If homosexuality is genetic...?

Question

then what is the purpose of being gay? if it's genetic, then it serves a purpose in nature. And if it's genetic, then how is it passed down, since gay people wouldn't normally have offspring.

i know that gay people can have children... I'm not an idiot... i mean that gay people cannot naturally conceive with each other.!!

Answer 1

Perhaps it is nature's attempt to control population, as most gay people do not choose to have children (although they are capable).

Current scientific thought is there is some combination of factors that determines sexual orientation in the womb, whether they be genetic, hormonal or something else.

Certain factors like similar finger length or brain construction would indicate a genetic or biological basis. Recessive traits are passed from generation to generation, like left-handedness or blue eyes in a brown-eyed family. It may be that homosexual orientation is similarly recessive.

Certain factors like birth order, where there are older straight brothers, indicate a hormonal component. Recent studies ahve shown that there is a greater likelihood of a gay son if there are older brothers, indicating that a hormone may be depleted with each pregnancy.

There is as yet no definitive answer for the cause of homosexuality. But we do know that humans are not the only species to exhibit the trait, so it appears to have some natural elements to it and not be a chosen behavior as some would believe.

Answer 2

Does there need to be any more 'purpose' in being gay than in being straight? If anyone uses that old chestnut of 'straight' people's purpose is to reproduce, maybe we should look at that statistic that the world is reaching over capacity for people to resources and the idea of inter planetary colonization is being suggested to solve that! Besides if you can not have children does that mean you don't have a purpose, anymore regardless of sexuality?

Purpose is something that goes beyond the ability to reproduce and justify lifestyle. Purpose goes beyond genetics and social environment. Therefore to me the argument or nature or nurture with regards to sexuality in order to justify a lifestyle or sexual preference, isn't really the point. The point is that there will always be sexuality and variants of it. If certain sectors of society could stop trying to justify bigotry and ignorance through the genetics or choice argument then we might get a clearer and more meaningful purpose to all our lives. That is understanding our differences and working together to better all our environments through compassion and not ignorance, bigotry and blind hatred.

Answer 3

It wouldn't necessarily be a single-gene trait; the frequency of occurrence is a bit too rare for that. If it's purely genetic, simplified statistics indicate about 3-4 genes would be responsible (although the simplification does make the accuracy of that number questionable, and it's predicated on an assumption that it's purely genetic.)

This leaves plenty of room for it to be passed down in pieces; you need the 'complete set' to be gay. (Partial sets may account for bisexuality.) It also allows for the genes to have individual roles that have other purposes besides sexuality. What they would specifically be is unknown; we've mapped the human genome, but haven't really decoded it yet.

Answer 4

"If homosexuality is genetic... then what is the purpose of being gay? if it's genetic, then it serves a purpose in nature."

That a trait is genetic does not imply purpose. Is there a purpose in my having brown hair and eyes?

"And if it's genetic, then how is it passed down, since gay people wouldn't normally have offspring."

A heterosexual could be a carrier of a recessive homosexual gene and pass it down to the next generation. There is no biological requirement that a homosexual gene be passed on via a homosexual. All sorts of genetic traits get passed down by parents who don't exhibit the traits they're passing down.

Answer 5

Actually what you are saying makes perfect sense to me. Let me explain. There are several theories as to why a person is 'born' gay. The most prominent I have read is a work by Simon Le Vay. He determined - through autopsy - that gay men and straight men have one single difference: the size of their hypothalamus (a gland in the middle of your brain and well known to be the source of sexual stimulation in human beings). With gay men it is small and fluffy were as in straight men, it is solid and large. He repeated this experiment with lesbian and straight women and found the reverse. Straight women had small/fluffy gland were as lesbian has large/denser gland.
So hypothalamus size wise:
Gay men = Straight women
Lesbian women = Straight men

Following years of studies, he determined that this gland is developed before birth. When he examined pregnant mothers during period of pregnancy he found that this gland gets developed during the 6th month of pregnancy. If the mother body thinks she has a daughter, she would give Oestrogen (female hormone). If she thinks she has male son, she would give Testosterone (male hormone). For some un-explained reason, the mother would give the wrong hormone. Depending on how long this hormone is given, the child may come up as Bisexual, straight acting gay guy, camp gay guy, or in extreme cases transsexual (a person who believes he is in the wrong body!).

Research into how to determine why this switch happens has been blocked. From one side, the church and religious groups would not accept it (because this would mean centuries of prosecuting gay/lesbians was wrogn but more importantly it is a serious shake to their belief). From the other side, gay groups have pressured government and other organisation not to proceed in such research because this would mean there is a way to eliminate gays from existence! Hospital scans can determine if a mother has son/daugther and a simple blood test can determine what hormone the mother is giving. The latest work I read was done by an Italian scientist two years ago who tried to determine if the mother had a genetic differences that results in this switch and managed to find some correlation in that most mothers with gay/lesbian children had actually gay/lesbian brothers and sisters!

So to answer your question and this is just my theory. There are lots of bisexual people how would lead a straight life and thus I assume the gay gene would be recessive gene in the mother. And you know that a recessive gene would generally have 25% possibility of appearing in the off springs. Thus this would explain why gay and lesbians appear in every society, every culture, and every social level regardless of race or up bringing.

Regards,

Dr. FS

Answer 6

I loved your question. I do not know whether being gay is genetic or not. I just know that if you have an open mind it is better. After being straight for my whole life, I kissed my first girl this year (I am 33 now) . I suppose that it is easier to show your feelings now towards anybody. Even music is much more free. I lived my teens in the 90s (in Tokyo which means US)and rock was brutal and crude, there was no space for feelings. ( I was Guns's fan). Nowadays it is much easier, in the sense that I can choose openly how to express my feelings even through music.
I think if you can choose you sexuality it would be easy, but you don't choose, and if there is some genetic explanation for being gay, it would be probably an explanation for being bisexual. It would be very funny, if they would tell something on hormones.. I lack male hormones and I have to take them but i still love blokes, specially bisexual ones.

Answer 7

Why not ask "what's the purpose of heterosexuals not having children". Many don't and many gays do. I for one have a son and I am gay but he is not - but at least the gay gene will carry on living for some future offspring (assuming he does the deed at some point!)

Answer 8

Gay people have children all the time. Many get married and live a straight lifestyle for years before realizing/admitting their true feelings. Also, lesbians are allowed to receive in vitro fertilization, and gay men can donate sperm. Many straight women also have children with their gay male friends (as well as lesbians and straight male friends). There are many ways for it to be passed on. Also, genetics doesn't mean "My mom is, therefore I am." I get migraines, my mom doesn't; but my aunt does. It is still genetic, but it is a recessive trait in my mom.

Homosexuality is not the most common type of sexuality--it is a deviation from the norm. Deviations typically aren't the part of overall human development that serve a general "purpose." The deviations are what create diversity within race and species, and we are better off (especially intellectually and artistically) for it.

Answer 9

You would be right if we were still in stone-age..

I mean , what's the purpose of having red hair or being albino or having webbed toes..


Thing is ..

Mutations happen nowadays and don't have a purpose anymore because for most humans , natural selection is inexistant..

I like to think it's a certain form of population control ^^


but then it's not true for lesbians..

Answer 10

from what I can understand, there is a part of the brain that does not develope and so that is why people are gay, and yes gay people can have children............ever heard of adoption, or they can get a woman carry a child for them. A woman can have a sperm inplanted in her to become a mother or a gay male couple can find a woman to let a doctor do the same thing with her and they have an agreement that the men are going to be the parents of the child. Shame on you for thinking that gay people can't be parents open your mind!!!!!!!!!!!!!