Is sexual orientation genetic or behavioral?

Question

This is something I do not dare ask my g*y and L*****n friends face to face. Most of them believe that sexual orientation, whether you are straight or g*y is a biological thing. I think it's a behavior that we choose. I think the whole genetic argument goes back to when doctors believed that g*y and L*****n behavior was an abnormal behavior and a mental illness and then treated patients so that they would revert to normal straight sexual behavior. But saying that sexual orientation is genetic does not make sense to me. A person has a s*x drive and that is genetic. But how that person satisfies that s*x drive is learned. You can get yourself off. You can get off with a girl. You can get off with a guy. Animals. Plants. A transgendered person.An alien.Whatever turns you on. It's your choice but it's a choice that you make based upon what you feel comfortable with. If being g*y is genetic, than at a future point, parents might seek to have those genes altered like some birth defect. I don't think there is such a thing as a g*y chromosome. If you are straight or g*y it's up to me and you to be any way we want to. Do you agree or disagree and why? I may learn why I should avoid this discussion with my g*y friends. I choose to be straight.

Answer 1

Im 18 and a recently started college freshman. Well, there are many theories on why people have their sexualities. The most common today states that sexual orientation is a mixtute of biological factors at birth and the environment the child is raised in. There are those who believe that homosexuality is a choice. Actually, homosexuality is not a choice, but to live a "g*y" lifestyle and to live out is a choice and so is to act on your homosexual tendencies. The choice theory comes from religious roots to why homosexuality was forbidden in most Jewish, Christian and Islamic societies, stating that homosexual behavior is a sin and that sin requires a choice of free will. The biology (born that way) theory stems from the time when homosexuality was considered a mental illness. Although this may seem close minded today, it was actually alot more progressive from the previous choice theory because the attitude moved from homosexuals are evil sinners that must be punished to homosexuals are mentally ill, cannot help their condition and that we must help them. This also was due to a misconception at that time that Gender Identity Disorder and homosexuality were linked. Although homosexuality was removed from the list of mental disorders in 1973, the attitude that sexual orientation is not a choice grew. Studies have shown that a mixture of biology and environment influence one's sexual orientation. Also, homosexual behavior in the animal kingdom back this theory, but there is a fundamental difference in that animals act on carnal instincts and humans can make concious decisions. An animal therefore cannot be "g*y" because "g*y" describes a lifestyle choice. While sexual orientation is not chose, it is a choice to accept one's sexuality and wheter or not to come out and live an alternative lifestyle.

Answer 2

Scientific researchers specializing in human sexuality have shown that homosexuality is genetic.

Scientific research publications from October 2004 and June 2008 stated that scientists have found that women tend to have more children when they inherit the same genetic factors linked to homosexuality in men. This fertility boost more than compensates for the lack of offspring fathered by g*y men, and keeps the “gay” genetic factors in circulation.

A 2005 study reported genetic scans showing a clustering of the same genetic pattern among g*y men on three chromosomes - chromosomes 7, 8, and 10. The regions on chromosome 7 and 8 were associated with male sexual orientation regardless of whether the man got them from his mother or father. The regions on chromosome 10 were only associated with male sexual orientation if they were inherited from the mother.

A study from 2006 said that researchers have known for years that a man's likelihood of being g*y rises with the number of older biological brothers, but the new study found that the so-called "fraternal birth order effect" persists even if g*y men were raised away from their biological families & that "the research suggests that the development of sexual orientation is influenced before birth."

Answer 3

This question get's asked quite often.

Please look at these: http://www.soulforce.org/pdf/whatthescie...

http://www.apahelpcenter.org/articles/ar...

http://www.soulforce.org/pdf/false_focus...

http://psychology.ucdavis.edu/rainbow/ht...

http://www.web4health.info/en/answers/se...

But really, what changed my life was this video: http://www.soulforce.org/article/homosex...

(it's long but it has a lot of info)

EDIT: Yeah I have heard the rumor that g*y people only live to their mid-40's. That sounds pretty stupid if you ask me, I know g*y people past age 40, many of them. Also AIDS is not a g*y disease. 10% of all AIDS patients in the world are g*y men, so 90% is straight people. g*y men have also been around seemingly since the beginning of time and AIDS has only been around for about 90 years.

Why do homophobes insist on embarassing themselves by coming up with these outrageous claims??? Only close minded bigoted homophobes are going to believe them.

Answer 4

I take it you're straight. You try masturbating to g*y p**n (without thinking of women once) and see how well it turns out.

Orientation - Genetic, unchangeable

Behaviors - Controllable, but you cannot change your orientation, you can only fake it or suppress it.

Answer 5

Being g*y is not a choice. I wish it was, I'd be straight in a heartbeat!

Orientation is inside our brain. Just like you (as being straight) would find it very difficult to perform any g*y acts right? That's how it is for us to perform straight acts. We are just wired wrong. Do you think you could really try and become g*y? Its just as impossible for us to "become" straight. I personally would love to, but I have lost the battle..done that, tried that. Your inner sole will always be g*y, if that's how you are designed. You can however "act" straight and just never have a GF and such, That's what I do. But its really offends me when people say we are acting this way. I myself have never performed any g*y act as I was raised that it was wrong. But I know I am g*y as that is what I am attracted to. I just "choose" not to act on it, But I am very unhappy because of it and I can never have love like you can have. So be very lucky that you were "built" right and don't have to live this kind of horrible life.

