Poll: Is homosexuality genetic?
- Thread starter JokerCrowe
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Does it matter if it is genetic or not? This whole homosexuality issue is a civil liberties one and it has nothing to do with whether you are born with it or not. Gay people should have the right to marry another gay person. And this is true no matter what religion says about it.
For the record, the institution of marriage has been around longer than than there has been a Judeo Christian religion. And marriage only became tied to marriage in the 1950's, because you know the red scare was happening.
For the record, the institution of marriage has been around longer than than there has been a Judeo Christian religion. And marriage only became tied to marriage in the 1950's, because you know the red scare was happening.
QFTMeemaimoh said:
Seriously, there was quite a few replies in here that desperately made me want to smash my A-level Psychology qualifications in a scrunched up fist to a few faces.
Btw, latest info suggests that "Things look positive" for a gay-gene, but understandably it's tricky to falsify due to the whole getting pregnant thing. Unless you observe gay sperm donors uncomfortably closely and even then there's complications about the other sex's contribution whether they are straight or not.
Btw, who suggested it's not genes, it's chemical imbalances on embryos? You know how DNA is made? And how the contained genes are your blueprints? And thus, it can possibly be genetic, regardless of parents?
I wouldn't be surprised if it was proven false that gay genes cannot be inherited. It's like two perfectly healthy parents having a severely autistic child: Shit happens, there's more than genes involved during fertilisation. I would know, I now have to look after a baby sister with down syndrome. Sounds like a shit-ton of fun(!)
Edit: Damn, ninja'd a few times by similar replies. :/
I think that the idea that it is not a choice is left over from the days when being gay was entirely unexceptable. It is a choice, as most of the gay men I know are actually Bi. ((and I know quite a few, as I live in a place where it is accpeted without question)) The idea that it is not a choice is not only stupid, but not necessary. when I hear a gay man or woman say "It's not a choice, I was born this way", it reeks of making excuses. and my immediate mental jump is "For what?"
Goddamnit, this is America, not medievil europe, and its 2010, not 1010. If you want to be gay, or feel inclined to do so, then be gay. you don't have to make excuses or apologize for this shit. If you are not bringing harm to another person, you have a right to have sex with men, women, blowup dolls, sexy toys, or robots ((coming soon)). its not anyone elses damn business what your sex life is about. and if your friends or family do not like that, fuck em.
/Libertarian Rant
Goddamnit, this is America, not medievil europe, and its 2010, not 1010. If you want to be gay, or feel inclined to do so, then be gay. you don't have to make excuses or apologize for this shit. If you are not bringing harm to another person, you have a right to have sex with men, women, blowup dolls, sexy toys, or robots ((coming soon)). its not anyone elses damn business what your sex life is about. and if your friends or family do not like that, fuck em.
/Libertarian Rant
Uh. Yes. It's genetic. It isn't necessarily confined to a single gene's worth of information, it isn't necessarily even INHERITED, but about 10% of all human beings are born homosexual by sheer genetics. Some are conditioned psychologically over time to have a preference towards homosexuality or bisexuality, others make a choice just because they think it's fun, but that doesn't change the fact that genetics are one of the factors that has a big impact.
I'm pretty certain that I didn't up and decide at the wonderful age of eight to be a homosexual. In fact I'm quite certain that it just kinda happened. *Shrug.*magnuslion said:
Honestly I don't care if genetics are a factor in it or not... What I care about is whether people determine to try and "cure" homosexuality if it IS determined to be genetic.
Ladies and gentlemen, the amazing Spontaneous (rage-induced) Combuster!magnuslion said:
Btw, bisexuals have a choice. Gays don't. Bisexuals are also possibly a by-product of hypothetical gay genes, since it's one thing to have lack of inhibitions preventing attraction to the same sex, but also another to be unattracted to the opposite sex.
0 + 0 - No abnormalities, zero.
1 + 0 - Some abnormalities, 1 (bisexual)
1 + 1 - More abnormalities, 2 (homosexual)
Using "abnormalities" to be scientifically and politically correct as much as possible. Homosexuals/bisexual rights/stereotypes are not relevant to this thread, only the science behind it.
General consensus in biological psychology is pretty much what they say about most 'conditions': a combination of genetic predisposition and upbringing.
Still, researching genetic code based on sexual preference seems a bit contrived in my opinion. In the animal kingdom homosexuality is not that uncommon, but we'd never call a duck 'gay' because he tried to screw another guy duck. The term is too broad to be of any meaning, scientifically speaking that is.
