July 22, 2005

Facial Feminization Surgery

aka Facial Feminizing Surgery. I was watching a Discovery Health Channel documentary last night on sex changes and found out for the first time that hormone therapy, breast augmentation, etc. can be supplemented by actual surgery to the transsexual person's skull (at least in male to female cases). Get rid of the brow ridge, take down the jaw, mess with the hairline... I'm amazed at how much of a difference this all makes. I just thought it was brilliant and realized that if I were to ever be a surgeon, like my Aunt Laurel, this is what I would enjoy doing. Here are a couple of sites about post-surgery ladies:
Site One and the awesome Site Two.

May 19, 2005

Not All Sperm Created Equal

Obviously we are still living in the dark ages where AIDS is concerned. I mean, the FDA is all about statistics, right? So maybe they should check the current trends on AIDS infection? Here are just a few websites, some newer some older, that belie the FDA's blatant prejudice: world overview/statistics, infection doubles in black population, women's mortality from HIV.

Rant Warning!

I mean, this sends me into apoplectic fits. Where the hell did this come from? What is wrong with current screening processes? Are they having a problem with AIDS infection from AI (artificial insemination)? But no, this is not a rational decision, obviously. This is more from fear and homophobia and based on the current climate in this country. It is part of the backlash -- and intended to create such headlines as "AIDS virus rate higher in gay men." Um, no, people. This is a pandemic and this kind of misinformation and bad press is not helping . . . not by a long shot.

May 04, 2005

Brazil is standing up to the man

From the Guardian:

Brazil yesterday became the first country to take a public stand against the Bush administration's massive Aids programme which is seen by many as seeking increasingly to press its anti-abortion, pro-abstinence sexual agenda on poorer countries.

In other words, they decided it wasn't worth $40 million to make bad public health decisions. Go, Brazil!

April 18, 2004

Homosexuality as a Challenge to Darwinism

An author called Joan Roughgarden, in her new book Evolution's Rainbow: Diversity, Gender and Sexualilty in Nature and People, argues that Darwin's theory of sexual selection doesn't fit the available data based on her research on homosexuality and same-sex relationships in humans and other animals.

This interview with Roughgarden is interesting, although a bit shallow, and actually left me wanting to yell through my computer screen at her. At one point she says, "A typical couple has sex once a week for 50 years, but has only two offspring," which is so wrong if you're looking at the human population as a whole right now and at humans in the millions of years that we've existed. At other times, though, she makes intelligent reference to things like polygamy.

I hope this is a useful, interesting and well-researched book, but this interview raises a few doubts. I wondered what you all would think.

March 18, 2004

Aargh - More Fun in Rhea County

Remember Inherit the Wind and the Scopes "monkey trial"? The same county, Rhea County, Tennessee, had a commissioners' meeting on Tuesday, March 16, and voted unanimously to make homosexuality within the county illegal.

Obviously didn't pay attention to the Supreme Court decision from last year....

November 25, 2003

Holy Matrimony, Batman!

Will Massachusetts single-handedly destroy marriage?

This is a good article, kids, I highly recommend you read it, if only to discover "The Wiggles" website. But most importantly to support your married lesbian friends . . .

Note: Here's another good one. It's hard to respond to the ridiculousness of the issue with anything less than full blown sarcasm.

October 23, 2003

Hardwired (and this could be a double entendre)

More and more evidence is mounting (sorry, there's another double entendre) that our sexuality and gender identities are neurologically based and certainly not just lifestyle "preferences." UCLA has done a study focusing on this, and their researcher Eric Vilain says, "Our research implies that genes account for some of the differences in male and female brains. It's quite possible that sexual identity and physical attraction is 'hard-wired' by the brain. If we accept this concept, we must dismiss the myth that homosexuality is a 'choice' and examine our civil legal system accordingly."

Be sure to read the whole article for some interesting things on differences in startle responses in gay and straight people.

P.S. Just found the link to this latter study.