What causes sexual orientation?
Nature, nurture, both, or neither
Sponsored link.
Conflicting quotations -- two from each "side:"
There is no scientific data that substantiates a genetic or
biologic basis for same-sex attraction. Anybody can change."
Richard Cohen, at the year 2000 PFOX, (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays) convention.
"Homosexuality & heterosexuality are
likely to be the result of an interaction of several different factors,
including genetics, hormonal & environmental factors. Psychological &
social influences alone cannot cause homosexuality." PFLAG Oakland -
East Bay. 1
"To date, all information and studies involving genetics
have proven homosexuality to be environmental, not genetic." PFOX web site.
"Research suggests that the homosexual orientation is in
place very early in the life cycle, possibly even before birth. It is
found in about ten percent of the population, a figure which is
surprisingly constant across cultures, irrespective of the different
moral values and standards of a particular culture."
Statement on Homosexuality, American Psychological Association,
1994-JUL. 2
Background:
There are two fundamental concepts about the nature and cause(s) of sexual
orientation. Many people base their beliefs on homosexuality on the religious teaching that they have
received:
Many Christians from fundamentalist,
other evangelical, mainline, Roman Catholic, and some other denominations
believe that heterosexuality is the only normal, natural and non-disordered
sexual behavior. Homosexuality is defined as a
same-sex sexual activity. They believe that homosexuality is ultimately a
choice that young people make, although they are often heavily influenced to
make this choice by bad parenting and/or sexual molestation during
childhood. Being a choice, it can be changed at any time with some effort.
Reparative therapy and transformational ministries have an excellent record in changing sexual behavior.
Many liberal Christians, progressive
Christians, secularists, gays, lesbians, bisexuals, human sexuality
researchers, mental health professionals, etc. believe that there are three normal, natural and
non-disordered sexual orientations:
heterosexuality, homosexuality and bisexuality. Homosexuality is defined in terms of sexual attraction to members of the same sex. They believe that
homosexual orientation is fixed early in life, perhaps before birth and
perhaps at conception. Being an orientation, it is rarely if ever
changeable.
Reparative therapy and transformational ministries have little if any success in changing people's sexual orientation.
Based on these beliefs, individuals have come to at least
six different understandings of
homosexuality, and contrasting beliefs about same-sex
marriage, equal rights for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgendered persons and transsexuals (LGBT).
Matt Ridley, "Nature via nurture: Genes, experience, and what makes us
human," HarperCollins, (2003). Read
reviews or order this book safely from Amazon.com online book store
This book discusses the effects of genes and the environment on human behavior
and traits. It touches on homosexuality in a few locations.
