Scientific evidence that homosexuality is innate?

Question

I've heard it so often: homosexuality in not a choice; people are born that way. What scientific evidence is there to support this claim?

Answer 1

Frankly, what appears to be hereditary is the potential to develop homosexuality, given the proper environmental inputs. There is no "homosexuality gene" currently identified, nor do I think there can ever be: this sort of thing generally involves specific alleles being present at a multiplicity of sites.

All the studies that I have ever seen that purport to prove that homosexuality is innate either are studies showing anatomical differences in the brains of homosexuals (which could as easily be the result of their behavior as the cause) or studies showing a familial clustering of homosexuals (which only proves that the behavior clusters in families--it could as easily prove that the environment is conducive to homosexual behavior in those families.

Observational studies in non-human species find homosexual behaviors due to sexual deprivation (a ram, when it's sexually starved enough, will occasionally mount another ram, but will revert to ewes when they are available), due to aberrant responses to sexual triggering (the grey lag goose is an example; the two genders are not all that easy to differentiate, and if a pair of males in courtship season are near eachother and one accidently moves in the manner that female grey lags do to recieve the advances of a male, the other one may sexually mis-imprint); or due to a mistake in identification (mosquitoes tell females and males apart by the--I am NOT joking!--fact that female mosquitoes have a higher pitched whine when they fly... so do newly metamorphosed male mosquitoes, which can be mistaken for females)...

NO theory of innate or hereditary homosexuality has as yet accounted for the fact that some homosexuals have chosen to take on heterosexual behavior, and functioned quite successfully in that, without evidence of the kind of psychological stress you would expect from their trying to overcome an innate behavioral trait.

In fine: I have yet to see evidence that stands up to honest, unbiased scrutiny...

Answer 2

Simple logic tells us that homosexuality is not a choice. Ask any practicing heterosexual if they ever had any desire to have homosexual experiences. If you are heterosexual, ask yourself if you could "choose" to be a homosexual if that was what society said you were supposed to be. Finally ask yourself why anyone would "choose" to be a despised class of people subject to discrimination and physical abuse.

Now for science. All humans begin life as female. No matter what the genes say, the fetus will develop into a girl unless it is bathed in the appropriate hormone at the appropriate time. Think of all the ways this process can go wrong. Genetically male babies who do not get the hormone dose, genetically female babies who do get the hormone dose, males who don't get enough or don't get it at the right time,... with all these possibilities, the outcome has not been well studied.
We do know that some babies are born with ambiguous genitals. Some babies are born with genitalia of both sexes. Is it any wonder that people are so varied in their experience of gender and sexual preference?
According to Michael Weiss, Professor in Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Director of the Center for Molecular Oncology, University of Chicago
"all embryos begin life more female than male. During the first 35 days of gestation, embryos of either sex develop along classic female lines and have the beginnings of a uterus, fallopian tubes and the upper part of the vagina...SRY, the molecule produced by the maleness gene on the Y chromosome, initiates the cascade of molecular events that leads to the production of testes and blocks the formation of female reproductive organs"
see for full article

As for the animal kingdom, many many species practice homosexuality. The Bonobo is just one example.

Answer 3

There is evidence to suggest that homosexuality may have a biological basis. That doesn't neccisarily mean a person was born that way. Let me clearify.

The brain is an interactive organ. It is phyically influenced by genetically inate factors AND environment. Studies have suggested that the brains of male homosexuals resemble that of heterosexual females in some but not all areas, and the opposite for homosexual females. Their brains may very well be physically different, but the reason for that difference wasn't neccisarily present at birth.

The cause of homosexuality could be purely genetic, it could be something that people are genetically suseptible to under certain conditions (they have the genes but the genes must be activated or they are prone to certain genetic mutations as a response to external factors). It could be caused by exposure to something which typically doesn't affect people or it could be due to a virus.

The attraction of one sex to the same sex, however, is not a choice. We have very little say over what attracts us. As humans we only have the ability to choose whether or not we act on those emotions.

There are no studies to suggest that homosexuality is caused by how someone is raised. That is to say, most parents of homosexuals probably did nothing different from the parents of most heterosexuals that would give rise to homosexuality in the average person.

Answer 4

Announced in the last week or so...a correlation with male homosexuality and biological mother havig older sons...studying males in adoptive families to remove nurturing influences.

The fact that there are brain differences has been noted in a previous answer.

Correlation is not causation but this study is one more of many that strongly suggest a predisposition exisiting at birth.

There are religious prohibitions against homosexuality. Some peole have trouble with the idea of homosexuality being innate. Sin must involve choice to commit a sin. It should be noted that the only choice is whether to act upon one's inclinations. By that reasoning, there is no sin in having an orientation, only for acting upon it inappropriately.

