[kulangflow]

A few scattered random thoughts: (I reserve the right to clarify these ideas if they don't come across as intended or are misunderstood for any reason.)

I have always wondered about the biological factors that may or may not pre-dispose preference. Different preferences observed include: opposite gender, same gender, same/different races, young age, really young age, old age, different species, living, dead, single partner, multiple partners, inanimate objects, etc.

I don't claim to know much about anything, but what I have learned/observed is that there are small groups of people who have an unusual preference for things not typical.

Typical is of course subjective, but for me this includes desire for a sexual partner not of an appropriate gender or age for healthy reproduction.

Are these atypical desires caused by genetic makeup, the environment in which people are raised, or a combination? Everyone has genetic differences and tendencies. If genetic, when is it okay to act on your desire versus suppressing it? Should we as a society encourage, discourage, or ignore it? Different cultures view these preferences in varying lights. Some cultures are okay with multiple partners, some with partners of really young ages (13 year old girls marrying 30 year old guys, etc).

The attitude/acceptance toward some of the more "extreme" preferences (dead people, inanimate objects, infants) is shared amongst most cultures, but sure enough there are some minor groups that don't have a problem with it at all. The line is drawn differently by each culture, which is pretty fascinating. The line changes over time within most cultures. At what point does the line of acceptance drift far enough away that it becomes detrimental to the culture? It's certainly interesting to think about.

I am pretty conservative. My opinion is that anything outside of a healthy relationship between a man and women is considered atypical and should not be encouraged or celebrated. This is not to say I consider someone who prefers same gender equal to someone who prefers infants. This is not to say I think that any of these groups should have less/no rights, unless they are harming someone else's rights. I just don't feel that I should have to go out of my way to celebrate or accept their differences as normal, when they are abnormal.

Regarding the original point of this thread, if I were in the armed forces, I would want to know my team-mates' preference just so I'd know who to not change in front of. I don't think they should be housed with the heterosexuals for the same reason I don't think men should be housed with women. They can fight together and work together, just shouldn't be forced to sleep/change/etc in the same room.

I don't claim to have the answers. These are just things I wonder about that are interesting to me.