Michigan Medicine AHEAD Study questions me to describe my Sexual Orientation
The article describes author’s experience with a study by Michigan Medicine looking into the connection between sexuality and Alzheimer’s disease. Participants are questioned about their sexual orientation leading to profound reflections on the concepts of self-love, homosexuality, and spiritual unity. The author argues that labels like gay or homosexual fail to capture the complexity and depth of self-love and how it interacts with expressing love for others and God. Responding to his categorization, he identifies himself as a ‘Whole Dude’ symbolizing unity of physical, mental, sexual, social, moral, and spiritual aspects of being.
The AHEAD Study is researching the safety and effectiveness of an investigational medication in people who might be at increased risk for developing memory loss associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. The study is looking for participants age 55-80 years old, who have generally normal memory function in daily life, and who are not being treated for memory problems. For individuals age 55-64 years old, an additional risk factor is required, such as a parent or sibling with Alzheimer’s Disease or previous biomarker testing showing increased risk for developing Alzheimer’s Disease. This study sees participants in Ann Arbor. Contact Lauren Mackenzie at spearsl@med.umich.edu or 734-232-2415.
On Tuesday, December 05, 2023, at the University of Michigan Clinical Research Unit (MCRU) at the Cardiovascular Center (CVC), I was interviewed for participating in the AHEAD Study. I am asked to provide information about my Sexual Orientation and the marital status. Michigan Medicine does not provide me the option to record my Sexual Orientation as Whole Gay.
WHOLE DUDE – WHOLE GAY:
The word ‘GAY’ when used as an adjective refers to joyous and lively, merry, happy, and light-hearted. But, when the word ‘GAY’ is used as a noun, it often refers to a ‘Homosexual’ person. The term ‘Homosexual’ is used to describe persons whose feelings, thoughts, emotions, and behavior is characterized by sexual desire for those of the same-sex as oneself. It describes a person’s sexual orientation in the person’s external relations and completely fails to give us any understanding about the relationship between the person and the person’s Whole Body, the Body, Mind, and Soul.
We need to give attention and care to the problem of sexual identity. Several people described as “Transgender” have genuine problems as their mental sexual identity is not consistent with that of their physical sexual identity.
The problem with the definition of ‘Homosexual’ is that of its lack of understanding of the concept of “SELF-LOVE.”
I define ‘Whole Man’ or ‘Whole Dude’ as a person that is entire, undivided, healthy, complete, having all the elements or parts and having unity in all aspects of one’s being including physical, mental, social, moral, and spiritual. This Whole Dude exists in a state or condition of Peace, Tranquility, and Harmony because of harmonious interrelationships between various aspects of his being including the Body, Mind, and Soul. This harmony is possible because of Self-Love which brings joy and happiness. If I state that I am in ‘Love’ with myself, it would suggest the possibility that I could be characterized as a ‘Homosexual’ person. To understand the issue of sexual interest in others, to understand sexual desire for others, we need to understand the Origin of Love.
The Origin of Love:
Love is a powerful emotion felt for another person manifesting itself in deep affection, devotion, or sexual desire. The ambiguity of the word “LOVE” would not let it be used as a term of universal application. The ancient languages have three distinct words for the main types of Love; eros, philia, agape in Greek; amor, amicitia( or dilectio ), and caritas in Latin. Because English has no such distinct words, it seems necessary to use such phrases as “sexual love”, “love of friendship”, and “love of charity” in order to indicate plainly that Love is common to all three, and to distinguish the three meanings.
Freud’s theory places the Origin of Love in the sexual instincts, and so for him the many varieties of Love are simply the forms which Love takes as the Libido fixes upon various objects. “The nucleus of what we mean by love”, he writes “naturally consists…… in sexual love with sexual union as its aim. We do not separate from this”; “On the one hand, self-love, and on the other, love for parents and children, friendship and love for humanity in general, and devotion to concrete objects and to abstract ideas…. All these tendencies are an expression of the same instinctive activities.” They differ from sexual love only because “they are diverted from its aim or are prevented from reaching it, though they always preserve enough of their original nature to keep their identity recognizable.”
Sigmund Freud would like to view Love as the primal passion, generating all other types of Love according to the oppositions of pleasure and pain and by relations of cause and effect.
By using the term ‘GAY’, or ‘Homosexual’ to describe the sexual orientation of people, we fail to recognize the existence of Self-Love, that is Love for oneself which is distinct from loving another person. If I Love myself, as stated by Freud, that passion always includes elements of sexual interest and acceptance of my own sexual identity, sexual desire and sexual nature. The concept of Self-Love demands that the person must also embrace the sexual aspects of his own Body, Mind, and Soul. My feelings of Self-Love would always include gratification of my sexual desires and fulfillment of my sexual nature even when I fail to establish specific sexual relations in my external, social life.
In essence, I have no choice, and no escape from being ‘GAY’, a person who has sexual interests and desires in persons identified as of the same-sex.
Self-Love and Love for Another Person:
If Love is viewed as fondness or affection it may include or based in part on sexual attraction which is related to Libido (sexual urge or sexual instinct), and Lust (a desire to gratify the senses or bodily appetite that seeks unrestricted gratification). Love implies feelings that are attached to relationships or objects and assumes various forms such as Sexual Love, Brotherly Love and Love of God.
However, it is important to note that the holy Scriptures make no distinction between the three different kinds of Love. Bible consistently recommends to Love oneself and to Love another to the same extent and in the same manner.
The Third Book of Moses, called Leviticus, Chapter 19, verse 18 asks, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” In the Gospel According to Saint Matthew, Chapter 22, verses 37 to 39, Jesus says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second (Commandment) is like unto it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.”
The General Epistle of James, Chapter 2, verse 8 instructs: “If ye fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well.” If a man is not expected to Love himself, the issue of loving the neighbor is redundant. If I cannot truly Love myself, I cannot Love my neighbor in the same manner or to the same extent.
Whole Dude – Whole Gay – Whole Joy – Whole Orientation:
The Whole Dude loves Whole Dude in all the aspects of his being including the physical, sexual, mental, social, moral, and spiritual. I say, Self-Love is a must if I desire to Love another person. If I Love myself, Freud suggests it is motivated by Libido and the Self-Love is related to sexual Love.
In other words, the fact of my Self-Love establishes me as a Gay or ‘Homosexual’ person irrespective of any other kind of sexual behavior that I may exhibit. My sexual interactions with others do not exclude my Love for myself as the basis to Love another person and to Love God. Because of Self-Love, I exist as a ‘Whole Gay’ person. I enjoy perfect joy in my heart, and I enjoy perfect happiness in my mind which could be called ‘Whole Joy’ as it is complete, entire, undivided, and contains all its natural elements.
In response to Michigan Medicine question asking me to describe my Sexual Orientation, I say, I am Whole Dude, Whole Gay and Whole Joy. What do you want to say? Please join me in the ‘Whole Conversation’.
Whole Dude - Whole Spirituality 