Are people born gay, or do they become gay?

Question

In an english class,the discussion of people being gay was brought up. My teacher insisted that peopleare born gay, although most the students in the class disagreed. I just want to get others opinions.

Answer 1

People are born with a certain sexual orientation and fully realize that orientation with puberty.

Answer 2

People are born with the potential to become "gay" oriented at puberty, and all things being equal that's the way they will eventually come out (pun intended). But the claims made that the person knew from age three or so that they were gay is hindsight speaking. They may have wondered, for example, why the other boys didn't play as much with dolls, but otherwise didn't know how their destiny would unfold.
The only choice that is involved is whether to act on your natural impulses or to repress them to satisfy a greater need for approval, for conformity, or from fear of some alleged consequences, punishment from a mythical being, etc.

Example in point of repressive propaganda: The crap posing as authoritative analysis from the source cited by beekay above.

Answer 3

I think some are born gay, for whatever reason, and read somewhere there is evidence to back it up. There is also evidence that for some it is a choice, and yet for others, not really in their control because it happended due to the social environment.
Let's face it, if it feels good, and someone wants to do it, or feels they must, why worry about the actual cause. Being tolerant, accepting, respectful and open minded is far more important than "why people are the way they are."
Now my question, "What makes people straight?" Consider that males spend nine months before getting out of their mothers, then from about age twelve, spend the rest of their lives trying to get back into another female. What is all that NORMAL about that?

Answer 4

The honest answer is that we don't actually know for certain either way. There's no conclusive evidence in favour of either idea - though there is more evidence in favour of there being a birth factor than against it, it's not sufficient to say it's a fact yet.

Edit:
Of course either way doesn't make it a choice or not-a-choice. Even if it's something we are made into, almost no one has a choice about how they were raised or what environment they were born into. And even if it is a birth condition, the anti-gay types will still insist we could choose to deny and suppress it (tho to me that's a false choice... kinda like saying you can choose to hold your hand in the fire until it burns down to the bone.)

Answer 5

Any gay person I have spoken to states that they knew it at a very young age. Frankly, I do believe people are born predisposed to a particular sexual preference. And I do believe some people are born bisexual. They simply feel sexually aroused by someone they love, be it a person of the same sex or the opposite sex. I also believe that some of the scientific studies that have been done in the past five years on this subject simply get discounted by the straight laced scientific community. There is ample evidence of homosexuality and bisexuality in mammals. I see it as part of the natural order.

Answer 6

Does it really matter?

Seriously. Would it change anything?
Would it make people stop bashing, hating, denying gays/lesbians their rights?
Does whether or not its genetic or chosen actually affect anyone but those who are gay/lesbian?

No, not really.

I don't know and I can't really say. All I do know is I've always felt this way. I was never beaten, molested or harmed as a child. I wasn't "introduced" or "recruited" into it.
Oh, and for those who still insist, there is NO SUCH THINGS AS A "GAY LIFESTYLE" it's simply part of a person's life, it's not their ENTIRE life, it's not what they wear, what car they drive, what foods they eat, what music they listen to, what furnishings they have in their home or what job they do.
Being gay is simply who and how they love.

Answer 7

I can only speak for myself; but as a gay man, I can tell you without a doubt that I was born gay. When I was very young and just learning about "the birds & the bees" I knew that I had no interest in girls and that I was attracted to other boys. I know MANY gay men and women and I can only think of one who disagrees with me on this issue.

Answer 8

I think that's the way people are born. I had friends when I was little that seemed different; some girl tomboys and some boys that liked to play with my dolls. I loved them just the same, and the real differences didn't come out until we were maybe in jr. high and they started to act really uncomfortable around the same sex. By the time we were in high school, it became more obvious. It was just really sad that they couldn't be openly excited about a crush like straight kids. I suppose it's the same way now in many places.

Answer 9

loads of people wil give you different answers here

i would say it could happen both ways but some will say its just in their genes and cant be changed and others will say that its the society around them and the way it inflences them

someday they will probably have some tv reality show trying to make people gay or something lol thats what the world is coming to!!!

well i supose the best you can do is just take the personal experiance people, im not gay so i wouldnt really know!

good question though =)

Answer 10

Lets put it this way. I believe you are born gay. I mean lets look at it this way. I mean who would want to go through there life being tormented and teased. I mean come on I didnt like it but I wasnt about to go around acting like something im not. I mean I found that I was gay going in around 8th grade because I started looking at guys and everything I mean If I was born straight I wouldnt be looking or even thinking what I was thinking. Why would someone want to choose to go through the things we do. I mean we cant even get married legally. So honest opinion is we are either born straight or gay its something in our brains.

Answer 11

Born