Is There Any Evidence People Are Born Gay?

Question

I'm not really looking for a propaganda website here. Anyone got any legit sources?

By the way, for your theory that homosexuality is a natural method to reduce poppulation... why isn't it working? What natural steps led to the developement of this function? Could it be that you have no idea what you're talking about? What led you to this perplexing possition that you propose that natural selection would limit it's own poppulation in the interests of other species? Isn't the goal of all species in a biological since the continuation of the species?

In what way would you argue that the Earth wasn't "meant" to hold 6 million people? Would this be evidence of design?

Please save your bashing... I haven't said a word about whether or not I think it's wrong in this question.

Once again... any legit sources providing evidence?

Answer 1

Yes. Twin studies are one of the most basic scientific ways of sorting the "nature vs nurture" connundrum. Very often the answer turns out to be "both".

See the link below. It demonstrates a strong connection between genetics and sexual orientation. The strength of the connection is very similar to other aspects of personality that have been shown to be genetically influenced.

This is not the same thing as saying there is a single "gay gene". There almost certainly isn't - but it does make it very likely that there are particular patterns of genes within the diversity of human genomes that make it far more likely that a person is of one sexual orientation rather than the other.

One possible reason why a genotype "for" homosexuality might be favoured by natural selection is that close relatives (who closely share his genetic patterning) of a homosexual may benefit from the non-reproducer putting his energies into the nuturance and survival of his kin. This is likely to be advantageous in times of scarcity of resources, and is seen in a number of species such as the kookaburra. Sometimes concentrating resources is the best "strategy".

Answer 2

Does this help?

The "gay gene" theory which was discredited by 1999. Even the Globe reported in a major article on Sunday, February 7, 1999, under the headline, "The Fading Gay Gene," that "The [gay] gene still has not been found, and interest in - and enthusiasm for, the 'gay gene' research has waned among activists and scientists alike. And there is a growing consensus that sexual orientation is much more complicated than a matter of genes."

In fact, much or most of the research is going the other way. The psychiatrist who was responsible for removing homosexuality from the disordered list of the American Psychiatric Society in 1973, Dr. Robert Spitzer, Chief of Biometric Research and Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia University, has done studies which show that some homosexuals can and do change. "Like most psychiatrists," he says, "I thought that homosexual behavior could only be resisted and that no one could really change their orientation. I now believe that to be false. Some people can and do change."

Answer 3

Well...if you mean is there some great source that...immediately when you see it...you instantly slap your forehead and say "Of course! It's all so obvious now!" Then, no...I don't think there is.
If you're a straight male, let me ask you this question: Exactly what day did you sit down...think it through...and decide that you would be heterosexual instead of gay?
I'm straight, and I never made such a choice. Being queer was never something I ever considered. I didn't sit down when I reached a certain age and think, "Hmmmm....let's see. Am I going to be straight, or would I rather be a flitting tinkerbelle? Gosh...it's such a hard choice, but I think I'll be heterosexual."
I think most straights are born that way, don't you?
It therefore stands to reason...to me, at least...that most gays are born that way, too. I mean...if you CAN make a choice, most people are not going to choose a sexual preference that means you'll be taunted and teased growing up, and even discriminated against when you're an adult....if it were just a lifestyle choice. (Yes, I know there are always SOME who'd choose it, just so they could feel "put upon"...but we're not talking lunatic fringe here, we're talking the great majority.)
I'm sure there are SOME gays who choose to be so...but I honestly believe that most gays are born that way.

Answer 4

The best I can do for you, unfortunately, is to tell you that I cannot remember where I read this, but it was a reputable news source.

"A study suggests that the chemical environment in the womb is probably responsible for sexual orientation in men. The more males born to the same mother, the more likely another male child is to be gay. This suggests that, with each male born, the more of a substance builds up that mother’s system which then effects the brain development of the child in such a way that that child’s sexual orientation development tends toward homosexuality."

(The above is from a blog - and the author didn't cite the source there, either. ~sigh~)

Ahhhh, wait, here's something:
http://www.medbroadcast.com/health_news_details.asp?news_id=10200&rating=1

Answer 5

this is the way is see it:
first of all, most mental health proffesionals would consider it perverse to say that someone immorally chose homosexuality rather that to say that it happened from biological origins.

second, i don't think that scientist are gonna find a special piece of the brain, the "gay part of the brain", if you will. I can't imagine that a scientist could empirically, physiccally prove homosexuallity as a brain thing , just in the same manner as how a scientist will never be able to cut open a persons brain and say "this little chunk of brain proves that this person liked the taste of oysters from birth and that it was not a aquired taste further in life."

Answer 6

I don't know of any hard scientific evidence, though I think I heard of some steps towards scientific evidence in the new awhile back (I have no clue what those steps were).

I do know that I am not gay and I never have been gay, so I cannot say for sure one way or the other. If so many gay people claim they cannot help it and they would change if they could, who am I to say they are lying or mistaken? I could never know that, so I'll take their word for it. I have no reason to believe otherwise.

