Geneticist Says Homosexualism

Born this Way? Society, sexuality, and the search for the ‘gay’ gene by Simon Copland discusses the actions people are taking in order to find out how sexuality comes to be. For instance, many are looking at science to find “the” answers. Specifically, a study by Simon Levay who is looking for a possibility of a “gay gene” existing, explained, “small differences in the size of certain cells in the brain could influence sexual orientation in men”(Simon Copland). This is one of many studies and claims scientists have expressed to populations of people believing that there must be a gene out there. People are not searching for this “gay gene” in order to plainly

Homosexuality has been around for centuries, maybe even since the beginning of human existence. Many individuals question why some people are gay and why others are not. Those that question humanity ask what exactly makes a person become attracted to the same sex and whether or not it is nature or nurture. There are three points to argue that homosexuality is natural and not by choice. Hormonal changes during pregnancy can alter the unborn child’s sexual preference even before delivery. Some professionals believe brain physicality also has a role to play in homosexuality. With a look even further into the brain, DNA was also found to potentially play a factor in sexual orientation due to the alteration in epi-markers which result in homosexuality.

When people utter the words “gay gene”, they are oversimplifying a concept that is much more complex, and has much more history than what the phrase is able to portray. The theory of the gay gene is over a hundred years old, and has seen a few iterations and specifications as to what it actually entails. Whether it holds true, or not, is yet to be seen, however, there has been many studies that may lend a helping hand in determining and identifying possible correlations between biological make-up, and the predisposition to homosexuality.

In the four studies examined, all the researchers were trying to link homosexuality to epigenetics. Rice, Friberg and Gavrilets examined the effects of trans-generational epigenetic inheritance to the occurrence of homosexuality, made several testable predictions and created a model for the development of homosexuality. Ngun and Vilain created a hypothetical framework which combined genetics and epigenetics to explain the cause of homosexuality. Billack, Serio, Silva, and Kinsley investigated the biochemical, cellular, genetic and epigenetic events linked to homosexuality. The researchers reviewed published empirical data from 1994 to 2014 to create testable models for homosexuality. Most of the research performed used rats and mice to

Research has proven the statement of “born gay” as a complete myth. “This week, a team from the University of California, Los Angeles claimed to have found several epigenetic marks—chemical modifications of DNA that don’t change the underlying

Corvino’s article “Why Shouldn’t Tommy and Jim Have Sex?” discusses the defense for homosexuality, claiming that there is nothing wrong with it. Someone who is homosexual is someone who is sexually attracted to members of their own gender and partakes in romantic relationships with them. The ancestries of same-sex attraction aren’t completely understood, and many who are involved with such feelings didn’t choose them or want them. Despite much debate over the naturality of homosexuality, scientists have remained unable to locate a genetic cause for homosexuality. While genetic factors may have a role in sexual attraction, it is an exaggeration to claim genes to cause homosexual behaviors. For example, twins share the same genes but do not

In the United States of America, 1.8 percent of men and 1.5 percent of women identify themselves as homosexuals (Volokh 1). This means that in a group of one hundred men, around two of them are homosexuals, and the same goes for women. The background regarding sexual orientation is vast, and a lot of different definitions of the concept have been introduced throughout time. Nevertheless, although homosexuality is fairly common in the United States, many people still misunderstand it. The different types of sexual orientations and their difference from other sexual-related terms, such as gender role and gender identity, are all confused by the general population. Sadly, even today, there are people that believe in a right or wrong sexual orientation. Moreover, the origins of sexual orientation are highly discussed and debated by the scientific community, with theories including biological and environmental explanations. The importance of such origins resides in the fact that this nature-nurture debate is capable of changing people’s perspectives towards homosexuality, and even though the media has done a great job by transforming any sex-related topic from a taboo to an acceptable conversation point, society still needs to grasp a lot about sexual orientation. Particularly, the fact that sexual orientation is a complex, largely misunderstood human characteristic resulting from a combination of biological and environmental factors that play an essential role in society’s

Homosexuality has become an important issue in our community creating much controversy. The liberal citizens of our country congratulate those who have made the hard decision to “come out.” The decision to be openly homosexual is hard for some because of the rare acceptance that they receive. Society has made it so hard for homosexuals to be accepted, given the discrimination and hate crimes against them. The rights that have been taken from homosexuals, such as marriage, have led to a quest for knowledge on the question of whether homosexuality is biological or simply a choice. Researchers and scientists have been working diligently to find the answer to this question. If homosexuality is proven to be biological, many doors could open