Answer 6

You smart for asking this question on-line rather than face to face with your g*y friends, this is a tuff topic for some. Well in my opinion i believe that being g*y is genetic, I'm am a 100% L*****n and this is not by my learned behavior, its because i love women, its what feels natural, feels right and what i am attracted too. I don't think that i would just choose to be g*y, I don't think anyone would, I don't and will never understand why we get so much hate and discrimination thrown toward us but we do, just because we love someone of the same s*x! If being g*y were a behavior, or something learned, i don't think that we would have as many g*y people as we do now, and I'm talking true g*y's, the ones who love with their heart, and not with their, s*x drive. So enough of my rambling on, being g*y is genetic, i was born g*y! the only exception is those who choose to just have g*y/L*****n s*x, they are just the freaks, who want to try something new but will never love someone of the same s*x whole hearted.  

Answer 7

Feelings-Genetic

The personality - behaviorul

Here's something that might help you think it's genetic:

1500 differant animal species have some homosexual and some heterosexual animalss in their natural environment.

Answer 8

You don't think this, you don't think that.  You may think, but you don't know.  You can't. You're not g*y.  You haven't lived it.  You also should believe your friends when they tell you they are as they were made.  We don't choose to be g*y.  It's something we come to realize as an unavoidable truth about ourselves.  We either accept it and embrace it, or deny it and repress it, but that's as far as the 'choice' aspect goes.  It's very easy for straight people who grow up in a straight world surrounded by straight role models and straight images to think that they chose to be straight.  We grow up in that same world, and find out that all of that is not true for us.   We struggle with it, pray it's not true, maybe even try to pretend it's not true.  But inevitably, we can't deny who we are.  That's the choice: be yourself, or live a lie.  If you think that's the same as 'choosing' to be g*y, think again.  

You are right about one thing, though.  When it is established, as it inevitably will be, that there is at least some genetic basis for homosexuality, we will face the danger of that parents will attempt to impose genetic engineering, or worse, seek abortions, to avoid having a g*y child.  Such is the sickness of homophobia:  parents might choose to have no child rather than risk a g*y one.   I can only hope that the same studies that prove a genetic variation will also show that it is a normally occurring variation, like left-handedness, so that we do not end up fighting for our very right to be born.  Believe me, the religious nuts would make an exception pretty quickly to their opposition to genetic research and abortion if they thought they could get rid of g*y people.  It's sickening.

Answer 9

i'm g*y,so ill answer this question,

the feelings is gentic and the personality is behavioral  

Answer 10

nobody would choose to live as a third class citizen under the constant threat of g*y bashing, being fired, loosing jobs, being denied housing or insurance. nobody would choose to live without the rights granted to every other person as undeniable.

your full of it. i've had s*x with a man, i've had s*x with a woman. there was absolutely no sexual attraction or much pleasure with the man (despite him doing all the right things in the right ways). with the woman we were bumbling fools and still got off. i didn't choose to be attracted to women and not to men, its just the way i am.

also go read some medical or scientific journals--all the recent literature points to a purely biological source.

you can choose who you have s*x with, but not who you enjoy having s*x with.

Answer 11

I believe that it is genetic.  I have 2 g*y best friends and I have had conversations about this with one of them (i am a woman that is married to a man before you ask).  I believe people are born g*y, it isn't a choice.  You don't have any control over who you are attracted to, it just happens.  

The theory is that the so called g*y gene is carried on the X chromosome.  There is also the conditions and hormone levels within the womb that can affect sexuality.  Studies has been taken and it has been found that the more older brothers you have the more likely you are to be g*y.  Also the more children your mother, her sisters and mother had the higher chance you will be g*y.

There is no clear evidence to support these however the only control a g*y or bisexual man or woman has about his/her sexuality is wether they tell other people about it.

There are many people out there who are g*y/bi however will not tell anyone.

Answer 12

It's a choice. You ether you do or you don't. Men who choose as a life choose die before there fourtyfiftytbirthdayy. So I pray you to live. Aids iscontemningg take 15000 new victims each year.

Answer 13

This question gets asked every day, usually several times a day.  Our number one top contributor, χριστοφορος ▽, can cite you numerous compelling studies that substantiate the genetic basis of homosexuality.  If he doesn't respond to your question, please feel free to Email him for those studies.

In addition to those, ABC News 20/20 “Are You Born Gay” reported 28 March 2008 that Alan R. Sanders is expected to publish results of his genetic study later this year.  Dr. Sanders believes that he will find a genetic link. Dr. Sanders, a psychiatrist from Northwestern University, enrolled 1,000 pairs of g*y brothers in one of the largest sexual-orientation studies ever undertaken. With the experiment, funded by an NIH grant of over $1 million, Sanders will attempt to map genes that influence sexual orientation.  He expects to find a genetic explanation.

You can see that scientific research continues in this area.

But just because there is a genetic basis to something doesn't mean that we can automatically jump to the conclusion that it's a defect.  Hair and eye colors are genetically based, but that doesn't mean that red-heads are somehow "defective."  They are simply normal variations.

It seems to me that the best source for any proof about WHY homosexuality exists is to expand the search beyond human beings and to look at the rest of the animal kingdom. Homosexuality exists in nature, in over 1,500 species of animals and birds.

Since this is true, then we must ask ourselves, what is the function of homosexuality in nature? It must be serving some purpose, so what is that purpose?