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From: guest@hplabs.UUCP (HP Labs Guest/guest)
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Subject: Re: Heterosexual Questionnaire
Message-ID: <1598@hplabs.UUCP>
Date: Tue, 12-Feb-85 23:23:20 EST
Article-I.D.: hplabs.1598
Posted: Tue Feb 12 23:23:20 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 13-Feb-85 19:01:02 EST
References: <4559@ucbvax.ARPA>
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Organization: Hewlett Packard Labs, Palo Alto CA
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> 25 questions to ask your heterosexual friends, from Martin Rochin, Ph.D.
Let's see if this goes well; if not then no posting.
1)	I am hetrosexual.
2)	I am not anti-homosexual.
3)	Some of my best ...  (naw, I couldn't say it.  It's too trite.)
4)	I just thought (wrongly) that you'ld want some answers.

> 1.	What do you think caused your heterosexuality?
    Wow, it starts off tough (no :-) intended).  It wasn't peer
pressure, it might have been upbringing, it just felt right for me.

> 2.	When and how did you first decide you were a heterosexual?
    At age 12 when I fell madly in love(infatuation), an made
SUCH a fool of myself.

> 3.	Is it possible that your heterosexuality is just a phase
> 	you may grow out of?
    Yes.

> 4.	Is it possible your heterosexuality stems from a neurotic
> 	fear of others of the same sex?
    No.  Not fear.  Since I answered #3 as I did, I think I'm safe here.
I simply relate to women greatly differently than to men.  (Much to
my pain.)

> 5.	Isn't it possible that all you need is a good gay lover?
    Since I haven't any lover, I can only guess that this isn't the problem.

> 6.	Heterosexuals have histories of failures in gay relationships.  Do
> 	you think you may have turned to heterosexuality in fear of rejection?
    No, were rejection my only problem, I might be gay.

> 7.	If you've never slept with a person of the same sex, how
> 	do you know you wouldn't prefer that?
   What if both sides of the question were unexplored?  (The previous is
neither an admission nor a denial of any state.  Only an emotional adolesent
would be so hung up as to get this far and try to skirt this question.  I
guess I am such.)

> 8.	If your heterosexuality is normal, why are a disproportionate
> 	number of mental patients heterosexual?
    Really?  I had no such knowledge.  Where can I check that?

> 9.	With whom have you discussed your heterosexual tendencies?
> 	How did they react?
    Many people, prospects for girlfriend status, friends, parents, a
gay friend who had hoped to find a MOTSS, ... .  They (uniformly) seemed
to be understanding, and willing to let me follow the path that I had
chosen.  I hope you all see equal understanding.

> 10.	Your heterosexuality doesn't offend me as long as you don't try
> 	to force it on me.  Why do you people feel compelled to seduce
> 	others into your sexual orientation?
   Whoh, I think you've got me confused with someone else!

> 11.	If you choose to nurture children, would you want them to be
> 	heterosexual, knowing the problems they would face?
    Yes.

> 12.	The great majority of child molesters are heterosexuals.  Do you really
> 	consider it safe to expose your children to heterosexual teachers?
    Why didn't you say "disproportionate" here?

> 13.	Why do you insist on being so obvious, and making a public spectacle
> of your heterosexuality?  Can't you just be what you are and keep it quiet?
    No, I don't ask it of you; don't ask it of me.

> 14.	How can you ever hope to become a whole person if you limit
> 	yourself to a compulsive, exclusive heterosexual object choice, and
> 	remain unwilling to explore and develop your normal, natural,
> 	healthy, God-given homosexual potential?
    First I need to explore the world I prefer.  Until then I see
no reason to try less prefered avenues.

> 15.	Heterosexuals are noted for assigning themselves and each other to
> 	narrowly restricted stereotyped sex roles.
> 	Why do you cling to such unhealthy role-playing?
    I don't know.  It is really upsetting too.  I didn't get a good role.

> 16.	How can you enjoy a fully satisfying sexual experience or deep
> 	emotional rapport with a person of the opposite sex, when the
> 	obvious physical, biological, and temperamental differences
> 	between you are so vast?  How can a man understand what pleases
> 	a woman sexually, or vise-versa?
    Ask them.  Try to communicate.  How will we be fit to relate
to the other intelligences around if we cannot relate to the
other half of our species.

> 17.	Why do heterosexuals place so much emphasis on sex?
    It's in my genes (not jeans :-) ).

> 18.	With all the societal support marriage receives, the divorce rate
> 	is spiralling.  Why are there so few stable relationships
> 	among heterosexuals?
    You've got me here.

> 19.	How could the human race survive if everyone were a heterosexual like
> 	you, considering the menace of overpopulation?
    I'm not one of the overpopulators.  My scrawny genes may not
make it past this generation.  Does that make me less of a person?
(This may actually be an improvement of the race.)

> 20.	There seem to be very few happy heterosexuals.  Techniques have been
> 	developed with which you might be able to change if you 
> 	really want to.  Have you ever tried aversion therapy?
    Yes, I did.  It certainly didn't make me happy.  There are so few
happy PEOPLE, must we fight about everything?

> 21.	A disproportionate number of criminals, welfare reccipients,
> 	and other irresponsible or anti-social types are heterosexual.
> 	Why would anyone want to hire a heterosexual for a responsible position?
    This question really makes me discard question #12.  Unfortunately,
I still would have to see the sources of your data.  As a note on statistics
I do point out that the majority of all people are not above average.

> 22.	Do heterosexuals hate and/or distrust others of their own sex?
> 	Is that what makes them heterosexual?
    That may be a factor, but I suspect it is simply an attraction from
the opposite sex and not a repulsion from the same sex.  To be attracted
to an alternative, not because it is pleasant, only because it is "the
lesser of two evils" seems terrible to me.

> 23.	Why are heterosexuals so promiscuous?
    (If only :-) )  I decline comment.

> 24.	Why do you make a point of attributing heterosexuality to
> 	famous people?  Is it to justify your own heterosexuality?
    You're not talking to me here.

> 25.	Could you really trust a heterosexual therapist/counselor to be
> 	objective and unbiased?  Don't you fear that he/she might be
> 	inclined to influence you in the direction of his/her own leanings?
    No one is "objective and unbiased".  You simply have to take peoples
biases into account (of course, they take that into account, you take
their taking that into account into account, ...)

>	Steve Schoettler    schoet@ucbvax
Thanks Steve, for the enlightning questionaire.
It did point out several things to me.  Among the
ones not touched upon above.
1)	Have I examined the evidence used in making assertions
	about homosexuality/hetrosexuality?
2)	It did effectively turn around a few stereotypes.
3)	It did make personally directed questions that might better
	have been qualified or moved to a different section of its
	survey.  (e.g. Q24, Q15, Q13, Q10)


[ I decided to see if I could do this anonymously, since I
am not a crusader.  I hope it worked. ]