When her parent found out, she attempted to commit suicide. Her father suspected she was either mentally afflicted, a degenerate, or vicious because she was a lesbian. Freud also states, when a homosexual decides to abandon the “normal” way, they are choosing to be banned by society. Furthermore, the article suggests that homosexuality can be caused by a suffering childhood. These are the main points discussed in the article. In addition, Constructing Sexual Identities in the 1930s by Henry L. Minton discusses a case in 1937 where a young black actress realizes she is homosexual. To analyze the situation, Henry’s team consists of a variety of people with a psychiatric interpretation. Overall, Henry discusses the background and results of the sex variants study, and then consider the broader context of this investigation. He then discusses how it is situated within the rise of a homosexual community and the medicalization of

Human Sexuality is an important facet of our idea of self and who we are in life. The act of human reproduction is undeniably necessary for the continuation of the human race. Whether we choose to practice reproduction as nature intended via coitus between a man and a woman or to parent children that were conceived under unorthodox methods such as artificial insemination and in vitro fertilization our humanity can only continue to exist if we create more of ourselves. The most socially accepted expression of sexual identity is heterosexuality which is defined as sexual attraction to the opposite sex where sex is defined biologically by the gonads, male genitalia and female genitalia. At the other end of the spectrum are those identified as homosexual defined by same sex attraction or attraction to those who are biologically similar to themselves at the gonadal level. Being human we are aware of the pleasure that can be derived through sexual acts and have evolved to explore this side of our selves at times independent of the desire to procreate. I would argue that this desire is nature’s way of rewarding us for forwarding our genetics to future generations and that it is indeed quite natural to explore our desire for pleasure via sexual conduct. However as humanity has developed social influences, such as religion and the idea of what is normal, have demonized those possessing

A scientist at the US national cancer institute, investigated the family histories of around a hundred gay men and found homosexuality was very likely and prone to be inherited. This study came up with the results that more than ten percent of brothers of gay men were gay themselves, in comparison to approximately three percent of overall inhabitants. On the other hand, uncles and male cousins on the mother’s side of the family led Hammer to have a closer look at the X chromosome. After arduous and continuous studies, he came with these results, he found that thirty-three out of forty-four homosexual brothers inherited alike genetic

After analyzing different studies, and observing scientist’s reasoning as to why they may or may not think that homosexuality is genetics; I am convinced that it is not. A lot of test has been studied but where is the actual proof? There is no actual proof that homosexuality is genetic, there are only studies that’s trying to prove a point that is not yet valid. Scientists are elaborating about there is a gay gene that is triggering to determine whether an individual is gay or straight; I understand their study but why aren’t they letting us know what actual genes are causing homosexuality. After reading the scientists studies, I concluded that they assume there is a gay gene but they cannot prove it yet. This topic relates to genetic in several

Since the late nineteenth century, the body has been central to both scientific and popular constructions of the origins of homosexuality. In today’s society, we acknowledge the biological domain of the body is nominally distinct from both the psyche and social context. However, the 19th century sexologists held a different view. They believed that an individual’s constitution encompassed biological attributes as well as moral, intellectual and psychical qualities. Thus, this is what leads them to believe that homosexuality is an evidence of innate moral inferiority and biological deficiency. 

Since homosexuality was associated with pathology, it was singled out by science as a distinct type of person with unique psychical and somatic characteristics.

Further research provides additional evidence to link homosexuality to nature is. It is Dr. Dean Hamer who successfully identifies a gene marker on the X chromosomes, a region which he termed Xq28. In his study, he examined 114 families with homosexual members and found that the incidence of homosexuality was higher in the maternal side of the families. As males get their Y chromosomes from their fathers and, X chromosomes from their mothers, Hamer came to the conclusion that there is definite proof that male homosexuality does have a biological basis in the Xq28 region of the X chromosome. (Shultz, 139; Hammer, Online)

Without having any value judgments on sexual deviancy- the word itself many seem to imply disapproval. Whether it be transvestism, voyeurism, exhibitionism, or sadomasochism, sexual deviancy is by many considered unnatural and inhuman. However these two words 'unnatural and inhuman' is exactly what homosexuality is not. The truth is, sexual deviancy is as much a function of biology and as much a product of nature - as the orthodox sexuality which society accepts as 'natural'. Of course some adult sexual orientation is caused by early social conditioning, but through research and hard evidence, scientists have found that sex, gender and sexual orientation are all