What makes people gay?

1. What makes people gay? Is it a choice or is it innate?

2. What does the American Psychological Association Say? There is no consensus among scientists about the exact reasons that an individual develops a heterosexual, bisexual, gay, or lesbian orientation. Although much research has examined the possible genetic, hormonal, developmental, social, and cultural influences on sexual orientation, no findings have emerged that permit scientists to conclude that sexual orientation is determined by any particular factor or factors. Many think that nature and nurture both play complex roles; most people experience little or no sense of choice about their sexual orientation.

3. What does the National Mental Health of America Say? • Some people believe gay people are born gay, while others believe they choose to be gay. Most researchers believe sexual orientation is complex, and that biology plays an important role. This means that many people are born with their sexual orientation, or that it’s established at an early age.

4. The 4 Myths of Choosing to be Gay • Myth #1:  Either homosexuality is a choice or else it is genetic.  There is no middle ground. • Myth #2:  A Christian who believes that homosexual behavior is sinful must logically believe that no one is born gay. • Myth #3:  If homosexuality is genetic, then gays deserve legal minority status.  Otherwise, they don't. • Myth #4:  The origin or "cause" of homosexuality has been proven.

5. Myth #1 Either homosexuality is a choice or else it is genetic.  There is no middle ground. • A lot of people make this assumption without even realizing it.  Many people debate the origins question back and forth as if there were only two possibilities: "born that way" and "chose to be that way."  But there are two major problems with this idea. • First of all, this myth ignores a third possibility -- that homosexual feelings may originate from factors in a child's development.  Some psychologists, for instance, believe that areas of the brain controlling sexual desire may be affected by hormone irregularities while the child is still in the womb.  Other psychologists believe that a homosexual orientation may result from failing to identify properly with other members of the same sex or with the parent of the same sex.  Almost all of these theories agree that a person's sexual orientation is set by an early age (about 3 or 4).  It is possible, then, that a person could be gay because of something that is neither genetic nor a choice. • Secondly, it is important to recognize that this is not an "either/or" issue; multiple factors may be involved.  Many psychologists now use the term "homosexualities" to mean that different situations and combinations of factors may all lead to the same conclusion (feelings of attraction towards the same sex) but in different ways.  Genetic factors, developmental factors, and personal choices may each play a part in a person's developing sexuality, and for some people, certain factors may have more weight than others.  Of course, this is only a theory and may not be true at all.  Still, it is worth considering. • Before leaving this point, I want to emphasize that these theories seek to explain why a person would feel attracted to members of the same sex.  A person's sexual acts are always within the realm of choice, except for cases of being raped or molested. 

6. Myth #2 A Christian who believes that homosexual behavior is sinful must logically believe that no one is born gay. • "I believe homosexuality is a sin," usually means, "I believe homosexual behavior is sinful."  The Church has traditionally held that homosexual behavior is wrong while homosexual attraction is a temptation.  (I'm not saying whether this position is right or wrong, but it is the traditional Christian position.)  Merely "being gay," then, would not be a sin unless the individual engages in some sort of sexual behavior. • Is it reasonable to assume that some people might be born with certain temptations and that other people would be born with different temptations?  It seems reasonable to me.  We have evidence to indicate that certain people may be born with a predisposition towards alcoholism or with a "shorter fuse" making them more likely to become violent when angry.  This does not make such people engage in these behaviors, nor does it excuse them from their actions.  But a person with a genetic predisposition towards alcoholism (if it indeed exists) would have to fight harder to stay sober than a person without that predisposition. • We all have an inborn tendency to sin, according to Christian thought.  Ever since Adam and Eve, every human being is born with a sinful nature.  However, we each have free will, and we make the decisions to fight our temptations or to give in to them.  A heterosexual male has a biological drive to desire sexual relations with more than one woman; however, Christianity says that he must control that desire and remain faithful to his wife.  Similarly, it is possible that a homosexual male would have a biological drive to desire sexual relations with men, but if such behavior is sinful then he would have to control himself. 

