October 28, 2010
Where does homosexuality come from?
From Salon:
What makes a person gay? Is it genetics, upbringing, or some combination of the two? Over the past few decades, a slew of scientific research has bolstered the notion that sexuality is, at least in part, innate. Studies of the sexual behavior of various animal species have shown that homosexuality is not just a human phenomenon. Then there is the curious finding that the number of older brothers a male has may biologically increase his chances of being gay.
Now Simon LeVay, a former Harvard neuroscientist, has written, "Gay, Straight, and the Reason Why: The Science of Sexual Orientation," a comprehensive, engaging and occasionally quite funny look at the current state of the research on the topic. LeVay is one of the leading authorities in the field: Back in 1991, he discovered that INAH3, a structure in the hypothalamus of the brain that helps to regulate sexual behavior, tended to be smaller in gay men than in straight men. It was a watershed moment in our understanding of sexual orientation (the study was published at the height of the AIDS epidemic, when the disease was widely regarded in religious circles as divine punishment for the sin of being gay) and the first scientific finding to support the idea that gayness might be more than just a lifestyle.
More here.
Posted by Azra Raza at 06:12 AM | Permalink
Comments
"What makes a person gay?"
Yeah, but what makes a person heterosexual? Why is that never a question researchers puzzle over?
Posted by: Tomboktu | Oct 28, 2010 3:24:11 PM
Tomboktu,
Simple. Heterosexual men have an INAH3 twice the size of women's. Gay men have one the same size. And it's a good thing most men have a normal sized INAH3, since all gays come from straight parents.
Posted by: J.Hawkins | Oct 28, 2010 3:41:49 PM
JH, some gays are born as a result of heterosexual acts on the part of parents, one or both, who are gay. But straight people result from those unions, too. A hetero act, especially for the purpose of breeding, does not make you straight, nor does it guarantee the orientation of your offspring.
Posted by: Elatia Harris | Oct 28, 2010 6:38:07 PM
You reminded me, Tomboktu, of a great bumper sticker I saw around Frisco back in the early 90s:
"What causes heterosexuality?"
Posted by: Bryon | Oct 28, 2010 6:54:32 PM
I welcome Simon LeVay's research into the causes of sexual orientation as someone with a gay brother and a gay best friend. His research indicates that there may be a physical difference in the brains of gay men. This would imply a genetic component to sexual orientation. It is also interesting that gay men are more likely to be younger brothers due to hormonal influences in the womb. This is the case in my family. The question as to what causes homosexuality is scientifically legitimate since it goes directly against the deepest instinct of all living things to reproduce. Some gays do have children, but they are a small minority. I find this question very interesting, as does LeVay, himself a gay man.
Posted by: J.Hawkins | Oct 28, 2010 9:44:22 PM
"Some gays do have children, but they are a small minority."
This is a broad-ranging statement offered with no supporting evidence, though at least it's an improvement on "all gays come from straight parents."
"Small" isn't a very precise word, and my anecdotal evidence isn't any more or less valid than J. Hawkins's, but I'm a gay person who bore and raised two children, and though I'm not going to bother tallying carefully, I'm pretty sure I know more gay people with kids (their own biological offspring, never mind counting the ones who've adopted) than gay people without.
It's not easy to find reliable numbers, but this site has some interesting stuff:
http://www.buddybuddy.com/parent.html
Posted by: JanieM | Oct 28, 2010 10:20:15 PM
JanieM
"I'm pretty sure I know more gay people with kids (their own biological offspring, never mind counting the ones who've adopted) than gay people without"
I find this surprising. I have known hundreds of gays and not one has children. I'm pretty sure the statistics would bear me out that the vast majority of gays are childless.
Posted by: J.Hawkins | Oct 29, 2010 9:12:41 AM
Is it a crime to be gay
Posted by: emmanuel | Jun 18, 2011 7:21:05 AM
Post a comment