How can they say they say that it is natural?

Question

For every one who supports gay and lesbian rights, how can they say that being gay is natural? I would imagine that most all of them believe in evolution right? Nature is completely geared by reproduction. If you watch nature it is fourth on the list, only to be topped by breathing, sleeping and consumption of food.
Well when a man and man or woman and woman get together then it is impossible for them to reproduce. If it is fourth on the list for all of nature and homosexuality regects that then, they would regect nature itself.
Even more wouldn't Darwin's therory of Natural Selection be negated by claiming homosexuality is natural. Because based on his theroy homosexuals would fail to reproduce so the "gay gene" would become extinct faster than lyndsay lohan movie. Right?

now that i've read the most of the comments and yes i did say comments because most of what people wrote did not answer the question but only judged me or called me names. my question is not perpostorous nor is it hurtful. if nothing else it is to help me understand how people in general make their rationalization for the support of saying it is natural to be gay. 80% of the commenters should go to a gay chat room or blog site to be at one with likeminded people and leave this site to the rest who want to use this for it's intended purpose of finding answers to sometimes difficult questions.
to everyone else who attempted(s) to answer my question let me warn the majority of you that compairing homosexuality to a disease or using a disease analogy is a slap in the face to all who embrace homosexuality as thier orientation and is a slippery slope. your ascociating the two is far worse than me possing a simplistic and inocent question. but that aside no one has answered my question.

Answer 1

why is hair color, diseases and other stuff genetic, stuff that we don't necesarily need to reproduce? there's no reason. If it's happening in nature, and if it has been happening since man came to be, then it is natural. homosexuality is natural.

Answer 2

Wrong.

Although homosexuality has a genetic component, there may also be nongenetic factors at work that would be unaffected by natural selection.

Gay and lesbian people can still have children, you know. Sexual orientation is not an either-or trait but exists as a continuum. Persons with some degree of heterosexual orientation can still contribute homosexual "genes" to the next generation.

Also, even people who might describe themselves as "1000% straight" can have homosexual tendencies. It should come as no surprise that laboratory studies have found that homophobic straight males show more sexual arousal to homoerotic stimuli than their non-homophobic counterparts!

Moreover, cultural condemnation of homosexuality could pressure latent homosexuals to behave in heterosexual ways, contributing to the genetic propagation of gay "genes." Didn't the Rev. Ted Haggard have like five kids or something?

As Marko F observed (above), it also seems likely that genes for homosexuality could be beneficial to the species as a whole. In Bonobo chimpanzees, our closest relatives among the apes, social bonding often manifests through homosexual interactions.

Notably, social cohesion is still a main function of sex in humans (it's not always about reproduction), so it is possible that homosexuality evolved to serve social functions in humans, as well. The Spartans, for example, encouraged homosexual relationships between their soldiers because it was thought they would fight harder to protect their lovers!

Another thing you might not understand is that the biological differences associated with homosexuality (e.g., neuroanatomical variances, etc.) do not come from one gene alone, but a collection of genes that, when expressed particularly strongly or in certain combinations, result in a homosexual phenotype.

Obviously, the genes for homosexual traits persist, and if they do it *must* be because they usually combine to make our species better at survival and, yes, reproduction. Homosexuality is relatively common, after all, and there simply is no such thing as a "common genetic disease."

Interestingly, the genetic factors linked to homosexuality in men seem to enhance fertility in women! Female relatives of gay men, on their mother's side of the family, tend to have more offspring than female relatives of straight men.

So, there.

Answer 3

The fact is nature loves homosexuality. How do we know that? Because she has been producing homosexuals for thousands of years and seems likely to keep right on doing so, even over your objections.

Why does nature love homosexuals so much? We're not entirely sure yet but there are several theories. They all boil down to the fact that homosexuality is doing something to benefit and protect the human species.

