how do people become gay? is it because the mother and farther wasnt together in there childhood?

Answer 1

If it were like that don't you think that almost 40% of America would be gay. No it's just the way some people are born.

Answer 2

No, although lots of bigots try to claim that.

Two things in particular I'm going to point to. A number of major studies have been done of animals. All the species studied had homosexual behavior -- and all the species that had pair bonds at all had homosexual pair bonding TO THE EXCLUSION OF MATING WITH THE OPPOSITE SEX IN HEAT. Explain how that is even possible as a choice for animals? (the best book in this particular field is probably Dr. Bruce Bagemihl's book "Biological Exuberance" from St. Martin's Press -- from its bibliography you can find many others, and you can easily find other studies that look at the same phenomena.)

2nd -- the Fruit-fly study. The results for fruit-flies can't be denied (link below). People are trying to say that just because it applies to fruit-flies it doesn't have to to people. Alright, while I accept that the genetic mechanism is much more complex among humans -- why on earth would something like homosexuality be completely genetic in simple species and not genetic at all in the most complex species? It makes no sense, particularly given that no gay person I know EVER remembers being attracted to a female. Bisexuals are attracted to both. Gays are only attracted to same sex. So -- how is that a choice? Isn't it just the opposite of what straight people feel? An inborn automatic response. Period.

Standing against science, common sense, and logic -- you have a bronze age book that people keep telling each other is divine, but which says the earth has corners (Isaiah 11:12), sits on pillars (I Samuel 2:8), and is on top of the water (Psalms 24:1-2). The book says beetles have 4 legs not 6 (Leviticus 11: 21-23) and states that rabbits chew cuds (which they do NOT) (Deuteronomy 14:7). Given that choice, despite the emotional benefits that I'm sure some people gain from believing that the bronze age book is correct on this, just like it is on the corners -- I'll go with the logic, science and common sense.

Regards,

Reynolds Jones
Schenectady, NY
http://www.rebuff.org

Answer 3

There's a number of factors. Science hasn't quite narrowed down exactly why people are gay or bisexual. One theory is that something like 80% of the population is at least a little bisexual, but there's so much cultural pressure to be one or the other that most label themselves straight or gay. I think it's like, less than 20% is immutably gay or straight. 50% or more is between a hundred and ninety percent gay or straight. About 15% is between ninety and sixty percent gay or straight, and the remainder is 50-60 percent gay or straight; the bisexuals.

Aside from that...there's a genetic marker for the potential to be gay or straight, which is present in most people, only excluding the <10% that is immutably straight. From there, childhood factors we haven't figured out yet cause a person to become gay, straight, or bisexual. The rest end up falling in the >50% of people who are almost completely one orientation, but will glance the other way occasionally.

I've know I was bi since I was 12. My mother claims to have known since I was 8, and my father since I was 11. My friends always say "I'm so afraid to come out to my parents!" and the onyl logical response there is "Dear, they probably already know, or at least heavily suspect." Because almost always they do. In childhood and early adolescence, your parents do know you better than you do, it seems.

Answer 4

It used to be a popular belief that an emotionally distant father would cause the son to experience "defensive gender detachment" - this belief is the driving force behind sexual reorientation programmes.

If these theories were true, then we'd see a lot of homosexuals coming from broken families. Also, one would have expected a homosexual boom during world war 2 when children were seperated from their fathers. In addition, one would expect a variation across different cultures.

There may be some cases of people acquiring "homosexual traits" as the result of psychological factors - a good example is the case study Wolpe 1969 "spontaneous reversal of homosexuality after overcoming general interpersonal anxiety" - in this particular case study, one might argue that the client wasn't homosexual to begin with. Also, some bisexuals may "change" and focus their attention exclusively on the opposite sex. In addition, some people may really be fluidic in their sexual orientation.

The majority of homosexuals will testify that they've known since childhood of their orientation. Some will testify that they attempted to "change" (usually because of family, religion and homophobia) and were unable to.

A lot of homosexuals report having distant father relations as a child. This could be the result of the father not knowing how to relate to the child, who appears to be "different". Hence, the distant father might be an effect rather than a cause.

Answer 5

I am with Morgan on this I knew I was different from age 5 and knew I liked both sexes at about 10 I didn't have a name for that attraction till I was about 15 I didn't accept it fully until I was 40, growing up is a lifelong process. LOL

Also the studies I have read indicate the numbers a little differently. 9% are 100% homosexual, 29 % are 100% straight and 62 % are bisexual.

Answer 6

Good lord, honey! People don't "become" gay just like you don't "become" straight. I've had both my parents in my life and I'm gay. And Splinter, that's not true at all, hon. Why don't folks live and let live?

So, let me ask you this question..does a person become a drug addict because there was no mommy or daddy in their childhood? How about a rapist, murderer, or anyone else that can cause more chaos and confusion to this crazy world of ours?

With all that said, baby, never assume anything about anyone unless you talk to them face to face. 'Nuff said.

Answer 7

Most scientific research today points to something prior to birth of a baby that predetermines sexual orientation. Some current research says it has to do with hormonal balances within the mother's womb. Most of this research has been done on male homosexuals. It is not conclusive, but to this point, the American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association and the American Sociological Association all agree that "gayness" is predetermined at birth.

Answer 8

Like the other person stated, if that were true, almost half of America would be gay...not the estimated "10%".

There are likely many factors:

-Some people believe it's genetic.

-Some people believe it's due to an imbalance of hormones.

-Some people believe it's due to an imbalance of hormones caused by pollution, and xenoestrogens (a type of "chemical estrogen" which is found in many plastics)

-Some people believe that homosexual behaviour is a kind of built in "population control" that keeps a particular species numbers down

-Some people believe homosexuality is caused by sexual child abuse (which is about the only thing right now with actual statistics behind it, but suffering child abuse is also linked to pedophilia...basically, sexual child abuse leads to all sorts of things one might not "naturally" feel, and is clearly not the only cause of homosexuality.)

-Freud believed that all homosexuals wished to be women, and this is why so many are interested in fashion: if they cannot be a woman, they wish to create the "perfect woman" they wish to be. Freud was also a nutcase.


What do I think? I think I could buy the "population control" theory...which would be caused by hormones, I think. Anyway, it would be awfully nice to have it proven that homosexuals are actually key in preventing humans from over-populating the earth. :)

Answer 9

I heard from an expert on TV that close to 90% of gay and lesbians were sexually abused in early childhood. Examples are numerous. I don't know if this is true but the speaker thinks so.

Answer 10

My mom and dad have been together for the longest time, and they were great parents, and I'm gay. It has to do with sexual attraction, and the fact that now it's getting more easy to come out of the closet, than what the persons parents were like.