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  • SUNDAY OCTOBER 28 2007 4:00 AM

University of Utah One Step Closer to "Fixing" Gay People?

Submitted by Rahodeb

Edited by Rahodeb



Researchers at the University of Utah have been fiddling with the brains of female worms to see if they can turn them lezzie by doing a little genetic switcheroo. With funding from the National Science Foundation, researchers in scientific director Erik Jorgensen's lab switched on the gene that makes the body develop male structures, but they only activated it in the brain.

As a result, the female worms still had female bodies, but they behaved like males.

"It suggests sexual behavior is encoded in our genes" and not caused by extra nerve cells specific to males or females, Jorgensen said in a telephone interview.

In case you didn't know, worms and humans actually share many of the same genes, so nematodes are often used to as a potential looking glass into human genetics. The ability to genetically manipulate female worms so that they're attracted to one another reinforces the hypothesis that sexual orientation is hard-wired in the human brain, and also implies the possibility of someday "correcting" homosexual orientation in humans. Of course, that wasn't the purpose of the study, and scientifically it's not that simple, but it's hard not to imagine this kind of research someday leading to genetic sex changes.

But Jorgensen said the study is not likely to resolve the burning question about the genesis of sexual orientation in humans. "A human's brain is much more complex than a worm's brain," he said.

Many scientists think a host of factors such as genetics, hormones and environment may play a role in determining sexual orientation in humans, but this has not been proven.

Jorgensen said the study is interesting because it suggests rather than being caused by extra, sex-specific nerve cells, attraction behaviors are part of the same brain circuit.

In the dystopian, futuristic version of this, I can imagine government mandated (this study was funded, for what it's worth, by the National Science Foundation) genetic sex changes for gay people (maybe even in utero). In the romantic comedy version, I can see Sarah Jessica Parker playing the role of the jaded, middle-aged woman who's sick of looking for Mr. Right, and instead opts for a genetic tweak a la Kissing Jessica Stein.

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malkav11

malkav11

Saint Paul, MN
July 2003

OCT 29, 2007 01:53 AM

mingol said:

FearTheReaper said:
Maybe I'm not understanding this correctly, but how does this enable me to fuck worms?


Dude. What's stopping you?



Considering the size of most worms' orifices, that'd say something, uh...uncomplimentary about the size of one's dick. Either that or one is also a necrophiliac.

Jennifer_

Jennifer_

Venezuela
November 2006

OCT 29, 2007 05:30 AM

Chainlink said:

Necia said:

Jennifer_ said:
Also, in the event they manage to make this work for humans, then I want to be bisexual.





I'm a little confused after Jennifer claimed in the Islamofacism thread to have a Iranian boyfriend and a future lesbian life partner.
Has she also made up her own definition of bisexual ? confused


surreal
The 'lesbian life partner' comment was meant as a joke. Of all the women I know, she's the one that most makes me wish I was gay. You know when you see someone, and you think 'man I wish I was gay so I could civil partnership with you'?
Maybe that's just me, but I am so calling her when they figure out how to make this work for humans. A few months back she showed me a NuSci article on how they thought they could make people get teh gay, and we both got very excited. (but not in that way. Yet)

Evilgasm

Evilgasm

Netherlands
April 2007

OCT 29, 2007 06:51 AM

mingol said:

Evilgasm said:
More realistically, and importantly, it will prove definativly that sexual orientation is something you are born with and therefore have no control over. This means that any discrimination against homosexuals will become instantly illegal just about everywhere and in every form. A major boost for the promotion of gay rights as it gives a scientific and legal basis from which to build on (not just a moral one).


I'm not so sure. Just last week the Prime Minister of Singapore stood up in Parliament and declared that homosexuality was inborn - and then proceeded to support the retention of Section 377A of the Penal Code, on the grounds that repealing it would upset homophobes.

So yeah, I'm not so optimistic.



I Included that "just about" bit specifically thinking of Singapore... That country has some messed up laws concerning sex in all forms.

