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Bacon Science Laboratory

The Knitting Circle

General information list,people,topics,related sections.

This document is provided to allow the compilation of the lives of scientists, the role of science in the lives of lesbians and gay men, and links to science material related to lesbian and gay issues.

• General information
  
  • USA National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP)
    
  • Gay Science
    
  • The sexuality of scientists under the microscope
    
  • Timothy Murphy, (1997), "e;Gay Science"e;
    

• Francis Bacon
  
• Chandler Burr (journalist)in the Genetics section
  
• Rachel Carson
  
• Dean Hamerin the Genetics section
  
• Frank Kameny (astronomer)in the Movement section
  
• Simon LeVayin the Genetics section
  
• Isaac Newtonin the Mathematics section.
  
• Alan Turingin the Computing section.
  

• Endocrinology
  
• Handedness
  
• Prevalence of homosexuality
  
• The Science Library
  
• Science index of topics
  
• Science list of workers
  
• Science press cuttings
  

• Genetics
  
• Geography
  
• Lesbian and gay studies
  
• Zoology
  

• USA National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals (NOGLSTP) web siteat http://www.pride.net/noglstp/

• Gay ScienceA quirky use of the term. It refers to an awareness of social and moral conventions. InStates of Desire,Edmund Whitedescribes it as '. . . that obligatory existentialism forced on people who must invent themselves . . . Once one discovers one is gay one must choose everything from how to walk, dress and talk to where to live, with whom and on what terms'. The term is also used to refer to the collection of knowledge about such things as the form and use of icons, and equates to the stamp collecting mode of science as exhibited in this web space.

• The sexuality of scientists under the microscopeJoe Gross, research editor of the new Dictionary of National Biography, on gay science boffs in history, inThe Pink Paper, 28th. March, 1997, issue 474, page 8.
  "e;One of the most important mathematicians of the early twentieth century, Godfrey Harold Hardy, Sadlierian professor of mathematics at Cambridge, was described as a'non-practising homosexual' by his collaborator Littlewood - whatever that means."e;

  "e;There is also a nineteenth century botanist, Wellwitsch, who discovered the plant wellwitschia, which has very long, belt-like leaves. Articles refer to how he 'over-indulged in the gaieties in Vienna'. He travelled around the world with a succession of men, looking at plants. He married an Italian countess, the only woman he knew. He once wrote that she was 'wholly in love with botony'."e;

  "e;Wellwitsch was just one of many botanist explorers who may have been gay, and who would have found it easier to have experiences while exploring, rather than staying in England."e;

  "e;Elsewhere, 60 to 70 per cent of mathematicians in the nineteenth century were university dons. Almost all were bachelors, though it is hard to know what their sexual life was like."e;

• Timothy Murphy, (1997), "e;Gay Science: The Ethics of Sexual Orientation Research (Between Men - Between Women)"e;, Columbia University Press, 320 pages, ISBN 0231108486 (hardcover)/0231108494 (paperback).

  • Synopsis:"e;Examines the controversial area of sexual orientation research. The book reviews the social and historical conditions that triggered sexual orientation research and the findings that often perpetuated confusion about homosexuality. It presents the views of many gay men and women who contend a biological link to homosexuality would help mitigate prejudice and foster greater protection under the law. It also explores arguments of those who detect more ominous motives in the uses of this research: that, for instance, if a clear genetic marker for homosexual tendencies were discovered, genetic screening would be used to identify and discriminate against gay people; and if a method for changing sexual orientation were developed, it would be forced upon gay adults."e;

  • Without prejudiceby Gabriel Rotello inNew Scientist, 21st. February, 1998, Vol. 157, No. 2122, page 47. "e;The headlines of the past few years linking male homosexuality to factors such as the size of the brain's hypothalamus and a site on the X-chromosome have led some, especially in the gay community, to accuse science of once again engaging in a prejudiced project: seeking to determine the cause of gayness, the better to control it. As Timothy Murphy shows inGay Science, these worries are well founded. For more than a century, scientists have advanced theories of human sexuality with an eye to controlling, stigmatising and altering particular behaviour. But Murphy is far too well aware of the utility of scientific progress, and the ability of science to correct its own mistakes, to advise that such research be halted. Instead, he offers a careful and conscientious analysis of how it can proceed while preserving, and perhaps even enhancing, the rights of gay people and the diversity of society. Murphy analyses a huge amount of material - biomedical, ethical, legal and moral - and his careful attention to nuances is impressive. He argues, that while researchers often begin with questionable assumptions about sexual orientation and have made grievous errors, the only way to correct such mistakes is through research."e;

    "e;Murphy has produced a fine manual outlining how science and society ought to proceed - in a spirit that balances intellectual curiosity with caution, healthy scepticism and respect for human rights."e;

General information list,people,topics,related sections.

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The Knitting Circle

First uploaded 21st. February, 1996

Last altered 10th. September, 2002