Homophobia was label’s basis

Tuesday, November 25, 1997

Homophobia was label’s basis

SEXUAL: Warning of ‘Ellen’s’ adult content perpetuated
ignorance

By Mike Hendrix

The UC Riverside Highlander

When Ellen Degeneres came out of the closet last spring on her
popular TV sitcom, "Ellen," the show came with a warning label
cautioning the audience of the "adult content" of the program.
Considering other shows on TV that were full of sexual innuendoes
with no warning at all, this seemed inconsistent.

The big difference between TV shows like "Men Behaving Badly,"
or "Friends," and "Ellen" is that the former depicts heterosexual
behavior while "Ellen" made the bold step toward discussion of
homosexual relationships. The implication of the warning label is
that homosexual relationships are perverted. You would think that
in the light of scientific evidence, the notion of homosexuality as
a perversion would have met a quiet death, but such is not the
case. Homophobia lives on, and with it, irrational discrimination.
On Saturday night, Ellen Degeneres spoke of the troubles and
triumphs of making the "coming out" episode of her show at the
Human Rights Campaign Fund’s annual national dinner.

At the same event President Clinton also spoke and became the
first U.S. president to address a gay civil rights group. However,
presidential approval does little to dissuade the people that
motivated the warning label.

The problem is that most people are rather ignorant of the
subject of sexual orientation, and in their state of ignorance make
many wrong assumptions.

One assumption is that sexual orientation is a conscious
decision people make. I personally do not ever remember making that
decision. I did not sit down one night and consider the advantages
and disadvantages of sexual orientation – I always liked females.
In fact, in light of the tremendous ridicule and discrimination
that gays face, it seems unlikely that anyone would decide that
they were gay. Sexuality is an innate characteristic rooted deep
within our biological makeup. There is scientific evidence in
hormone and brain chemistry studies as well as genetics that show
sexual orientation has a strong biological component.

In one hormone study a very critical period was found in the
second to fifth month after conception where the hormonal balance
that the fetus was exposed to resulted in the sexual orientation of
that individual. However, once that critical period had passed,
modification of sexual orientation is difficult, if not
impossible.

In another study, Simon Levy, a neuroscientist, found that an
area of the hypothalamus that governs sexual behavior is twice as
large in heterosexual men as in homosexual men. Finally, in a study
of homosexual orientation of pairs of twins, it was found that
almost two-thirds of the monozygotic twins had a homosexual
orientation, but less than one-third of dizygotic twins did.

These studies only suggest part of the story. An individual’s
sexual orientation – heterosexual or homosexual – is most likely
determined by a combination of genetic, hormonal, cognitive and
environmental factors.

Most people have had little if any exposure to the facts
regarding sexual orientation, and in the absence of insight, fear
dominates. Some people fear that homosexuals are looking for
converts and that exposure may cause homosexuality as if it was a
contagious disease. A few people have the incorrect assumption that
homosexuals are also child molesters and fear that homosexuals will
harm their children.

Others are motivated by religious reasons, primarily Christian,
in their opposition to gay rights. The primary defense is a Bible
verse, Leviticus 18:22. But in trying to dictate to homosexuals
with one Bible verse they contradict another: "Thou shalt not
judge."

The fact is no one has the right to dictate to others something
as personal and innate as sexual orientation. Sexual orientation
should have nothing to do with keeping a job, having a place to
live, obtaining health care or deserving common respect. In fact,
sexuality, whether actively participating or not, should not be a
basis of the public labeling process. When was the last time you
wanted to be judged and known by your sexual orientation or active
participation status? Imagine: "Not getting any? Well, you are now
an official outcast! Be gone, be labeled, hide your disease!" Get
real.

The warning label was taken off of the show "Ellen," and it was
about time. Maybe we can start to discuss the issue from an
enlightened point of view rather than one of ignorance and
fear.