This is my opinion and I cannot back it up: But I am convinced that we all fall along a spectrum of orientation, and we are not homosexual or heterosexual. This explains homosexual behavior among those who consider themselves heterosexual.

This whole area is complicated by traditional moral judgements and we must exercise increased dedication to rational thinking.

Answer 5

There are zoos which report homosexual activity among animals.
Having two homosexual individuals in my family and having seen them grow up, I know that parenting has nothing to do with their sexuality.
I would like to see definitive scientific proof that this is a natural occurence. It might help keep the hateful from beating up on gays.

Answer 6

It is impossible to acquire a pregenetic disposition toward homesexuality.
That said, Certain hormones develop at different times so the proclivity can shift. But I personally believe that there are some environmental factors as well.

Answer 7

This is not true.

-do this way has a role in life?
-If yes, why dose dif. sexes where cereated?
-do you accept to live all of your life in homosexuality?

- my last Q to this:
If it is innate, why it don't happen in animal?

Now note this:
-regarding to WHO, first cause of AIDS transmition in USA is homosexuality.

Answer 8

there is a genetic basis. and to the person who asked why it doesn't happen in nature? do ur research. I actually does in primates, wolves and other society based animal species.
Over 450 species have showed gay activity. It is normal in the animal kingdom! to see go to this link! http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2006/06/the_gay_animal_kingdom.php

Gay Animals Aug-99
"JERUSALEM -- The London newspaper The Independent reports that a pair of gay vultures at

the Jersualem Zoo have shown the world just how talented and caring gay adoptive parents can be."

"As an experiment, Israeli zoologist Shmuel Yidov took a day-old vulture chick that had been hatched in an incubator, inserted it carefully inside a swan's egg and slipped it into the nest. Fooled, the pair took turns to sit on it and warm it until it hatched again."

Dashik and Yehuda then reared their baby. 'They did a great job,' said a spokeswoman for the zoo,,Sigalit Dvir. 'They shaded him on hot days, they brought him water from a pond, they fed him, they stopped him falling from the nest.'"

There's more, but you'll have to go to the web site to read it.
http://www.datalounge.com/cgi-bin/datalounge/news/record?record=3778

Another one is chimpanzees. Bisexuality is the norm among male chimps (check out Jane Goodall's books). Effectively a male chimp forms a long-term partnership with another male (which includes sex at times). WHen the higher-ranking of the pair challenges for leadership of the troupe, the backing of sidekick is essential. If successful, they then become nos 1 and 2 respectively in the pecking order of the troupe for access to the females, as well as food etc. But their closest relationship is with each other.
This *may be one reason why many male humans have gay or bisexual tendencies - inherited over 5 million years ?
National Geographic special, "The New Chimpanzees" which aired September 6, 1995 - "Diverse and frequent hetero- and homosexual contact occurs among the animals. . . . Not only does homosexual behavior exist in nearly every species of every order of animal known to science (a fact demonstrated repeatedly by uncounted studies beginning with Konrad Lorenz, the father of modern zoology) but as one ascends the evolutionary ladder from less sophisticated creatures to hominids, homosexual activity increases in frequency."
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (June 1995) - Drs. Shang-Ding Zhang and Ward Odenwald of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, observed that "Reduced levels of the chemical [serotonin] in laboratory animals, such as rats, rabbits, and cats, have been linked to homosexual behaviour." [For your information, serotonin is an important protein found in virtually all higher species and its production is genetically controlled.]
Proceedings of the Society of Neuroscience (November 1994) - J.K. Graham, G.J. Bloch and Richard Mills of Brigham Young University found in studies involving rats, that sexual orientation can be determined biologically, and may even be influenced by behavior of pregnant rats. [For your information, Brigham Young University is not exactly a bastion of gay rights.]
On a less scientific basis, he tour guides at the San Francisco zoo will show you geese, sea gulls, penguins, lions and some hoofed animals in homosexual relationships. The zoo has a pair of female geese that have been happily married for years. [Now you will probably argue that there must be something in the air in San Francisco.]
Perhaps we have more to learn from the "animal kingdom." After all, almost all of what human beings do is "unnatural," which does not automatically equal "immoral." No other creature drinks milk after weaning, drives cars, wears clothes, invokes a God, or writes letters to CompuServe.
Copyright August 1999, by mggm. All rights reserved, except that free distribution via any medium is permitted as long as author's credit is given and no profit is involved

Answer 9

It all depends if you are a Momma's boy or not and your father is dysfunctional.

It has to be learned...........

Homo's cannot have biological children. So in essence, they cannot multiply like a virus........

I think some one up above is trying to tell us something.............

This sounds like a question for one of those Commy bastards..