Future Imperfect -- By BW Copyright 2012 by BillWstories
The more things change, the more they are the same. (Alphonse Karr)
I had just arrived home and decided to turn on CNN to see if anything of importance had happened during the day. The television hadn't been on very long when I heard the newscaster make a claim about a new scientific discovery that left me in shock.
"The scientific world is abuzz concerning a recent discovery made by the Human Genome Project. This group of genetic researchers announced today that it has identified the specific genes responsible for determining sexual orientation," the announcer began. "The HGP has reported that it has spent years searching through human DNA for the genetic factors that influence sexual predilection, but had encountered many roadblocks along the way. The group now states that the major problem with identifying these markers was that although most characteristics are predicated on a single gene from each chromosome, one from the mother and the other from the father, sexual orientation results from the combination of a pair of genes passed along by each parent. The group has now proven there is a linked pair of genes on each chromosome that when combined determines the individual's sexual orientation.
"Normally, an individual receives a corresponding gene from each parent, which is either dominant or recessive, but in this case the individual gets a corresponding pair of genes from each parent. This means that instead of two genes combining to determine a characteristic there are four genes that will provide either a dominant or recessive trait. In this particular scenario, if the individual gets three or four dominant genes (or zero or one recessive genes) from his parents then that person will be heterosexual. If the individual receives one or two dominant genes out of the four (or two or three of the recessive genes), then that person will be bi-sexual. However, if the individual winds up having no dominant genes ( or all four recessive genes) then that person will be a homosexual.
"It appears as if this might end the debate about whether sexual orientation is based on 'nature or nurture,' although this group of researchers has suggested that nurture may determine other factors, such as if the person is either passive or aggressive, dominant or submissive, or how outwardly affectionate the individual is to his or her partner, regardless of their particular orientation."
To say the least, I was stunned after listening to this report. I merely stood there staring at the screen, but couldn't concentrate on what the announcer was currently saying. My mind was consumed with the implications about what this finding might mean to the gay community. In fact, I don't know how long I remained transfixed in this semi-catatonic state before I was rudely jerked back to the present by the ringtone on my cell phone. I knew this distinctive signal indicated that it was my boyfriend calling.
"Hey, Royce. What's up?" I answered, rather mechanically.
"Deuce, were you by any chance watching CNN?" he blurted out, just as soon as I finished speaking.
Let me take a moment to clarify something for you. My name is Ernest Jefferson Whipple II, since I was named after my grandfather, but I hate my name. Therefore, my friends either call me EJ or Deuce, because I'm the second one with this name.
"Yes, I turned on CNN shortly after I got home," I confirmed.
"Did you hear the report about the scientists finding a genetic link for sexual orientation?" he wondered.
"Absolutely!" I exclaimed. "I was just contemplating what effect this might have on the debate about gay rights."
"Yeah, it certainly makes me wonder," Royce shot back. "Do you think people will finally stop claiming we made a choice to be gay?"
"I doubt it," I confessed. "People often ignore the facts if it doesn't fit their particular viewpoint. I'm sure the same thing will happen here."
"But if our sexual preference is determined by our genes, then we had no more choice over who we're attracted to than we did about any of our physical characteristics," he reasoned. "How can they continue to vilify us for being gay when it's part of our genetic code?"
"I don't know, but I'm sure they'll try to find a way," I admitted, while sitting down and slouching in my chair. "Even though I wish this would improve the current situation for the gay community, I'm sure we'll get just as much shit as we always have about being gay."
"Damn, I was hoping this discovery would make things better," Royce whined. "I'm sick of hearing my parents rant about how my being gay is a sin. How the fuck can they say that now, if God programmed it into our DNA?"
"Oh, I have no doubt your parents and other religious fanatics will find a way to continue to condemn us," I replied.
