Is it biological or environmental/social? I think it's biological. I just don't think you could choose to be hetero or homo. Also, why would anyone choose to be gay? As a group, they face many obstacles and prejudices from society. What do you guys think? I'd really like Outlaw to respond.
From what I've seen, it can be either or both. Some people clearly seem to have always fit in a different place than our conventional gender roles would assign for them. On the other hand, we all know people who have experimented/ switch hitted/ gone both ways. Until they prove that there is a gene specific to "orientation", I believe it's a variety of biochemical and social factors. However, I too would like to hear from someone with more experience, since I personally do not identify with why anyone would want to do that. It wouldn't come naturally to me, but apparently to some people it does.
Your not "born" gay. Your really not born to do anything. If you take Jeffery Damar, Ted Bundy, or any other sicko, put them in a differnt home, they most likely would not have turned out that way. Everything you see and do as a child shapes how you will grow up to be. We are all different and we all react different to different circumstances.
Comparing homosexuality to serial murder, and using the argument that environment creates "sickos" is just plain wrong. Are you calling homosexuals "sickos?" Maybe I'm reading too much into that. No, I'm not gay, but I don't see why so many people treat homosexuality as a perversion, or why homosexuals seem so threatening. As far as why some people are straight and some are gay, there are many factors. I read once (or did I see it on TV?) about a different balance of a certain chemical in the body that might predispose some individuals to homosexuality. As far as environment affecting sexual orientation, maybe. British public school apparently lends to homosexual encounters. Sometimes men or women find themselves extremely tired of being in bad relationships and then lean toward a homosexual relationship; but probably there was a latent tendency to begin with. In this case, women are (probably?) more likely to "turn" than men, as they do have the social stigma to get past but far less of the macho B.S.
I'm not really sure it matters, but I have a tendency to believe, as Isabel does, that it is probably a little of both. There have been studies that show that some homosexuals have an abnormal production of the opposite gender hormones (testosterone in females and estrogen in males) and that the reason for this is that they were born with this type of imbalance. But, there are socialization factors as well. I do agree with gr8-1 that very very few people, if given the option, would simply choose homosexuality as a lifestyle simply because it is a very difficult life to lead given the stigmas attached to it in our society.
Dunno if it's biological or environmental but I don't recall ever making a conscious choice in the matter. considering there is evidence of homosexuality in every culture throughout human history, it seems like a natural phenomena. Personally. I realized that I am this way when I was 11 but I didn't have my first homosexual experience till I was 22.
I don't believe in hetero/homo polarities. Ghost, Serial killers like that generally do have some kind of chemical inbalance for which there is nor "curing." What you say is true for many convicts, but in their cases, I think that it is different.
It is also common throughout the natural world. There are a number of animal species who procreate with the opposite gender but choose to live their lives and even engage in sexual relations with the same gender. In addition, there are asexual animals who choose both same gender and opposite gender mates. There is no evidence to suggest this behavior isn't any less natural or normal than the traditional male/female sexual behavior.
OK 1. It doesn't matter if it is or isn't. . . they folx treat them as such so this question is just academic. I beleive it is not natural That does not mean good or Bad [We seem to think if we can prove it to be a natural thing that it is justified and good. . .. it is not the case. .] Condoms are not natural . . . but i think they are pretty good Oral Sex is just as unnatural as Anal sex to me Neither produces children which is the atural purpose of sex 2. why is it threatening? if the whole world were gay . . .then the race would end. . only procreated through a process that most folx would find . . . uhmm.. . less than pleasent [I do not know how homosexuals feel about 'regular' sex. . . but i would suspect it is not the same as heterosexuals] Trust me. . . if everyone were homosexual . . .i beleive the over population thing . . . would be a non issue Rocket River
I think it is a biological phenomenon. I also don't think it is the way God intended, but there are all kinds of accidents of creation that make people different including chromosomal anomalies, bad brain chemistry, and physical deformities. These are not natural but they are not inherently bad either. Environmental factors can also come into play that would either forge or derail homosexual tendencies.
I firmly believe that it is biological phenominon (sp?). My brother and I grew up together, sharing a bedroom for years, treated the same way by our parents, exposed to the same environmental factors including lots of sports and such, and he is gay and I am not. How can anyone say his homosexuality was environmentally formed? He tells me he knew it for as long as he can remember, but denied it for years, even through a failed marriage. Once he came out, it relieved a weight from his shoulders he's been carrying since childhood. Neither society nor environment made a decision for myself to be straight and my brother gay. It had to be biological. I love you bro!!!!
I've never understood this portion of the defense of homosexuality. "Animals do it"...? Dogs eat their own feces. Rodents eat their young. Humans are supposed to know better. Please note that I do not have a problem with homosexuality, only illogical arguments. I'm equally disdainful of outright religious bigotry towards gays-- I thought the maxim was to "hate the sin, not the sinner", and yet Southern Baptists seem unable to make the distinction.
Any other Christians struggle with this issue a bit? It's clear that the Bible condemns certain homosexual acts. (this is different from homosexual orientation, and just has to do with how far you go physically) That's OK; God makes the rules, not me. This is no problem for the swingers and experimenters; still, it's clear that some other people are just born to be a little different. I wonder if maybe our whole society isn't messed up on this issue - the way we associate emotional relationships with sexual relationships. It seems that automatically, every time someone feels close affection for members of their own sex and doesn't conform to our society's gender norms, they have to decide "I'm gay". Then, apparently their life is not complete until they take it pretty far physically... ["sodomy" and the like discussed already on another thread] It's hard for me to say, since I don't have that orientation and don't know how it would feel...
I was really just responding to the "it's not natural" argument. Indeed, it is natural for many species of animals. That doesn't make it right for everyone but it is part of natural, normal biology ont his plant.
There are an INCREDIBLE amount of stimuli and experience in a human life. . . I GUARANTEE THAT YOU AND YOUR BROTHER HAVE VASTLY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES in your life span. Question: Now a days there seems to be more Homosexuals than anytime before. . . is it because it is ok . . or has genetics gone wild. . . . . . . We could say it is a gov conspiracy to control over population. Rocket River
At my old job I worked with a gay man. Since he was open and intelligent I took a shot. I asked him just how and when he knew he was gay. He responded by asking my how and when I knew I was straight. He never made any choice. He made his point quite well, I thought. I've never had as open a dialog with another gay person in my life therefore I can't really vouch for the "choose to be gay" types.
interesting..i've known a few openly gay people...still friends with 2 of them. they all said that they don't think it's something they inherited, but rather a product of circumstances.
