The myth of the heterosexual family (letter to editor)

Boston Globe ^ | august 15, 2005 | sheryl barnes

[lexfreedom]

The myth of the heterosexual family August 15, 2005

DONOVAN SLACK'S Aug. 12 news story ''Thou Art No Romeo" reveals a great deal about our culture's commitment to sustaining the myth that the heterosexual nuclear family is the only acceptable unit for adult couples, despite evidence to the contrary.

The story discloses that the beloved and deeply partnered swans at the Public Garden are (gasp!) both female. Although homosexual behavior is well documented among animals, a person in the story describes these two swans' behavior as ''lunacy." Which is crazier, accepting basic facts or attempting to deny evidence that the world does not fit into your view of how it should be?

Furthermore, this detachment from reality extends to a Parks Department spokeswoman who confesses that when children ask her, ''Which one's Romeo and which one's Juliet?" she doesn't want to ''spoil" the ''fairy tale" by telling them the truth.

Can't we do better than telling our children lies to save ourselves from facing reality? We claim to be protecting our children, but up to a third of the youths who commit suicide are gay or lesbian. Could it be because they can't imagine fitting into our fairy tale? That's a tragic price to protect a myth.

SHERYL BARNES Cambridge

[lexfreedom]

Can't we do better than telling our children lies to save ourselves from facing reality? We claim to be protecting our children, but up to a third of the youths who commit suicide are gay or lesbian.

Hypocrisy alert -- she's the one lying to the children with made up suicide statistics

This letter is in reference to the following article in the Boston Globe: Thou art no Romeo

about a couple of confused swans in the Boston Garden.

The article was referenced here on freerepublic earlier.

[Dog Gone]

Lemme guess. Sheryl is a lesbian.

[Brett66]

That's a tragic price to protect a myth.

I agree, that's why confused teenagers need to be told that they can choose their orientation.

[NHResident]

No,no - you miss the whole point - in Cambridge - heterosexual couples ARE the minority. Even if you lean that way - you have to deny it in order to be accepted.

Sheesh - this IS mASSachusetts after all.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Although homosexual behavior is well documented among animals,

As is rape, pedophilia, theft, murder....butt sniffing, poop eating, etc....

[John Valentine]

Can anyone tell me what kind of warped, illogical, demented thinking can find any relevance at all in a pair of affectionate swans to human marriage and family rearing?

Oh, yes, excuse me, it's obvious... That's LIBERAL "thinking".

[rlmorel]

For those out there who may be less knowledgeble, Cambridge, Massachusetts is the East Coast sister city to both Berkeley, CA and Madison, WI (although I gather Madison is still a little below the level of these two)

In Massachusetts, we call it The Peoples Republic of Cambridge. You have never in your life seen a more politically correct place.

"Bush is a Terrorist" and "Che Guevara" t-shirts abound. There are more panhandlers per square yard than anywhere else in Massachusetts.

If you have seen what the left looks like at sites like Protestwarrior.com, then you know they had to go to Berkeley or Cambridge to get it.

[Archon of the East]

Does anyone know what she is talking about when she says homosexual behavior is well documented? I mean just because someone has a close friendship or in the case of a swan being a pair doesn't necessarily make it sexual. I have heard this argument before but have yet to see actual homosexual activity among any animals.

[Essie]

I think she missed one important thing. The swans could not have children; they could never be a family. Animals exhibit a wide variety of behaviors which a sensible person would not follow. When using two swans to suggest that the heterosexual family is not the norm, the writer seems to determined to make a point whether it makes sense or not.

[TWohlford]

So let me guess.... Gays and lesbians are "born this way." And, that sex drive is so strong that one cannot stop themselves from acting on those inborn urges. That's why it becomes a "civil rights issue".

Nevermind that 20+ years of intense genetic testing have yet to show us the "gay genome" (although there are a few "gay Genes" and "Lesiban Jeans"), science will ultimately prove them right.

IN fact, those 20+ years of research have shown that we have "predispositions" to certain activities, but no respectable biologist will yet claim that sexual activity is pre-determined at or before birth.

Then again, we all know that truth is the first casulty of activism, right?

[rlmorel]

Please...you almost made me spit on my keyboard.

[Windsong]

Although homosexual behavior is well documented among animals

Yes indeed. Human animals. Definitely.

[IronJack]

The story discloses that the beloved and deeply partnered swans at the Public Garden are (gasp!) both female. Although homosexual behavior is well documented among animals, a person in the story describes these two swans' behavior as ''lunacy." Which is crazier, accepting basic facts or attempting to deny evidence that the world does not fit into your view of how it should be?

Is this cretin recommending that humans take their sexual cues from migratory waterfowl? I can understand HER kinship with the swans -- loons being distant cousins and all -- but the rest of us probably don't eat each others' vomit, urinate on fire hydrants, or copulate indiscriminately in alleyways like animals.

At least CONSERVATIVES don't.

[Old Professer]

From Google:

Ask A Scientist© Biology Archive

---

Sexing Swans

 
name         RON
status       other
age          50s

Question -   We live on the chesapeake bay, For the past 3 weeks we
have a beautiful white swan at or pier every nite. The largest bird I
have ever been that close to. He waits for me to come out and feed him
after dinner.We have raised a couple of baby ducks and releised them. My
wife and I are fighting over a name. (male or female) I say he is a male
because of his personalty. that really pis--- her off.can you tell me for
real how we can tell. P.S. please excuse my spelling and launage. I am
not a computer person ,just happen to have one and am trying to learn how
to use it. I can,t type either.
-------------------------
There is no easy way visually to tell male from female swans, behavior
within the pair would be about the only clue you could get by observing the
birds in the wild.
J. Elliott
=========================================================

is an electronic community for Science, Math, and Computer Science K-12 Educators.
Argonne National Laboratory, Division of Educational Programs, Harold Myron, Ph.D., Division Director.

[kittymyrib]

Of course, when that gay gene is found, then the race will be on to find a cure for it, right? Right?

[Diana in Wisconsin]

"Which is crazier, accepting basic facts or attempting to deny evidence that the world does not fit into your view of how it should be?"

I'm pretty sure that was one of the interview question asked of Howard Dean while they were debating who should head the DNC...

*SMIRK*

[HitmanLV]

I never understood why people who are on either side of the public policy issues find the desire or need to explore the 'nature/nurture' cliche.

I have no idea if it is natural or not. Frankly, it doesn't matter if it is natural or not. It's perfectly natural for me to see an attractive female, begin grunting, chase her down and enjoy sex with her in a corner of the building we are in.

Even if she consents, that's still not a reason to legitimize the behavior. The fact that it is natural is a factor in determining policy, but in itself it does not wholly determine how we decide to handle the issue from a public policy standpoint.

[Michael.SF.]

I always thought there was something kind of gay looking about Swans.

[rlmorel]

People who advocate homosexuality often run into a problem when trying to justify it, and that is that it puts them on the horns of a dilemma.

On one horn, if they say it is genetic or biological, they have no proof of it. When they see two swans who don't understand, for whatever reason, they are quick to point it out as supporting evidence.

On the other horn, if they say it is learned, then...it can be "unlearned", which is very bad, in their minds.

Proponents often try to get between the horns by saying it is both biological and learned behavior. That covers all their bases.

[atomicpossum]

SHERYL BARNES

I'm seeing plaid, a mullet, man's watch, possibly a job as a gym teacher....