MarcMerm said:
I'm just removing the moral gray area from the argument by showing that in cases where we clearly know right from wrong we can agree, we shouldn't let other factors influence us in the gray areas.



I think the reason that homosexuality has become a gray area for some is because they allow other factors to influence them.

This discovery will not lead to instant change (hardly anything ever does). It will help however. Right now many people still see sexual orientation as a choice someone makes. With scientific evidence stating the opposite that argument can (under rational circumstances at least) be dismissed. Now by their nature homophobes are indeed irrational and stomping out that behavior is as difficult, if not impossible, as stomping out racism. I however do hold out the hope/belief that most civilized nations are rational in their courts of law. That homophobia will one day be treated with as much contempt and severity as any act of racism.

Chainlink

Chainlink

Key West, FL
August 2005

OCT 29, 2007 06:55 AM

Jennifer_ said:

Chainlink said:

Necia said:

Jennifer_ said:
Also, in the event they manage to make this work for humans, then I want to be bisexual.





I'm a little confused after Jennifer claimed in the Islamofacism thread to have a Iranian boyfriend and a future lesbian life partner.
Has she also made up her own definition of bisexual ? confused


surreal
The 'lesbian life partner' comment was meant as a joke. Of all the women I know, she's the one that most makes me wish I was gay. You know when you see someone, and you think 'man I wish I was gay so I could civil partnership with you'?
Maybe that's just me, but I am so calling her when they figure out how to make this work for humans. A few months back she showed me a NuSci article on how they thought they could make people get teh gay, and we both got very excited. (but not in that way. Yet)





If you like this girl so much that you would like to be her lesbian love partner, thats gay.

You aren't real good at that joke thing are you ?

JunkyardAngel

JunkyardAngel

San Gabriel, CA
February 2006

OCT 29, 2007 10:13 AM

TheFly said:
Uh, what worms are they using? If my science classes have stuck with me...



aren't worms asexual? Having both sex organs, hermaphrodites, that can fertilize their own eggs or cross fertalize.


How the fuck can this be linked to human "gayness?!" How can you fiddle in the brain of an organism that doesn't have a defined sex and make attracted to another non-defined sex organism?



Duh, worms that, well - fuck themselves!

SPOILERS! (Click to view)

How gay is that?

JunkyardAngel

JunkyardAngel

San Gabriel, CA
February 2006

OCT 29, 2007 10:17 AM

Jennifer_ said:

Chainlink said:

Necia said:

Jennifer_ said:
Also, in the event they manage to make this work for humans, then I want to be bisexual.





I'm a little confused after Jennifer claimed in the Islamofacism thread to have a Iranian boyfriend and a future lesbian life partner.
Has she also made up her own definition of bisexual ? confused


surreal
The 'lesbian life partner' comment was meant as a joke. Of all the women I know, she's the one that most makes me wish I was gay. You know when you see someone, and you think 'man I wish I was gay so I could civil partnership with you'?
Maybe that's just me, but I am so calling her when they figure out how to make this work for humans. A few months back she showed me a NuSci article on how they thought they could make people get teh gay, and we both got very excited. (but not in that way. Yet)



Um...sounds like you are already bisexual?

surreal whatever

Jennifer_

Jennifer_

Venezuela
November 2006

OCT 29, 2007 12:43 PM

Chainlink said:
If you like this girl so much that you would like to be her lesbian love partner, thats gay.


I like her personality, but not her booty. Not that there's anything objectionable about her booty, but it doesn't have that certain je ne sais quois that male booty has. But if I was gay, her booty would then have the je ne sais quois, which would make life more fun.
Surprisingly, this actually makes sense to us. And yes, its an unusual in-joke, but hey, we have fun with it.

But hasn't anyone ever wondered what it would be like to be attracted to another gender in a way that you aren't currently? Surely its not just me.

Chainlink

Chainlink

Key West, FL
August 2005

OCT 29, 2007 02:56 PM

Jennifer_ said:

Chainlink said:
If you like this girl so much that you would like to be her lesbian love partner, thats gay.


