From the 'Let's-Watch-the-Catholic-Church-Shoot-Itself-in-the-Foot-Again' file, Catholic New World magazine ( early May ) switched from a liberal priest advice columnist to an Opus Dei priest ( severe Catholic sect: think flagellating yourself, literally, for the glory of God ) just in time for him to advise two lesbians who'd had their kids baptized in that church that 'the possibility of a child raised thinking he is a Catholic in a household that contradicts Christian morality and belief [ would be ] ... a very bad situation and the child would grow up confused.' So the universal church doesn't want these children, regardless of their parenting? Hmm.
From the 'We-Knew-If-You-Looked-Hard-Enough-You'd-Find-Them' file, Time Magazine ( June 9 ) reported on the Alevi Muslims, a Turkish denomination that features 'girls without headscarves' and whose '... doctrine is unflinchingly progressive, favoring gay rights, access to abortion, equal opportunity for women and pacifism.' They are somewhere in the vicinity of 15 to 30 percent of Turkey's population and, ahem, the denomination is 750 years old.
From the 'Same-Sex-Seagulls' file, The New York Times' science section ( June 3 ) told of scientists studying a colony of Laysan albatrosses, which are monogamous. On checking the DNA of the 125 pairs of birds in the colony, they found, to their surprise, that one third consisted of pairs of unrelated females who had no problems getting and raising chicks. And staying together.
Speaking of things Catholic, as we were, a group attached in some way to that sect—called The American Society for the Defense of Tradition, Family and Property ( TFP ) —must have plenty of ready cash. The group bought an entire two-page spread in The New York Times ( June 5 ) to rant against 'Homosexual Marriage.' They concluded that they are battling for the 'Soul of America,' which they assume to be hetersexual, married ( in their church ) and Catholic.
Back to the 'We-Knew-If-etc' file, Psychology Today Magazine ( May/June 2008 ) had an article, 'Finding the Switch' by Robert Kunzig, that argued—contrary to Freudians—that gayness is not a psychological defect but is, in fact, an inherited trait that is AN ADVANTAGE to humankind. There are at least three complicated and interlocked reasons as to how this might be—you will, no doubt, be hearing them in many places but this column is too short for that. ( The article does say the study of lesbian sexuality has been given short shrift. ) Wait till TFP hears about this.
From the 'Bringing-the-Situation-From-the-14th-to-the-17th-Century' file, the Chicago Tribune ( June 3 ) had the obit of Charles Moskos, who was a major influence in the American military policy of 'don't ask, don't tell.'
Altho' the Chicago Trib ( June 3 ) didn't manage to say he was gay ( and he was ) , they got it right putting the obit of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent on the editorial page. One doesn't often think of haute couture folk bettering the world, but Saint Laurent was the first to use Black models, the first to launch ready-to-wear for the not-so-rich, purposely designed non-restrictive clothing so women could move freely and cleverly borrowed ideas from everywhere in the world ( including Parisian lesbians of the '30s ) . R.I.P., Yves.
