Blog shows we're Born This Way

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www.samesame.com.au

Matt Akersten

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Wed 9th Mar, 2011 in International News
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A new blog showing reader-submitted photos of LGBTI people when they were kids is proving very popular and helping prove we really were ‘born this way’.

As his site takes off, American blogger Paul V says it was inspired by a gay friend’s MySpace pose of him as a child in a camp pose. “It showed that being gay is something innate and it’s not a choice,” he told CNN.

Since he started the blog a few months ago with a few pictures from friends, he’s now featured hundreds of photos which arrived in his email inbox from around the world.

“For one moment, if a gay kid is reading my blog and feels that sense of connection, and that sense of self-worth, and it saves just one life, I’m thrilled.”

Check out ‘Born This Way’ here and watch CNN’s video story below.

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JarrodJ

JarrodJ said on the 9th Mar, 2011

I'm sort of torn at seeing this.

In a way isn't it more making the point that it isnt ok to be different?

Little boy who crosses his legs? GAY
Girl with short hair? Trans!
Girl playing hockey? Lesbian!

I understand the point of the blog but to me it seems to do more to pigeonhole people than it does to have us accept each other for who we are.

Anthony Mahera

Anthony Mahera said on the 9th Mar, 2011

I think the story was more on the lines of "tendancies" rather then "pigeonholing"

mark_

mark_ said on the 9th Mar, 2011

I hope this isn't another venture from the Gaga Corporation's Publicity department.

Recreated355

Recreated355 said on the 9th Mar, 2011

there seems to have been a real return to 'reinvention of your past history to prove sexuality status' recently
its a retrograde step because it simplifies sexuality and others individuals

the phrase 'born this way' is as empty and vapid as 'be who you are' or 'love yourself'

avoid this blog and attempts to manage and categorize your sexuality in such a simplistic manner

ammonite

ammonite said on the 10th Mar, 2011

^ it is just a bit of fun (i hope)

but i see your point

what about all the photos where they did look 'normal'?

and what about the people who maybe never showed any 'signs' - does that make them inferior in some way?

not to mention that fact that most people don't have a lot of choice about their appearance or often even behaviour as children.

someone put rachel maddow's highschool yearbook photo on the internet a while ago, which resulted in her being ridiculed across all kinds of media
http://www.autostraddle.com/policing-rachel-maddows-gender-52441/

someoneinatree

someoneinatree said on the 11th Mar, 2011

Yeah I would hope most people view this blog as just a bit of humour more than anything else. I don't think it "proves" anything about the origins of sexuality, innate or otherwise.

I don't think it will ever be definitely proven anyway (and why should we even care?). The most likely 'cause' is some kind of intersection of biology and culture in the broadest sense possible. Something as complex as identity is going to be something that changes and develops over time, and should be given the freedom to do so in my opinion.

So I'm afraid even if we aren't all "Born this way", that doesn't necessarily mean we chose to be this way either. The sneaky thing about culture is that it makes something feel natural even though it is clearly historically and culturally specific when looked at from a distance.

Anywho. I like to repeat this stance every now and then. Hopefully eventually we can break down this rather simplistic dichotomy of nature/biology and nurture/culture.

rain

rain said on the 11th Mar, 2011

ha i hate things like this. i have a blog about being young and queer in this climate, but i don't get publicity like this and i have been doing it for5 years. I hate when people use something they have or something they are to get people to pay attention.

i agree that this is pigeonholing and actually quite embarrassing, not only does it say that gay teens shouldn't be safe online, as it is ok to post kid photos but also makes a spectacle.

we are always saying that we hate when others do that, why do we it then?

sorry, rant over. it just bugs me. Xia.