Let me give you an analogy, also from nature. Perhaps you have heard of sickle cell disease. This disease, prevalent among blacks, occurs when an individual inherits 2 genes for the sickle cell trait, one from the mother and one from the father. This is a very serious disease and can at times be fatal. Nevertheless nature keeps producing the gene that results in sickle cell and does not appear to want to rid the world of it. Why? Interestingly in this case we do know why nature is doing this. It turns out that if a person inherits only one of the genes that cause sickle cell disease they don't develop the full-blown disease but only what is called sickle cell trait which is much less serious. It also turns out that individuals having sickle cell trait have greater resistance to malaria than so-called "normal" individuals. Since malaria is so common in Africa and is such a lethal disease, it seems nature has hit upon this way to protect against malaria and is not about to wipe out all trace of the sickle cell gene from the human race.

Perhaps homosexuals are contributing inordinately to advances in science, art and culture in general. Perhaps they are advancing the species in that way and perhaps that is why nature loves homosexuals. Perhaps it is because homosexuals on average are more peace-loving and are keeping the rest of the human race from blowing the planet to smithereens. Or maybe it's just that nature, like homosexuals, has a marvelous sense of fashion and hates to be always drab and unstylish.
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Edit:

The questioner has misunderstood my intent
here. I am in no way, shape or form comparing homosexuality with a disease. That was the questioner's conclusion, and a wrong one at that. What I have attempted to show with this analogy is that nature works sometimes in strange, complex roundabout ways which we mere mortals often do not and sometimes can not understand. I tried to show that nature is the ultimate arbiter in deciding what is good and bad, what right and wrong in a given context at a specific time and place in history, in the history of our species and of all species. I was saying no more and no less. What you or anyone else concludes from my remarks is your own responsibility, not mine.
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Answer 4

You like so many pople are confusing sexuality and procreation they are two different things.
Sexuality is more about sex and pleasure. Sexuality is a very complex and indepth subject area and quite frankly I don't think you have adquate knowledge to phrase your question.
Procreation is about sex and reproduction ( continuation of the species)
There is a legitimate basis for homosexuality with the framework of evolution and geneics (read febuary 2006 edition of the journal human genetics), it has just not been discussed alot and homosexuality does exist in nature.
By phrasing the question the way you have, the injustice that you and those like yourself are doing is creating false dichotomies.

YOU ARE REDUCING COMPLX SUBJECTS TO SIMPLISTIC GNERALIZATIONS..

THE MARK OF THE ILL-FORMED

Answer 5

NOT EVERYONE NEEDS TO REPRODUCE !!! some people shouldnt reproduce! the world is over populated anyway. reproducing just for the sake of it is what animals do not humans, thats why we have the ability to reason, if we wouldnt have it we wouldnt be any different from the rest of the creatures. we reason, some of us anyway, animals follow their instincts. if people dont want to have babys they wont regardless if they are gay or str8, you should know that. and there are so many orphans out there..... you call that evolution i call it stupidity

and dont worry about the human race going extinct that's never going to happen from lack of reproduction

Answer 6

As a matter of fact, I do believe in evolution. Evolution makes a lot more sense than the theory of god. Why should I spend my entire life being led around by blind faith?
Being gay is natural. Being an ignorant, narrow minded fool in something that society has created and it is unnatural.
Why don't you keep your stupid opinion to yourself and quit trying to force your beliefs down everyones throat.

Answer 7

Wow, another homophobe with a bad sense of humor!

When did love become unnatural? My husband got chicken pox and became sterile when he was 21. Since we can't "reproduce", in your highly regarded opinion, is our union WRONG???

Homosexuality has been around as long as people have, but because of people who think like you, they kept it hidden, see, evolution can be a good thing.

Answer 8

Whoa whoa whoa, calm down.... if you're straight, it feels natural right? well, being glbt feels just as natural... and not all straight people can reproduce, take for instance infertile people... they naturally can't reproduce, and yet they seem to be the norm, so why are we not normal?... and if everyone was meant to reproduce, then condoms and any other contraceptive should be illegal, right?

Answer 9

Well first of all most of us don't believe in evolution. And some of us believe it is natural and some of us don't. It just all depends on who you ask. I don't believe that it is natural but I can't change it. AND now you will say through God you can do anything. Well, I am the living example that you can't. I went through years of religious counseling. Even went to what they call the Hope House and no matter how much I tried I coudlnt be cured. So is it natural no, its just who I am.

Answer 10

Population control. Deal with it. It's a submissive gene.