choose to be mocked, shunned, abused, put in jail in some places, or even killed. And often lose their place in the family. What sense does that make? It's illogical.

And those of you who think that way - would you be able to choose it? And if not, why do you suppose others do? 

We get told that on the one hand gay sex is animalistic, inhuman, and at the same time it is only done by humans. Please, people, make up your minds. Neither is true anyway.

If you are considering that sex was invented purely for procreation, then ask yourself this: how often have you had sex without it being for purposes of procreation? Of course not every act results in a pregnancy, but still, you get the point. Very few people would be happy to have sex maybe three times in a lifetime.

But it's much more than that of course. Sex is also pleasurable. It has to be, or why else would people do it? Even to procreate. Yes, there are some ultra religious groups where that is the norm, where any kind of pleasure is shunned. But it's pretty extreme, you have to agree.

Some say that homosexual behaviour is unnatural. Let's look at that. Take the bonobos. They indulge in sex at all times, in all ways, with all genders, with no embarrassment. It is used for greeting, making up after a conflict, soothing, and just for fun, as well as in the usual way for procreation. Is that unnatural? Maybe someone should tell the bonobos.

And then there's the argument of it being a human perversion. "You don't see animals behave that way!" No? Actually, you do. Ask any sheep farmer,  they know that there are rams who have no interest whatsoever in ewes. Their attention is focused on other rams. They are no use for breeding. Although if they are a good specimen artificial insemination could be used, and perhaps farmers have found other ways round the problem. It is also interesting that the parents of these rams were perfectly normal breeders, so it isn't something inherited.

Attempting to find out what's going on there, biopsies were done on ram's brains, comparing the two kinds of rams.  It was found that a certain area of the brain, which controls sexual attraction, was much smaller in the "gay" rams. This was something they were born with, believed to be as a result of an imbalance of hormones while they were developing in utero.

It is seen in other species too. Males who only want to be with other males.  Possibly harder to spot in females as they tend to stick together more anyway. It happens in birds, and mammals, and the more researchers watch wildlife, the more they see of it.

Now if happens naturally in other species, why not in humans too?  No amount of counselling, or medical treatment, or whatever ill founded attempts to "cure" homosexuality can make any difference to a brain already formed. And why should it?

What is the real problem here? Fear? Is there some sort of irrational idea that maybe it's contagious? Or that we might be preyed upon? Raped? I think it's true to say that rape is a particularly heterosexual act on the whole. And as for paedophilia, another ridiculous accusation leveled at homosexuals, gays have no interest whatsoever in such dreadful behaviour. They are two entirely different things.

And why does it all have to be about sex anyway? Gays are no more obsessed with sex than anyone else. It is simply who they are. The way their brains work. Natural for them. It's not sick, or perverted, nor is it a choice. It's no more a lifestyle choice for them than being straight is for everyone else.

Why should anyone be so concerned? It isn't contagious, or inherited, or dangerous to others. A lot of the objections of course are on religious grounds. The bible says.... Yes it does. It also says a lot of other things which the same people generally ignore completely. Cherry picking is no way to use your holy book. And if people simply say that they can't see the attraction, so what? No one is asking them to. If the thought disgusts you, get over it. It's none of your business!

So lets live and let live. The world is becoming overpopulated anyway, the critics should be thankful that some people won't be adding to the problem! Ok, that was tongue in cheek. Don't get mad. And let's not get obsessed with the lives of people who do no harm. Life is hard enough.