[Skybird]

Porphy,

I do not know about that amygdala thing, but if there is such a hardcoded abnormity, it would make sense. Somehow the switched polarity of reactions to biochemical signals as I tried to describe above, must have a hardcoded origin. The Amygdala (plural, it is two regions) have to do with emotions, fear, the subconsicous assessement of conflicts, threats and dangers, and feelings of pleasure, and sexual arousement.

And if such an abnormity correlates with different sexual orientation, then it is not just a cosmetic thing like different teint of people's skins, but a functional difference indeed, that in this case collides with the general design of survival mechanisms our species that depends on heterosexual reproduction. In Thailand you can find a significantly higher population of hermaphrodites that show both male and female sexual body characteristics. That does not make them a normality in our race. and if it is about "featuzres" that maybe even are man-made, like the proverbial brain-damaged hill-billies in a godforsaken region where a family clan practices incest since generations, it also does not make the imbecile a norm just because he exists.

I did not heared of differences in the amygdalas before, but I know that the chemcical differecnes in reaction patterns (homosexual men reacting to male pheromones like heterosexual men react to female pheromones) are real and a proven solid fact.

I think people here should listen more to what Henry said. I had two gay colleagues at university, too, and although I am not gay, we came along and formed a lose friendship easily, without problem. They said in general the same things , like Henry: "We are different to you, stop trying to make us as "normal" as you are, we are not. We are against gay marriage, for that is not what marriage and family is about. We hate gays and lesbian parading in the streets almost naked on Christopher street days, that is offensive to the cultural norms of our civilisation."

Normality is not acchieved by telling different people constantly how normal one considers them to be. Normality is in normal, unirritated action and deed, and not ignoring differences - but also not making a big thing of them, if that can be afforded.