"Men and women are commonly understood to complete each other." I do have to mention here that this common assumption is a fairly accurate one: Men and women do in fact complete each other in most cases.

"It’s having the system and acting like you don’t have a system that gets you in trouble. It’s the belief that people who rebel against this love-system are not flouting your superficial rules, but the very laws of nature, that gets you in trouble." This point I really like. I don't believe the system, the social standards and moral codes developed over history, is unnatural in any way - that it has developed means it is intrinsically natural, I should think. But I do agree it is crucial to remember that this system is just a system, intended for organizational purposes but with flaws like any other.

"a person is an individual mind and personality that happens to be in a body with a certain configuration of chromosomes." Resounding agreement to this point as well. Looked at from as broad a perspective as possible, we are all the same. In our early developmental years, many of us learned to "put ourselves in the other person's shoes." It still applies. Basically, we all started off with the same shoes and still have every chance of switching shoes.

This was very neatly written and organized with great examples inserted. Thought-provoking. Well done.

This is a well done essay.Being a Christian,I'd like to correct that though it is commonly believed Eve was fashioned from Adam's rib,she was made from his side.

" Breaking out of gender roles, even out of heterosexuality, isn’t unnatural."

I agree with that...I think that homosexuality and heterosexuality are both natural.Like if you take two totally different plants and put them by the window,they'll BOTH bend towards the light because it can't be helped-it's within their nature as plants to respond to light.

The whole point of this essay is unclear to me.

*claps* Well said! I agree completely!

well, I applaud you for speaking out about what really is a problem in our world today, but I don't believe men and women complete each other. I believe they are complete on their own and whole in every respect. My family and I have seen some seriously rough times, and I know if it my mom weren't complete on her own and needed a man, we wouldn't have lived through half the things we have and come out still kicking.I also don't like how you say love is just a chemical reaction. Yeah, if you want to get technical, it is. But it's also a feeling stronger than any technical term. It just sounds to me that you're bashing love AND sex for all it's worth, and that as much as you believe the code is unnatural, you don't stray away from it.

...I can't believe I had not read this!

This is definitely awesome, and I agree 100%!

Sorry about the crappy review...I'm tired. :P

~Namir Swiftpaw

Oh, very nice last paragraph. Other than that I like it.

--gangster-dolly

A small, sweet, lucid and perceptive essay! Well done!

great work! I agree!
"It’s having the system and acting like you don’t have a system that gets you in trouble. It’s the belief that people who rebel against this love-system are not flouting your superficial rules, but the very laws of nature, that gets you in trouble."
That is so true! People are always tying everything down to "human nature" that they don't realise how much they've been indoctrinated by the various institutions of society. Sure, we can't deny that nature plays a part in everything, but it's about time we acknowledge the powerful forces of social construction.
Prejudice is not inherent in people, it's learnt.

Okay... this is a good essay. I liked that thing with the hero, very clever... (Geez, I really don't want to try to debate people way smarter than me, I'm just a teenager who wants to be a writer...) that was nice. I agree with you, in that believing what we're taught is a reality not a theology is very dangerous. Look what happened when people did that with slavery! Questioning things is one of the most important things we can do. I had to question myself on whether or not I thought homosexuality was something I though was okay. And all I decided was that it would never be an option for me, and for everyone else, that's between them and God, or between them and their conscience or whatever.
But, um, there are a couple things that are illogical there... while you argue that people should question what they are taught to be reality and see it as theology, you base many of your arguments about the nature of love and sexuality on theologies such as evolution (yes, it's theology. It's just another way to explain the way we came to be here), and the idea that homosexuality is inherent. You present them as reality, but it's all theology as well. Just a thought. I'm probably incorrect. It's late, and my brain isn't functioning correctly.
You defintely got your point across. That was clever. Great essay!

I think I'm on the wrong intellectual plane for this, but it's a nice piece of writing nonetheless.

I've come to realize everything that you stated in your essay within the past few years myself, and am glad that you addressed the issue of human sexuality and the man-made system of rules governing it in such a well-written and organized manner. Excellent.

Absolutely brilliant! This is well written and well thought out and I think very true.
You have inspired me, I think I'm now going to put down on paper something I've been writing in my head for a long time.

Y'know, there's a philosopher named Michael Foucalt that theorized that everything in our lives, including sexuality, was created by society. I suggest you should look him up sometime, considering you've already got some idea of what he thinks.

Very powerful essay! I love what you said about humans being highly emotional rather than highly logical because that is very true indeed - I would go with my gut feelings over logic any day.
Also, I completely agree that people shouldn't have to fit into the gender roles created by fundamentalist society. In the end, being individual and and in touch with your emotions is way more important than conforming to fit in with the part of the world that thinks everything is all black and white. There is grey in the middle as well!
Anyway, great job!