I wanted to be optimistic about how this would impact our lives, but if past experiences serve as an indicator of future outcomes then I don't expect anything will change. Since I've generally found this to be the norm, I tend to be a realist when assessing situations, which usually translates into my having a pessimistic viewpoint when it comes to possible change.
"Don't you think at least some parents will be more accepting of their gay and lesbian children now?" Royce pressed. "Things have to get better since this news has come out."
"Oh, I'm sure some parents will change their attitudes now, but I'm just as certain the hardcore elements will find a way to declare these findings to be fraudulent and come up with counter claims from scientists that adhere to their point of view," I offered. "It's just like expert witnesses in court cases. You can always come up with supposed experts to refute any new findings, providing you give them the right motivation."
"Damn, I hope not! I was really counting on this making things better for us," Royce explained. "Why can't people just accept the scientific finding and realize we're not freaks?"
"It's because they don't WANT to do that. They prefer to cling to their preconceived views and won't change until they're forced to," I answered. "Many will go to their graves before they are willing to accept the fact that we don't have a choice over which sex we're attracted to."
"Fuck! I was hoping this would end all of the gay slurs and finally allow us to live like everyone else," Royce lamented. "I want us to be able to get married and be recognized as spouses in every state, as well as by the federal government. I want to be able to adopt and have all the rights and benefits afforded to other married couples, without having it depend on the gender of the person we married."
"That's a lovely thought, although I'm not sure it's realistic," I moaned. "Over time, it's possible that enough people may be convinced that being gay is not a choice and will change things to make acceptance of same sex couples part of the law, but don't count on it happening anytime soon."
"Why do you always have to be Mr. Doom and Gloom?" Royce shot back.
Even though I couldn't see him, I knew his shoulders had just drooped in resignation.
"Probably because experience has been my teacher," I replied. "If it works out better than that, then I'll be pleased, but at least this way I won't be disappointed."
Although we soon ended our conversation, the controversy had just begun. Over the next few weeks the airwaves were filled with reports from competing experts who were either trying to support or disprove the findings of the original group of scientists. It continued like this until the next bombshell hit the headlines.
"Vatican officials announced today that the Pope has issued a papal decree that requires all Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops, including himself, to be tested for the recessive genetic link to sexual orientation," the announcer began. "According to the decree, any of those high ranking officials found to have more than two of the recessive genes will, automatically, be removed from his post.
"The Vatican also announced that once this testing process has been completed on the highest ranking church officials, the remaining clergy and support staff would also have to undergo this testing procedure. It should prove to be interesting to see the degree to which this thins out the ranks of the Roman Catholic hierarchy."
This was only the first of the actions taken by those who feared the impact this genetic discovery would have on society. About a month later, we learned the answer as to what effect this would have on the church.
"It appears as though the first round of testing has been completed on the upper echelon of the Roman Catholic Church, although Vatican officials have so far refused to comment on the results of the testing," the announcer stated. "Independent sources, however, have reported that approximately thirty percent of the Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops have been removed from their posts for possessing too many of the recessive sexual orientation genes in their genetic code.
Damn, the toll this is taking on the Catholic Church is unbelievable, but I doubt they will be the only religious group that chooses to undergo this process. I'm convinced that many of the other religious sects will conduct their own 'witch hunt' to get rid of undesirable clergy next. The only question is, where will this end?
Over time, this type of testing was not only required of the clergy of various religious communities, but some churches even decided to require that all of its parishioners needed to be tested as well. Various denominations wanted to uncover any gays and bisexuals that had been hiding within their congregations, so they could weed them out. Before this decree could be enacted, however, a few of those being forced to undergo this testing requirement decided to hire lawyers and issue a legal challenge, which attempted to block this mandatory testing requirement.
This case proceeded through the judicial system, all the way up to the Supreme Court, where the justices decided in favor of the churches. In addition to the principle of the separation of Church and State, the ruling stated that since these measures were being carried out by private organizations, the religious groups, therefore, had the right to stipulate whom they would allow as members. Anyone wishing to remain a member of any of those churches must be willing to adhere to the policies of that organization or relinquish his membership.
