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Sitaram · Site Admin Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 1079

I feel that possibly I may contribute something to this line of thought, off
the top of my head, with recollections of a few things I have seen and
read over the years. Forgive me if this post is rambling and informal,
casual, extemporaneous.

Some years ago, I watched a movie on television, in which a man slowly
fell in love with a performer. The performer/entertainer appeared
to be female, but there was some doubt or question as to whether they
were in fact an impersonator. In one climactic scene, the male
passionately kisses the performer, proclaims his love, and says that he
does not care whether the entertainer is male or female.

I believe it is possible for a straight person to come to love another in this
fashion, where gender does not matter, but I imagine that it is a rare
event. I am also thinking of Kiss of the Spider Woman.

I spent a few years reading extensively in psychology, psychotherapy,
DSMIIIR, ... perhaps 50 or 100 such books, simply for enjoyment. I
remember one article stating that there are many different reasons why
an individual might choose to engage in homosexual activity at some
point in their lives, and not simply one reason. Some do it as a political or
social statement of rebellion or non conformity. Others engage in certain
circumstances, such as prison, as a matter of convenience, or for some
advantage, but revert to heterosexual behavior each time they are
released. Others are simply curious or bored. Such instances are different
from those who feel a committed homosexual orientation from an early
age. Many studies and speculations have been conducted on this topic.
The point I am trying to make is that it is conceivable that someone who
is otherwise not genuinely homosexual in their orientation might fall into
circumstances where they actually come to love the soul and personality
of the other person, regardless of gender.

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