Why being gay is a choice

Is Being Gay a Choice? Considering whether people choose to be gay is complex. It very much appears that same-sex sexual attraction is not a choice but acting on it is; so if you define gay as the mere presence of same-sex attraction, then from everything we understand, being gay is not a choice. Despite these numbers, many people still consider homosexual behavior to be an anomalous choice.

However, biologists have documented homosexual behavior in more than species, arguing that. Ascribing the etiology of homosexuality to genetics implies that homosexuality is immutable and uncontrollable, and therefore is not a choice or “lifestyle.”. There is no single gene responsible for a person being gay or a lesbian. That’s the first thing you need to know about the largest genetic investigation of sexuality ever, which was published.

Scientists may have finally solved the puzzle of what makes a person gay, and how it is passed from parents to their children. A group of scientists suggested Tuesday that homosexuals get that. You can spot the problem with this study a mile away: were the gay brains LeVay studied born that way, or did they become that way?

Psychological reasons also appear to be part of why a person is gay. Instead, it seems quite clear to me that there is a combination of genetic and biological factors that cause people to become gay. Yet some researchers question whether the analysis, which looked at genes associated with sexual activity rather than attraction, can draw any real conclusions about sexual orientation.

Is being gay natural

Gay rights do not have to hinge on a genetic explanation for sexuality Credit: Ignacio Lehmann. They asked more than , participants whether they had ever had sex with someone of the same sex, and also questions about sexual fantasies and the degree to which they identified as gay or straight. Two of these genetic markers sit close to genes linked to sex hormones and to smell—both factors that may play a role in sexual attraction.

Hamer says that the findings do not reveal any biological pathways for sexual orientation. According to Psychology Today , 3. In fact, the homophobic and non-homophobic respondents he studied shared similar levels of belief in a Born This Way ideology. In other words, the question of the efficacy of conversion therapies is a non-issue. If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing.

This story is part of our Sexual Revolutions series on our evolving understanding of sex and gender. You might as well ask someone to name the exact moment they began liking Chaucer or disliking Hemingway. What he found was that 33 of those brothers shared matching DNA in the Xq28, a region in the X chromosome. Grzanka agrees.

I even went so far as to fall in love with one. We should stop pretending that it does. Learn more Learn more. All science is doing is waiting to find the proof. Why, then, do some men who have sex with men identify as gay, and others identify as heterosexual? It was the last meeting before Thanksgiving break, and the theme was coming out to your families.

The platform provides reliable resources, accessible services, and nurturing communities. Pending Medical Review We take mental health content seriously and follow industry-leading guidelines to ensure our users access the highest quality information. Drowning out every voice that dares to question dominant cultural narratives is not the same thing as invalidating the arguments those voices are making.

Being Gay: A Life Style Choice?

If, on the other hand, you consider someone to be gay only if they act on their same-sex attraction then being gay can be considered a choice depending on an individual's behavior. Is Being Gay a Choice? The connections in the amygdala and the corpus callosum have both been shown to be different depending on the sexual orientation of the individual. Gay Conversion Therapy — Real or Hoax? In a interview with New York Times Magazine, the actress casually mentioned that homosexuality was, for her, a choice.