Once the ruling came down, the various congregants were forced to choose to either undergo this testing procedure or forfeit their right to belong to that church. In the end, most of the churches that had this testing requirement not only got rid of those who refused to be tested, but they also unceremoniously tossed out anyone having more than one of the recessive genes, although some overly zealous churches banned anyone found to have even a single recessive gene. They claimed they did this to eliminate the prospect of producing other degenerates in future generations.
Shortly after the Supreme Court made its ruling, Royce and I were spending some time together at his place when he informed me about another news story that I must have missed.
"Did you hear that some school districts are going to require all employees to undergo genetic testing if they want to keep their jobs?" he asked.
"No way!" I exclaimed. "That can't possibly be legal. Maybe for private and religious schools, but certainly not for the public schools."
"The teachers' unions are taking the issue to court, so it will be interesting to see how the judges rule," Royce confirmed. "I have a feeling you might be right about them being unable to do that in public schools, but it seems that many school board members across the country must feel it's worth a try to see if they can get the rule instated."
"Damn, they're so afraid of us that they now feel they have to find a way to eliminate anyone from the LGBT community from coming anywhere near their children," I muttered. "If this is allowed, then no one will be able to remain closeted. Those afraid of the LGBT community will keep trying to railroad these types of policies through and will not stop until there is absolutely no way to hide your sexual orientation."
"Scary, isn't it?" Royce countered. "You know what's worse? I heard the Scouts are also trying to have the same type of testing done on all of the scout leaders. If they get that through, then they'll probably start testing all of the Scouts too."
"Fuck, this is unbelievable," I commiserated.
Royce and I thought we had seen the worst of it until we saw another news broadcast, a few days later.
"Genetic testing laboratories have reported a massive spike in prenatal genetic testing," the announcer stated. "It appears that some prospective parents are willing to pay out large sums of money to determine how many recessive sexual orientation genes their unborn child has. I think the implication of this trend is quite clear, although possibly somewhat disturbing. What decisions will these parents make when they get the results of these tests back?"
"Holy shit! Are they going to abort any fetus they discover is either gay or bi?" Royce screamed. "I thought this discovery was going to help, not make matters worse!"
"Since many of the same people who are against homosexuality are also pro-life, then maybe they won't abort the fetus," I reasoned. "Although there aren't a lot of alternatives, maybe they'll come up with one."
"Maybe they'll just give the baby up for adoption," Royce suggested, "and since the child is going to be gay or bisexual, then they could allow a gay couple to adopt the child."
"I hope that's how it works," I conceded, "but I have a very strong feeling that's not going to happen either."
I hoped it was possible Royce's suggestion might prevail, but unfortunately that was not how it worked out. Even though many of these parents were pro-life, a great many of them found ways to cause the mother to miscarry the unwanted fetus, while still others allowed their moral objection to homosexuality take precedence over their moral opposition to abortion.
Just when we thought the situation couldn't get any worse, another revelation surfaced about how this new information was being bastardized. It seemed that a group of extremely conservative scientists had developed another alternative for parents finding the results of the genetic testing on their unborn child unacceptable. Any family that could afford it was now provided with the option of paying these scientists to use genetic targeting to eliminate the recessive genes for sexual orientation and replace them with copies of the dominant gene. Once word of this procedure got out to the public, there was an immediate uproar.
"We've got to ban the use of genetic engineering to produce designer children," one female protestor objected. "Where will it end? If this is permitted, then some parents will be able to determine every aspect of their child's genetic code. They will be able to start by selecting the child's sex first, and then go down a list of options, such as hair and eye color, height, intelligence, musical or artistic predispositions, as well as being able to eliminate any offensive characteristics, such as eliminating the obesity gene. This process will end up becoming similar to buying a car. If you are well off and can afford to have the procedure performed, you can choose the options your child will have."
