An Interesting Afternoon at the Pinoy Grocery Store

Every other Sunday after mass at about noon time, Macrine,(my spouse of 57 years) and I drive to a Filipino grocery store about 10 miles from our residence. In the store we purchase Filipino goods, groceries, cakes and delicacies. We have been doing this for the last 10 years, thus the owner of the store, a pretty Pinay about 45 years old knows us very well. In the store while shopping, the owner and I would talk on subjects about life in the Philippines versus life here in the US.

Yesterday, our topic of conversation touched on the Pinoy TV drama, My Husband's Lover- which is now very popular not only in the Philippines but also all over the world. The show can be seen if you subscribed to cable television(GMA) or via the Internet.

The last two episodes of this drama last week portrayed the subject of military training and the cure of homosexuality. When this episode was broadcasted last week, I immediately wrote a comment that this episode is very unrealistic and as far as I know no one was ever cured of homosexuality no matter how rigorous the mental and physical training in the military. I was however very surprised when the owner of the Pinoy store asked me if homosexuality can be cured by military training as portrayed in the TV drama.

Our friend question aroused my curiosity about the origin, biology and genetic influences of homosexuality, lesbianism and bisexuality. I did some Internet searched and here is a statement from the American Psychological Association website.

“There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay, or lesbian orientation. Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social, and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors. Many think that nature and nurture both play complex roles; most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation.”

The factors which may be related to the development of a heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual or asexual orientation, include genes, prenatal hormones, and brain structure.

For more detail discussions on biology and sexual orientation, visit the website as follows: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biology_and_sexual_orientation