TWO YEARS ago, a US professor announced that he had discovered the "gay gene"... well, gay? nearly, anyway.
Unconcerned with the scientific its and buts, the media went to town. Not all were as upfront as the Dally Mail which said this offered "hope" that gays could be aborted before birth, but in general the approach was that this confirmed that homosexuality was a genetic defect and might, in time, be cured.
Now, the same trail blazer has refined his research. Whereas Dean Rance? Hamer's US National Cancer Institute study of 114 gay men suggested a hereditary link through the mother's side, he has now found that 21 out of 32 pairs of gay brothers share the same version of a genetic marker on the part of the X chromosome, known as Xq28.
He concludes that he has notfound the "gay gene" but that he has found some evidence that this part of the genetic structure influences sexual orientation in some men.
Where does this leave us? The learned protessor would surely be more usefully employed seeking curses for hereditary links to cancers.
The research creates the possibilty that some men are pre-disposed to be gay, but that there are other causes of homosexuality. To the layperson, it calu ses di 10a5t comusion — wille to those predisposed to prejudice, like right-wing journalists, it is an early Christmas present. They will write inflammatory stories with a 'scientific' Obvious question spring to mind. Hamer's "discovery" denies lesbians a genetic cause, so what's the conclusion from that? Does the "gay gene" onty predispose men to becoming What 'causes' lesbianism then? Does the small size of the sample mean we should be cautious about the findings?
In The Times Nigel Hawkes reports that scientist George Ebers found half of 50 Canadian gay brothers had the marker — not the two-thirds proporsexuality in Canada has a different cause, or is Hamer's sample oft-balTreatable Some people argue for equality because sexuality is biologically determilned, and that lesbian and gay men "just can't help it". This argument also allows other to claim we are sick Send your cheque/PO for £17 (one year) E9 (six months) I to 'Socialist Outlook Fund", PO Box 1109, London N4 L 2UU. For one year overseas: surface: E22. Airmail: £38 L for Australasia, Japan or China. E30 for rest of the world. | Name..... [ Address.
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For those who dont want to be treated, because they are quite happy this way, and who argue that although no one knows what causes heteroreasonable case to be made, founded in a historical study of sexuality in changing social contexts, that the choice is socially conditioned.
Despite the claims of the scientists, scientific research - which is funded by rich corporation and individuals - is rarety politically neutral. But when the pioneer of this research ends up denying that there is a "gay gene", what has it all achieved?
Maybe they should have tried to find which gene pre-disposes people to become bigoted right-wingers... of maybe we'll just have to "cure" them in the course of the struggle.
•Peter Purton is an officer of the Labour Campaign for Lesbian and Gay Rights.
Socialist November 11 1995 5 FF • $1 • 2DM 1500 lire • 30BF• f1 By Bala Kumar Ken Saro-Wiwa, writer and activist and eight other Ogonis have been sentenced to death by a military tribunal in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. "I was found guilty before I was even tried", said the 54 year old leader of the Movement for the Survival of the refused. Ogoni People (MOSOP).
Saro-Wiwa and fourteen others were arrested last year on chares of complicity in the murder of four pro-gorlegedly by militant Ogoni Accordine to the LaRos based Civil Liberties Organisation. 'The entire trial was riddled with procedural irplay of force and intimidation which manifested a clear bias against Saro-Wiwa and others."
An affidavit obtained by Saro-Wiwa's defence lawyer and populist politician Gani SN 0951-8657. Fawehinmi from a key state witness proved that the military authorities with the active support of the Nigerian subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell had intimidated and bribed the niland. later soto traming the ac cused. Charles Danwi, a musician, said he was promised tracts in rcium for naming the defendants and threatened with being a co-accused if he However the hand-picked tribunal was uninterested in through the motions of a trial but the final judgement came The motive behind the victimisation of the MOSOP acIems nave muttplica. tivists has been to silence the tor the wrom poopic and to destroy the movement they built in defence of their human nance. 1990 to campaign for political autonomy for Ogoniland. a region in the Niger Delta and foc a fairer sharing of the revenue from the oil mined there. Until Published by Socialist Outlook, PO Box 1109.
rate incidents. The soil is so tions in late 1993 through contaminated that no crop can popular resistance, Shell grow. The rivers and streams are so polluted that fish can't total oil production in Ogo- survive in them and the OgoUnis cannot use the water.
Nigeria relies on oil ex- In the mining of oil natural ports for over 80 per cent of its gas is also extracted. What annual income and the Ogonis Shell does is to burn it off. have paid a high price for it. Continuously. For twenty four hours in a day, 365 days Minority in a year and for the last thirty seven years. Not only does gas The 500 000 strong Ogonis faring destroy plant and antare a minority in the oil rich mal life through acid rain, it Niger Delta area where they has also had a devastating toll occupy a mere 750 square kilometres of land. Since Shell in on peoples health and life exA serty self oalscien. partnership with the ballonst A formerly self-sufficient petroleum corporation began economy has been destroyed exploiting the oil reserves Food now has to be imported there. environmental prob and many Ogonis leave their homes and migrate to other Pipelines criss-cross what areas because jobs created was once agricultural land from oil mining have gone to even invading the homes of non-locals. people. Oil spillages occur Nigeria enjoys USSIO bilfrequently because of the age of pipes and lack of maintemuch of it from Ogoniland but the Ogonis One scientific report estiployment rate of eighty per mated that between 1982 and cent and a literacy rate of 1992 alone 1.62 million gal. Ions of oil were spilled by twenty per cent. schools and health clinics are scarce and 0 1995. Bosses' world war against welfare services Editorial, page 2 the infrastructure developed only to suit the needs of Shell. When the Ogonis led by their youth rose up to protest at their impoverishment by Shell and the indifference of their govemment Shell called in the military who are noth ing more than their mercenar. ies. With great brutality they have shot thousands killing upwards of 2 000 Ogonis. They burn homes and rape women. driving the inhabitants into the bush and loot all material possessions. It isonly the militarisation of Ogoniland and the detention of the MOSOP leadership which till now has prevented uprisings against the death sentences. Even by the standards of its predecessors the military dictatorship of General Sani Abacha and the Provisional Ruling Council is a nasty picce of work. its casual muroer of sis opponents, the banning of news. have an unem- papers. political parties and associations, ine continuco detention of human rights activists and trade unionists rank How Stalinism killed the Spanish Revolution OW gime Nigerians have been burdened with.
Western governments play the duplicitous game of criticising its human rights record and frustration of the democratic process while happily trading and arming it Britain has not stopped the lucrative chine guns to tanks and is unlikely to back calls at the forthcoming Commonwealth summit for Nigeria's expulsion.
At the beginning of Octo.
ber Abacha had to allow the commuting of death sentences passed on some of his opponents due to worldwide con.
demnation and the threat of european Union sanctons In cluding the freezing of Nigeria's assets abroad, no visas for the military and trade boycotts.
International solidarity with the MOSOP activists can force concessions row unc military. On it hinges nine lives Lift the death sentences!
Free them now!
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