Are gays born as gays?

[thebestMAX]

How about this line:

"Im a lesbian trapped in a mans body"

 

[chess9]

I have a half brother who is gay. He exhibited signs of being different at a very early age-4 or 5. However, he did not come out until he got a divorce at age 28. He was a very conservative Goldwater man, and boy would we have arguments! He was also a complete jerk until he was about 28. After picking up his PhD. at Columbia he started re-evaluating his life and realized he was a jerk because his life was a lie. Thus the divorce and the move to California where he now edits a gay newspaper. He is also now a Socialist, so we still don't agree politically. (He is a very good looking male as well, which I think plays a part in the genetic and environmental aspects of gay development.)

My view on this is that male gays are born with a strong predisposition to be gay. A substantial portion of female gays become gay because of physical abuse by men, but most of them are also born with a predisposition to be gay in my opinion. Gay behavior is just so strongly evident in the early years, it is hard to argue against a genetic predisposition in most cases.

However, this is still a very controversial and unresolved area. The research to date suggests both genetic and and environmental components play a part.

Several developing issues are quite interesting. More teenagers than ever are declaring themselves bi-sexual, particularly among females. This may not be good news for men, and may influence the number of men who engage in forms of non-heterosexual sex. Also, some therapists are claiming they have successfully turned a gay into a straight. The APA does not claim such therapies are unethical, but lends them little credence. I know many Christian conservatives feel this is a legitimate approach for psychotherapy and needs broader support in the medical communtity.

The research on this topic is very easy to find on the net.

Here's one listing of recent research

I don't understand why anyone should be seriously worried, yet, about gay sexual behavior. Most of the worry seems related to mostly adolescent doubt about our own sexuality. I know as a teen I was very strongly opposed to gays, but that may have been related in part to the gay man who attacked me after a Little League game. I have strong views about aggresive gay males even today, but I have several gay friends who are some of the best people in my life.

Tolerance and love for all of God's children goes a long way to resolve the feelings of conflict we often feel about this issue.

 

[MrPALCO]

<< Are gays born as gays? >>



No.

 

[LadyJessica]

NFS4,

Do you believe that schizophrenia is genetic? Why?

 

[NFS4]

Yes, schizophrenia is a problem with ones brain (from what I'm lead to believe). A person's sexual preference is by choice IMHO.

 

[LadyJessica]

NSF4,

Schizophrenia is a result of too much dopamine in the brain. How about tourette's syndrome. Do you believe that is genetic? Or do you believe it is a choice?

 

[NFS4]

I don't know enough about Tourettes. All I know is that the person shouts explatives. Beyond that, I won't even try to explain it b/c I don't know.

 

[DataFly]

I remember something from my Biology class two years ago about the size of the anterior portion of an individual's hypothalimus (part of the brain) being related to the sexual preference of an individual. This area is larger in heterosexual men and homosexual women than in homosexual men and heterosexual women (though it may be the other way around...don't remember).

Then again, maybe my teacher was full of crap.

 

[ForeverSilky]

I guess I'd be a little dissapointed if my brother or sister was gay cause then I wouldn't get to be an uncle.

 

[LadyJessica]

NSF4,

Tourette's syndrome has a strong genetic correlation and is believed to be a result of an imbalance in dopamine and serotonin levels. What I'm getting at is that it's clearly possible for homosexuality to be a manifestation of minor genetic anomolies. My take is that it's a bit of both.

Take the example of a fetus with a karyotype of 46 XY. Here're some questions for you:

1) Is it male or female?

You'd probably answer male.


2) Suppose this fetus has defective testosterone receptors. Is it male or female?

Genetically, the child is male. However, because the receptors are defective the child develops into what looks like a female. He/she will have a vagina but will not have a uterus. Would you consider this individual a homosexual?

 

[Russ]

<< Schizophrenia is a result of too much dopamine in the brain. >>



LadyJessica,

You know that it is FAR more complicated than that simplistic answer. There are many, many factors involved in the disease, and there are just as many schools of thought on the causes, as well as the treatment.

