Lefty's

[Graeme]

There are a number of good essays in that section of the Mail Crew site. I can also recommended Codey's My Two Cents Worth on the meaning of friendship, though it's a bit off topic for this thread.

[Adrian Michaels]

I'm right handed, and the oldest and only son. If I could look at the top of my head, I'd be able to tell you what way my hair went...

[BeaStKid]

I'm also right handed and the first son (had two elder sisters out of which one is surviving...sigh)...

 

As for the hair...i'm a sikh, so the question of a twirl is totally ruled out!!!

 

BSK

[adblue]

I'm a gay guy. I'm right handed, and my ring finger's longer than my index finger. I'm an only child, but my mom had at least two pregnancies before me and one or two after. I have no idea which way my hair whorl turns. My hair turned wavy after puberty, not that that has anything to do with anything.

 

I find it really interesting that many of Colin's closest friends are gay. Looking back, I now think several of my closest friends in school may have been gay or leaning that way, but I don't know for sure. However, I didn't get to fool around much (and not as much as I would've liked, if I'd really admitted it).

[colinian]

I'm a gay guy. I'm right handed, and my ring finger's longer than my index finger. I'm an only child, but my mom had at least two pregnancies before me and one or two after. I have no idea which way my hair whorl turns. My hair turned wavy after puberty, not that that has anything to do with anything.

 

I find it really interesting that many of Colin's closest friends are gay. Looking back, I now think several of my closest friends in school may have been gay or leaning that way, but I don't know for sure. However, I didn't get to fool around much (and not as much as I would've liked, if I'd really admitted it).

 

Actually, I know more guys who are gay from my HS than the ones I listed who are my friends. Now that I'm in college, I know a lot more LGBT people. My home and HS are in a very accepting part of the country.

 

Colin

[Graeme]

Being in accepting culture makes a difference. I honestly can't think of a single person that I knew from school that even might have been gay. There was one person at university that I knew who was rumoured to be gay, but I never asked him. There were gays at university, but I didn't get to know any of them -- at least as far as I know.

[rknapp]

Meh, I know a couple now. Doesn't mean that they know me though.

[glomph]

My granddad gave me his copy of great little paperback book he got when he was in high school, How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff. The copyright date is 1954,

 

I found a copy of that in the school library when I was in high school. It was one of the formative books I read at the time. Likewise, Flatland.

Edited October 3, 2007 by glomph

[AFriendlyFace]

I find it really interesting that many of Colin's closest friends are gay. Looking back, I now think several of my closest friends in school may have been gay or leaning that way, but I don't know for sure. However, I didn't get to fool around much (and not as much as I would've liked, if I'd really admitted it).

Actually, I know more guys who are gay from my HS than the ones I listed who are my friends. Now that I'm in college, I know a lot more LGBT people. My home and HS are in a very accepting part of the country.

 

 

Nearly all my friends are GLBT, with the exception of my work friends. Oh I also have several childhood straight friends left, but as far as the people I've befriended in the past two years (since moving to Houston) they're nearly all somehow affiliated with the gay community, again with the exception of my friends at work.

 

Actually I often feel like I ought to participate more in the "straight world". Even the majority of the restaurants, club, events, etc. that we go to tend to be very gay-oriented or gay-friendly.

Edited October 4, 2007 by AFriendlyFace

[Jack Scribe]

Actually I often feel like I ought to participate more in the "straight world". Even the majority of the restaurants, club, events, etc. that we go to tend to be very gay-oriented or gay-friendly.

 

But whatever world you're in - gay or straight - hair definitely doesn't grow on your palm...left handed or right handed. Except for a few genes, we're all pretty much alike.

 

Jack

[colinian]

Being in accepting culture makes a difference. I honestly can't think of a single person that I knew from school that even might have been gay. There was one person at university that I knew who was rumoured to be gay, but I never asked him. There were gays at university, but I didn't get to know any of them -- at least as far as I know.

 

Graeme,

 

I think there's a huge difference because of the difference in when we each went to high school. You're 44, I'm 17. That 27 years is huge in how LGBT kids are accepted, even in my very tolerant and accepting area of the country. Kids are out in high school, the GSA clubs have good attendance, and, while there are still homophobes around, there isn't the harassment and physical abuse that used to be more common.

 

Colin

[colinian]

Nearly all my friends are GLBT, with the exception of my work friends. Oh I also have several childhood straight friends left, but as far as the people I've befriended in the past two years (since moving to Houston) they're nearly all somehow affiliated with the gay community, again with the exception of my friends at work.

