Markim Felix

Experiences in Literature
Professor Lago
April 6, 2013

Weve alway been told that relations between men and a woman is the norm. Strict religious people
always love to throw out the saying God made Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve. In reality
meanings change overtime and we as open minded people should not paraphrase a book written 3500
years ago. There are those people that say homosexuality is a life-style choice not something you are
born with, but with the lack of studies and knowledge how can someone talk for someone else if them
themselves are not homosexual? Conversion therapies, like electroshock therapy, religious therapies,
exorcisms and even surgeries have been proven not to work and also proven theres no cure for being a
homosexual. As it was mentioned in Ha Jins The Bridegroom, conversion therapies simply do not
work. Middle East countries execute people who perform homosexual acts when in reality why would
someone falsely consider themselves a homosexual knowing they can be incarcerated and even
executed. We are told that its very rare for people who come from the middle East to be homosexual
because its not in their nature, however the most in tolerate countries mainly Eastern, Northern African
countries and the Middle East have the highest gay porn searches on Google than any other country. So
how straight are they? Scientist are even starting to believe that birth order determines sexuality. Its
time we look into sexual orientation because it looks like its a lot more than just a life style choice.
Ha Jins The Bridegroom goes through the struggle of being a homosexual in China, where it is
believed that homosexuality is a mental disease. Baowen has to go through a bunch of different
therapies to convert from being homosexual to heterosexual. Electroconclusive therapy, also known
as electroshock therapy is a psychiatric treatment that electrically induces seizures in patients to relieve
psychiatric illnesses. Electroshock therapy is commonly used for schizophrenia, major depression, as
well as other illnesses but was once and still used on homosexuals. Science has proven that electroshock
therapy indeed does not work. Other forms of treatment that were used were religious treatments,
like a pastor praying, going to church meetings and even exorcisms! Exorcisms were used because some
religions actually believed there were demons inside homosexuals! At the end of The Bridegroom
Baowen engages in sexual activity with his own doctor after all of the treatments. Were told in the story
that there is no cure for Baowens so called disease.
Puritains will argue that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice and a real sin, some countries see it as just a
mental disease, while homosexuals of course believe you are born that way and felt that way ever since
they knew the difference between sexes. All younger siblings should of course thank there younger
siblings. Older siblings make life so much easier for there younger siblings, the younger ones know what
to do and what not to do, like when to steal moms car. Point is the older sibling determines the younger
siblings life, but what about sexual orientation? Scientist have proven that the more male babies a
female gives birth to, the greater chance the subsequent sons will be gay, this is known as the Big
Brother Effect. Studies in twins show that being gay is not really all about genes, but there is a genetic
component. More identical twins than fraternal twins share the same sexual orientation and Dean
Harmer from the National Institute of Health in Bethesda, Maryland claimed she has found a region on
the X chromosome where a male gay gene may reside. In the year 1991 in San Diego at the Stalk
Institute, Simon LeVay Posted his evidence that part of the brain known to vary in size between both
men and women is usually small in gay men. Simon argued that gay men are born instead of made Its
much more than a lifestyle or family processes said Simon. Here in the United States, homosexuality is
becoming more and more accepted and more studies are proving that one is born that way. In China
however, homosexuality was not so long ago considered a mental disease as mentioned in The
Bridegroom



Crabb, C. "Are Some Men Born To Be Homosexual?." U.S. News & World Report111.11 (1991): 58.
Academic Search Complete. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.

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