Except for some, homophobia seems to be partially rooted in the fear that gay men will treat straight me the same way straight men treat women. Thus the need to assert dominance over any man who appears to be homosexual, according to whatever stereotypes the aggressor is buying into.

Well, maybe. But I'm not sure how much more likely that is statistically than with unrelated partners. As with anyone, I'm guessing if you were aware of risk factors (i.e., any diseases with known genetic links that have cropped up in the family before), both partners would want to get tested. It's not legally…

It's actually not all that damaging, biologically speaking, so long as it's not a repeated pattern through generations. I have a friend who's studying to be a genetic counselor, and we've talked about this a few times, because we actually have friends who are engaged—and are first cousins. I know people think of it…

I found a dead rat in my apartment when I returned from a month back home, wedged behind the headboard of my bed. After I got over the first wave of revulsion ("Is that a sock? Ohgodsocksdon'thavetailsthatratissoflatithastobedeadthisisgoingtosmellsooooobad-") I felt really, really sad because it had obviously…

So, what happens when someone shows up whose hair is naturally red? Do they make them dye their hair, too? Because that is definitely within the spectrum of natural hair colors. What's more, given her complexion and her eyebrows, if someone had told me that was her natural hair color, I'd believe them. That was a…

Linguist List gives this a pretty good treatment. It seems like linguists tend to feel this is No Big Thing. Which makes it all the more interesting that old men find it irritating—it really isn't that remarkable a phenomenon. Of course, I personally have no data to back this up, and I'm already working on one…

Well, it could be just because people's voices tend to "creak" more as they age. So in an older person it could stand out less as an affectation.

...or foster shelter dogs. A lot of shelters have a few pets that can't stay there for whatever reason—things like shelter overflow, or respiratory viruses. I travel quite a bit, so fostering has worked out really well for me, even if I do have to say goodbye after a few weeks. :)

You're right about the habits of upspeak (contouring statements as questions) and mitigating speech (putting oneself down). Anyone in public speaking has to learn to avoid these habits, but women are particularly prone to it for social reasons, which you touched upon. And yes, it's definitely helpful to learn how to…

Well, vocal fry also happens when you reach the lower end of your vocal range in general, so women with naturally higher voices would probably tend to wind up experiencing vocal fry (or creaky voice, as it's called in phonetics) more often than their lower-voiced counterparts. Over time this can be damaging, so…

Sounds like we're shaped pretty similarly, actually—although I have awfully broad shoulders, so that creates an illusion of being more of an hourglass, petite cup size notwithstanding. I'm pretty petite, though, with a long torso and short legs. The pants frustration is all too real. I don't know how far up they go…

The usages are actually pretty old, they've just gained a lot of traction recently:

Not music, just taste, perhaps.

I would point out that there's a difference between episodic memory (memory of autobiographical events) and implicit and procedural memory. As I understand it, episodic and explicit memory develop later than implicit and procedural memory. I realize that consciousness is a slippery term, but without basic brain…

I especially love how every one of these clips ends with "Where are you going?"

The thing that confuses me about this argument is this: doesn't refusing to cover birth control also violate a freedom *not* to practice religion? I feel like people forget the "freedom from" part of "freedom of religion". Or, alternatively, the freedom of the individual to practice as they see fit? I mean, I feel…

I basically agree, of course, but I have friends who waited until they got married, and seem to be fine for it. In their cases, the spiritual implications of not waiting were probably far greater than the potential negative sexual fallout. If it's seriously going to be harder living with the regret and guilt of…

Since I grew up in a non-religious family, I never really understood that either...but then again, I feel like at least 80% of sexual compatibility is being able to communicate well and respect your partner. Those are things you can learn to do without actually having sex. I don't put myself in situations with a new…

I get why people don't like Cassie Clare, I really do, but I would be soooo happy to see this do relatively well compared to Twilight. The writing is still a lot better, her heroine does actually get to do something other than be inexplicably delicious despite her lack of personality, and Cassie Clare still writes…

Well, I'd point out that in rural areas in general, there's a lack of "culture of education". I come from a predominantly white rural community, and the number of my peers who successfully received four-year degrees is pretty low. I think I'm the only person (from my graduating class of 10) who is receiving an…