Jun 24, 2005   | COMMENTS     

LONDON — In a newly published book, scientists in Britain say being gay is just the way some people are born, the U.K. Guardian reported. “Born Gay: The Psychobiology of Sexual Orientation” looks at 15 years of research as to why people are gay, according to the Guardian. The authors, Qazi Rahman, a psychobiologist at the University of East London, and Glenn Wilson, a personality specialist at the University of London, conclude that sexuality is biologically defined, according to the newspaper. Rahman said the book is the first to put together a number of studies that show physical differences in the brain between gay and straight men, the newspaper reported. “There’s the classical gay man with a smothering mother and distant father idea — which comes from Freud’s oedipal complex theories,” Rahman told EducationGuardian.co.uk. “For most of us scientific psychologists, Freud’s theory is like astrology to a physicist. In other words, it’s rubbish. Gay and straight men don’t differ in their relationships with their parents. Where they do it might be put down to the fact that if you’re a biologically gay boy, you are more likely to be feminine. You might well expect that fathers are not too happy. And mothers seek to protect.”

Ore. researchers get to root of sexual orientation via sheep
CORVALLIS, Ore. — A group of sheep at Oregon State University may help give scientists more insight into the origins of sexual orientation, the Seattle Times reported. Among the herd is a group of rams that researchers call “male-oriented,” who ignore females and become amorous to members of their own sex, according to the Times. Researcher Charles Roselli of the Oregon Health and Science University School of Medicine in Portland told the newspaper that a decade of study has shown that sexual orientation is set in the sheep’s brains before birth. At this point, Roselli is trying to discover how that happens, focusing on genes and hormones and hoping to engineer the birth of gay rams by altering conditions in the womb, the Times reported. The Oregon research is part of a growing body of scientific evidence that shows that sexual orientation is biologically determined, the newspaper noted.

Irish warned to stay alert even as HIV cases drop
DUBLIN — Although figures published last week show that new HIV infections in Ireland dropped by 11 percent last year, government officials are being warned to continue aggressive efforts to prevent the spread of the virus that causes AIDS, according to news reports. Professor William Powderly of UCD, a specialist on HIV, speaking at a major conference in Dublin, said the drop in new cases shows a stabilization in the spread of HIV rather than a significant drop in cases, news outlets reported. “We’re seeing new cases in every group, we’re seeing new cases in gay men, we’re seeing new cases in heterosexual transmission in Ireland and we’re seeing new cases in immigrants from countries where HIV is very prevalent,” Powderly told reporters.

Sex researchers convene to study ‘moral panics’
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Researchers here want to talk about sex, and not just the naughty bits. Academics, social scientists and policy makers from around the world are gathering this week at San Francisco State University for a conference on human sexuality and the “moral panics” caused by such charged topics as homosexuality, abortion and sex education. And while there’s plenty of talk about Hollywood, masturbation and all topics titillating, the premise is that ignorance and intolerance about sex have disastrous consequences — whether it’s an inadequate response to AIDS, the stigma suffered by rape survivors or teenagers having unsafe sex. “Better sexuality education will raise public knowledge and lead to positive public policy,” said Gilbert Herdt, director of the National Sexuality Resource Center based at San Francisco State.

New AIDS discrimination trial begins for ex-McDonald’s manager
CLEVELAND (AP) — It was tradition in Russell Rich’s family that every Friday night his dad would take the kids to McDonald’s. Rich recalls gazing through the window of the old-style McDonald’s — the kind with the big golden arches and no indoor seating — and dreaming of flipping burgers like the workers inside. He started working the cash register at age ...