I Wonder as I Wander

The number of biological older brothers, regardless if they were raised together, increased the chances that the younger brother would be homosexual.

When the results of the Canadian study were published earlier this week, my thoughts flitted to my brother. He’s the youngest of five boys, and he definitely isn’t gay. (Neither are the others, at least I don’t think so.)

One example doesn’t prove or disprove a hypothesis, since scientific conclusions are always couched in the language of probabilities. But we always roll these studies around in our mind and evaluate them against our personal experience. If it sounds right, feels right, and oughtta be right, it is very tempting to accept their conclusions.

Look at the arguments (a) that human activity causes global warming, (b) that global warming is harmful and (c) therefore we can and should do something about it. My young sociology professor, before such heretical thinking was excised from the university, lectured that the descriptive does not imply the normative (poverty exists, therefore there should be a War on Poverty). Be careful as we go from (a) to (c).

But I wander. We’re a long way from advising women with sons to avoid having more boys---that is, if homosexuality is something to be avoided. If that study had existed 40 years ago, my mother might have quit at four, or even two. (Of course, that meant that I would have gotten more stuff.….) © 2006 Stephen Yuen