"She's correct and it's exactly what could happen," I agreed. "The very rich and well to do will be able to design their children to meet their requirements and eliminate anything they consider as undesirable, like being gay."
"But the poor won't be able to do that," Royce added.
"No they'll merely end up with whatever nature gives them, like they do now," I responded. "Since it's the same way it's always been for the poor, at least they won't be any worse off than they are now, except for those who don't want gay children."
"What do you think they'll do when they find out the child might be gay?" Royce asked. "Do you think they will try to prevent those babies from being born?"
"Possibly, if they can afford the tests before the baby is born," I agreed. "Otherwise, they'll just treat the kid like dirt or throw him out later, like they do now."
Once again we felt that we had reached the lowest extremes anyone could stoop to when a more insidious plot began to develop. Since this particular threat was being carried out in secret, the public only got wind of it through the efforts of a whistleblower.
"A research group I am currently employed by is planning to use a form of genetic targeting to eliminate all recessive sexual identity genes," the shadowy figure with the electronically altered voice stated. "They are working to develop a process similar to one currently being used to target and destroy harmful and diseased cells, such as cancer cells."
"And how exactly do they intend to do this?" the reporter asked.
"They are researching several different carriers that they believe can be altered to produce the desired results," the disguised figured answered. "Right now they are experimenting with both a viral and bacteria strain capable of targeting only these specific recessive genes, but if this line of research fails to produce the desired results, then they are also working on developing a poison that will attach itself to the unwanted genes and destroy them."
"Won't that kill all gays and bisexuals?" the reporter responded.
"It won't kill them, but will leave them without any sexual desires or urges whatsoever," the whistleblower responded. "However, the groups main intent is to eliminate all recessive genes so they cannot be passed on to future generations. If they are successful, then there will be no gays or bisexuals within another couple of generations."
"And how do they plan to introduce this substance into the population?" the reporter followed.
"They are currently working on various delivery systems," the man answered. "One is airborne, another is waterborne and the last is food-borne. Any of those systems will be able to saturate the entire population without anyone knowing it is taking place."
"A terribly frightening thought," the reporter concluded.
"See, I knew it," I told Royce. "They don't care why we're gay. It doesn't matter to them if it was a choice we made or if we were born this way, they just want to eliminate us."
"My God, this reminds me of what the Nazis tried to do to the Jews," Royce replied. "They just want to find the easiest way to get rid of us, because in their minds they don't consider us as people. The problem is, unlike the Jews there will be nowhere for us to hide, especially if they can just add it to the food, water or air."
Royce was correct. The insidiousness of this plot ranks with the despicability of the experiments that Dr. Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi death camp doctor, performed. Unfortunately, none of the records from Mengele's experiments survived, so the exact purpose of the medical procedures he was attempting to perfect and their intent cannot be positively determined. However, it has long been suspected that he was performing genetic studies that he believed could be used to advance the Aryan race and possibly eradicate others.
Various LGBT groups, along with many others opposed to eugenics and genetic engineering, were morally outraged by this disclosure. They immediately began to protest against the nefarious extent these rogue scientists were willing to go to advance their agenda, but it had little effect. Since this research was being conducted in secret and carried out at many undisclosed laboratories, it was difficult to curtail. As of yet there have been no signs that they have succeeded in their attempt to come up with such a genetic targeting method, but if they are successful in their efforts, then life as it has been passed on for many thousands of years will definitely be diverted and take a shocking new course.
What once appeared to be the key to ending discrimination has now changed into a way to ferret out what some people still believe is a hidden immoral threat within the population. This once heralded discovery that sexual orientation is not a choice has now become the criteria some are using to determine if pregnancies are wanted or not. What was once thought of as a boon to the LGBT community has now turned into one of its worst nightmares, because of the choices made by those ruled by bigotry and hatred!
THE END
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