7. Myth#3 If homosexuality is genetic, then gays deserve legal minority status.  Otherwise, they don't. • Unfortunately, a lot of the information we get on this subject is biased.  Political action groups know that this myth is widespread, so groups that oppose gay rights measures work hard to convince us that homosexuality is not genetically determined, and groups that support gay rights measures work hard to convince us that it is. • The thing is, political debates aren't very good at helping us find the truth.  We need to know what the evidence really says, not just what we want it to say.  Unfortunately, we're going to be flooded with misinformation and propaganda as long as we hold to this myth. • The truth?  Genetics have nothing at all to do with determining whether a group of people needs to be protected from discrimination in employment, housing, etc.  Eye color is genetic, for example, but there are no laws against discriminating based on eye color.  On the other hand, there are laws against discriminating based on religious affiliation, which is a choice. • How should we decide what groups get legal protection?  I believe there are two questions we need to ask ourselves in making this decision: • 1) Is this group of people likely to experience widespread discrimination (being denied jobs or housing solely based on the one characteristic that sets this group apart)?2) Is this discrimination unreasonable? • People with blue eyes do not get legal protection because there is no widespread discrimination against people with blue eyes.  There is widespread job discrimination against drug addicts, but they are not protected under the law because that discrimination is reasonable (drug addiction is likely to affect one's job performance.)  Discrimination against African-Americans is both widespread and unreasonable, so we offer legal protection based on race.  It has nothing to do with whether the characteristic is genetic or can be changed. 

8. Myth #4 The origin or "cause" of homosexuality has been proven. • This is a myth, pure and simple.  Although studies have turned up evidence that certain factors might play a role, nothing at this point has been even remotely conclusive.  In fact, every major theory to date has at least some pretty substantial evidence against it.  At this point, the most we can say is that we simply don't know.  We don't know what causes heterosexual attraction or homosexual attraction, and it's not likely that we'll have an answer to the question any time soon. • Some people interpret "there isn't any conclusive evidence" to mean "biology has nothing to do with it; it's all development or choice."  That is not true at all.  In fact, the evidence weighs very heavily in favor of a biological component, but it doesn't look like biology can explain it alone.  The evidence for non-biological theories (such as the theories put forth by Moberly and Nicolosi and promoted by conservative groups like Focus on the Family) is no better than that for the biological theories.  The best evidence indicates that there is a combination of biological and environmental factors working to shape a person's sexuality in the formative years, but at this point we just don't know how it works. 

9. Nature vs Nurture • Definition - A traditional and long-standing disagreement over whether heredity or environment is more important in the development of living things, especially human beings. VS

10. This nature/nurture question is possibly one of the oldest theories debated in psychology (Bee, 2004). Today, it is commonly accepted that most aspects of a child's development are a product of the interaction of both nurture and nature (Bee). Both sides of the nature/nurture argument present compelling evidence of how each factor impacts development. It is no longer a question of whether it is nature or nurture, which influence development, but more importantly in what ways, and to what extent.

11. The Impact of Nature on Development • Nature, which is also known as heredity, is the genetic code you are born with. It is passed on to you from your parents. Some examples of nature or heredity could be your height, behavior, and IQ just to name a few.  • So, what does that have to do with anything? Still debatable really.

12. Twin Studies • Scientists have studied twins to try and learn if being gay is biologically determined. Studies of identical and fraternal twins suggest that there is a genetic influence on sexual orientation. If being gay were strictly genetic, then in identical twins, there would be a 100% concordance rate for sexual orientation. But one study in 1995 found a 52% correlation for male identical twins and 22% for male fraternal twins. A study on females came up with similar results. If one identical twin was a lesbian, in 48% of cases, the other twin was also a lesbian. For fraternal twins, the concordance was 16%.

13. Conclusion So what if I did choose to be gay? Don't I still have a right to be gay, and to be open about it? And would I have any less right to a job, employment, and decent treatment in public places because of it? However, if it is a choice, what is wrong with choosing to be gay? Does it matter? So what? Being gay is a choice and therefore________? What? What does it matter? If it was a choice why would you not chose it?

14. Conclusion Cont. • While I can not provide solid evidence based on scientific findings if being gay is or is not a choice, I will leave you with this…You can choose many things in this life. What clothes to wear, what color of hair you have, what kind of car you drive, what type of loans are most appropriate for you, what your profession is going to be someday, you get the point. So, does a gay person choose their sexuality? Does a straight person choose their sexuality? Maybe the answer simply lies within.