Blog # 2

As I was thinking about this post, I kept coming back to Lewontin's idea that science is often used as a political and social tool to designate certain groups as "natural" and others as "unnatural." This idea has been extremely present in my life. I grew up in the south, belonged to a very Christian family and went to a very Christian school (I didn't learn about evolution until high school.) In a culture that is so focused on biblical living, certain things are deemed unacceptable simply because they aren't mentioned explicitly in the Bible. There is an entire field of study dedicated to attempting to make biblical stories fit with scientific facts. I listened to this ridiculous radio series as a kid called Jonathan Park that was devoted to teaching children (me) how to make arguments for creationism. Looking back now, I wholeheartedly disagree with most of what I learned through it, but I loved it and fully believed it at the time. Though some of the science in narratives like this is questionable at best, there are certain areas where nature easily supports Christian ideals. These areas are what caused me problems.

As a gay woman growing up in the south, I was constantly surrounded by narratives about Adam and Eve, traditional marriage, and godly sexual morality. Because scientifically, it takes a biological male and a biological female to make a baby, heterosexual relationships were heralded as "natural", "right" and "godly" while anything else was an abomination. I was taught from early childhood that who I am was unnatural and sinful, and this caused me to aggressively repress my sexuality. I spent my high school years trying to force myself to like boys, and continually wondering what was wrong with me. The unnaturalness of being queer was so deeply ingrained in me that I was unable to even consider the possibility that I was gay until I had been out of the south for two years. Once I was allowed to meet and live around other gay people I instantly recognized myself in them, and was finally able to start figuring out who I am.

Lewontin's idea that scientific ideas of what is natural can have dire social and political consequences has shown clearly in my life. Because of the science of reproduction I was taught that I am unnatural, and that caused me great distress and pain for many years. I agree with him that science can be dangerous in this context because it is all too easy to turn a scientific fact into a justification for the pain of another human being.