are people born gay? Options

[Mulder]

Those aren't really the same thing. Sexuality isn't in the same category as an interest in buying clothes. Just because one is influenced by society, does not mean the other is, too.

i cant think of the words.

im saying that i dont believe that homosexuality came about from an interest in clothing. as people started to.. explore their sexuality, it was bound to happen that two people of the same sex would have sex. and..

at some point the idea of homosexuality came about..and it became natural to be gay.

but i dont think its a choice. the way society has formed...homosexuality is a big part of it. people can be born gay now.


ugh.. ill stop rambling now.

[*disco infiltrator*]

^ Like, it was around forever, but now that society has accepted it as something that happens, you see more of it?

[Mulder]

no..not forever.

it came about.. and over time it has become more accepted, and more of a natural tendency.

[*mipadi*]

Homosexuality has, depending on historical period and geographic location, been an accepted and even common practice. There's nothing really "new" about its acceptance.

[Mulder]

its more accepted now than it was 50 years ago.

[*mipadi*]

its more accepted now than it was 50 years ago.

But more accepted than it was 500? 1000? 2000?

[Mulder]

it wasnt really open 500 years ago. it wasnt really acknowledged.

[*mipadi*]

it wasnt really open 500 years ago. it wasnt really acknowledged.

Really? I beg to differ. In Japan, it was quite common for samurai to have a younger, male partner; in fact, in East Asia, homosexuality has been around since recorded time.

Homosexuality was practiced during the Renaissance in areas such as Italy.

Going back even further in time, homosexuality was a common practice in Greece.

This is but a quick synopsis; more on the history of homosexuality can be found here.

[mai_z]

I love how there's an entire thread of heterosexuals speaking on behalf of homosexuals. Just as I was reading this (in the computer lab on campus), I asked one of my classmates (who is openly gay) if this were a choice or if was born gay.

He told me it was his choice.

What I'm trying to understand is how someone who isn't gay is able to speak so strongly in favor of the 'they were born gay' argument. It doesn't really make much sense and any claim lacks credibility if you aren't actually gay.

My personal opinion; does it make a difference?

There are also bisexuals, and testimonials of openly gay people. I know gay people who attribute their sexual orientation to something natural. It is, however, possible that it was your classmate's choice to be OPENLY gay...or to express his "gay-ness". There is a difference.

[Mulder]

Really? I beg to differ. In Japan, it was quite common for samurai to have a younger, male partner; in fact, in East Asia, homosexuality has been around since recorded time.

Homosexuality was practiced during the Renaissance in areas such as Italy.

Going back even further in time, homosexuality was a common practice in Greece.

This is but a quick synopsis; more on the history of homosexuality can be found here.

alright. i resign the point.


what does it matter anyways. some people are gay. i dont really care why.

[yummy_delight]

I'm getting a little sick of the digression into religious arguments here. The fact that Christianity or your personal beliefs brand homosexuality as unnatural or wrong has nothing whatsoever to do with the topic. The topic is ARE PEOPLE BORN GAY?, not "Are you homophobic and why?" This thread is definitely NOT about preaching.

That being said, I still think sexual orientation is something that you are born with and it is something you just can't change. In reference to the friend I was talking about in my previous posts, growing up in an environment where he was sure to be hurt and alienated for being gay, my friend would never have made the conscious choice to be homosexual. In another situation, my uncle knew he was gay from the time he was 4. Aside from choosing which cereal to eat for breakfast, children don't usually make conscious decisions, especially ones regarding their sexuality, at such an early age.

That's not to diminish Brandon's argument. I've never heard of your friend's situation and I'm straight, so I admit I do have a biased view on the topic.

[vash1530]

like i said before, people are born gay because of some genetic deformity. Homosexualityis against nature because the couple is not able to reproduce. Does this matter to me? Not in the slightest. I just thought that i'd put it out there.

[technicolour]

Is there any proof anywhere that people ARE born gay by some disfunction or whatever?

I'll believe it when I see some bonafied proof.

But even then, sometimes science can be proven wrong.

[vash1530]

tell you the truth this is totally my opinion but ill take some time 2 look it up.

[technicolour]

Sounds good to me, but my stance still stands.

And my stance is the same as manyother people. They want proof.

[sadolakced acid]

well, i sure as hell know i wasn't born straight.

and, if i could choose to be bi, i would have already.

so i must conclude that it is not a choice to like men.

therefore: i must ask everyone who says it is a choice: did you choose not to be gay? did you reach a point in your life where you said "i must now choose whether to be gay or straight?"

[technicolour]

^ Yeah it's called puberty.

[sadolakced acid]

so when you hit puberty you conciously decided to like girls or guys?

[Mulder]

so when you hit puberty you conciously decided to like girls or guys?

you begin to consider it.

[sadolakced acid]

or is it more of, you begin to like girls or guys?

[*disco infiltrator*]

EXACTLY.

Your hormones dictate it. At puberty.
I've been saying this the entire thread....

[*mipadi*]

EXACTLY.

Your hormones dictate it. At puberty.
I've been saying this the entire thread....

But one's sexuality is most like imprinted long before puberty.

[*disco infiltrator*]

Why is that? Were you actually attracted to a girl before you hit puberty, or did you just think you liked others due to media influence?

[verlorenrivets]

New Research Shows Homosexuality Genetic
by Peter Moore 365Gay.com  London Bureau

Posted: June 16, 2005  8:00 pm ET
(London) A new study of research on sexuality over the last 15 shows that homosexuality is genetic.

The study, by Qazi Rahman, a psychobiologist at the University of East London, and Glenn Wilson, a personality specialist from the University of London, examines the work of a number of international researchers in the fields of psychology, neuroscience, genetics, endocrinology and evolutionary biology.

It concludes that sexuality is determined prior to birth and is based on a combination of genetics and hormonal activity in the womb.

In an interview with The Guardian newspaper Rahman said that the study examined the 1990 work of psychobiologist Simon LeVay that revealed differences in small parts of the brain between gay and straight men.  It also looked at 1993 research indicating chromosomal differences between gays and straight men.

Since then there has been an "absolute explosion" in research into the area, Rahman told the Guardian, noting that this is the first attempt to put all the separate pieces of research together and analyze it as a whole.

Rahman and Wilson also conclude there is no evidence that people could "learn" to be gay.

But, the study disputes the figure that roughly 10 percent of the population is gay. It concludes that between 2% to 4% of people are gay and that the figure does not seem to vary across societies.

It also notes that while men tend to be either heterosexual or homosexual, with little evidence for true bisexuality, women show more mixed preferences.

Or something like that. New research shows that it's genetic. Why do I care? I don't know. I might just not like god, or christianity, or the american way, or conservatives, or something.

[*mipadi*]

Why is that? Were you actually attracted to a girl before you hit puberty, or did you just think you liked others due to media influence?

My point is that sexuality is imprinted long before a person begins to feel attraction towards anyone.