 

Actually I often feel like I ought to participate more in the "straight world". Even the majority of the restaurants, club, events, etc. that we go to tend to be very gay-oriented or gay-friendly.

 

Doug and I participate almost totally in the straight world, and almost not at all in the gay community. Part of it is because in my home town and in Berkeley there's no "gay community" as such, everything is just there all together. No delineated areas like San Francisco's Castro district. Another thing is that Doug just turned 18 and I'm 17 (until the end of November), so we're three plus years away from being able to go to gay bars, or any bars for that matter. However, neither of us are drinkers or bar people, so it won't make any difference to us.

 

Anyway, we don't try to hide our relationship, and have never even gotten a dirty look. For example, last Christmas Doug and I bought each other engraved titanium and silver bracelets from Tiffany's. When we were at the store the clerk realized immediately that we are BF's, and she didn't act weird or anything but talked to us like we were two adults who were partners. When we asked how much they cost and she told us each was $450 plus tax plus $25 for the engraving (no tax on that, for some reason), Doug's face lost all of it's color and I could see she was wondering if he was going to faint or something right in the store! I started laughing, then so did Doug, and then she did too. After they were engraved ("Doug and Colin Life Partners" on mine and "Colin and Doug Life Partners" on his), the clerk gave each of us our blue boxes in blue bags she told us that this one was mine to give to Doug and that one was Doug's to give to me. She said good luck and congratulations, then she said that this had been one of the happiest sales she's made and smiled at us. Very cool! And typical of how we have been and are accepted.

 

Colin

[writeincode]

Okay i have an incredibly far-fetched theory. You know how some people say "there are so many more gay people these days... blah blah blah" and you automatically think "No, it's probably the same number but they aren't forced to deny their feelings anymore (except in conservative situations)"? Well the whole suppression thing used to be the same with left-handers (hell, even i was forced to be right-handed and I'm a 90s kid). The more liberal environments probably allow/ed left-handers to use their left hand and gay people to be open about themselves. Meanwhile the conservative environment would force right-handedness and heterosexuality.

 

:. a higher ratio of gay, left-handed people

 

 

(Yes, I am aware that the likely hood of that effecting statistics is very low....)

 

I'm a clockwise-swirled, right-handed first born whose ring finger is longer than his index. Perhaps I've been deluding myself all these years...

I dunno about all the other stuff but they say when the ring finger is longer than the index that it indicates a higher level of testosterone in the womb at a time that corresponds with (controversially) (gay) 'sexual orientation development', which means that no, you haven't been deluding yourself.

Edited October 4, 2007 by writeincode

[AFriendlyFace]

Okay i have an incredibly far-fetched theory. You know how some people say "there are so many more gay people these days... blah blah blah" and you automatically think "No, it's probably the same number but they aren't forced to deny their feelings anymore (except in conservative situations)"? Well the whole suppression thing used to be the same with left-handers (hell, even i was forced to be right-handed and I'm a 90s kid). The more liberal environments probably allow/ed left-handers to use their left hand and gay people to be open about themselves. Meanwhile the conservative environment would force right-handedness and heterosexuality.

 

:. a higher ratio of gay, left-handed people

Hmm, or perhaps left-handed people that are gay are more likely to come out. They might be thinking, "Well, I already braved battles against the right-handed world! Next stop, making the heteros accept me! "

 

...well probably not, but you never know

-Kevin

[C James]

Okay i have an incredibly far-fetched theory. You know how some people say "there are so many more gay people these days... blah blah blah" and you automatically think "No, it's probably the same number but they aren't forced to deny their feelings anymore (except in conservative situations)"? Well the whole suppression thing used to be the same with left-handers (hell, even i was forced to be right-handed and I'm a 90s kid). The more liberal environments probably allow/ed left-handers to use their left hand and gay people to be open about themselves. Meanwhile the conservative environment would force right-handedness and heterosexuality.

 

:. a higher ratio of gay, left-handed people

(Yes, I am aware that the likely hood of that effecting statistics is very low....)

I dunno about all the other stuff but they say when the ring finger is longer than the index that it indicates a higher level of testosterone in the womb at a time that corresponds with (controversially) (gay) 'sexual orientation development', which means that no, you haven't been deluding yourself.

 

Hrmmm, I do know that until the 70's, it was quite common in US Schools to try and "re-train" left-handed to be right-handed. It was believed, at the time, that being left-handed was somehow wrong, in large part due to "societal norms". Hrmmm, now why does that argument sound so familiar?