Sexual preference in humans is a complex set of behaviors that differ from person to person. I heard you have 'tops' and 'bottoms' for instance. And butch lesbians and lipstick lesbians. They're all classified as gay while their behaviors are completely different. From a purely scientific point of view I'm inclined to conclude that the classification 'gay' is arbitrary and useless.
That said: the label is very handy in real world situations. The next time I'm hiring either a pool boy or an interior decorator you bet I'll be getting a gay guy.
Still, researching genetic code based on sexual preference seems a bit contrived in my opinion. In the animal kingdom homosexuality is not that uncommon, but we'd never call a duck 'gay' because he tried to screw another guy duck. The term is too broad to be of any meaning, scientifically speaking that is.
Sexual preference in humans is a complex set of behaviors that differ from person to person. I heard you have 'tops' and 'bottoms' for instance. And butch lesbians and lipstick lesbians. They're all classified as gay while their behaviors are completely different. From a purely scientific point of view I'm inclined to conclude that the classification 'gay' is arbitrary and useless.
That said: the label is very handy in real world situations. The next time I'm hiring either a pool boy or an interior decorator you bet I'll be getting a gay guy.
And I am sure you are a geneticist and we should all just take your word for it.MikeyTWolf said:
Xanadeas said:
are you really saying you were not able to make decisions at eight? i decided I hated carrots at 4. If it is proven that it is genetic ((which it has not been)), they should have no right to "cure" you, that is just stupid. we don't cure blondes, or or stupid people.
Not exactly sure if it is genetic, but I don't think it's just a choice people make. My mother is a lesbian and I grew up with her and her girlfriend/partner as my primary parents. One might think that because of my upbringing in a homosexual household, I too would be homosexual, but I'm not. It might be caused by genetics, or it might not be. I don't know, nor do I really care that much. All I know is that they both love me and that's all that really matters.
I brought it up - and I'm very aware of how DNA is made thanks to studying Biochemistry for a degree.MikeyTWolf said:
There are a lot of chemicals that can effect the body in a wide variety of ways irregardless of genetics. Hormones are just such chemicals.
If there is a larger-than-normal amount of oestrogen in the womb/mother's blood during the formation of the brain then the chemical imbalance is off, and the brain does not develop "normally" - creating the homosexual males with a more female-structured brain.
This doesn't mean they have female genetics - it's just the physical structure that is effected, as the different levels of chemicals cause the bonds within the cells to form in a different pattern, thus resulting in a different superstructure.
It could be genetics, particularly in the case of homosexuality developing through puberty. However there isn't a "gay gene" (as has yet been discovered/hypothesised) but rather different to the "normal" ratio of chemicals present in the body at the time one is developing interactions with people as the body develops sexually, and of course genetics control the release of hormones in the case of some glands. What this could mean is that people have a *predisposition* towards one sexuality or another (due to the functionality of the glands as determined by genes), however the pressures of life control whether that predisposition is proved correct or not via external influences on the release of said hormones.
Current science leans in favour of endocrinology/chemical stimuli and an influence of upbringing (as stress and a whole variety of lifestyle choices affect the endocrine system and thus the levels of hormones present in the body) as opposed to a certain "gene", but this is still a very young field - even within genetics which is a relatively young science in and of itself.
Both have influence, like any other "taste" really.Phenom828 said:
Why do I like strawberries? Perhaps I have a genetic predisposition towards the taste of strawberries. Perhaps I have found memories of strawberries, which developed my taste for it.
At the end of the day it's academical, as my love for strawberries matters to anyone else about as much as someone's preference for their own gender. If two guys or two girls do each other they have effectively affected your life as much as I have every time I eat strawberries...
The only issue with this "taboo" is ignorance and idiocy.
magnuslion said:
Of course I was capable of deciding things. Things like whether I like vegetables, the color blue, whether I should drink six cans of surge in a row or not (the answer was always yes). But I wasn't capable of deciding I wanted to be attracted to men. For some it may be a choice... but for me it wasn't.
MikeyTWolf said:
His or mine?
Inb4 giant flame war...
My two cents: Could anyone here who identifies as heterosexual choose to be gay? Or, does anyone here remember when they chose their orientation? Because my answer to both of those questions is "no"...
My two cents: Could anyone here who identifies as heterosexual choose to be gay? Or, does anyone here remember when they chose their orientation? Because my answer to both of those questions is "no"...