Gay Old Party?

Is the Grand Old Party turning into the Gay Old Party? In July it was Florida State Rep. Bob Allen. And then it was Idaho Senator Larry Craig. And now it's Washington State Rep. Richard Curtis. All supported anti-gay legislation. To paraphrase Shakespeare: "Methinks they doth protest too much."

This isn't all that surprising if you consider that many people hate precisely what they themselves are. Self-loathing can turn into self-righteousness. It sounds like this is a group where "know thyself" is a dictim more needed than ever. I think, too, that a true understanding of the biopsychological origins of homosexual behavior would help people immensely with knowing themselves and becoming comfortable with who they are.

And please note that I said "homosexual behavior." Our closest relatives, the bonobos, are quite the sexually active, bisexual species. They use sex to strengthen social bonds -- and social bonds must be maintained with both sexes. This is the likely origin of homosexual behavior among humans, though I would also note that our opposition to homosexual behavior likely came about when we became aware of the connection between sex and reproduction, with the recognition that in order for a tribe to survive, one needed to make sure most sex was reproductive sex. I'm going to go out on a limb and suggest that at 6 billion people worldwide and counting, it wouldn't hurt if less sex were reproductive and more was for strengthening social bonds.