[rknapp]

When we asked how much they cost and she told us each was $450 plus tax plus $25 for the engraving (no tax on that, for some reason)

 

AFAIK, there is no tax on services, and engraving is considered a service. When I had my car in the mechanic (rare) to have a loud noise/vibration diagnosed and repaired, I saw the same tax oddity in the bill. Turns out the front passenger side wheel bearings were shot, so they had to replace the wheel bearings and the wheel hubs on both side of the front of the car. On the bill, there was a separate line for "Taxable items" and that amount covered the parts, not the labor (service). That's why a lot of mechanics do inspections and diagnostics for free, because the state doesn't tax that.

 

Hmm, or perhaps left-handed people that are gay are more likely to come out. They might be thinking, "Well, I already braved battles against the right-handed world! Next stop, making the heteros accept me! "

 

...well probably not, but you never know

-Kevin

As a left-handed and possibly gay man, I can say that this theory is not continuous throughout the whole spectrum.

 

I survived the right-handed world only because my mom stopped my dad from forcing me to write with my right hand, as his dad had done to my uncle Freddy (still left-handed to this day). POWER TO THE LEFTY'S! *starts socialist movement against righty's*

[Arpeggio]

Interesting topic, I'm left handed and 3 out of 5 of my gay friends are too.

[Toast]

Like Lugh, I believe, I am ambi. Favoring my right. And I have two cowlicks.

[MikeL]

The following quotation might provide some some comfort to left-handed gays. If prejudice against left-handers has disappeared, there is hope prejudice against gays will also disappear.

Left-handers were once considered (at best) severely disturbed or (at worst) agents of Satan. If the Spanish Inquisition found out you were left-handed, your chances of being questioned, tortured, and/or exterminated were immensely enhanced. Nearly all languages contain expressions that reflect the ancient prejudice against left-handers. The word sinister, with all its evil connotations, is simply the Latin word for left; our much more complimentary word dexterous, on the other hand, comes from the Latin for right. Is it a coincidence that right also means correct? And it's worth thinking about that there are no left angles, only right ones, no matter which way they turn.

~ Kitty Burns Florey, Script & Scribble, The Rise and Fall of Handwriting,

Melville House Publishing Company, Brooklyn, NY, 2009, p. 91

Edited October 18, 2009 by MikeL

[MikeL]

I think there's a huge difference because of the difference in when we each went to high school. You're 44, I'm 17. That 27 years is huge in how LGBT kids are accepted, even in my very tolerant and accepting area of the country. Kids are out in high school, the GSA clubs have good attendance, and, while there are still homophobes around, there isn't the harassment and physical abuse that used to be more common.

The changes are even more impressive since I graduated from high school fifty years ago. There remains a significant amount of prejudice against gays (a term for homosexuals that didn't exist then), but in that day virtually no one was out (a term I don't recall hearing fifty years ago).

[BlueSoxSWJ]

I'm looking for the article I read recently, but the following are the highlights that I remember:

- A son's chance of being gay goes up approximately 4% for each prior son from the same mother.

- The above fact is voided if the child is left-handed.

- There is a statistically significant correlation between sexuality and ambidexterity (gays are more likely to be ambidextrous).

- Gay men have more relatives on their mother's side on average than straight men.

[Zapp]

"Gay men have more relatives on their mother's side on average than straight men."

 

I'd never heard that one before, interestingly my mother is one of 7 sisters while my father only has one sibling.

 

FWIW I'm left handed, and strangely of all my friends, as far as I know all are straight and right handed.

[Prince Duchess]

Hehe well im a lefty WOOT!!! hehe it feels so good to admit that and im a first born son and the first child. And my dad was like the third or fourth all i know his mom (God rest her soul) had a lot children. So im mentally counting in my head. But, yeah my dads partner is like the third son. My friends are either the first or second born son. And yeah I dont really pay attention to what hand they right with. Maybe I should.

 

 

 

Hehe would it be awkward to walk up to a random and say, "Hey, your a lefty you wanna go on a date?"

 

 

[BlueSoxSWJ]

"Gay men have more relatives on their mother's side on average than straight men."

 

I'd never heard that one before, interestingly my mother is one of 7 sisters while my father only has one sibling.

 

FWIW I'm left handed, and strangely of all my friends, as far as I know all are straight and right handed.

The prevailing theory is that there's a gene (or combination of several) that increases desire for sex with men. The evolutionary benefits of having the tendency in women (lots more babies) outweigh the occasional drawback (a gay son). However, even assuming the theory is dead on, it still only explains about 1/10 to 1/7 of male homosexuality, so it's not very prevalent.