Answer 7

captain obvious has a point.

still there is of yet no conclusive proof.
there is no genetic variation we can detect, nor a hormonal unbalance we can conclusively connect to homosexuality.

to give the good captain some credit though...
it is absolutely possible that homosexuality is an integral part of our genetic makeup, like different hair or eyecolors, size, proportions... none of these can be predetermined by genetic or endocrinological examination... they are instead controlled by factors yet unknown and probably ultimately by actual chance.homosexuality MAY be another of these random features.

Answer 8

The most legitmate source is Mother Earth herself. Can you not see that there are too many people in the world, and if all the gay people were to reporduce also, we surely would be in grave danger? Now, we just gotta do something about these selfish people who reproduce because they "want another baby", even though they already have a herd.

Answer 9

Here are some propaganda-free websites, most based on independent scientific studies, regarding evidence pertaining to homosexuality being biological and genetic in nature. Interestingly enough, one source shows that mothers with a homosexual child are actually more fertile regarding the number of other children that they bear.

Survival of genetic homosexual traits explained
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn6519

Male sexuality may be decided in the womb
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn9413

Moms' Genetics Might Help Produce Gay Sons
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2006/02/21/hscout531088.html

Having Older Brothers Increases a Man's Odds of Being Gay
http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?articleID=0005A6D3-7ADC-14A0-B6C483414B7F4945

Homosexuality Again Linked to Biological Factors
http://www.forbes.com/forbeslife/health/feeds/hscout/2006/06/26/hscout533470.html

Sex and the brain - neurobiologist Simon LeVay found a link between brain structure and homosexuality
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1511/is_n3_v15/ai_15242680

What is normal? - heredity and homosexuality
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1282/is_n2_v44/ai_11860844

"Sexy" Smells Different for Gay, Straight Men, Study Says
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/05/0510_050510_gayscent.html

Linkage between sexual orientation and chromosome Xq28 in males but not in females
http://www.nature.com/ng/journal/v11/n3/abs/ng1195-248.html

Gay genetics
http://www.newscientist.com/channel/sex/mg18424690.800

Also, these sites describe how homosexuality is a natural occurrence regarding animals:

The Gay Animal Kingdom
http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2006/06/the_gay_animal_kingdom.php?page=all&p=y

Homosexual Animals Out of the Closet
http://www.livescience.com/animalworld/061116_homosexual_animals.html

Biology Behind Homosexuality In Sheep, Study Confirms
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/03/040309073256.htm

Gay animals out of the closet?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15750604/

An Unusual Love Story - Penguins accept same-sex commitments.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4352011/

Answer 10

I'm on my way to gather some evidence for you, but let me state first off that you have to accept that there sexual orientation is an internal psychological state. If you don't accept that other people find themselves drawn sexually to members of the opposite sex, the same sex, or both sexes, then you're unlikely to accept any evidence that is presented.

EDIT:

Here are some bits of evidence that people do not choose their sexual orientation, which in most instances is analogous to being born gay:

Long-term homosexuality in animals:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animals_displaying_homosexual_behavior

Male penguin couples have been documented to mate for life, build nests together, and to use a stone as a surrogate egg in nesting and brooding. In 2004, the Central Park Zoo in the United States replaced one male couple's stone with a fertile egg, which the couple then raised as their own offspring.

Homosexual behaviour in male sheep (found in 6-10% of rams) is associated with variations in cerebral mass distribution and chemical activity. A study reported in Endocrinology concluded that biological and physiological factors are in effect. These findings are similar to human findings studied by Simon LeVay.

"Approximately eight percent of [male] rams exhibit sexual preferences [that is, even when given a choice] for male partners (male-oriented rams) in contrast to most rams, which prefer female partners (female-oriented rams). We identified a cell group within the medial preoptic area/anterior hypothalamus of age-matched adult sheep that was significantly larger in adult rams than in ewes..."

Birth factors:
Suggestions of genetic factors: Among identical (genetically alike) twins, when one is gay, the other one is much more likely to also be gay. Among fraternal (geneticallly different) twins, the likelihood of the second twin being gay was no greater than chance.

Younger male siblings more likely to be gay: A Canadian study recently found that the more biological older brothers a man has, the greater the likelihood that he will be gay, according to scientists. The result suggests that a man's sexual orientation may be influenced by the conditions in his mother's womb when he was a fetus.

Early onset sexual orientation:
The early display of sexual interest in same-gender vs. opposite gender attraction has been shown among children who later found themselves to be gay. This behavior often occurs before the age of latency (generally about age 6 in boys). This suggests a preconscious sexual awareness before puberty, when sexual expression becomes more prominent.

It's late on the east coast, and I'm going to have to get up early tomorrow. I'll try to get more for you later, if you don't get any good answers.

However, as a man who has never once felt any attraction at all to women (I'd rather chew glass), but have had a loving relationship with a man for almost 12 years until he died from cancer, I can tell you from personal experience that I never chose to be gay. If you have attractions to women, then that's your orientation. However, you must realize that that experience is not shared by a significant minority of the population. Homosexuality has appeared across throughout the human species, across cultures, and in some cultures it has been accepted. Among cultures with strong sexual restrictions, it typically has faced oppression. Nonetheless, in spite of facing shame, imprisonment, and even the death penalty, it has continued to arise at just about the same rate globally.

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