Month: December 2006

Mitt or Mitt?

I don’t venture into politics much here but this story is a fascinating mix of sexuality, religion and politics. Mitt Romney is apparently putting out feelers regarding the GOP presidential campaign. The issue in blogdom is “Can a Mormon win?” Hugh Hewitt, Christian conservative who knows Romney, believes he can and is supporting him.

I think Romney will need to do something fairly quickly to be conservative enough for the Republican base if he is to be successful. With his stance in 1994 on gay rights, I think he will get a chilly reception. Will there be a winter surprise for conservatives from the Romney camp? What I mean is, will he feel the need to do something in the area of gay rights to find his inner social conservative prior to lining up serious conservative support? I doubt the Mormon issue will be as much of an issue as his potential duplicity in saying one thing while running for Senate and posturing another way when seeking the GOP nod.

Golan Cipel says McGreevey lied in his book

The Confession

“I believe that Jim McGreevey is bisexual.” – Golan Cipel

It is a “he said, he said” situation, that’s for certain. Cipel says there was no encounter and McGreevey says there was over a period of time.

I have been reading McGreevey’s book and if he is lying, he is good at it.

What do you think? Cipel or McGreevey?

Another fraternal birth order research report

Title: Fraternal birth order and ratio of heterosexual/homosexual feelings in women and men.

Journal: Journal of Homosexuality. 2006; 51(4):161-74.

Authors: McConaghy N, Hadzi-Pavlovic D, Stevens C, Manicavasagar V, Buhrich N, & Vollmer-Conna U.

ABSTRACT

Studies of the 2-3% of persons who identify as homosexual found men but not women had more older brothers than persons who identify as heterosexual. The present study investigated the birth order in the approximately 20% of men and women who anonymously report some homosexual feelings, few of whom identify as homosexual. The number of older brothers and sisters was investigated in seven cohorts: 319 male twins; and 49, 54, and 61 female and 66, 116, and 50 male medical students. Both women and men who anonymously reported homosexual feelings had a greater mean number of older brothers and sisters than did those who reported no homosexual feelings. The difference was stronger in relation to brothers than sisters. The birth order effect was not related to the strength of the subjects’ degree of homosexual compared with heterosexual feelings. Its presence in women could not be accounted for by the widely accepted hypothesis that the birth order effect is due to amaternal immune reaction provoked only by male fetuses. The lack of relationship between the strength of the effect and degree of homosexual feelings in the men and women suggests the influence of birth order on homosexual feelings was not due to a biological, but a social process in the subjects studied. Investigating the neglected significant percentage of predominantly heterosexual men and women who anonymously report some homosexual feelings may aid in understanding the factors influencing sexual orientation, and identity. doi:10.1300/J082v51n04_09.

I haven’t seen the full report as yet, but will update when I do.