I like her personality, but not her booty. Not that there's anything objectionable about her booty, but it doesn't have that certain je ne sais quois that male booty has. But if I was gay, her booty would then have the je ne sais quois, which would make life more fun.
Surprisingly, this actually makes sense to us. And yes, its an unusual in-joke, but hey, we have fun with it.

But hasn't anyone ever wondered what it would be like to be attracted to another gender in a way that you aren't currently? Surely its not just me.



It sounds to me like you are as confused about your sexuality as you are your politics.
whatever
Good luck with all of that.

Jennifer_

Jennifer_

Venezuela
November 2006

OCT 29, 2007 03:33 PM

Chainlink said:
It sounds to me like you are as confused about your sexuality as you are your politics.


I'm not particuarly confused about either. Just because you don't understand something, doesn't mean the other person is confused or inventing it.

Though it is amazing you can't understand why a straight person would wish they could be bisexual so they could have new experiences. I tried to be polite in my last post, but really dude, its not that complicated.

Vestril

Vestril

Coronado, CA
February 2003

OCT 29, 2007 05:23 PM

Jennifer_ said:

Chainlink said:
It sounds to me like you are as confused about your sexuality as you are your politics.


I'm not particuarly confused about either. Just because you don't understand something, doesn't mean the other person is confused or inventing it.

Though it is amazing you can't understand why a straight person would wish they could be bisexual so they could have new experiences. I tried to be polite in my last post, but really dude, its not that complicated.



You don't have to be bisexual to try new experiences. You just try them. If you fuck a chick, I don't think the cops are going to bust in and arrest you for having gay sex without being the correct orientation.

SockPuppet

SockPuppet

I'm lost
July 2006

OCT 29, 2007 06:27 PM

TheFly said:
Uh, what worms are they using? If my science classes have stuck with me...

aren't worms asexual? Having both sex organs, hermaphrodites, that can fertilize their own eggs or cross fertalize.



Um, that's not asexual, IIUC. That's being hermaphrodite. Asexual would be like bacteria or aphids, reproducing without having sex.

Necia

Necia

San Francisco, CA
August 2005

OCT 29, 2007 06:32 PM

Necia said:

Jennifer_ said:
Also, in the event they manage to make this work for humans, then I want to be bisexual.



If it helps, I hear that women are, like, naturally more bisexual than men anyway, or something. wink



I mean, see above.

IDGAS

IDGAS

Boston, MA
March 2004

OCT 29, 2007 06:56 PM

Jennifer_ said:

Chainlink said:
If you like this girl so much that you would like to be her lesbian love partner, thats gay.


I like her personality, but not her booty. Not that there's anything objectionable about her booty, but it doesn't have that certain je ne sais quois that male booty has. But if I was gay, her booty would then have the je ne sais quois, which would make life more fun.
Surprisingly, this actually makes sense to us. And yes, its an unusual in-joke, but hey, we have fun with it.

But hasn't anyone ever wondered what it would be like to be attracted to another gender in a way that you aren't currently? Surely its not just me.


There needs to be more than one person involved for an inside joke to work.

freshprncebelair

freshprncebelair

Ellicott City, MD
June 2004

OCT 29, 2007 07:08 PM

soulcompromise said:
I think that's the type of thing that suggests outside interference with someones personal freedom. I miss the days when someones sexual orientation was a thing shrouded in mystery.



When they can test for homosexuality in the womb (or any other desireable/undesireable trait) they will, and mothers will decide what to do with the fetus at that time.

IIRC, they already can test for Cystic Fibrosis in the womb, and many women are already terminating pregnancies based on this.

Personally, i'm pro-genetic engineering. There is a lot of potential to make some positive change in the world

ink_slinger

ink_slinger

Edmonton, AB
October 2005

OCT 29, 2007 07:19 PM

I was under the impression that worms are hermaphrodites. Or are they not referring to run-of-the-mill earthworms, here?

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