It is unfair to the debate, and it's participants, to make a unilateral and definitive statement like that.

Russ, NCNE

 

[ElFenix]

homosexual people exhitbit physiological differences from heterosexual people. so therefore, its genetic. very subtle physical differences, for example, some researchers here at UT found that homosexual people are more &quot;feminine&quot; in the way that sounds are processed. also, in the same article i swear it mentioned that lesbians have shorter index fingers relative to straight women, accounting for hand size. when gay people exhibit traits like that and straight people don't, its really hard to say that homosexuality isn't genetic. some people might choose (its trendy amongst sorority girls to be bi, at least, if you watch cinemax it is).

 

[Tripleshot]

<<Are gays born as gays? >>

Probably some are and some aren't.

Whats your point?

Do you get happy and giddy when someone bashes in the head of a gay guy?

Are you trying to start a gay bashing duiscussion?

Is this to lead to hate crimes thread?

Do you know any &quot;gays&quot;?


Are you gay and want to know if it was in your genetic make up?

Would you tell us if you where?

Would we be better off knowing?

Does it make any difference?


I didn't read through the thread. It's title is too fvcking stupid to garner anymore attention than I just gave it.:disgust:

 

[JellyBaby]

<< didn't read through the thread. It's title is too fvcking stupid to garner anymore attention than I just gave it >>

Nice attitude. Why'd you bother to post then? And what's up with all those questions? What's your agenda??

It's a valid question and if you had bothered to read through this thread you might realize there's been no flaming or bigotry.

 

[LadyJessica]

Russ,

Yes I know that. However, it has already been shown that often dopamine and dopamine receptors (and serotonin) are at fault. If you give someone massive amounts of dopamine, that person will most likely develop features similar to schizophrenia. On the other hand if you artificially lower that person's amount of dopamine, you'll most likely induce symptoms similar to Parkison's. Of course, all of this may or may not manifest itself depending on the type of environmental stress.

 

[AngelOfDeath]

I think it's a mix of the enviroment they are surrounded by.

AoD

 

[vi edit]

In several studies of children diagnosed with gender identity disorders in ages as early as three and four years old, 2/3rds grow up eventually having partners of the same gender.

By gender identity disorders, I mean 3 year old boys wearing their mothers clothes and playing with dolls and such.

In as early as the age of three...is that really a choice? And the fact that 2/3 of them turn out to be gay in their adulthood points rather strongly at the nature side of the arguement.

 

[chess9]

LadyJessica:

That's interesting. Is this a specialty of yours or some research you are involved in?

Or did you stay at a Holiday Inn last night?

 

[MrPALCO]

All of Mans sickness is a result of the corruption of the code in the upper realm of his existance, at some stage of his development.

The Spirit of Man has a code, similar to the DNA of the body, and it can become corrupted by the enemy that inhabits the physical realm.

This enemy has taken power illegally, has been contained, and will be removed forever...at the appointed Time.

The cure for all corrupted code, also known as sin....is the perfect uncorrupted code that came from Heaven to this lower realm in a body and became the man ...Jesus.

 

[Pretender]

<< I never got along with coders, always on the hardware side myself. >>

That's not the software department's fault, the hardware designers didn't give you secure memory and it got corrupted. The next patch should fix that and get you back on the software side of things.

 

[vi edit]

I think Red fits more into the volatile memory category

 

[Pretender]

I'd guess, that like many things, being gay is neither fully based on society or genetics. While some part of your DNA may give you an affinity (or lack thereof) towards being gay, it doesn't mean that you will definately be gay. How you interact with society, and society's views of gays will probably determine if you are gay, bisexual, or heterosexual.

 

[Pretender]

volitile memory is software, not hardware. are you implying that the guy (sperm) coding him on the production line messed up? I think not

 

[vi edit]

prentender, it was a joke poking fun at Red. Nothing more.

 

[Pretender]

I know, and I messed up the joke in a pretty bad way. Thus concludes the off-topic portion of this thread and we will now resume the original discussion &quot;Are gays born as gays&quot;, already in progress.